If you've heard of the genre power electronics than you probably already know about Whitehouse, Sutcliffe Jugend and Atrax Morgue, for starters. They're great artists, but it's fun to dig deeper. I've listened to a great deal of extremely tinnitus inducing hateful albums and decided it was time to make a list of my top five favorite power electronic releases.
Power Electronics is sort of an evolution of early industrial that amplifies the harsh, destructive nature that is similar in noise music. It has spun its own sub-genre entitled 'death industrial', but that's a whole different story. In no way is this music radio friendly or going to help any less with those neighbors of yours that threaten to call the police on you for playing 'that damn hostile bullshit again'. Well, they may just leave you alone and never look at you again if you put one of these albums in their mailbox as a gift.
Five.Concussed & Asphyxiated by Coma Detox
This a short twenty minute release off the label Filth & Violence. Coma Detox is an obscure act that has just recently started to release physical material and I'm extremely glad he made that decision. By the title names you would immediately think of it as some sort of Atrax Morgue tribute or so called 'clinical ambient' sounds, but I'd think that he's made a sound of his own.
All of the tracks have been recorded in such a dense thick quality that makes it feel like you just pulled this tape out of a pile of mud and cleaned it off with a rusty nail. Even with the cover art and such, I feel that this is much more mature than someone screaming about having sex with a corpse over high pitched feedback. The sounds created are minimalistic and orchestrated with such lush interest towards separating a wall of feedback from clashes of metal junk and analog noise. The distorted vocals are impossible to decipher, almost as if there's a hidden meaning under these tracks not meant to be solved.
A few people I've recommended this to have told me that it doesn't really sound too unique or different from a random obscure Black Leather Jesus or Taint tape, but I'd disagree, although I don't really know if anything I say can back my opinion up. I just feel like it's so much more than another power electronics tape. Listen for yourself.
Four.Mattress on the Floor by Breathing Problem
The release starts off with recordings about rape and people getting killed, followed by a girl saying, “..Who cares? I don't really care. Whatever happens happens.” Blast straight into a tunnel of crunching noise and hidden vocals with secret cries for help.
Breathing Problem is a member of the extremely noisy punk band Total Abuse. I've been a fan of Rusty Kelley's music for a while and always found this project to be my favorite to come from Texas.
What we have here is unbelievably dangerous, potent and loud even at a quiet volume on your speakers. Its hard to block out the things that Rusty is screaming at you – something extremely disgusting and hateful with the putrid taste of a drug overdose. I'm exhausted already just from the first two tracks, back on my feet throwing myself around to the blaring nihilistic noise, back on the ground in need of air when '9PM' plays and flat out dead when the album is over.
I guess some would say it's hard to differentiate this between power electronics and harsh noise. It could just be both, but this spot in my list feels right to me.
Three.World Draped in a Camouflage by Grunt.
Grunt is possibly the most creative of all power electronics artists, in my fucking opinion. It was hard for me to decide which one to put on this list. 'Seer of Decay' is an almost perfect album, but the second disk on it isn't strong enough for me to call it a complete five star album.
This is a power electronics album that doesn't seem focused on the typical PE topics. Instead, the nature of it is apocalyptic and dystopian – bringing us back to the roots of industrial sound, dissecting those very sounds and tweaking them to create something new. Annie Gosfield had an album recorded in a factory using the machines as instruments. I'd say this album sounds even more machinable than that release. How so? The stunning imagery given by subtle dark ambient synths, the humming bass feedback, screeching that actually sounds like a fork against a metal machine..
..Grunt's vocals are yelled, but I don't feel hatred/rage in them. It's more an aggressive explanation of things to come or the mistakes of humanity to lead towards an eviscerated planet. I think there's a difference between misanthropy and painting a dead world like these tracks do.
Every single sound and track is varied with careful orchestration with layers of chains, synths and other sounds to keep an abrasive on the edge of your seat sound. Your captivated and interested, just as humans are with war and political violence. This music makes me think of historical massacres, assassinations, bloodthirsty rebels and monstrous rulers that dream of the death of millions.
A perfect ballad of terror.
Two.Liberal Cunt by Pogrom
Is there anything as hateful and cruel? This is the album that embodies those well known power electronics emotions and amplifies it to the level of hatred that AM speaks of in the short 'I Have No Mouth And Must Scream' by Harlan Ellison. Side A is a tumbling battle of machines, boiling blood and industrial strength. Pedals being smashed until broken, metal pipes being slammed around and nonsensical taunting into a microphone over thousands of layers of harsh noise.
The material literally sounds like its dripping wet of sludge and everything is falling apart. A mess in the sense of dysfunction and death.. The 'Untitled' track is honestly one of the most horrifying pieces of power electronics I've heard – from the bad trip vocals, screeching that follows it around and banging that brings me to thoughts of industrial techno, but obviously way more insane and pissed off.
And then we have the final track; a long sound collage with powerful feedback that makes you feel locked in a closet full of shit and piss and vomit.. For example, there's this female voice that sounds like she's puking, moaning or craving bath salts or something.
One. Dirge: The Peter Sotos Files by Martin Bladh
Dirge. The penultimate work of power electronics that goes back to where we started. Bladh is given sound collage and spoken word pieces by Peter Sotos, former member of Whitehouse and cult writer, then uses these works to give an even more disturbing atmosphere. I've always said to people that a stupid slowcore album isn't enough. You need this.
The album opens in with familiar collage pieces that you may of heard from Peter Sotos albums “Buyer's Market” and “Proxy”, layered in a genius way where certain parts fade in and out to kind of suck you into the whole mess as to all these haunting stories going on at once. It ends with a woman saying, “And this is all I have left of her – FINGERPRINTS!”
Bam. Straight into the noise. Violent strings and feedback like a quartet descending in an elevator down to hell. Despite the fact that it's not as harsh as stuff Bladh has done on Skin Area or IRM, it's made for by the unsettling nature of these sounds sinking into you with the dialog that you're fed.
And then you get the chance to hear Peter Sotos calm, gentle loving voice talking about pedophiliac acts over a loop of a kids toy. Nah, his voice is extremely complex on this track. You can hear this sense of guilt and frustration in it almost as if he's on the verge of breaking down.. Like the most ultimate grin at the face of humanity.
We slip into the next track which features talk show samples about babyfuckers and babykillers followed by more horrifying strings. 'Insult' could be seen as the break from the insanity, even though it's not that uplifting of a track. It gives you some breathing space in the dark droning room the track presents itself in, but the closer you listen to the voice the more captivated you are to realize things are definitely not going to be ok. The track slips farther into a sense of unsafe nature, until you slip into the next 'Buyer's Theme', which is much like the first track and features two different interview collages going on on different sides of the speakers along with a frightening humming sound in the background.
I don't really know if my theory is on spot or not and it probably isn't, but I have a feeling that Sotos had these samples of rape victims for a very specific reason. These people are targeted because they're seen as weak or easy to victimize. Also, the media portrays the killers as celebrities, where as the victims are just a body count. You're supposed to feel bad for them, but not really care about who those people are and their story.
The next track, “Dirge:Mary” could be seen as the most disturbing piece of music ever..EVER. Even after the second and third listen I was caught off guard by the track. Maybe it's because of how slow and serious the woman speaking on the sample is and then we're sent straight into the filth. Filthy, disgusting noise that spits in your face. Now you're basically listening to a woman cry over the worst thing that's ever happened in her life. Still feeling good? Are you still happy?
I feel like the three albums Sotos released weren't enough to let me understand him as the artist he is. For some reason I've always come to respect his honesty and brutality. His books are sold for hundreds of fucking dollars and as a poor college kid.. You know how it is. The tracks featuring him on his readings give me much more insight. It's almost as if the album just gets dirtier as it goes and Sotos words mixed with Bladh's unnerving sounds craft an ugly story that you just can't stop reading.
“Injury” is definitely the harshest track here, because we knew that Bladh couldn't go out with just a few bangs. He has to keep slamming the shit in your face and it just feels so good.. The extreme misanthropy presented on here keeps you coming back to make you hate even more. Keep hating and until you become the hate and become another dirge, another sick disgusting human... And this release ends just as it started and all you can do is grin.
Power electronics has always seemed to try and present a sense of uneasiness. Martin Bladh's “Dirge” is just that; the darkest form of matter from the human body put onto a record for you to experience. It's an album that I feel should be listened to by every single living human. An album with this much strength deserves this spot.
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p.s. Hey. Damien Ark knows his stuff. As a fellow lover of this kind of stuff, I urge you to listen. Read and listen. Today particularly. Thank you. Thank you, Damien. So, I have a really bad infection of the lungs. I'm feeling the very slightest bit better today than yesterday. This weekend was truly horrible. I don't even want to talk about it. The doctor says I should start feeling notably better by tomorrow. Because there are so many comments backed up, I'm going to try to catch up today rather let the situation get huger and worse. But I feel quite bad and my answers will be very short. Sorry. ** Thursday ** Scunnard, The Go-Gos really should have worked, but they didn't, I guess. I don't know why. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. ** Dan, Cool. Will share as soon as I can. ** Etc etc etc, Hi. Never met Pynchon, no. LHotB made noises like it might wake up a couple months ago but it hasn't, yet anyway. ** Zach, Hi, Zach. Sorry to be sick when you return. It'll pass. Cool, thanks, about 'Ktl'. I look forward to catching up. ** Steevee, Everyone, Steevee's review of GONE GIRL. ** Thomas Moronic, Thanks. ** Damien Ark, Thanks a lot for the great post today! No, there's deliberate humor in almost all of my writing. People just don't see it. Thank you for the really kind words. ** _Black_Acrylic, Very good news about the progress, Ben. ** Chilly Jay Chill, Great about the residency, Jeff. Hope you got a ton done. I've been incredibly sick. I haven't done anything. ** Keaton, The thing on your blog that I was going too look at and share got erased. ** Sickly, Nice new name. My eyes are too fucked up squint that well, but I'll read the AF thing when I can read again. Yes, I certainly know about the rape accusations. There's stuff everywhere about that. I don't like the Jezebel piece. I only played Mortal Kombat once for about ten seconds. I don't like fighting games very much. No, I haven't done a post. Should I? Do you want to? I'll look into it. I got sick around the time I was going to say yes to Grandieux, and I didn't, so I'm not in the film. ** Misanthrope, Hi. I haven't forgotten about the yen. ** Alistair McCartney, Hi, Alistair. Yeah, I was getting worse it turns out. Weird. Great to see you. Sorry to be sick. ** Cal Graves, Hi, Cal. Thanks. ** Kier, Hi, Kier. That was a nice day. I've just been deathly ill. I have to start trying to have a life to tell you about maybe tomorrow. ** Rewritedept, If they were blown out of proportion in print, it was deliberate on his part. Oh, I don't know about NYC right now. I need to get better first. ** Friday ** Scunnard, No, but thanks. ** Tosh Berman, Cool. Yeah, I've sleeping 80 - 90% of my time. ** Gregoryedwin, Thanks. It sounds good to me. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. ** Paul Curran, Hi. ** Steevee, This was beyond homeopathic unfortunately. ** Kiddiepunk, Thank you for calling and helping me. That really meant a lot. ** Thomas Moronic, The post was sterling, man, thank you. ** Zach, Thanks, man. ** Kier, Your day sounds even more beautiful when I'm sick. I don't know why. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. ** Kyler, Thanks. ** James, Thanks. ** Sypha, Thanks. ** Misanthrope, Thanks. ** Saturday ** David Ehrenstein, Ended up needing to see doctor on Sunday. ** Steevee, I did eventually, thanks. ** _Black_Acrylic, Thanks. ** Etc etc etc, No, no great fever dreams unfortunately. Oh, yeah, I use scaffolding in my writing all the time. ** Thomas Moronic, Hi. Thank you, and beautiful, true scaffolding thoughts. ** David Ehrenstein, Okay. ** Hyemin K, Hi. Feel better. I had to see a doctor, and I did. Thank you about the post. ** Chris Dankland, Hi, Chris. Thank you. I hope you're hanging in there through all of everything that's going on right now. ** MANCY, Thanks. ** Keaton, Will do asap. Everyone Keaton: 'Nothing Left To Do But Smile', and '...nothing but psychology projected to the outer world.'. The last one's link didn't work. ** Bill, Hi. Hopefully. Sleeping and pumped full of drugs. Thanks, Bill. ** Kier, Hi, K. Pumpkin! Festive! I think I'm finally maybe getting better. But I'll know tomorrow. ** Misanthrope, Thanks. ** Kyler, okay. Everyone, Kyler's 'reading will be Fri Oct 17 at 4PM @ Greenwich House, 20 Washington Square North, (NYC), reading from my novel, The Secret of the Red Truck.' Be there. ** I'm beat. Sorry for that. Enjoy Damien's music fest. See you tomorrow in some form.