"There is no doubt about it: the world of CDR releases is a confusing
one. Every week new bands, new labels, side-projects: if I wasn't this
close to the fire, I am sure it would all be Chinese for me too. But the
good thing is 'Catzenjammer' a 4CDR set by Tibprod (sometimes spelled
as 'Cat-zen-jammer', 'Catz-en-jammer' and 'Catzen-jammer'), which is probably
the most complete guide to bands that release CDRs, not just on Tibprod,
but also all these other labels that flood the headquarters here. Four
times seventy minutes per CD, makes a total of sixty-nine tracks. Phew.
It contains a few people who have released real CDs, such as Lasse Marhaug,
Kobi, Aidan Baker, Jan van den Dobbelsteen, Shifts and Tore Honore Boe.
They are probably the heroes here. Otherwise it contains some of the most
active players in this underground, names you see a lot, like Chefkirk,
Guignol Dangereux, Sound OO, Taming Power, Tzesne, Sindre Bjerga, and
it (re-) introduces us to Your Name Here, Subinterior, The Suncd Project,
Makinoize, Skylined and Monotonos. The music ranges from the softest ambient,
via musique concrete collage to harsh noise, all thrown together, but
that is the biggest charm here: it's not the individual quality that matters,
but the overall impression. A nearly complete guide to this year's underground."
(FdW) VITAL WEEKLY 496
news :: meow meow
Norwegian weirdos TIBProd. are getting all cute on us with a new four
part collection apparently themed around kitty cats. The set is entitled
"Catzenjammer" with each of the four discs bearing a slightly
screwed up version of that word (they've gone hyphen crazy I tell you).
For some reason the label is pretty much mum about the release (I am Jack's
complete lack of press release) but the roster I suppose speaks for itself
with all sorts of odd ducks and tight spots participating: tore honoré
bøe, lasse marhaug, monoid, aidan baker, gacky, aleph, tonearm,
mil.org. and a gajillion more that you can read up on via the label's
site. The full set will cost you 20€ (6€ if you only want one)
and for more info you should burn a church in the direction of tibprod@hotmail.com.
posted by: moron on 2005-10-11 09:28:31
Is it too much?
The "Cat-Zen-jammer" Collection by the tibprod label offers
more than most can handle
Maybe Jan-M Iversen should try running the marathon - after all, in the
world of music he's the man with the long breath. His album "Restituent
L'atmosphère" consists of one, 50-minute spanning piece, he
has just released a DVD with an 8 hour-mega mix of older tracks (limited
to only 10 copies) and in just under two years he's released an amazing
70 albums on his tibprod imprint. But all of this pales in comparison
with his label's biggest bonanza: The "Catzenjammer" project.
Let's start with the facts: 4 CDs, 69 tracks, almost 5 hours of music,
almost none of the artists appearing twice. This must be one of the richest
efforts to map a part of the undergrund experimental electronics scene
ever - and coming at an affordable price as well: 24Euros is what you'll
have to pay for your trip, but you can buy each volume seperately as well.
And we can assure you that every penny of that money is well spent.
CD1 is an introduction of sorts. It presents a plentiful panopticum of
styles and points in the various directions the next three discs are going
to take. If the whole thing were a DJ-mix, this would be the warm-up phase,
when you're still relaxing at the bar, having a drink and chatting with
your friends. Which is not to say it wouldn't be worth listening to these
tracks with your fullest attention. In fact, there are some real gems
included, which will make your heart pound faster: "Swamps Up Nostril"
(where do they make up those names?) brings us neon-lights of dimly shining
synth-pads, which crumble into a midnight-beat and enzo's "No World"
is a miracle of a melancholic melody over a whispering groove.
CD2, meanwhile, is the one for those with strong nerves. This is a journey
into noise and industrial ambiances and goes all the way from almost pure
sound (Tore Honore Boe's "13051826" might well be a John Cage-cover),
via almost unlistenable, high-pitch screaks ("zgvimiii" - its
title is almost onomatopoetic) to the geeky electro of Japanese sound
wizard Yasushi Miura. The disc closes with the twelve minute long "Chrome
Toilet" by Gacky, a mixture between a radio play and pulsating bell-motives.
If you should only want one disc out of the entire series, then maybe
CD3 should be your choice. Here, Iversen has managed to attract some big
names for his project: Aidan Baker juxtaposes fragments of a brittle melody
on the acoustic guitar and allows them to flow in- and out of each other,
creating an unsettling ambiance, Nathan Mcninch (who runs the Microsuoni
label) makes a statement at the verge of silence with "Winter Fold
Part 2" and Emmanuel Mieville builds nebulous clouds of dark drones
and tiny sound particles. This is a collection you can listen to from
beginning to end without breaks.
The final installment is dedicated to free experimentation: Here, you'll
find 21 collages full of wondrous sounds and almost three-dimensional
scenes. It is also the part of "Catz-en-jammer", which sits
closest to the avantgarde - and almost always seems to be taken directly
from an installation or a multimedia project. Fascinating stuff, but don't
go looking for any easy tunes.
"Catzenjammer fulfils many different purposes: First of all, it satisfies
the natural curiosity of those always on the look for new music. Chances
are slim that you'll ever have heard of the artists on display here (with
the few exceptions indicated previously), let alone of the tracks collected
on these four CDs. The sheer amount of music is staggering and will keep
you glued to your chair for at least a few weeks. And it will also offer
you new future favourites. You may not like all of this, but you're bound
to dig quite a lot.
Secondly, this is a source of unimaginable inspiration. Whether you're
happy just listening to music or creating some yourself, "Catzen-jammer"
wil inject a fresh dose of ideas and energy into you. In a way, this compilation
is like flipping through the Ikea-catalogue - there are clever details
everywhere and because the overall concept makes sense, you're bumping
into stuff all the time, which you'd never have thought of but which is
exciting and new. Sound 00's "001", for example, consists of
nothing more than a stinging tone and a few pin-point sharp clicks, but
uses these elements to full effect. And there's more material like that,
just waiting to be discovered.
And finally it goes to prove that Steve Jolliffe was right in claiming
that there was no end to human creativity. You may never have heard of
these artists and maybe you won't even need to remember their names. But
"Catzenjammer" does a great job in shifting your perspective:
After all, at some point it wasn't about names and it wasn't about bragging
to other people about how many bizarre acts you knew. In fact - how ever
many artists you'll know, there's always more you won't. So sit back,
relax and just enjoy the music. Stop worrying about anything other than
what these pieces do with you and where they are taking you - you'll need
the energy to sit through this marathon of music.
Tobias Fischer
www.mouvement-nouveau.com
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