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thesunlounge · 4 years

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Reviews 344: Oto No Wa

I’m overjoyed to write again about Music for Dreams’ “Serious Collector Series,” not only because this run of compilations has produced some of the best vinyl sets of the past few years in the form of Jan Schulte’s Tropical Drums of Deutschland, Moonboots’ Moments in Time, and Basso’s Proper Sunburn, but also because the newest such collection, Oto No Wa: Selected Sounds of Japan 1988 - 2018, features a trio of curators who have all influenced this blog in significant ways. Listed first on the breathtaking cover is Ken Hidaka, who in addition to having a storied career as a DJ, journalist, and international record label liaison, has had a significant hand in coordinating many of my favorite reissues from the past few years…things such as Gigi’s Illuminated Audio on Time Capsule and Yutaka Hirose’s Nova + 4 on WRWTFWW, not to mention facilitating serenitatem…that spellbinding collaboration between Yoshio Ojima, Satsuki Shibano, and Visible Cloaks released last year on RNVG Intl. Then there’s Max Essa, one of the premiere practitioners of the balearic beat, whether it’s remixing tracks into euphoric seaside cruisers or producing expansive original works such as “Panorama Suite” for Is It Balearic?, the Lanterns LP for Music for Dreams, or his recently concluded trio of EPs for Hell Yeah Recordings: Themes From The Hood, The Cad & The Lovely, Haz Zan Roc, and The Great Adventure. And finally comes Dr. Rob, a far-ranging musical adventurer and gifted wordsmith whose reviews, interviews, mixes, and stories spread across Test Pressing and Ban Ban Ton Ton showed me entirely new ways to write about music, with his expressive poetics, deep references, and inimitable sense of cleverness rising far beyond standard music criticism and going a long way towards inspiring the creation of this very website.

As far as the music comprising Oto No Wa is concerned, Dr. Rob gives some background at Ban Ban Ton Ton, where he speaks of the trio meeting after one of their Lone Star nights at Bar Bonobo and compiling an initial list of some 200 hundred fantasy selections, which was miraculously whittled down to just 20 tracks. But then, the typically unflinching Japanese record label ecosystem slashed that list to all but nothing, leading Ken, Max, and Dr. Rob to reconsider the entire experience. I like to think that this was ultimately for the better, for in reworking the concept and flow of Oto No Wa, our trio of selectors struck upon the brilliant idea to, in the words of Dr. Rob, ”plot a course from pioneers, through to younger generations who`ve picked up the baton,” resulting in a spectacular set of balearic eclecticism focused on the 90s and 00s, which are periods often missed in the world of Japanese archival reissuing. Indeed, in contrast to the environmental ambiance, city pop, fusion, and jazz so often considered, the sounds here lean much closer to the romantic seaside vibrations of Flower Records’ Silent Dream CD mixes and the Ibizan chill out comps of React, as house beats are repurposed for summer fusion sways, sun-dappled ivories seek out a panoramic horizon, strummed acoustics jangle in an island breeze, electric guitars slide across cinematic deserts, dubwise basslines stroll down white sand beaches, chamber strings play themes for impossible sunsets, and steel pans bring touches of Caribbean splendor. Elsewhere, balafons dance through tropical forests, oceanic soundbaths wash the spirit clean, deep sea explorations transmute into Berlin school magic, and ceremonial drum layers surround barely there violin reveries, with the entire experience being bookended by a pair of kankyō ongaku drifters.

Oto No Wa: Selected Sounds of Japan 1988-2018 (Music for Dreams, 2020) Yoshio Ojima’s “Sealed,” the sole track here from the 80s, comes from the second volume of the producer’s now legendary Une Collection Des Chaînons: Music For Spiral collection and sees glowing hazes moving in slow motion…these harmonious swells mimicking the motions of some celestial sea while textures of digital crystal twinkle overhead. The vibe is hopeful and soothing, though there are moments where the swelling drones turn minor key and melancholic and the glass and gemstone atmospheres get caught in hyperspeed delay trails. But we always return to the floating stretches of major key majesty, with the music perfectly suited to scoring the motions of clouds across the sky or leaves drifting down a stream. And like many of Ojima’s tracks, there is a false ending…a fade to silence preceding a rebirth, wherein the melodic textures from before are reconfigured into mysterious forms…as if the cerulean sky scene mentioned earlier has been washed out by moody grey rainclouds. The original mix of Olololop’s “Mon” revels in washy 90s post-rock atmospherics, with increasingly free ambient jazz drumming underlying cascading pianos and plucked harps. And while the “orte Remix” by Kumi Hayashi and Takaaki Suzuki preserves many of these elements, the vibe here is more oriented towards classical chill out. The beats are rigid and slamming as they lock into a mechanized seaside swing, with the original’s jazz drumming fluidity replaced by pounding kicks, panning ride taps, and sketchy shaker patterns. Piano and harp flow into the stereo field, dropping plucked rays of golden harmony and washes of ivory ethereality before settling into a balearic dreamdance, one carried by gentle trance electronics and layers of droning bass positivity. At some point the rhythms pull away and we find ourselves in an extended beatless bliss out, wherein melodies of ocean crystal pulse around melodious harp motions, abstracted kick taps flutter on echo breezes, and pan-pipes sparkle in the distance. And later, the mix reduces to an industrial downbeat drum sway and a ceremonial hum of subdued choral mesmerism as the piano continues merging vibes of new age fusion and beachside romance.

Among my favorite cuts here is Kazuya Kotani’s “Fatima,” coming from the 2007 CD Made in Love. Seed shakers and rainsticks roll through echo machines, oceanic string panoramas shift in phase, and bongos and congas beat out a seaside beat as a cooing voice whispers sweet nothings in a way reminding me of Sth. Notional’s “Yawn Yawn Yawn (Dream… Another Reality Mix)”. Bulbous basslines bring touches of gentle dub exotica and a glorious chill out breakbeat swings with infectious forward momentum even as it lands like air, while pianos shimmer and shine via wavering chord mirages and prismatic delay leads that presage Coyote’s use of the instrument. The way everything locks in is so perfect, with hand drums bopping alongside the seaside breakbeat cruise and angelic strings glowing beneath sparkling ivory dreamspells…the whole thing coming together like some prototypical cut from one of José Padilla’s Cafe del Mar compilations or a Phil Mison curated Real Ibiza collection. At some point the drums pull away, leaving behind soft piano flutters, breathy whispers, and overlapping waves of orchestral resonance. And when the beats return, they are joined by heartwrenching chamber string progressions…a sort of swooning dance of cinematic sunset majesty before the track effortlessly glides back towards beachside chill out perfection. The B-side opens with “N.I.C.E. Guy” by Scha Dara Parra, who Dr. Rob describes in the liner notes as “Japan’s answer to the Beastie Boys.” The “Nice Guitar Dub” of the track presented here takes us into the world of the Major Force dance collective, and sees house kicks, hand drum loops, and clipped snares underlying lysergic repetitions of “feel good / checking things out” before dropping into a summery groove led by walking sunshine jazz bass, Hiroshi Fujiwara’s acoustic guitar strums, and Hirofumi Asamoto’s piano…a sort of ambient honky tonk cascade scoring some lagoon adjacent saloon. Occasionally, heavenly strings blow through the stereo field to envelop the vocal samples and there’s a strange midtro given over to urgent stick clicks and rimshots while towards the end, b-boy drum cut-ups and turntablist flourishes disturb the flow.

Little Tempo is an ever shifting group of dub and reggae explorers led in part by Takeshi “Tico” Toki and his shimmering steel pan. The collective has played the world over and released an impressive number of albums since the mid-90s, one of which is Ron Riddim, a 2xLP from 1999 containing the track “Frostie.” A stoner beat moves beneath a tropical panorama of steel drumming, with hi-hats occasionally opening, shekeres scraping, and snares pushing through granular reverb, and as we drop into the groove, liquid dub basslines pulse and slide while a piano glistens in the moonlight. The ivory performance is powerful and awash in twilight romance and noir mystery, sometimes dancing in solo and other times accented by glimmering steel pan flourishes. Elsewhere, the pianos are replaced by electric guitars, which let loose bluesy slides and space western leads…the mixture of desert twang and equatorial riddim strongly evoking the dubbier sides of Tortoise. There’s a moment where the track gives over to martial snare intensity as amphibian lasers and telephonic tracers fire across the sky, with the latter sound pulling my mind to the work of Eddie C. And eventually, the track settles into a sort of bluesy reggae zone out, with subsonic basslines skanking and dubwise drums smacking while wavering steel drum mirages surround spaghetti western slides in the style of Doug McCombs. Karel Arbus & Eiji Takamatsu will of course be well familiar to readers of this blog, both for their amazing Some Backland Plaze tape on Max Essa’s Jansen Jardin and for that completely stunning rework of Cantoma’s “Kasoto” from last year. “Coco and the Fish,” taken from the aforementioned cassette, sees idiophones splashing through sea spray while enigmatic electronics swirl in the background…like a vortex of kosmische wonderment pulsating in colors of deep purple and blue, one that occasionally opens up to reveal deep house chord stabs. It’s hard to say whether the main instrument played is marimba or balafon, but either way, it’s a hyperkinetic performance exuding an energy at once meditative and ecstatic...all while phaser wisps, starshine sparkles, and hidden voices swirl in the distance.

I first heard globetrotting DJ and Flower Records alum Kentaro Takizawa courtesy of Phil Mison and his Pure Ibiza 2xCD set released by I Label in 2008, which included the “Silent Dream Version” of the song taken from the aforementioned Silent Dream compilation. Originally though, the track closed Takizawa’s album Gradual Life from 2006, and this is the version included here. Ride cymbals shine amidst glorious murmurations of ambient synthesis while percussive eco fx mimic the songs of lizards and toads. Elecrosnares rocket across the spectrum, beauteous acoustic guitar arps fall like summer rain, and further six-string solos move in counterpoint, with subdead leads mesmerizing the mind. As psychoactive threads of static surround decaying triangles, sundowner string orchestrations ascend towards the clouds, causing the heart to soar in that Sacha Putnam or Vangelis kind of way, and when the beat drops, it’s a lackadaisical sway led by rolling bongos and tapped cymbals. Guitars dance playfully over a backdrop of fourth world alien magic and ever so often, filmic string themes diffuse into the spectrum. Elsewhere, the drums wash away, leaving e-pianos to execute breathtaking descents before disappearing into a synthesized mirage. Rainsticsk flow over the stereo field as the track evolves even further towards new age bliss, with a harmonious conversation of acoustic guitar sunshine proceeding in a fantasy jungle, wherein sunlight reflects off of glistening palm fronds and tropical birds sing intoxicating songs. And after returning to the bopping rhythms and tapestries of chill out exotica, the tracks ends with guitars being replaced by pianos while mermaid pads whoosh through a sunbathed rainforest setting. Mystical percussionist Yoshiaki Ochi inhabited similar circles to Yoshio Ojima, releasing through NEWSIC and seeing his music played, like Ojima’s, at the arts center of Wacoal lingerie company, otherwise known as Spiral. In “Balasong,” taken from 1990’s Natural Sonic, balafons bounce playfully while executing Steve Reich-style pattenrs of minimalist exotica. The drunken daydream motions and otherworldly idiophone polyrhythms are occasionally interspersed by fast motion twiddles and rapid fire rolls, while at the edge of the mix gourds buzz and textures of metal sparkle…perhaps the ghostly chiming of temple bells.

Kaoru Inoue is a hugely influential figure who for decades has been perfecting his own esoteric combination of house, techno, ambient, and spiritual world music. “Wave Introduction” was originally released on the artist’s 2006 album Slow Motion before being repurposed as the opener for one of my favorite albums ever released: Inoue’s horizontal masterpiece Em Paz released in 2018 on Groovement Organic. The track features the relaxing sounds of waves crashing to shore, joined by twinkling synths, distant foghorns, and psychosonic liquid drips, which eventually transmute into a Reich-ian dream sequence awash in textures of mermaid crystal. Undulating bass arps support slow moving pads that drift like cosmic fog while rhythmic wisps of laser static tickle the mind and the whole thing takes on the feeling of a drunken dream dance that slowly moves towards ambient rapture. The influential Flower Records and its founder Eitetsu Takamiya are represented here by the highly sought after “Scuba” under Takamiya’s Little Big Bee alias. Psychedelic bubble clouds blow over Kenji Jinguiji’s slithering bass guitar romantics and the e-pianos of Plaza Fujisaki glow with a sort of new age spirituality while Hawaiian guitars slide across a sunburst sky. A hushed house beat is accented by gentle clacks and seed shaker pulses as Jinguji’s lowslung basslines lock into a balearic fusion dance replete with vocal slides up the fretboard and as the pacific breeze guitar slides swim between solar organ dub chords, spaceage arpeggiations flitter all around. I detect a definite lean towards The Orb’s early merging of dub, ambient, and techno, with a stereo field colored through by cut-off motions, resonance flares, and whalesong pads that settle into a haze of golden light. The beats cut away momentarily, leaving filtering cosmic synthetics, pulsing organ accents, and emotive basslines while stick clicks build a rainshower rhythm. Seafoam siren synths swell in strength and subsume the entire mix as angels breath rainbow mist across universal expanses and eventually, a liquid guitar slide reintroduces the south pacific chill out groove, which now features hyperkinetic click cascades.

Coastlines, the duo of Masanori Ikeda and Takumi Kaneko, are huge favorites around here and given that I reviewed their cover of Ralph MacDonald’s “East Dry River” when it was originally released as a 7” back in 2018, I’ll present a modified version of my words from that time: Joyously ascending piano chords and deep vocal bass percussions set the scene before we smash cut into a smooth coastal fusion jam, as tambourines and toms pound beneath radiant piano strokes and synthetic steel drum dances while four four house kicks and luscious sub-basslines move the body. Angels bring touches of pure euphoria as they rain down from the sky, and elsewhere, fretless bass solos wiggle above the island rhythm dreamscape…the Motohiko Hamase-style note clusters and liquiform slides trailing under subtle ping-pong delays while colorful hand drum accents evoke slow-motion dancing on some fantasy beach. There’s a brief moment where everything washes away, leaving lush piano chords and sparkling steel pans adrift in solitude, and later, after returning to the seaside house rhythms and melodic textures of jazz fusion fantasy, we are treated again to a crazed fretless bass solo, one that grows ever more frantic and chaotic before finally dispersing. Though beloved producer Susumu Yokota is no longer with us, his memory lives on via his profound influence and his intrepid bridgings of academic ambient and techno body pressure, not to mention archival projects such as the Jon Tye-assisted Cloud Hidden from 2019. “Uchu Taniyo” is taken from Yokota’s 1999 album Sakura and begins with a voice pushing through clouds of reverb as ritualistic percussion builds from the depths. Hand drums and wooden clacks lock into a ceremonial dance kissed by cosmic fx and growling ambient forms swirl into the stereo field…these morphing tremolo gurgles imbued with atmospheres of melancholy. Voices continue babbling as a violin enters the scene, letting loose folksy melodies and post-classical whispers that barely break through the layers of rhythmic repetition. And as the track comes to an end, the exotica drum webs fade out as frogsong electronics decay into the void.

The vibe continues to spread out towards horizontal ambiance in “Time and Space,” a track exclusive to this compilation from the duo of Isao Kumano and Kenichi Takagi, who are often found working with Alex from Tokyo in Tokyo Black Star, but who here appear in their “secretive” Chillax guise. Crystallized sequences, smoldering static waveforms, and hazes of ocean either intertwine as chiming melodies ascend on unseen currents towards a sun soaked sea surface, and I can’t help but think of the underwater kosmische of Iury Lech and Miguel Noya, as well as the seafloor ambient excursions of Shelter on Profondeur 4000 and Private Agenda on Île de Rêve. Soft focus chord bursts breath ambient house ether into the mix while tick-tocking arps build slowly in the background, eventually growing in strength and taking over the mix as the vibe flows from deep sea drifting to Berlin school melodrama, wherein searing filter motions surround the spirit and vocoder cyborgs chant amidst subsuming chord decays. I’ve said much about Takashi Kokubo across this blog, though thus far everything has been focused around his hugely influential Get at the Wave. And given how well mined that album is by now, I’m quite thankful that Ken, Max, and Dr. Rob have opted instead for “Quiet Inlet,” a track appearing on Kokubo’s Eternity from 2006. Waves lap gently against the shore of some hidden island scene...a place of peace and picturesque beauty known only to the fish, reptiles, and birds. A calming piano lullaby enters the scene, marrying Satie-like ambiance and Riley-ian minimalism while digital colorations and e-piano bubble clouds flit all around. A choir of angelic sirens bathe the mix in vocal radiance while bell trees mimic sunlight refractions on the ocean’s surface and after a false ending, the dreamscape ivory cascades, pointillist e-piano melodies, and heavenly choirs return, with everything shrouded by pearlescent pad layers and gaseous blankets of reverb. Windchimes blow on a sea breeze and periodic swells of mermaid magnificence work into the mix and as the sampled waves continue their motions, they lull the mind towards daydream visages of the titular seaside paraiso.

(images from my personal copy)

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doomedandstoned · 5 years

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OLDD WVRMS REVEAL ALL

~By Billy Goate~

OLDD WVRMS. It feels like they've been eating away at my flesh and swimming in my bloodstream for a very long time, so much so that I forget to talk about how they've infected me. I was halfway through a review of their last effort when life swept me away to other places, then it was already time for a new release from the Belgian band. No, scratch that -- two new releases!

This month, the doomed instrumentalists revealed a split with Liège devotional math-prog threesome Ilydaen, just months after the release of the February five-tracker 'Codex Tenebris' (2019 - Cursed Monk Records). That's now two long-plays, two extended-plays, a compilation album, and the aforementioned split to the band's name.

The Wave & The Swell ( Split LP ) by Ilydaen & Oldd Wvrms

OLDD WVRMS is a band that seems continually tinkering and experimenting. I mean, you really have to if you're going to cross the coveted five-year mark as a band, a milestone that seems to be key long-term viability. "There is the beautiful, spacious atmosphere of Agalloch," I wrote of their last record 'Ignobilis' (2016). "All this is good news if you long for the cold, crisp air of winter, forests filled with unspeakable darkness, whispering tales of bravery, misunderstanding, and tragedy. The emotion is especially palpable and will haunt my memory for quite some time."

Ignobilis by OLDD WVRMS

I also noted at the time that Ignobilis represented "a massive turn to clean singing over previous releases." In contrast, Codex Tenebris is a reconnects with works like 'Mater Serpentium' (2015) and NØT (2015), which are also sans voix. Stylistically, you’ll find OLDD WVRMS painting from a similar tonal palate as Enslaved, even dabbling in the technical terrain of Psycroptic, though in much slower compositions.

Codex Tenebris by OLDD WVRMS

OLDD WVRMS occupies the space between shadows, where slow, patient, penetrating riffs dwell and dark words are uttered. "La vallée des tombes" is one of the gems of the record, striking a strange balance between meditative bleakness and pounding discord. I’ve long been a fan of dissonant harmonies since I realized it was “okay�� to play them as a pianist delving into the oeuvre of Franz Liszt and Alexander Scriabin. Like those composers, OLDD WVRMS utilizes dissonance no merely to jar the listener, but as a critical tactic for establishing bleak moods and a sense of the sinister. Codex Tenebris is available on Cursed Monk Records right here.

On the eve of their music video, "A l'or, aux ombres et aux abîmes," Doomed & Stoned visited with ØW guitarist and OLDD WVRMS founder Ben in hopes of getting to know this fairly low-key and mysterious doom metal trio -- rounded out by Oli and Cho on bass and drums -- just a hair or two better.

What is the meaning of the band’s name OLDD WVRMS? Is their significance to the unique spelling of your name?

It’s old Germanic to "Old Worms." There’s no particular meaning, although I’m a fan of the Dark Souls saga and it could be a reference to the primordial snakes.

I'm curious how your individual paths through life brought you three together?

We’re all from the French side of Belgium, down south. Cho and Oli have known each other for almost two decades. I was searching for bandmates to put up this new project and they were the perfect match. We all played in many bands before ØW, nothing worth naming.

There’re no guidelines. The music serves your imagination.

Why does instrumental doom appeal to you guys so much?

We tried several singers, with expectations they couldn’t achieve. It wasn’t bad, but we felt locked in restricted areas -- musically speaking, I mean. I took the mic on our previous release Ignobilis, singing just a bit, and even at that point we had the feeling that it wasn’t necessary at all, so we started writing the new album with a fully instrumental approach.

Rare is the band that can make instrumental metal stand convincingly on its own “two feet,” but OLDD WVRMS has done it. What would you say is the secret to pulling this style off successfully?

Thank you. Honestly, it’s hard to say. I guess it’s because we don’t hesitate too long on what’s good or not during the creation process. This and the fact that we blend a lot of influences from various horizons, seems to create something spontaneous. I think that’s what people like about ØW.

What instruments, amps, and gear do you find most useful in bringing your vision to life?

Cho’s setup is pretty straightforward: his beautiful DW kit with aggressive and shining cymbals -- and a ferocious need to beat the shit out of it!

Oli is using an Ampeg SVT 3 pro, SWR Goliath and Megoliath cabs with a Fender Aerodyne, plugged into a pedalboard loaded with many effects, drives, octaver, delays, reverbs, etcetera, to achieve the drones parts.

I use a Marshall JCM 800 over modified by Ruthenberg, Marshall and Orange cabs, custom guitars by Denzo Custom Guitars, and a pedalboard loaded with overdrives, delays, and reverbs.

We record in my own studio, The Pale Flame, using the exact same rig live and studio.

I don’t read French, but I’m guessing the song titles are quite important in this selection of five tracks. Can you translate them to English and tell us what you intended to express with each song? Are they meant to stand independently or are they united by a concept?

Basically, all the songs originally had lyrics -- and yes, they’re all linked, almost as a soundtrack. The atmosphere we wanted to translate through the songs titles were way more powerful in French, with a little something more poetic and dramatic.

The only concept about Codex Tenebris is the presence and absence of light and obscurity. The idea that the audience is not guided by lyrics and can travel between the songs with their own imagination and create their own stories while listening to our music is extremely satisfying. There’re no guidelines. The music serves your imagination.

So, the first track "Ténèbres" means "Darkness." It starts the record in a cold, dark place, and song expresses loneliness and fear.

Second track, "A l’or, aux ombres et aux abîmes," means "To gold, to shades, and to the abysses." It’s my personal favorite, all about deception, anger, and melancholy.

The third one is "misère & Corde," literally "Misery & Rope" -- a song about grief and loss.

Next one, "La vallée des tombes" or "The valley of tombs," is a psychoactive and hypnotic song about terror and despair.

"Fléau est son âme" is hard to translate, but it would be something like "scourged is his soul." It is about letting things go, acceptance, and abnegation.

We briefly corresponded about your EP a few years ago, when I emailed you about a sample you’d selected for the final track. I heard another sample in the final track of the latest LP that intrigued me.

It’s an Egyptian monologue taken from the movie Angel of Mossad, and it’s in correlation with "Fléau est son âme." It’s the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The narration is beautiful.

What's the area of Belgium like where you OLDD WVRMS calls home?

We all live in villages -- small villages. Everything is very quiet and calm. Nothing ever happens. (laughs) Sorry, there’s just nothing much to say about it.

No worries! I've lived in my share of small towns, too, so I get it. What are some of the bands that you play with in your heavy music scene?

We shared the stage with badass bands like Hangman’s Chair, Primitive Man, -16-, Jucifer, the body, Grime, Ortega, and more -- hopefully many more to come.

When you look into your crystal ball, do you envision yourself touring?

Yeah, we’d love to. Like everyone else, we have jobs and families, but touring once or twice a year during a few choice weeks would be awesome. Only time will tell if this will happens.

Finally, what would your ideal live performance look like, if you could spare no expense?

Small venues, crowed, with our light man Chouffe and a good sound engineer. You know, keep things simple.

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pretoriuspictures · 3 years

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Interview from Fandomize w/ Beth Shiller, Keith Poulson, and me for PVT CHAT ///

Beth: I always like to start with the question of how did you get into this industry? What sparked your passion?

Ben: I saw Jean Luc Godard’s Weekend my sophomore year of college and was never the same. The movie felt like philosophy, poetry, painting, music, and so much more. I didn’t realize how personal and expressive filmmaking could be. I made my first serious film high on Godard’s cinema shortly after in 2011 (Annunciation).

Keith: I took kind of a strange route to get here. I was working at a video store (I Luv Video in Austin) around 2005 and my co-worker was an actor, prepping to be in a film. The director of that project would come and run lines with the co-worker. He liked the dynamic that my coworker and I had and eventually decided to put me in the movie too. That’s how I was cast in my first film. I’ve been working somewhat consistently as an actor since then. I feel really lucky that acting came to me. I don’t know that I would have had the courage or commitment to pursue it on my own. I’ve always had a passion for film and filmmaking, but it was a bit of luck that sparked the passion for acting.

Beth: Congrats on PVT Chat’s premiere this weekend! That is so exciting! How do you feel about it?

Ben: Thank you —-> I’m very very excited for people to be able to watch it around the world. It’ll be a great joy to hear and see how people react to the ending. My rock band (BODEGA) is actually finishing up the mix of our new album in the studio this weekend so I’ll be there celebrating the release of a film with the creation of song.

Keith: I think it’s great that people can finally watch it. I do feel a bit sad that I didn’t get the opportunity to watch the film with a theater full of strangers. I think it’d be a fun one to watch with a big crowd. So that’s the only downer to all of this, but in the end I feel good and happy for everybody involved.

Beth: Ben, what inspired this story?

Ben: I was initially drawn to the worlds of cam girls and online gambling because they both seem to really crystallize something essential about this historical moment where most emotion is processed through computer screens. I don’t see the cam or online gambling worlds as that different from social media: they are just different forms of stimulation addiction. In many ways I think the most pressing issue of our time is how consciousness is changing (for better and worse) through our relationship with new technologies. I wanted to make a modern drama about a relationship that developed over the internet; one that showed both the negative and positive aspects of online relationships.

Beth: What was the writing process for this film like?

Ben: I wrote the first draft in 2015 which was much more of a straight genre piece (modern film noir). I kept re-writing and eventually the movie morphed into something more satisfying, alive, comic, and strangely romantic. The relationship of the two main characters became less and less cynical and more sincere as I was writing. In some ways I started to think of the movie as a perverted romantic comedy. Once I met the leads the script changed again to adapt to their personalities.

Beth: Keith, what drew you to this project?

Keith: The director Ben’s energy and the opportunity to play a character dissimilar to other things I’ve done.

Beth: Keith, you play Duke, how would you describe him?

Keith: Ambitious and selfish.

Beth: Keith, do you think Scarlett is still playing Jack at the end or do you think she caught feelings?

Keith: I like a happy ending (in films) so I’ll go with caught feelings. Duke probably thinks she’s setting up the stage for an even bigger con.

Beth: Ben, was it always the intent to leave it open ended?

Ben: It’s open-ended on the level of plot (and I do enjoy hearing people’s interpretations of what they think might happen to Jack and Scarlet) but I wanted the ending to be clear on an emotional level. I wanted the audience to leave with a feeling of lightness, hope, and joy. Despite all of the wrongs that have been done in the movie – in that moment there is genuine release.

Beth: Ben, this is a “romance about freedom, fantasy, death and friendship” can you explain this further?

Ben: This was my personal homage to Cassavetes’s Husbands. That movie has the subheading ‘A comedy about life and death and freedom’ which I love. My film feels similar to HUSBANDS in many ways. They are both about the hollowness of a certain kind of maleness and the yearning for something more authentic.

Beth: What was the filming process like?

Ben: The filming involved a lot of improvisation both with the actors and with the camera. I allowed the actors to change some of the dialogue to suit their voice and I also experimented quite a bit with spontaneous camera movement. I was operating the camera myself so I could improvise my movements as freely as the actors could improvise – when Jack moves through his apartment I could follow him and look around and see what I wanted to see. A lot of this was done instinctually and without much premeditation. There is a moment in the film where the camera glides past Jack on the ground in a bedroom and goes through his window into the dark of the NYC night. That was done completely off the cuff in an improvised manner. I love unmotivated camera moves when you can get away with them. They tend to suggest the metaphysical in a fashion unique to cinema.

Keith: Quick and energetic, the way a lot of independent films have to be. It felt like I had to just jump in, catch up and get spit out. A fun whirlwind of a shoot.

Beth: Ben, I don’t know a lot about cameras and how the angles help tell the story, but I noticed that the camera gets very close to the characters. Was this intentional?

Ben: Absolutely. We shot the whole movie on a very wide angle lens which distorts the image slightly and makes the eye really aware of changes in depth of field. I wanted people to feel like they can reach out and touch the objects in Jack’s room, such as his laptop, or his face.

Beth: Do you have any funny stories from set?

Keith: When I arrived to set for my first day, I showed up to the apartment location and buzzed in. Somebody came down to let me in and immediately let me know that I had just ruined a take. Whoops. (It was smooth sailing after that)

Beth: Do you have other projects coming up?

Ben: I have two scripts that I’d like to film sometime after quarantine but nothing that I can really discuss as of now. My band BODEGA will have a new LP out late summer/early fall this year.

Keith: Nothing specific lined up right now. I filmed a few things last year that will hopefully be shown in festivals and theaters when that sort of thing is more possible. Another film I did “I Blame Society” is currently playing in digital theaters. Mostly I’m just trying to stay warm and stay sane.

#https://www.fandomize.com/featured/pvt-chat-with-writer-director-ben-hozie-and-actor-keith-poulson/

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dealgemeneverwarring · 4 years

Link

The twenty-seventh episode of De Algemene Verwarring was broadcast on Monday June 29, 2020 and you can listen to it by clicking on the Mixcloud link above. Tumblr is being a bit of a pain in the ass, somehow I can’t post like I used to and now it looks a bit like crap doesn’t it. I’ll try to figure things out but if you have any advice, shoot! Anyway, it’s the 27th episode of De Algemene Verwarring and finally we are back in a real radio studio with a bag of vinyls. Yes, after seven episodes recorded at home, we are allowed to go back to the studio and make a real radio show. I’m explaining in the show how I am in doubt on how to proceed in the future, as I have been enjoying making these podcasts at home. We’ll give it some more thought. Pictured below are sci-fi-inspired British early 80s synth-pop duo Solid Space. I bought their one and only album “Space Museum”, the reissue on Dark Entries that is, the original cassette from 1982 is way too expensive. Just received it last week and I already played a track from the album in this show, even if I still have to dig in a little deeper. After a first listen the track “Spectrum Is Green” kept sort of playing in my head, so that’s always a good sign. I also played two tracks of Ronny’s Corona CD-R, that’s brand new, and there’s more music in this episode from the likes of The Suburban Homes, Cold Meat, Cheveu, The Cool Greenhouse, Little Claw, Bridget Hayden, Loopsel, and a guilty pleasure track from the side-door using hippie Donovan! And beneath the picture you can find the playlist for this show. Enjoy!

https://www.mixcloud.com/MedialabKortrijk/de-algemene-verwarring-27-29-juni-2020/

Playlist:

The Suburban Homes: Small Town Boredom (12” “…Are Bored” on Total Punk, 2016)

Cold Meat: Boys Riot (7” “Pork Sword Fever” on Static Shock Records & Helta Skelta Records, 2018)

Love Tan: Soloween (7” V/A “Puget Power” on Regal Select Records, 2009)

Cheveu: La Cerise (7” split with Crash Normal on Rococo Records, 2008)

Jack O’Fire: Under The Wire (7” “Wired” on Dishy Recordings, 1994)

The Cool Greenhouse: Gum (LP “The Cool Greenhouse” on Melodic Records, 2020)

Little Claw: Crawl Around Inside (7” “Prickly Pear” on Columbus Discount Records, 2009)

Molchat Doma: Я Не Коммунист = Ya Ne Kommunist (LP “С Крыш Наших Домов = S Krysh Nashikh Domov” on Sacred Bones Records, 2020, originally released in 2017 on cassette and cd-r)

Dachau David: Pills (CD V/A “Ronny’s Corona CD-R” on Ronny Rex, 2020)

Donovan: Hurdy Gurdy Man (7” on Epic Records, 1968)

Butthole Surfers: Hey (12” “Brown Reason To Live” on Alternative Tentacles, 2010, originally released in 1983)

Princess Lelena: Fleur De Crystal (CD V/A “Ronny’s Corona CD-R” on Ronny Rex, 2020)

Television Personalities: Three Wishes (LP “Alive In The Living Room” on Creation Records, 1984)

Loopsel: Det som blir (7” “EP” on Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox, 2020)

Die Rote Fabrik: Pain (12” “Incident” self released by the band, 1986)

Solid Space: Spectrum Is Green (LP “Solid Space” on Dark Entries, 2017, originally released in 1982 on cassette on In Phaze Records)

Bridget Hayden: Solace (LP V/A “A Short Illness From Which He Never Recovered” on Blackest Ever Black, 2019)

Stefan Christensen: Commute (LP V/A “Nobody Knows This Is Somewhere” on C/Site Recordings, 2020)

#radioshow #de algemene verwarring #punk #post punk #new wave #Experimental #corona #independent music #duiding

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ask-the-eccentric-botanist · 7 years

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NAME: Vera

GENDER: Female

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single, but surrounded by friends~

ZODIAC: Capricorn / Tiger and Bunny

FAVORITE COLOR: Blues and reds for wearing, pastels for aesthetics

FAVORITE SEASON: Spring~

FAVORITE PLACE: Either at home or with my parents.

FAVORITE HOLIDAY: Christmas

FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: Earthbound, SMRPG, Superstar Saga, Tomodachi Life, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Pokemon Moon

LAST SHOW YOU WATCHED: A Resident Evil 7 LP from the YouTuber Videogamecarnage.

WHAT’S YOUR HONEST OPINION ABOUT YOUR MUSE? I really like her and at the risk of sounding smug, I am proud of the massive development she’s made since her creation in 2008/2009. Thinking back to those days, she was kinda Mary Sueish (if that even exists) as she was Moria’s love interest and even his wife at some point XD This fresh start with the blog and taking things from a totally different viewpoint has made her way more fun and interesting to work with.

WOULD YOU DATE YOUR MUSE? Probably not. I mean, I dig girls, but Isolde is too pure and too oblivious to date X3

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE KINDS OF THREADS? I love silly threads, but also ones that really forward the character(s)’ story and/or character.

ARE YOU A SELECTIVE ROLEPLAYER? Kinda? I’ve got the communicational skills of a walnut and I don’t like chatting with people that just pop up on my IM like that (yay social anxiety), but I do like to fool around with asks and reblogs~

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MUSE? Isolde and Blue are both my favorites, I can’t possibly choose~

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE FANDOM? Back when I was in university, one of my classmates talked about One Piece so much that I eventualyl caved and started watching it. The rest is fuzzy... owo

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF STAYING WITH THE FANDOM FOR A LONG TIME? I probably will stick around for a long while~ From time to time, I tend to let some fandoms sink away for a bit, but they’ll always resurface eventually.

Tagged by: @askhildon

Tagging: @ask-the-dwarfies @the-artsy-princess @whistling-dwarf @the-queen-needs-us

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theseventeenthcentury-blog1 · 6 years

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Option Jan/Feb 1988

FELT THE PAST TENSE OF FEEL

BY JOY PRESS

Lawrence is sitting in a cramped little office drawing stickmen on someone else's stationery. They are mindless stickmen, each grinning madly. Since Lawrence is the ringleader of a band called Felt, and since I'm in the room to interview him, I watch closely. (I might learn.) He doesn't look up as he answers my question.

Do you draw? "No, I only draw stickmen. I'm an expert at stickmen."

You could, I suggest, draw bubbles and have them speak to one another ...

"I know. These are the silent types. They have nothing to say." He draws a lone frowning stickmen on the end and reevaluates: "They are a pretty moronic gang." We sigh I fondly over the poor alienated frowner and I turn our attention, more or less, to Felt.

Poem of the River (Creation US/ Relativity) is Felt's seventh LP, though it's the first released in America. For seven years, they've flitted about the periphery of British indie heroism, every so often unleashing singles like "Penelope Tree," "Primitive Painters," or "Ballad of the Band," which cause critics to fall over themselves with gentle praise. But gentle is the key word. If Lawrence could have exaggerated and crystallized his confusion and cynicism into, an accesible drama, he might be where Morrissey is today. The point is, Felt are to subtle for their own good.

Lawrence looks up earnestly when I ask: do you care about what people say about Felt? "We've always had good press ... It doesn't matter. No. No. Not at all." He later asks, "What are you going to write?" Exactly as it should he.

The band members live in the industrial city of Birmingham, northern England's version of Detroit. Lawrence (who claims no surname) avoids leaving the house other than to do his shopping. He formed the band with now-departed guitarist Maurice Deebank. According to Lawrence. "He was a lad. He was also a classical guitarist and I wanted him in the band. He wasn't into it at first, went through his stages — drinking in pubs and that. I never did. I knew what I wanted."

Did you have friends at school? "I did, surprisingly! Well, not surprisingly. But when I was 15, I just changed, I didn't want to be like them. I stopped going out. I didn't have any songs but I knew I could write; well, maybe I can't ..." He looks sheepish here, "But I thought I could write well then, and it was a skill, maybe the only one I have, so I did it."

Gold Mine Trash, a Felt 1981-1985 compilation which former UK label Cherry Red has released (and which is slated for American release at this writing) can only begin to hint at Felt's history. It opens with their debut single, "Something Sends Me To Sleep," all guitar-brushed innocence, and ends with lush "Primitive Painters," throwing the glittery and glib between. A suggestion of Lawrence's penchant for slipping high romanticism into a pop format, as well as his adoration of dry humor and the Velvet Underground, is present on the collection, but just as the barest of introductions.

In retrospect, Felt seem as if they've always been more musicianly, more studious than their pop peers, littering even their earliest albums with startlingly serious instrumentals. Yet the early eighties music scene was made sympathetic to precious, sensitive songwriters by the Postcard Records stable. Cute, clever bands such as Orange Juice and Aztec Camera created tuneful guitar pop on Scotland-based Postcard while Felt found a home on London's more adventurous Cherry Red. A few years later, a post-Postcard resurgence, urged on by the Smiths and Lloyd Cole, came to focus on Alan McGee's Creation Records (with several Scottish bands once again dashing in and out of the spotlight). Felt, perhaps instinctively compatible, jumped over to Creation (as did ex-Orange Juice leader Edwyn Collins).

Between Felt's 1981 debut LP, Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty and the second, The Splendour of Fear (complete with "Chelsea Girls" graphics), three years elapsed. This period produced singles like "My Face is On Fire" and "Penelope Tree," full of confidence and wistful optimism, lyrics pleading. "Oh no, don't let them break you down." "The World Is As Soft As Lace" offered a sort of manifesto for delicate post-adolescent sensibilities, saying on one hand "if I could I would change the world" and on the other, "all my great plans get blurred, by the softest touch, the gentlest word."

The Strange Idols Pattern & Other Short Stories, also released in 1984, found Felt's sound further refined, divided into smart, catchy jangles like "Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow" and "Dismantled King is Off the Throne," and lovely instrumentals such as "Sempiternal Darkness," all co-written by Deebank, showcasing his musicianship. Ignite the Seven Cannons, produced by the Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie, continued this musical progression, expanding childhood memories and bittersweet ambitions into finely-woven tapestries. The single, "Primitive Painters," which included Cocteau Twins singer Liz Fraser on supporting vocals, was a swirling and enthralling pop tour de force.

In 1986, "Ballad of the Band" and Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Reads to Death signaled a new era: not only did Felt switch over to Creation, but guitarist Decbank departed. Martin Duffy's organ took precedence on Let the Snakes and continues to remain important on the two most recent albums, Forever Breathes the Lonely Word and Poem of the River.

"Ballad of the Band" documented inner-band strife ("Where were you when I wanted to work? You were still in bed, you're a total jerk") and Lawrence explains, "It goes. 'you know, I feel like giving in,' not I will give in. It was just telling how bad things were, I just wanted it to stop, but I'll never give in. It was definitely disruptive, really sad ... We're not so together, you know, as if we'd been together since the start." Fans, like Lawrence, cling to the romance of the band through it all. "We have real fanatics. A lot of them want to be your friend. And you get to be friends and they just think, 'Oh, he's not so special.' I'd rather be alone and ... adored."

So are Felt's members good people? "No, we're horrible. There are so many evil people around you in the music business, there's no way you can escape it."

Much of Poem of the River seems to escape Lawrence's usual caustic tongue. reveling instead in the softly psychedelic organ.

He describes it as "late-night listening" and worries that it may be "too introspective" for an American audience. It is an altogether less accessible record than an LP like Ignite the Seven Cannons, but still contains that dizzy mix of the starry-eyed and the defeated. The one-and-a-half minute opener, "Declaration," flatly proclaims: "I will be the first person in history to die of boredom." As idealized as a song like "She Lives By the Castle" may sound, there is always a sharp poke of consciousness, where pride and defenses kick in.

Felt lyrics generally work within plain speech, because, Lawrence says petulantly, "Why say metamorphosize if you can say change?" The stunningly simple completeness of Felt at its best, like "Primitive Painters" or even the "Final Resting of the Ark" single released this past summer, strips away the most frustrating aspects of their world until indelible images scamper out.

"It's always the same kind of sound, but it's progressing melody-wise. If you were just a casual observer, you wouldn't notice so much and you might say, 'They all sound the same.' But they're getting stronger all the time.

"Every time we make a record, though, it does feel like a new band, because we've always got different members. 'The Final Resting of the Ark' is completely different from any other Felt you've ever heard, and Gary [Ainge, drummer), who's been in the band since the beginning, said it figures the best Felt record ever is the one he's not on! It started off as a list of things I liked, but I couldn't finish it ... It's just emotional, it makes you cry."

As for the subject of isolation, Lawrence shrugs his shoulders. "That's just the way I work. I write alone, and then the band just ... colours it in." With such highly visual music, the precision of the band is crucial. "There are pictures flashing behind the music in a way. Like the song 'Nazca Plain' is about this strip of land — it looks like an airstrip, but back in the times before Jesus they didn't have airplanes, it's one of those mysteries ..."

The album which contained that song, Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death, was completely instrumental, with oozing organ pieces outnumbering the guitar and piano songs. "That is my favorite record. Do you know any other pop band to put out a record like that? I really don't think there has been one, but people just ignored that and pretended we were crazy."

Felt is always the moment after the one where you would have laughed or screamed, when you've found the space to rationalize and wise up. I once wrote of Felt, "They might've been messiahs — if only they didn't have to think about it." So why bother risking public humiliation?

"It's a way of making money, and money buys freedom. But yeah, if someone connects to something in our music, like some of Kerouac's stuff ... When I was a kid riding in the car, I used to put my hand out when I was bored and pretend to he chopping mountains. And he did that too! Or when I was walking, I'd pretend I was the best footballer and the best everything all at once. He did that too! I thought I was the only one, and that's amazing when you connect with someone like that."

I get the feeling Lawrence used to think of Felt as some sort of poem. Does he still think they make a difference? "No, There are a very small number of bands that will ever matter. You can fool yourself, but the truth is maybe one band in this decade are going to be important — and I've realized it's not us. It was quite depressing to realize."

Does this mean Felt aren't messiahs?

"Yeah, I'm not a god after all."

#felt #lawrence #option #1988

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theseventeenthcentury-blog1 · 6 years

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Record Mirror 1987

THE HYGIENIE WITH THE LIGHT BROWN HAIR

Lawrence is squeaky clean. He also likes to moan, hates indie music, wants to be a complete recluse but can't understand why his band Felt haven't yet had massive pop success. Lysette Cohen tries not to tread on his carpet

In a second floor flat in Moseley, Birmingham, everything is neatly in its place, with not a speck of dust to be seen. The kitchen is clinically clean, the bathroom spotless and the living room comes straight from a showroom window. The smell is that of soap and disinfectant. I am asked not to put my cup on the coffee table for fear of making a mark. This is the abode of Lawrence, main man of Felt, the band whose songs are as clean as ... well, the flat.

"I don't want to moan today. I'm sick of moaning. Yesterday I just moaned all day from morning to night." The man behind such titles as 'Penelope Tree', 'Sunlight Bathed The Golden Glow' and 'Raim Of Crystal Spires' is speaking. But what could someone who's been called 'the most sensitive and hygenic man in pop' possibly have to moan about?

"Everything. I wasn't happy unless I was moaning all day. There were lots of things to moan at. By the end of the day I was guile satisfied. I'm happy now."

Lawrence has been described as one of the great British eccentrics. He looks like someone from the Sixties with his neatly combed Monkees haircut. He's rumoured to be obsessed with losing the hair that makes it up. He's only 25 years old, yet he acts like a man with the worldly experience of a 40-year-old.

Felt have just released a single, 'The Final Resting Place Of The Ark', together with their seventh LP 'Poem Of The River' (titles which will do nothing to dissuade Lawrence's detractors that he's just a not-so-old hippy). They are the side of pop largely ignored by the public but highly touted by people 'in the business', their music being at its least thought provoking, and at its best, stimulating and rather beautiful.

"Our music doesn't fit in, but that's the best pop music, the sort that sticks out like a sore thumb. We're more accessible than most bands."

Surely not, Lawrence.

"We are. I think we are commercial. We're a real pop package, there's nothing hard about us to sell. For me, it's not enough just to be a good singer and songwriter. The band's appearance is very important. It's all part and parcel of pop. I would like to totally package myself. We thought we were going to be idols when we started, we really did. I was in Smash Hits last year but I chose the most awful photo. So I blew that end of the market."

It seems that Felt's real problem is a lack of money to make the records they want to moke, plus a subsequent lack of faith in the end product. Lawrence calls the latest album "a total disaster", saying that they can no longer work with independent producers. So the next album is going to be self produced and recorded in a folk studio "to get a really pure sound".

"One thing I just can't understand is our lock of success," he continues. "I used to think it was due to the label we were on. Cherry Red," (who are releasing a Felt compilation LP soon called 'Gold Mine Trash') "was so uncool, there was this stigma attached to the label. But then I was proved wrong. 'Ballad Of The Band' on our current label Creation didn't sell as many as the Cherry Red records. I don't know what to put it down to."

The biggest surprise about Felt just now is the single 'The Final Resting Place Of The Ark'. Produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins, 'Ark' marks a change of style from their usual material. It was, apparently, totally unplanned, with Lawrence singing live with his guitar and Robin bringing in someone to play soprano sax, a far cry from the usual mellowness of Felt music.

"I was open minded for once in my life," smiles Lawrence. "I went along with it because it wasn't meant for release. Now I'm really pleased with it, it was all so relaxed and spontoneous." The future releases, however, won't be quite in the same vein. A seven inch mini-album of horror film music is planned, and a new album will be released in February next year.

When it comes down to the nitty gritty then Lawrence, what exactly do you want?

"I want to make a record that sounds normal. What I mean by that is that the production, mix and everything all sound right. For that you need a decent budget. Practically every record on a major label sounds normal. Practically every record on on independent lobel sounds sub-normal. I hate indie music, it's all wrong."

Lawrence blames this on the punk wave of '77 which opened the floodgates for loads of 'kids' to have the chance to make records.

"Some 99 per cent of them shouldn't have been allowed, myself included," says Lawrence.

You mean you've had to grow up in public?

"Exactly. It's terrible. The band wasn't ready for it. But when you're young and impressionable you crave fame. We just didn't get quite as much as we expected."

Lawrence's approach to life is somewhat odd for a person claiming to be a sellable pop product. He has turned into something of a recluse, loathing even the smallest trips to do the shopping. There was a time when every three or four months he would push himself to go out. Now he doesn't even do that.

"I don't think I'm a natural recluse, I think it's just living in Birmingham. I might move to London soon, so maybe things will change."

What would be your ideal way of life then?

"I can see myself as a millionaire, being totally secure. I want to live in total seclusion but be able to go our and mingle when I like. Call my own shots. Yeah, that would be ideal."

#felt #lawrence #record mirror #1987

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