 |
| [vis·cer·a]
reviews |
It
is good to see that there are artists out there still
willing to take chances. Justin Brink is this kind of
artist and his rhythm as melody approach on his latest
CD release is nothing short of stunning.
Yes, this is my favorite release this year, thus far.
It’s in your face, but it’s not looking for a fight or
a kiss.
This isn’t for everyone, this pounding rhythmic machinery
that is more techno-based than one would like to admit,
but nevertheless delivers a bit of controlled ambience
and blasts of industrial noise to join the rhythmic fray.
One might be tempted to suggest that this is some apocalyptic
future sound of machinery pounding the debris littered
earth with junked parts. But to me there is nothing futuristic
about this music. Rather it’s about a moment in time when
the music comes alive and becomes painfully self-aware,
temporally cognizant and twisting in every direction to
see where it should go and where it has been.
It is the sound of music trying to find its noisy niche
in a noisier world. It is the sound of the present, of
neatly welded seams being ripped apart and of failed circuitry
frying on a grill, of tyrants and anarchists breakbeating
one another with crowbars and chainsaws.
It is the sound of chaos and order at the breaking point
of balance. It is the sound before the silence.
Michael
Casano - Virus Magazine

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Expectations
were high for Pneumatic Detach's long-awaited release
of their last album on Hive Records. Only knowing them
from a couple of tracks in compilations, I can't compare
this album with their previous work or evaluate the progression
of their music. In any case, "[vis.cer.a]" is an excellent
release and a showcase of accomplished musicianship in
rhythmic noise genre. It also has one of the best covers
I've seen.
Distorted beats and rhythmic noise of any kind can easily
become boring and predictable, with pretty much anyone
being able to put out a rhythmic noise/distorted beats
track. Given the intrinsic limitations of this musical
genre, it takes someone that knows what they are doing
to actually succeed in creating a solid, coherent and
engaging album that isn't just a pile-up of beats and
a crescendo of "faster-harder-louder".
Distinct hard, pounding beats of many kinds layered on
top of each other, with liberal use of sound effects as
respite and the occasional spark of underlying melody
for added variety may sound like a simple recipe. Simple
in theory but, in practice, it's surely hard to achieve
a final result even remotely like Pneumatic Detach's "[vis.cer.a]".
He excels at the creation of compositions made almost
entirely out of beats, skillfully plays around with them,
structuring, shaping and giving them meaning and ultimately
making the rhythmic structures into something extremely
organic.
The care put into the music in this album extends into
track choice and placement as well as the actual flow
of the music, which is seamless. Despite the quality of
its individual tracks, "[vis.cer.a]" is definitely more
interesting as a global album experience, the whole being
greater than the sum of the parts. The duration of the
album seems to be just ideal as well, for music as intense
as this, a longer duration could prove tiring for the
listener.
Picking stand-out tracks in "[vis.cer.a]" is a difficult
feat since the album flows remarkably well, without interruption,
from beginning to end. Or at least until track eleven,
"Mindless Brutal Apparatus (w/ It-Clings)", which stands
out for having vocals: spoken word by It-Clings layered
on the beats, a strange combination but it works quite
well and is a nice ending touch to a great album. As are
the two remix tracks by C2 and O2 at the end. Nevertheless,
"Embers" comes across as a particularly intense track
and I find the metallic nature of part of the beats in
"Relentless" fascinating. For some reason, "Putrescence"
also clicked something in my mind.
Brutal and visceral like its title suggests, "[vis.cer.a]"
is a very interesting album, showing great creativity
and which never becomes tiring, despite its constant over-the-top
intensity.
M.
- Connexion Bizarre
|
|
There are, in my book, two types of rhythmic noise: (1)
noise that might have some rhythm buried under all the
eardrum-shredding static and (2) rhythm that is built
from noisy instrumentation -- industrial machinery, spastic
plastic, eructating radio transmitters and biochemical
neural pulses. Pneumatic Detach returns to Hive Records
(they were Hive's first non-compilation release) with
the furiously anthemic [Vis·Cer·A], a record of the second
style that keeps the rhythms bone-crushingly fierce without
resorting to over-saturation of the noise and distortion.
It is a finesse crusher, a beat-down that travels up and
down your musculoskeletal system like tiny jackhammers,
bludgeoning each cluster of sinew and each bridge of bone.
"Moment
of Comprehension" pounds you Tarmvred-style, and each
hammer impact rattles all the way up through your molars.
A melody whistles and cavorts behind the curtain of drums
but there's no real point in trying to reach for it. Every
bone in your hand will be shattered by the relentless
beat of the banging pistons as you try to breach that
curtain. A spectral voice whispers a warning about witches
at the beginning of "Embers," a brief respite from the
distorted beats, before another assault is launched upon
your jellied bones. Pneumatic Detach wants to hit you
hard; there's no dodging the bruising fists of fury. "Domination
(short mix)" is like being spun in the TsF-18 Centrifuge
at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center while Disney-built
Animatronics of old Russian astronauts pelt the controlled
cabin with steel marbles. "Separator" comes at you from
so many directions that you can't hope to stop the beats
from getting past your cheap defenses (all your base will
belong to Pneumatic Detach!).
It-Clings provides the spoken word piece for "Mindless
Brutal Apparatus," the only real misstep on the album
(taking the whole viscera of Jessica Hosman's cover image
to a brutal level of immediacy that isn't really necessary).
Fortunately, the final track is a remix offered by 02
(Mike Wells of Gridlock) that encapsulates all the glitter
and buzz of Trace-era Gridlock into the thunder of Pneumatic
Detach's sonic storm front. From blistering start to atmospheric
end, [Vis·Cer·A] delivers a crunching series of body blows
that makes me happy to be hurting. Pneumatic Detach knocks
what ails you right out of your system. This is a fierce
contender for distorted beat catharsis experience of the
year.
Mark
Teppo - Igloo Magazine

|
| [vis•cer•a],
the second full-length album by power noise merchants Pneumatic
Detach, is everything the title promises. It is raw, bloody,
pulsating, and it captures the diabolical and clinical context
under which the word is usually heard. With its syllables
broken out, as if part of a pronunciation key in a dictionary,
one can glean that crunchy act is looking to define this
meaty term. If
comparisons are to be drawn, Pneumatic Detach are somewhat
similar to the chaotic technoid experiments of bands like
Autechre with the sour end of post-Skinny Puppy Download
intermingled. The disc itself seethes from track to track,
each piece more like chapters of a larger work than individual
songs. Almost rhythmic, “Patternerase” lurches
ahead like a broken war machine, as fractured thumps and
metallic clacks propel it forward through a cyclone of
screeching synth textures and elastic arpeggios, passing
by the occasional vocal flutter of ghosts caught in its
mainframe. A proper theme song for the rise of a robotic
regime, “Moment of Comprehension” begins innocently
with a flanged techno riff, but it is soon beaten into
submission by the stomp of iron-heavy kettle drums, the
pace quickly building to a locomotive frenzy to the squeal
and zip of electronic insects. Amongst the rippling tidal
waves of serrated static, the tellingly-titled “Dischordant”
stumbles over heavy bass bombs and streaming hisses of
synths, squeaking and whirring like an angered android
as it progresses through the turbulent terrain. “Domination”
walks the line between ambience and noise, as spectral
shimmers bale to the clockwork crunch of baritone engines
and the caper of clamorous snares, each sigh that leaves
one with its gossamer layers soon replace by its gargantuan
mechanized shuffle. The one notably vocal track is “Mindless
Brutal Apparatus,” with a spoken word supplied by
It-Clings. Like a masochistic love letter straight from
Hellraiser territory, It-Clings recounts a desire to destroy
oneself via machine as an act of purity in an ugly world,
his seething voice slowly seeping into monstrous processed
gurgles over a landscape of twitching break beats, crackling
blasts of static, before the monologue finally gives way
to pulsating nervous bass and alien insect twitters.
The
disc concludes with a set of remixes. The remix of “Dischordant”
bounds with dance floor precision to the cadence of a
crunchy bass and hi-hat partnership, cacophonous riffs
stuttering and whizzing around its dominating beats, with
the kazoo-like fuzzy synths adding levity in between the
cracks. On the other hand, there is the remix of “Sona;”
this closing piece dabbles in black atmospherics, where
boorish waves crash upon its underground shores, adding
a bit of the Pneumatic touch to the gliding crystalline
synths. Slowly, the disc withdraws on shimmering layers,
the beats receding at a crawl to conclude [vis•cer•a]
in silence.
In
the world of power noise, it is inherently a medium where
some bands can get lost in the throngs of their chaotic
compatriots. However, Pneumatic Detach certainly has the
studio prowess to become one of the exemplary acts within
their medium. [vis•cer•a] is weighty, crunchy,
dance-worthy, and yet still manages to be cinematic and
ambient in its scope. Without doubt, if this sort of beast
caters to your palette, Pneumatic Detach delivers everything
and more with this disc.
Vlad_M
- Regen
magazine

|
Some
poor bloke's innards lay splattered all over the front
and back covers of [vis-cer-a], a thirteen-track
exercise in 'hard electronix' by Pneumatic Detach (Justin
Brink), with piercing pins adding further indignity to
the bloodied slab on the back (one shudders contemplating
the imagery in an upcoming Pneumatic Detach DVD). The
mood is paranoiac and the music violent, an hour-long
caterwaul of electronic howls, throbbing beats, tribal
hammering, and ominous washes. Yep, it's unapologetically
raw, twisted, and merciless, yet beneath the crushing
exterior—seriously!—lurks some vestige of a musical heart,
even if a thoroughly agonized one. Brave souls hellbent
on locating it will encounter Putrescence writhing
like some crazed beast plus the incinerating funk of Domination.
In concluding remixes, C2 adds an electro-dance
feel to Dischordant while O2 (Mike Wells
of Gridlock) brings dramatic elegance to Sona.
Depending on one's listening disposition, the prospect
of an imminent Pneumatic Detach Remix CD (featuring contributions
from Perfection Plastic, bereft, Cdatakill, Censor, Retnah,
Scrap.edx, Displacer, Grenadier, Exclipsect, Raxyor, Manufactura,
Terrorfakt, and Andraculoid) will be cause for jubilant
anticipation or fearsome dread. Consider [vis-cer-a]
an ideal soundtrack for some future limb-severing session.
Ron
Schepper - Textura

|
The
new cd of Pneumatic Detach is very heavy and also quite
challenging with the use of rhythms and beats. The music
on Vis-cer-a is notably faster and more furious than ever
before with Pneumatic Detach’s music. This could match
Converter. Although Converter is still somewhat better
in creating dark atmospheres, with pneumatic Detach it
concentrates basicly on the energy of the rhythms, bass
and beats, which are influenced by rhythmic industrial
and idm techno. With this the importance of melodies have
gone to the background, since that function is now fullfilled
with the beats and rhythms. The album increases in heaviness
the further you come along the tracklist. This has become
a very impressive release with this approach, but also
a release that is very demanding to the listener. After
having absorbed this album you might feel drained. Actually
this is the perfect drug for the industrial dancefloor.
There will be a remix cd ready for release any time soon
as well as the first DVD of Pneumatic Detach. I am very
curious how this music comes across live. You can see
for yourself at 10 december since Pneumatic Detach performs
in Slimelight, London at that date.
TekNoir
- Gothtronic

|
By
a quick look at the art work, Justin Brink, a.k.a. Pneumatic
Detach appears to be ready to perform some intestinal
perforation, gut mutilation or liver ago-puncture on whoever
won't appreciate his music... But that probably won't
matter because after you listen and dance to this, your
liver and your stomach will be so blood-pumped and so
contorted from the restless and spastic beats and by the
neurotic and aggressive sonics of "[vis-cer-a]" that you'll
need to see a doctor anyway... I've listened to it for
over 6 times and love the raw and visceral industrial-idm
mixture of twisted and saturated hard electronica and
scratchy irreverent minimalism that comes accompanied
by so much surrounding power and movement. In the continued
battle between minimalism of intents and employed waveforms
and its complex neurotic audio assault, is the key to
this great recording. Let's see if you dare to stick your
hand in the bloody flesh of this sound to look for it
and unlock its deepest secrets. The CD also features a
remix by C2 and one by O2 (Mike Wells of Gridlock).
(Four Stars.)
Marc
Urselli-Schaerer - Chain
DLK

|
Dieses
Projekt kennt keine Kompromisse. Gnadenlos peitschen die
Rhythmusprogramme durch die Songs, als gäbe es kein Morgen.
Hier fliegen einem die Beats nur so um die Ohren. Das
fängt schon bei „Holowh“ an, welcher geschickt zwischen
Breakbeats und Four on the floor wechselt, aber so unmerklich,
wie es selten der Fall ist. Pneumatic Detach verzichtet
dabei weitestgehend auf Melodien und lässt wirklich nur
die Schlagzugvariationen sprechen. Besonders bei „Embers“
ist die Nähe zum Noise deutlich, aber das ist nur ein
Teil der Musikphilosophie. Während „Putresence“ wirklich
etwas für die Clubs ist, geht es bei „Separator“ wesentlich
sperriger zu. Pneumatic Detach ist ein Bastard aus Hardcore-,
EBM- und Drum’n’Bass-Elementen. Und genau das ist es,
was „[vis.cer.a]“ so einzigartig und auch sehr hörenswert
macht. Einmal durchhören und man weiß, was auf einen zukommt,
zweimal durchhören und man bekommt die Feinheiten dieses
schönen Longplayers mit und beim dritten Mal erkennt man:
Eigentlich ist diese Scheibe richtig geil.
Nuuc
- Elektrauma

|
It’s
hard turning your eyes from this cover, so it probably
serves its purpose. And yet it’s clearly the wrong picture.
Pneumatic Detach are purveyors of the theory of pureness.
A theory that assumes that rhythm and sound are the two
most fundamental elements of music – think of the shuddering
crashs of lightning and the trance-inducing mantra of
the Indian drum. There is something to be said for that
and for sure, nothing raises stress levels and the amount
of adrenalin pumping through your vein quite like a thundering
bass drum and devastating walls of noise. That’s why “[Vis.Cer.A]”
basically puts you into a one-hour long state of alert,
with shining, digitally cut perucssion samples, constant
metronomical changes and pulsating ambient sound layers
that increase and decrease like a madman’s jugular. There’s
not much variation in the basic formula and it’s a pitty
that you have to wait right until the end for the brilliant
and wonderfully subdued remix of “Sona”, until things
cool down just a tiny bit. But the intensity and utter
dedication on display here just keeps you hooked anyway.
They should have showed the razor blade that cut the flesh
apart, instead: Sharp, shimmering and precise.
Tocafi
- Mouvement Nouveau

|
| After
a short hiatus Hive Records has returned from hibernation
with the newest release from Pneumatic Detach titled [vis·cer·a].
Canadian spawned Pneumatic Detach has returned to push the
boundaries of hardcore electronic music further than ever
before. [vis·cer·a] features eleven new hard
hitting songs and two remixes offered by C2 and O2.
[vis·cer·a]
takes the listener on an unforgiving journey through modern
hardcore electronic and rhythmic industrial music. Pneumatic
Detach has gone the distance delivering an album filled
with violent rhythmic explosion, jagged beats, and harsh
industrial waves of sound. There is nothing cuddly or
sensual about [vis·cer·a]. Pneumatic Detach
has perfected creating music that is totally distanced
from humanities softer side. Pneumatic Detach launches
his attack using cold mechanical steel rhythmic probes
to creep into the listener’s head rending and ripping
his way through the cerebral cortex in a dizzying assault
of musical terrorism. Annihilation and a redefining of
electronic music is his singular goal.
Pneumatic
Detach is like a brain surgeon on crank. Using a hammer
and a chisel he pounds and hammers his way through eleven
brutal songs of industrial madness. Each note and rhythm
is tweaked and tortured to deliver the maximum damage.
The rhythmic structures are as complex as they are destructive.
Aligning linear beats and convulsing rhythms together
Pneumatic Detach takes electronic music to a domain of
caustic sophistication. Buried within predictable pounding
beats are intricate rhythmic patterns that turn on a dime
morphing and shape shifting as they continuously assault
the listener from new angels. It is as if Pneumatic Detach
took techno music hostage and bred it with industrial
music then injected it with PCP and steroids. The beast
that emerges out of this unholy union is as unpredictable
as it is terrifying.
[vis·cer·a]
offers an exhausting listening experience as Pneumatic
Detach takes the listener up, down, in, out, under, and
over. After you finish listening to this release you feel
like a dog that has been hooked up to a car battery and
dropped into a bath tub full of water. [vis·cer·a]
is hardcore electronic music at its most brutal heights.
Trying to describe individual songs is useless as the
complexity of the rhythmic patters and the various industrial
sounds are to varied and complex to fit into words. Just
imagine an industrial DJ taking every aggressive element
of their music collection and condensing it into a single
song. This music does not just posture it bites. Pneumatic
Detach will challenge your stamina as well as all of you
conceptions of electronic music.
Though
[vis·cer·a] is a daunting release it should
be highly appreciated by hardcore music fanatics that
are seeking the next level of hardcore electronic music
to abuse themselves with. DJ’s who cater to demanding
industrial audiences will be able to find a number of
challenging tracks on [vis·cer·a] that are
sure to scorch the dance floor and the little people dancing
on it. I encourage rhythmic industrial fans to try and
mount this bucking bronco. Pneumatic Detach is sure to
give you a ride for your money. [vis·cer·a]
illuminates the new frontier of hardcore electronic music
and I recommend that you secure this release in order
to keep pace with this ever evolving genre!
Malahki Thorn - www.heathenharvest.com

|
| [pa·re·ses:reinfected]
reviews |
The
music and variety of music on this disc really blew me
away. Little did I suspect just how good this CD was going
to be, despite having a great roster of remixers, including
Scrap.edx, Kreptkrept, Iszoloscope, Antigen Shift and
Symbiont, it far surpassed my expectations.
The range of music incorporates aspects of ambient, idm,
rhythmic noise, drill, break beat, power electronics and
even a touch of ebm and old school 90s industrial. There
is no way to specifically pin down the sound of Pneumatic
Detach from this album, with each song being re-worked
to incorporate whatever sound the remixer was going for.
Instrumental tracks make up most of the cd, but vocals
and samples are also added, and are more than welcome,
giving the music a broader range than the great mass of
rhythmic noise bands out there. In fact, using such a
term as Rhythmic Noise may be deceptive to what their
sound is, and so I think I will have to resort to user
the border term, Industrial to describe them.
Although the bands that I was expecting to do some great
mixes succeeded, bands of which I knew little of and wasn't
expecting anything from, more than succeeded, with incredible
mixes from Detritus, C2, and AEC (battery cage).
The packaging for the limited edition first run is also
incredible, and was another surprise. Before it came in
the mail, I had to put a image of the CD cover on TiK
Distro website and found only a solid black jpg on the
Hive Records site. I figured that they hadn't gotten around
to scanning and uploading the image. But no, the album
cover is black. Thoughts of 'This Is Spinal Tap' came
to mind, but these were erased when I received a package
of them in the mail. A solid black digi-pak in an anti-static
bag is an amazing design, in my opinion. It just oozed
with cool, making this CD seem more special to me.
Rating: A
Squid
- Industrial
Kollective . org

|
In
doing this review, I found myself asking what categorization
this CD would fit into. It is indeed not the music I tend
to listen to. Is it rhythmic noise? Ambient noise? IDM?
Mellow in parts, and at other times crunchy? Industrial?
Strictly speaking about the sound, ignoring any of the
intention behind it, or the symbolism of the title or
content, I must say I like the intensity of the rhythmic
beats at many points on the CD. I find myself moving my
head to the beat, jammin' in my seat, etc. And really,
isn't this what it's all about?
There is a great intensity supplied in frequently changing
rhythmic structures that is so appealing to the ear. Samples
are interspersed throughout and between the harsh, steady
beats and layering of sounds. I think that one should
not listen to parts of this CD with a pounding headache;
it could be quite irritating. However, if you can get
into the groove of the throbbing, quick tempo alternating
with ambient soundscapes, then you will find yourself
jamming too.
What I also like about this CD is the pure industrial
quality, not EBM, of the few songs that do have a song
structure and lyrics. They bring me back to the old industrial
days, before the influx of synthpop. There are even electric
guitar metal-type riffs thrown into a few tracks. My favourite
tracks are "Justin is a Stalker" and "Safe as Houses".
Pareses Re:Infected is an enjoyable listen and offers
a fun intensity of rhythm and noise that, despite the
lack of melodic song structure overall, appealed much
more to me than I ever expected it could. Who knows, Squid
may get me hooked on this stuff yet.
Rating: B-
Morgana
- Industrial
Kollective . org

|
Wow.
I really like this CD from Hive. There are 3 or 4 tracks
that just blew me away the first time I listened too it.
Now never having heard any Pneumatic Detach other than
these remixes I can't really say what they are like, but
this CD is brilliant. There is an amazing blend of industrial
styles represented here. Everything from Trance/Industrial
sounds like the C2 mix, to pure noise tracks like the
remix by Navicon Torture Technologies. There is something
here for all fans of real industrial.
Rating: B+
Prospero
- Industrial
Kollective . org

|
For
every doom merchant who proclaims that “rhythmic noise
is dead” there seems to be a similar number of new acts
springing up who confound these claims. Pneumatic Detach
is one of those acts who, last year, with his debut release
“Pa•Re•Ses” set the industrial scene alight with a new
wave of enthusiasm for the genre. One year later and upcoming
label Hive Records have kick-started their catalogue with
“Pareses Re:Infected”: a collection of remixes of Pneumatic
Detach by several of his contemporaries, along with one
or two surprises along the way.
Remixing rhythmic noise is a tricky business, with the
remixers’ end-product often sounding no different to one
of their own offerings, something that seems to have been
purposefully avoided, thanks to proliferation of young
artists present on this disc, indeed most of them even
seem to have gone beyond the convention of merely taking
one track to remix and incorporate sounds from several
compositions in their tracks.
There is a great variety of sounds and style present on
“Pareses Re:Infected”, as will be evident from one quick
glance at the list of remixers: Detritus, Vers, Starving
Cell, Navicon Torture Technologies and Fragment King to
name but a few. It is immediately obvious that this will
not be 70 minutes of thumping 4/4 beats, like the remix
discs of yore, although it certainly has its fair share
of upbeat, club-friendly tracks; opener Safe as Houses
from Grenadier provides some catchy breakbeat hooks with
a gorgeous synthetic bass that sounds like it has come
straight from the next Download album. It is C2, however,
that steal the show for sheer power with their Untitled
remix going full tilt with straight rhythms and huge,
bass-heavy production.
To further perplex us, the acts that we would expect floor-fillers
from take an unexpected turn here, with Scrap.edx providing
some dreamlike atmospheres and broken, stuttering beats
that fully compliment the following track from Kreptkrept,
who mangle the sounds of “Pa•Re•Ses” into a wild ragga-influenced
noise beat. The most dramatic turn of pace must come from
Iszoloscope though, who subdues a familiar Pneumatic beat
beneath a howling storm of noise. It brings the track
close to power electronics with its sheer, unrelenting
severity until, at the last moment, cohesion is brought
to the track by a strict kick-drum rhythm.
Of course, salvation is never an option when Navicon Torture
Technologies are involved and their remix here is no exception:
a looping, churning decimation of its source materials,
along with some additional texture from Leech’s vocals.
Incessant in its brutality, even when a regular beat is
brought into the mix, it only serves to heighten the tension
and oppression of the track, before it subsides to a swamp
of horrifically suggestive drips and organic squelches.
In amongst all this noise and distortion, there are occasional
oases of calm from such as artists as Detritus, who serves
up a violently dynamic piece of beauty and filth in equal
amounts as it cuts between gentle orchestral strains and
juddering, broken beats. Antigen Shift, too, provides
an atypically epic mix of lush, expansive atmospherics
that render the underlying beats all the more grandiose
and magisterial in a similar manner to the Dirty War mix
from Vers. His brand of cut-up drum and bass [from very
obvious Pneumatic Detach sources] coupled with some astute
composition lends it an atmosphere that is wholly cinematic
and austerely sumptuous as a result.
While many of the remixes rest comfortably within the
industrial genre, there are, of course, those who chose
to take things a few steps further, such as Starving Cell
with his glitch-ridden IDM MLP mix and Exclipsect’s electronic
mash-up. For utter insanity, though, nothing surpasses
the Fragment King mix, which was the cause of several
astounded expletives on my part on first listen. Starting
from a fairly regular groove, it suddenly collapses upon
itself into a incomprehensible wall of polyrhythms and
frantic processing – an utterly astounding way to finish
an album.
As with all compilations though, there are the inevitable
tracks that fail to hit the mark, namely Symbiont’s anachronistic
use of poorly-distorted vocals and clichéd EBM melodies,
and AEC who sadly live up to their three-letter-acronym
status. However, they are but two low points on what is
otherwise a fantastic collection of pioneering and electrifying
remixes. The CD is even further enhanced by the inclusion
of a disturbingly surrealist video for Pneumatic Detach’s
original Levanel track, a trend that will hopefully be
continued in Hive’s output, alongside this high standard
of music.
Gavin Lees - Immanence
. co . uk

|
Texan
Hive Records joins with success several and valid tonalities
of the present industrial scene, with this ambitious compilation
of remixes. Subject of this interesting product is the
most appreciable album "Pa•re•ses" by Pneumatic Detach,
released by Frozen Empire Media and out of print now.
14 trained artists alternate each other in disassembling
and re-elaborating the precious frequencies of this opus.
In "Safe As Houses" Granadier spreads breakcore throbbing
and bodily lines. Scrap.edx distributes fairly dark-experimental
tensions and grinding breaknoise incursions. Irreducible
noise-escapes break cynically the neurotic systems of
"Detached Pneumatic Rosicrucians Kreptkreptinized", oxyhydrogen
flames edited by Kreptkrept. Intelligent spheres streak
across the restless and dislocated atmospheres of "Allusion",
there Detritus directs its cosmic excavators. NTT, in
"Self Medication", reproduces powernoise deafening and
scraping platforms; in a metallic chaos petrified shouts
invade the reason. Hectic and incisive beats emitted from
the obsessive programmings of C2 which makes "Untitled"
one the most hypnotic tracks of the CD.
Digital wars and twisted eruptions shock the structure
of this irrepressible "mlp", breaknoise madnesses by Starving
Cell. Then AEC points his armaments on EBM trajectories,
"Justin Is a Stalker" is a perfect club-hit with Covenant-ish
features. Iszoloscope in "Silent House" takes us back
on the dusty surfaces of semi-colonized planets, dry noise
executions, piercing drones, heavy rhythms and overburdened
basses; exquisite performance! Dark-industrial visions
pursued by Vers ("Dirty War") which displays fearless
breaks and abrasive frequencies.
The most eclectic of this gang couldn't lack, Exclipsect
creates stabbing idm turbulences and huge noisescapes,
no rules and no rest for this "No Grounds For Movement"!
Imminent dark-powernoise turmoils and twisted rhythms
among the rocky transmissions of Antigen Shift, "Flies
Surround Me" corrodes and spurs on every standstill. Gloomy
dark-industrial lashes and distorted voice bomb the hallucinations
of "Burn In Hell" by Symbiont. Storm of dissonances and
torbid rhythms in the last track called "Obduktionssal",
Fragment King directs and aligns chaotic noise-industrial
patterns.
Lethal exchanges of toxic impulses.
Francesco
- Twilight-zone
. it

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When
I was first listening to this disc, my girlfriend came
into the living room and asked if we could listen to something
that sounded a little less like a pneumatic hammer. She
didn't even know what was in the CD player, so I guess
this band has picked the right name for itself – as well
as made a name for itself. The original Pareses disc (on
Frozen Empire Media) is long out-of-stock and out-of-print
(at least at time of writing). I am not among the fortunate
who owns a copy; perhaps it will be re-issued one day,
and I can get it then.
The limited-edition disc contains the video-montage Levanel
and fourteen remixes from artists like Iszoloscope, Grenadier,
Navicon Torture Technologies, Antigen Shift and ten others.
Some of the remixes are a surprise for someone that expects
nothing but harsh powernoise. The Grenadier remix of 'Safe
as Houses' tosses around samples and drum grooves to create
a danceable, drum-and-bass-ish tune that almost sounds
like an early Meat Beat Manifesto track. Other remixes,
notably the Navicon Torture Technologies remix 'Self Medication',
takes the original track into harsher dimensions of feedback-laden,
speaker-overdriving noise-rumblings.
The most notable thing about the remixes is the fact that
each remixer puts a great deal of their own individual
sounds and styles into the new track. In some ways this
disc listens more like a compilation than simply a new
Pneumatic Detach disc. All the source material may have
come from the mind and hands of Justin Brink.
Brian
Clarkson - Industrial
natioN . com

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Hive
Records does it again with another compelling release,
this time with a limited edition run of Pneumatic Detach
tracks. This intense industrial-noise release features
a powerhouse of remixes by some of the most respected
names in the genre, including Iszoloscope, Exclipsect,
Antigen Shift and many others. This will prove to be another
must-have CD for fans of noise, electro and industrial.
"Safe
as Houses [Grenadier remix]" makes a strong start to Pareses
Re:infected. Thick synth, hard beats and crunchy tidbits
are mingled with samples. I find myself playing this track
most often and easily annoying the heck out of my neighbors
at the volumes I play it. Evict me! I don't care! This
song demands volume! I think it would be greatly received
on many a dancefloor.
"Miserable
Existence [Scrap.edx remix]" lulls you into a false sense
of calm with eerie melodies and soft rhythm. The glitchy
beat intensifies, becoming more pronounced and complex.
I like how the melody remains constant, become more of
an atmospheric effect, giving the track and chilly feel.
Towards its end though, it becomes a bit more chaotic
with richer sounds- another great piece.
A dose of something harsher and more intense on the ears
is "Detached Pneumaniac Rosicrucians Kreptkreptinized
[Kreptkrept remix]". Hmm, now that's a mouthful. Extremely
heavy, industrialized and clamorous, this track threatens
to shred your senses into metallic dust.
A sharp and eerie introduction begins "Allusion [Detritus
Remix]", but quickly slams into static rhythms and out
into cold waves of haunting and syrupy atmospherics. The
shift continues, rolling from one to the other, sometimes
overlapping in between. It's as if an ultra vivid dream
is being overtaken by a horrible nightmare.
Proving to be a bit too much for my ears is "Self Medication
[Navicon Torture Technologies Remix]". "Holy shit" is
the phrase that comes to mind. Ultra harsh, static, whirring,
whining, grinding, grating noise for a lengthy seven minutes
and eleven seconds. It does change a bit as the track
progresses, taking on a monotonous quality while the harsher
sounds take a back seat to the more mechanical and blippy
sounds, and gradually slips into silence.
"Untitled
[C2 remix]" is very intense, introducing the super brash
beats of hard-techno. The beat seems to disintegrate somewhat,
becoming more sporadic, but the drive continues as the
piece fleshes itself out further and becomes wholly engrossing.
This is definitely another serious dancefloor piece out
for blood.
Reminiscent of wind and whispers of a train through a
tunnel, "MLP [Starving Cell remix]" slips in like a threatening
storm, rapidly turning into a thunderous torrent of sound.
"Justin
is a Stalker [AEC remix]" (As a side note, AEC is better
as Battery Cage) rings in sharply, but rounds itself out
nicely with thick synth and deep rhythm. And, to totally
throw you for a loop, there's actual vocals here! Carrying
an industrial quality with noisy guitar, the track stands
out as unique. Filling out the musical canvas nicely,
the sound is large and alive.
A rather tense atmosphere is quickly established in "Silent
House [Iszoloscope remix]". Static rhythms set in, gradually
adding in a variety of other percussive sounds, from metallic
clatter to thumpy beats. The track builds into a sort
of chaotic whirlwind that is loud without becoming too
harsh. The thickness of it is actually quite enjoyable,
and seems to end a bit quickly, tapering off into nothingness.
A chunky, crunchy synth loop makes up the meatiest portion
of "Dirty War [Vers remix]", but is accompanied by glitchy
effects and a light, cool air that floats through the
piece. It's another great track that seems as if it could
have gone on much longer, and probably could have easily
since its comes in at just over four minutes. Just as
it hooked me in, it was gone.
"No
Grounds for Movement [Exclipsect remix]" seems to stumble
over itself at many points. It just didn't seem to develop
a flow I could get into. Its beats are sporadic and unpredictable,
changing frequently. Packed with glitchy blips and crunchy
static, the track seems to flesh itself out a bit, but
continues to retain an uneasy, chaotic quality.
As the disc continues, it seems to take darker turns.
"Flies Surround Me [Antigen Shift remix]" also begins
quite tensely, with a rather threatening air hanging overhead.
The build instills a sense of anticipation of imminent
doom, but doesn't ever explode to the degree expected.
Heavy, heart throbbing beats boom with all due intensity,
and mounts into something faster and fearful. The track
seems to take the listener through a series of sensations-
tension, fear, anticipation, and calm.
"Burn
in Hell [Symbiont remix]" is bitter and highly serrated
with vocals that are harsh and wicked. This track also
begs for dancefloor sacrifice in the form of blood, sweat
and blisters. Insane rhythms and over the top intensity
will have people ready to either shoot the DJ or find
themselves lost in beat-driven bliss.
"Obduktionssaal
[Fragment King remix]" really ends this disc on a harsh
note. There's a beat, sort of, buried in there somewhere.
But, it is overwhelmed by the sheer power of the noise.
Crushing static, glitches, malfunctions, twists, blips
and feedback seek to shred what's left of your ears.
Pareses Re:infected is definitely not going to be everyone's
cup of tea, but is a fair set of songs crucified, hacked,
mangled, and seriously overworked by a variety of artists.
While all tracks are those of Pneumatic Detach, those
performing remixes have brought their own unique touches
to the forefront. Many tracks are infectious, throbbing
from start to finish. Pareses Re:infected is not at all
suitable for those looking for something soft and cozy;
it's a commanding release that carries enough momentum
to knock you off your feet.
Laura
B - Sublevel
203 . com

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Pneumatic
Detach nos sorprendio gratamente en 2002 con su debut
'[pa·re·ses]' y su original mezcla de sonidos electro-industriales
con efectos analógicos y reminiscencias obsoletas de una
gratificante sensibilidad y ahora regresa con un álbum
de remezclas a cargo de proyectos más o menos relevantes
de la escena electrónica más oscura y clandestina.
Sin salirnos de los márgenes antes citados podemos definir
el álbum como variado y heterogéneo gracias a la disparidad
de los nombres elegidos para producir las versiones y
la forma de combinarlos. La misión de cada uno de ellos
ha sido crear composiciones a su estilo destruyendo y
reconstruyendo los temas originales del artista de Massachusettes
algo que consiguen sin paleativos pues, en la mayoria
de los casos, no se reconoce el espiritu de Pneumatic
Detach.
En la parte estrictamente musical el disco empieza suavecito
y con elegancia, en el que Grenadier firma un tema de
con aires clásicos de synthpop; Le sigue el proyecto que,
a nuestro criterio fue la revelación del pasado año, Scrap.edx,
los cuales nos trasladan hacia el lado más oscuro del
ser humano con 'Miserable Existence' a golpes de ritmos
y distorsiones agudas y afiladas; Kreptkrept mete la quinta
con su ultra-percusívo y rayante tema de título igualmente
desquiciante; Más espiritual y etereo aunque no menos
agresivo es la producción del magistral Detritus con su
dualidad característica de clasicismo evolucionado; Y
seguimos ahondando en la psicológia humana gracias al
esquizofrénico 'Self Meditation' de Navicon Torture Technologies
y su power-electronic monomaniático; C2 es la versión
más industrial y bailable del proyecto Control.org y ya
colaborarón con Pneumatic Detach en un Split publicao
este mismo año en Hive Records y ahora repiten con este
potente temazo rompepistas; En el ecuador del disco tenemos
a Starving Cell (Luca Piscopo) con 'MLP'. Un tema muy
original de techno brutal sin concesiones que creo es
uno de los más brillantes del disco entre otras cosa por
su apabullante producción.
AEC (American Electronics Corporation) marcán un punto
de inflexión dentro del álbum y presentan la única aportación
vocal que encontramos en el (junto al tema de Symbiont),
se trata de 'Justin is a Stalker', un corte de dark wave
clásico y de calidad; Volvemos a coger el tren del rhythmic
noise con una de las sorpresas del año: Iszoloscope. 'Silent
House' es una nueva vuelta de tuerca dentro del género
en su vertiente más purista; El ritmo sigue adelante con
Vers, alter ego de Brian Redmon o lo que es lo mismo,
un artista multimedia creador del sello neoyorquino de
electrónica Dysgenis donde nos enseña una pequeña muestra
de lo que es su flamante álbum 'Low Light, Slow Film,
and Alcohol' con d'n'b y jungle oscuro e industrial; 'Initial
Reaction' es el tema de Pneumatic Detach escogido por
Exclipsect que en sus manos se ha transformado en 'No
Grounds for Movement' o traducido en conceptos sonoros,
percusiones y distorsiones sobrevolando maquinaria industrial
de gran calibre; 'Files Surround Me' es la reaparición
de Antigen Shift despues de su álbum 'Implicit Structures'
donde recrea paisajes arcanos y gélidos en lo que podríamos
definir como la descendencia directa del rhythic noise
clásico; Es la hora de volver a la lírica en otra de las
excepciones vocales del disco con Symbiont como protagonistas.
El duo de Salt Lake City nos ofrece la cara más agresiva
del dark electro en la linea de bandas como Wumpscut u
Hocico; Como fin de fiesta tenemos a Fragment King con
una enfermiza remezcla de breakcore y drum'n'bass que
remata el disco no sin antes destrozarnos los últimos
reductos neuronales que nos pudieran quedar.
drum
- n - noise . com

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Discovered
last year with an excellent first album on Frozen Empire
Media, the bostoneer Pneumatic Detach comes back today
on the young label Hive Records to leave the tracks of
"Pa Re Ses" in the hands of remixers, mostly from the
young generation of mutant industrial. From Iszoloscope
to Exclipsect, from Antigen Shift to Kreptkrept, Navicon
Torture Technologies, Detritus or Grenadier, the needed
number of talented re-assemblers / re-infecters is easily
reached, and Pneumatic Detach sees itself rushed from
the less gentle powernoise to the most danceable electro,
with shards of violent breakcore in between. The best
cuts are surely the sinister ambient remix of Antigen
Shift and the "thrillkillkultian" version of Grenadier
which, on their own, would be enough to justify the buying
of "Pareses Re:Infected". We could only regret that Hive
Records doesn't take this opportunity to re-release "Pa
Re Ses", already sold out, which deserves much more than
to disappear into oblivion.
Jean-François
Micard - D-Side
. org

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| pneumatic
detach genießen auf dem gebiet des experimentellen industrial
in ihrer amerikanischen heimat großes ansehen, denn dort
konnten sie sich bislang durch ein dutzend exzellenter
samplerbeiträge, die selbst produzierte CD "experiments
in psychosis" und das erste reguläre album "pareses",
damals noch bei frozen empire media erschienen, mit unkonventionellen
klanginstallationen hervortun. das remixalbum "pareses
re:infected" erschien vor wenigen wochen bei dem neuen
texanischen label hive records, welches nur kurz nach
veröffentlichung des 14 tracks umfassenden kleinen meisterwerks
die auf 100 stück limitierte erstauflage in spezieller
verpackung als "sold out" deklarieren musste. für eine
äußerst vielseitige mixtur aus breakcore und powernoise
mit anleihen aus klassischem electro und coldwave sorgen
interpretationen artverwandter acts wie scrap.edx, detritus,
aec, antigen shift oder symbiont. ungewöhnlich für diese
for der musik ist, dass der einsatz von wirklich gesungenen
vocals und (Gitarren!) samples bei einigen stücken nicht
von vornherein ausgeklammert wurde. noise-freaks, die
nicht ausschließlich auf straighte rhythmen und harsches
gebrate stehen, sollten sich diesem Projekt bedenkenlos
nähern können.
jörn
karstedt - Sonic
- Seducer . de

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Copyright
© 2007 pneumatic detach |
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