Finally, another post. This is a later cassette compilation on the Nuit et Brouillard label from 1990 titled Autoplasie. The cassette includes a 56 page 8.5"x11" booklet including features on each contributor including discographies.There is a wealth of information contained in the booklet. Many smaller releases, primarily cassettes that I had never heard of when I picked this up years ago. I have since found some of these releases, but there are many more I would love to track down (Vox Populi Live/Studio & Live/Interview cassettes!!, for example). There appear to be 300 copies of the cassette, 200 that include the booklet.
The music is primarily industrial, sometimes ambient or dark, other times rhythmic. Prior to archiving this cassette a while back, I hadn't listened to this tape in years and forgot that there are some pretty good cuts here. Contributors include Brume, Vox Populi!, Deleted, Free Mount 231 (Free Mount & Pacific 231) and others (see photo for line-up).
One question - does anyone know why Brume makes a point to mention "no sampler" in the liner notes for his tracks? Is this supposed to be impressive? There is plenty of music like this made during the era before samplers....
I hope to pick up the frequency of posts going forward - my personal computer is still down, but will likely be repaired this weekend. Another volume from this label with similar packaging (tape & large booklet) titled Interaktion will probably be posted once the computer problems are resolved.
A copy of this cassette without the booklet is available at Atlantis Records (check the links on the sidebar).
Enjoy.
5 comments:
About Brume's 'No sampler' disclaimer... in those days there was a certain reactionary trend in underground experimental circles against samplers (which were regarded by some as 'cheating') - presumably Monsieur Renou agreed with this trend.
This tendency eventually waned (with the wholesale assimilation of the sampler into acceptance alongside 'traditional' instruments) and was replaced by a certain reactionary trend against laptops/computers in general (especially in noise/power electronics circles), which will no doubt die down eventually and be replaced by some other reactionary trend still on the horizon. History, as they say, repeats itself...
Dystonia Ek,
your comments are right on! There is always a reactionary trend and a rebellious attitude with true underground musicians of the world. I'm sure during 1990 in the French underground circles, it looked cooler if you were still making real tape loops rather buying one of those new Akai samplers that were very expensive back then.
This sort of reminds me of that 1982 Iggy Pop album "Zombie Birdhouse" where he wrote on the back "made with no synthesizers" or soemthing like that because you know during 1982 the current rage then was playing every instrument with the synthesizer.
Some other more current reactionary trends are as you stated, with this
laptop/computer recording vs.
lo-fi analog recording. Then there are those guys who love old tube amplifiers and they hate those amplifiers that have digital effects..including a digital effect that is suppose to capture the "tube sound".
Another current fight is the fight between analog filters and digital filters which try to rip off an analog sound. There are the people who prefer the true analog filters made by Moog and then there are those "midi people" who like the more digital-friendly-midi filters made by those current German companies like MFB and Waldorf.
Yes you are right, you see most of these kinds of current fights in the noise/power electronic circles.
Maybe it's a good thing that these underground circles have these kinds of fights. It's a good thing because not everybody is using the same equipment, so you get many differents sounds being created.
Some guy in Canada who is influenced by Vox Populi or something like the Severed Heads is using some expensive Akai sampler that has the price of $900. While at the same time some guy all the way down in Australia who has the same influences is still making his tape loops with his own hands with some 1979 Tascam reel machine that he has which he originally bough half-broken for $50. Either way you are going to get two sounds and it's up to the listeners to pick what they want.
God, I would love to hear those Vox Populi interview tapes too! But I'm sure they are in French and I only took two years of French, barely passing the classes! :-)
Vox Populi definitely do not receive all the attenion they deserve for all the interesting music they created over the years for this world to enjoy.
I always wanted to know what were Vox Populi main influences? Early on during 81-1983 it seemed like they were influenced the sort of French and European
experiemental-wave scene that was surrounding them. But after 83, they got so diverse and expanded so much..almost in the same way that 23 Skidoo did.
cheers,
arnold
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All - thanks for the comments. My statement about 'no samplers' was partly made in jest. I've been on both sides of the fence myself over the years.
I like to hear when new technologies are not embraced to see how artists work around their limitations - in fact I like to do this myself w/ my music to see how far I can push that 'envelope' of what listeners typically expect from synth x and drum machine y.
I think I was a little underwhelemed by Brume's music here.
*+*
Hi,
I'm Axel Kyrou from the Vox Populi! crew. It's so nice to see all these nice comments towards our music. I think we're far more heard today than when all these musics were released !!
I suggest to anyone interested to have a go at our Myspace http://www.myspace.com/populivox.
There you'll find, if you want, a way to reach me.
About out influences : I'm an intense music lover. I love extreme sounds like the first Chrome Lp's or early Meat Beat Manifesto but also very ambient musics, natural sounds, soothing italian 70's progressive musics, some ethnics (oriental and indonesian), 50's meddle jazz, ...
In short electronics, ethnics and psychedelics. Anyhing that gets me off. As Steve Lacy once said the good musics are the one that make you fly.
Making music is quite mystic for me as I'm very easily out/gone when making it. Barely present in fact. Always getting past my musical limitations (wich are numerous). Also an interesting thing often happens when I'm very short from 'getting it done' : my vision gets troubled and I can really materialize the space between me and the speakers as ondulations and/or colours get materialized. That's always a very good sign. You could not expect something too ordinary from Vox Populi!'s main man!
About our way of 'working' in the 80's : I spent maximum 30 % time on recording the musicians. The rest is me, myself and I treating the stuff in any direction it may lead me. No rules. Everything was possible and very often it was tried out. Spontaneity is the word even during the mixing stages. Till 1985 we only had a single revox to record, making only a 2 track recording possible. After that we got another one (making 3 to 4 tracks avalable, depending on stereo or not). We made it for the poor equipment by discovering (or rediscovereing) new ways to treat the sounds : for instance we often used the effect pionnered by Brian Eno and Robert Fripp -by connecting in a very peculiar way the 2 Revox machines with only one tape read- to get an infinite echo effect or other tricks like recording an echo of a track but in reverse and getting it in the right position afterwards. There you get an echo wich comes before the echo'ed sound.
Off course the process is not all but it got very important in our music.
Speaking of the people : At the basis it was a familly affair : my wife Mitra (born 63, Teheran), her brother Arach (born 70, Teheran) and myself (born 64, Paris). From this basis we had many invited friends working with us, european or oriental.
The very strange thing is that hardly two of our tracks were made with the same instrumentation or people.
I could go on very long speaking about all this...
One last thing : we're back again with new tracks being worked out with new musicians. Soon or later we'll do some gigging (that's another aspect of the band I havn't spoke off, next time may be ?).
Yours friendly,
Axel
for Vox Populi!
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