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[005] MATT WAND "PUBLIC.EXE" 10" VINYL (LIMITED EDITION OF 500!)
MR. WAND WAS ONE HALF OF PLUNDERPHONIC DUO STOCK, HAUSEN & WALKMAN, NOW AKA SMALL ROCKS AND HEAD OF THE HOT AIR LABEL. ALWAYS INTERESTED IN SMALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES HE BEGAN TO INCORPORATE GAME BOYS RUNNING THE NANOLOOP AND LITTLE SOUND DJ SOFTWARE INTO HIS LIVE SETS A FEW YEARS AGO. FIRST RECORDED RESULTS HAVE BEEN RELEASED ON THE "NANOLOOP 1.0" COMPILATION (DISCO BRUIT) AND THE "1 1/2 VOLT MUSIC" 3"CD ON HOT AIR (EXTRACTS FROM AN INFINITE SYMPHONY FOR 12 SELF-PROPELLED POCKET GAME MACHINES).
AFTER EXPERIENCING SOME OF MR. WAND'S ENERGETIC ARMCHAIR LIVE SETS DURING HIS TOUR WITH THE GOODIEPAL AND NANOLOOP PROGRAMMER OLIVER WITTCHOW IN GERMANY WE PROPOSED TO RELEASE SOME OF HIS LIVE RECORDINGS AND ONE YEAR LATER WE FINALLY GOT THE RESULTS.
PLAYED ON GAME BOYS AND FEW EFFECT PEDALS ONLY, THESE RECORDINGS WERE MADE IN MANCHESTER, UTRECHT AND AT THE FELIX KUBIN CURATED "NUIT BLANCHE" IN PARIS. WHILE ALL THE INSTRUMENTS ARE VERY SMALL THE SOUND DEFINTELY ISN'T. THIS IS HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONIC MUSIC REMINDING OF EARLY SUICIDE BOOTLEGS (AND SOMETIMES CAUSING A RIOT TOO) OR FREE JAZZ PLAYED ON HANDHELDS. NOT BEING YOUR TYPICAL VIDEO GAME MUSIC RECORD, IT UTILIZES SOUNDS YOU WOULDN'T REALLY EXPECT FROM A GAME BOY. THESE TRACKS SIMPLY ROCK!
THE THOUGHT OF A LIVE ALBUM OF GAMEBOY RECORDINGS IS NOT THE KIND OF THING THAT USUALLY SETS MY PANTS ABLAZE AT MY HOUSE, BUT "PUBLIC.EXE" BY MATT WAND SOUNDS NOTHING LIKE YOU'D EXPECT. USING LOTS OF EFFECTS PEDALS, THE SQUINK-SQUINK QUALITY OF SO MUCH GAMEBOY STUFF IS MINIMISED, AND WHAT RESULTS IS ELECTRONIC MURK. DON'T GET ME WRONG, THERE ARE PLENTY OF BLEEPS HERE, BUT THE UH, CHEESE IS OUTWEIGHED BY HAIR, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. AND ONE SUPPOSES, GIVEN THAT WAND USED TO BE HALF OF THE INGENIOUS STOCK, HAUSEN & WALKMAN, THIS REALLY SHOULDN'T BE A SURPRISE. |
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ONE MAY REMEMBER MATT WAND AS ONE HALF OF THE STOCK, HAUSEN & WALKMAN DUO FROM A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK, OR FROM HIS HOT AIR LABEL. SINCE SOME TIME MATT WAND ALSO RECORDS SOLO, UNDER HIS OWN NAME, AND HIS LOVE OF SMALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES, LED HIM TO USE GAME BOYS AND EFFECT PEDALS. DURING A TOUR WITH GOODIEPAL AND NANOLOOP PROGRAMMER OLIVER WITTCHOW (THE GUY WHO WROTE A MUSICPROGRAMM THAT RUNS ON GAME BOYS), HE GOT NOTED BY DEKORDER WHO ASKED FOR A LIVE RECORD BY MATT WAND. I DON'T WHAT YOUR EXPECTATIONS ARE WHEN YOU HEAR PEOPLE MAKE MUSIC WITH A GAME BOY, BUT MY EXPECTATIONS ARE ALWAYS A HIGHLY ENERGETIC RHYTHMICAL MUSIC BUT IN A RATHER BLEAK WAY, BUT SOMEHOW MATT WAND DOESN'T LIVE UP TO THIS. WANDS APPROACH IS OF COURSE ALSO RHYTHMICAL, BUT THE WHOLE THING IS TOO DISTORTED AND TOO FREAKY TO BE A CHILDREN'S VERSION OF TECHNO. WAND'S MUSIC IS EDGY AND AT TIMES NOISY. THE EXPECTED BLEAKNESS OF THE GAME BOY IS NOT AT ALL PRESENT, AND THIS IS QUITE FORCEFUL, PRESENT MUSIC. IT'S ONE OF THE BETTER EXAMPLES OF USING GAME BOYS IN MUSIC. VERY NICE ONE. |
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GAMEBOY MUSIK AN DER SPIELERPLINKERFREUNDE DEFINITIV MAL KEINE FREUDE HABEN WERDEN, DENN DAS HIER IST EHER ERNST GEMEINTER GERÄUSCHTERROR MIT VIELEN EFFEKTEN UND NUR GELEGENTLICHEN TREPPCHENMELODIEN. WER NOCH NICHT WEISS WIE MELODISCH EINE PLATTE AUS GLASFASERN KLINGEN KANN, DER SOLLTE MAL REINHÖREN. ACH, UND DAS COVER DER 10" IST WUNDERVOLL UND MANCHMAL ROCKTS AUCH. MUSIK FÜR ALLE DIE SICH GERNE VON SKURRILEN MITTEN AN DEN FLIMMERHÄRCHEN KRABBELN LASSEN. |