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[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
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
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
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
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
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
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
