The CD's are available for purchase via paypal button on left for $ 8 in USA unless otherwise noted this includes shipping.Overseas add $ 3 for shipping via airmail.

Mental Anguish - Distant Warnings
Another collection of some Tapegerm tracks from 2005.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Distant Warnings
2 - The Luxury Of Slough & Spasm
3 - A Trip To The Park
4 - Sleep Deprivation
5 - Lengua & Barbacoa
6 - Sun Spot Menace
7 - Eye Of Newt With A Pinch of Nightshade
8 - Passing Thru The Cosmic Space Fog
9 - Conditioned Stimulus
10 - TopHat Decides To Run For Political Office
11 - Never Look A Gifthorse In The Mouth

TopHat Decides To Run For Political Office - 9:32
So last installment TopHat & WinStye cleansed themselves of all political awareness, ha you did not think that would last too long now did you ?
Pissed off at all branches of government from local city, state & country, most vehemently the country. So TopHat decides to run for political office in a national sense with Winstye as his campaign adviser & Porcupine the concubine as vice president whom they came to know well in " Beans & Rings "
Out to try & eradicate & save the country from senseless war, mismanaged spending, oncoming disease & thousands of other stupid things & start to try & revive a crap economy. They set out on the campaign trail. Will they win ? You decide. Will they become crooked lying ass politicians ?
Only time will tell. This is the story of the trial & tribulations of TopHats political campaign.
Uses only loops by Omnitechnomatrix.

conditioned stimulus - 5:16
A conditioned stimulus in Pavlovian conditioning is an initially neutral stimulus that is paired with the unconditioned stimulus. For example, a tone sounded just prior to the puff of air being delivered to the cornea of the eye. Without prior training, the tone does not elicit an eye blink: however, after a number of tone-puff pairings, the tone alone comes to elicit the blinking response.
loops used = 4 drones by Mental Anguish & loops by International Garbageman.

Passing Thru The Cosmic Space Fog - 6:38
A sonic trip thru interstellar space fog.
Hal Mcgee Open Loops, Other loops mix & stuffing Mental Anguish.

Sleep Deprivation - 3:52
About 3 hours of sleep during G-Day between making loops & 2 tracks. G-Day mix by Mental Anguish, uses G-Day loops only by Omnitechnomatrix, Shaud, Cystem & Mental Anguish.

Mental Anguish - Red Eclipse
Another collection of some Tapegerm tracks from 2005.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Rotund Toad
2 - Danger Humidity Cloak !
3 - Sucking The Oxygen Out Of The System
4 - TG Day Impromptu Mix # 1
5 - TG Day Impromptu Mix # 2
6 - Every Good Boy Deserves Glitch
7 - Another Day, Another Sin, That I'm Thankful
8 - Walking Through The Walls
9 - Head As A Hat (Now It's Your Turn)
10 - Long As She Can
11 - Becoming Vitreous
12 - Red Eclipse

Red Eclipse - 8:28
CYSTEM Open Loops Mix, Loops by CYSTEM & Mental Anguish.

Long as She Can - 7:56
Hot dog days of August heat index over 100, high humidity inspired tune. Treads on the thin line between ambient & dark ambient. Uses phantom loop by DJ Get Yo Fat On, all other loops Mental Anguish.

Another Day,Another Sin,That I'm Thankful For - 5:52
The title of the track is a word play on 3 track titles of S.L.I.P.'s that the loops were pulled from. S.L.I.P. Guest Artist Mix.

Mental Anguish - That Big Old Eye In The Sky
A collection of some of the best Tapegerm tracks from the year 2005. This album is also available for purchase thru Harsh Reality Music as a CD. It is also available as a digital download either FLAC files or mp3 files with a pdf of printable cover art. Available for purchase from Digital Music Fetish.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Steam Vent
2 - Star Catcher
3 - Migraine
4 - Sidewinder
5 - A Deeper Blue Sky
6 - TopHat & WinStye Free Themselves Of All Political Awareness
7 - That Big Old Eye In The Sky
8 - The Informant
9 - Send My Credentials to The House Of Detention
10 - Every Cat Needs It's Scratching Post

Every Cat Needs It's Scratching Post - 6:44
A Blind Mime Open loops track. Extra Vox Mental Anguish.

That Big Old Eye In The Sky - 8:48
This track is about the good old Big Eye In The Sky (Big Brother) syndrome & how the governments surveillance systems are always watching & can strike you down at a moments notice. Loops by Mental Anguish, Omnitechnomatrix, Virus Factory, Magical Cigarette, Vox by Mental Anguish

Migraine - 7:55
A bit of trip hop.. Uses Q-Cut Loops & Mental Anguish loops & a few from Electroearwig. Track is titled "Migraine" as my good friend Q-Cut suffers at times from some severe migraines..

Mental Anguish - Walking With The Alien
Another collection of some Tapegerm tracks from the years 2004 & 2005.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Hurl
2 - A Terrible Mistake
3 - Blister
4 - Cosmic Plains Of Spain
5 - She Had Thighs The Size Of Texas
6 - 10,000 Whispering, Nobody Listening
7 - Well Run Dry
8 - Mama's Crawdad Cornbread
9 - Walking With The Green Alien
10 - River Of Blood

River Of Blood - 5:36
Loops Buzzsaw/Mental Anguish. A dark death tribal river tango.

Walking With The Green Alien - 13:04
Uses loops by Phinney, Electroearwig, Arthur Loves Plastic, Virus Factory, Omnitechnomatrix. Green Alien Influenced.:-)

(She Had) Thighs The Size Of Texas - 7:44
A bit of IDM. Uses loops by Heuristics Inc., Omnitechnomatrix, Virus Factory, Daniel Howse, Scott Carr & International Garbageman. Title comes from a conversation that Bryan Baker, my wife Tawnya & I had concerning the reality show "The Biggest Loser" or "The Fattest Fuck" whichever you prefer... :-)

Mental Anguish - 24 Hour Flu Live
These two trax are live improvisational streams recorded live/streamed live for the Tapegerm 24 Hour Flu Event 2005.

Track Listing/order :
1 - 24 Hour Flu Live Stream Set # 1
2 - 24 Hour Flu Live Stream Set # 2

24 Hour Flu Live Stream Set # 1 - 29:49
Improvised Live stream July 9th, 05 24 Hour Flu mixed live by Mental Anguish, Loops by Scott Carr, International Garbageman, CYSTEM, Heuristics Inc., Shaud..

Mental Anguish - Blowfly
Another collection of some Tapegerm tracks from the years 2004 & 2005.

Track Listing/order :
1 - You Stole My Song
2 - You Stole My Song - (Gentle Thief) Mix
3 - Marbelz - Mumbly Peg Remix
4 - Cirque - (Trampoline Mix)
5 - The Heat Is My Treat - Revisited - (Eternity Mix)
6 - From Scratch - (Pinch Of Dis, Tad Of Dat Mix)
7 - Desolate - (New Years Mix)
8 - A Rhino's Eye View
9 - Blowfly
10 - Space Dust

Blowfly - 8:41
Blowfly flys around doing the blowfly thing.. starts depositing eggs in the dead carcasses & open sores it can find.. Typical day of the Blowfly :-) This song was/is heavily influenced by the UK dub of the Oroonies & The Ullulators who for some reason I have been listening to a lot lately... dub dub dubby.... A long player, if you suffer from a short attention span or are easily bored then this tune may not be for you.. :-) Uses August 2004 loops by Phinney, Omnitechnomatrix & International Garbageman, Mix, additional instrumentation, engineering Chris Phinney.

Marbelz (Mumbly Peg) Remix - 6:14
Remix loops by Phinney, Omnitechnomatrix. A remix of a cool Omnitechnomatrix tune.
Copyright Harsh Reality Music/Omnitechnomatrix/Tapegerm

The Heat Is My Treat (Revisited - Eternity Mix) - 8:57
Features loops by Bev Stanton, Virus Factory, Heuristics Inc., Phinney & Omnitechnomatrix. Vocals courtesy of Arthur Loves Plastic. Vox by Lisa Moscatiello. I wrote a song called "The Heat Is My Treat" in 1988 & it was released on the full length cassette "Misty" by Mental Anguish & released on the Birmingham, England label Alternate Media. This is a revisit of that track & also a remix of Arthur Loves Plastics "Eternity" song.

Mental Anguish - Decadent & Weak
Another collection of some Tapegerm tracks from the year 2004.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Beyond The Oasis
2 - Despair
3 - Decadent & Weak
4 - Beans & Rings
5 - Under Attack - (Anguish Mix)
6 - Red Hots
7 - June Bug
8 - Space Frog
9 - Sanctuary - (Ravished Mix)
10 - Toast

June Bug - 7:52
Features loops by Bev Stanton, Omnitechnomatrix, Sideral, ADAMISGOD, Phinney & Virus Factory.

Despair - 8:44
Uses loops by Phinney, Omnitechnomatrix, Heuristics Inc., Thomas Park (Mystified) & Scott Carr, Virus Factory, Bev Stanton, DJ Abstract, Electroearwig, Mobile Sound Unit. Vox by Lisa Moscatiello courtesy of Arthur Loves Plastic.

Decadent & Weak - 7:12
Uses loops by Phinney, Omnitechnomatrix, Sideral, Heuristics Inc., Thomas Park (Mystified) & Scott Carr, Virus Factory, Bev Stanton, DJ Abstract, Electroearwig.

Mental Anguish - Never Understand
Another collection of some Tapegerm tracks from the years 2003 & 2004.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Descending The Underworld
2 - A Dozen Dead Oceans
3 - Frans Tune
4 - Song For Craig
5 - Feel The Love (Jacked For Forty Dollars)
6 - Substantial Accumulation Of Corporate Power
7 - Rosie
8 - Bon Sejour
9 - Hybrid
10 - Never Understand
11 - Voodoo

Never Understand - 8:32
Uses loops from the new Tapegerm Free Loop Pack 10. Its a bit of avantgarde, wierdness & progressive electronica. Vox by Heather Heimbuch courtesy of Arthur Loves Plastic.

Rosie - 6:20
Uses loops by Phinney, Electroearwig, Omnitechnomatrix, Sideral, Heuristics Inc., Viral Assault, Thomas Park (Mystified) & Virus Factory.

Substantial Accumulation Of Corporate Power - 4:16
Uses loops by Darph Nader, DJ Abstract, Scott Carr, Electroearwig, Omnitechnomatrix, International Garbageman, Otis Fodder, EarHox, Sideral, Mobile Sound Unit.

Hybrid - 4:48
Uses loops by Bev Stanton, Electroearwig, Klao DNA, Mellow Jeremy, Darph
Nader, Otis Fodder, Peter Martin, Kahman, Virus Factory, Heuristics Inc., Ryan
Fitzgerald. Mystified, Scott Carr, Mobile Sound Unit & Sideral.

Mental Anguish - The Heat Of Decay
Another collection of some Tapegerm tracks from the year 2003.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Vesicle
2 - Tex
3 - Dust
4 - Cornborer
5 - Someone Real
6 - For Paul
7 - The Heat Of Decay Parts 1, 2 & 3
8 - Ice Blink
9 - Drag Christ - Religous Sex - Trash Mix
10 - His Skin Disguise - Skin Graft Mix
11 - Les Vapeurs Peuvent Exploser

The Heat Of Decay Parts 1, 2 & 3 - 8:56
Loops Ciyd, Mobile Sound Unit, Mike Cole, Zapruder Red, David McDonald, DeVico.

His Skin Disguise - Skin Graft Mix - 7:07
Loops Omnitechnomatrix,DJ Abstract,Sideral,Virus Factory,Kelli Wise & Electroearwig.Vox by Bryan Baker.

Mental Anguish - Plumes Of Dust Spewing !
A collection of some Tapegerm tracks from the years 2002 & 2003.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Nymphs Cavorting On Frosted Glass
2 - Day Trip
3 - Dickbox
4 - Shadows
5 - Plumes Of Dust Spewing
6 - Sting Bee
7 - Smoke Dat Politico !
8 - A Nose Fulla Blow Amidst The Disco Ball
9 - Solitude

Plumes Of Dust Spewing - 7:24
Loops EarHox, Peter Martin, Jason Danielson, Bev Stanton, Mark Cook, Ryan Fitzgerald, CRT,JR Wells, Mobile Sound Unit, Magical Cigarette, Virus Factory, Dub Jay, Omnitechnomatrix, Scott Carr & Charlie Devico.

Sting Bee - 4:51
Loops Jair Rohm Parker Wells, Bev Stanton, Phinney, Dub Jay, melodywhore, Scott Carr, klao DNA, CRT, toda_V, Virus Factory, Omnitechnomatrix, EarHox, Sideral.

Smoke Dat Politico ! - 7:56
Loops melodywhore,Phinney,Mark Cook,DeVico,Ryan Fitzgerald,Squalid Solids,Mobile Sound Unit,EarHox,David AlexanderMcDonald,Peeler,DubJay,CRT,International Garbageman & Zapruder Red.

Mental Anguish - Flotsam
A collection of some remixes & tracks done for some compilation projects & one original popular mp3.com track from those days. Remixes of Blind Mime Ensemble, Quakerfloor, Magical Cigarette, Heuristics Inc., Fluffy Porcupine, Drag Christ plus a couple of bonus & never released mystery tracks.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Undoing
2 - His Skin Disguise Remix - alternate vocal version
3 - Ja Hell Remix
4 - Hey Up Pay Up - (Cowboy Mix)
5 - Evidence
6 - Soft Orange Glow - (Radiated Mix)
7 - Sunny Again - (Sunny Fucking Day Mix)
8 - Bonus Mystery Track
9 - Bonus Mystery Track Two
10 - His Skin Disguise - (Skin Graft Mix)
11 - Drag Christ - Religous Sex - (Trash Mix)

Hey Up Pay Up - (Cowboy Mix) - 5:52
Remix of Magical Cigarette original.

Evidence - 7:20
Original & title track of out of print mp3.com CD Evidence.

Mental Anguish - Light Years Apart Lil' Doggie
A collection of some of the mp3.com tracks that were very popular back in those days. Almost all remixes of AutoCad, K. O. Omnitechnomatrix, Darrel Brewer & Pull, Late Night Adventurers, Magical Cigarette, Heuristics Inc., & 3K Static plus a couple of tracks from Thee Lunatic Never Falls project.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Beyond The Scope Of Dreams - Lunatic Never Falls project mix
2 - Dilatation - Lunatic Never Falls project mix
3 - Last Date 2 (Forever Dead) Anguish Remix
4 - Pass Da Honey - Anguish Mix
5 - Stones From The Temple - Pushed Outta Da Chute Mix
6 - Sugar Daddy
7 - Junction - Get Along Lil' Doggie Mix
8 - Anemone - Brood Mix
9 - DayGlo - Anguish Mix
10 - Light Years Apart - Diesel Mix
11 - Possessed - Descent Into Hades Mix
12 - Parallel Rush - Full On Jazz Mix
13 - Parallel Rush - Jazzbo Mix

Stones From The Temple - Pushed Outta Da Chute Mix - 3:39
Remix of the Late Night Adventurers original.

Junction - Get Along Lil' Doggie Mix - 5:31
Remix of the Magical Cigarette Original.

Possessed - Descent Into Hades Mix - 7:00
Remix of the K. O. original.

Light Years Apart - Diesel Mix - 7:00
Remix of the Omnitechnomatrix original.

Parallel Rush - Full On Jazz Mix - 3:23
Remix of the 3K Static original.

Mental Anguish - Reign of Locusts Disc One
The first disc of remixes from the Locust remix project.Double CD $10 ppd in U.S.A, add $3 for overseas.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Reign Of Locusts - Original - Mental Anguish
2 - Reign Of Locusts - AutoCad Mix
3 - Reign Of Locusts - Algorythm Mix
4 - Reign Of Locusts - MAS Mix
5 -Reign Of Locusts - Magical Cigarette Mix
6 - Reign Of Locusts - K.O. Mix
7 - Reign Of Locusts - PS Mix
8 - Reign Of Locusts - melodywhore Mix
9 - Reign Of Locusts - Arthur Loves Plastic Mix
10 - Reign Of Locusts - Heuristics Inc. Mix
11 - Reign Of Locusts - PVK Mix # 1
12 - Reign Of Locusts - PVK Mix # 2
13 - Reign Of Locusts - Fields Of Gravity Mix

Reign Of Locusts - Original - Mental Anguish - 5:44
The original track.

Reign Of Locusts - Algorythm Mix - 4:54
Crunchy Remix by Ohio's Algorythm

Reign Of Locusts - K. O. Mix - 7:46
Remix by New Jersey's unbelievable K. O.

Reign Of Locusts - Arthur Loves Plastic Mix - 2:28
Remix by Maryland's Arthur Loves Plastic

Mental Anguish - Reign of Locusts Disc Two
The second disc of remixes from the Locust remix project.Disc two of the Double CD $10 ppd in U.S.A, add $3 for overseas.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Reign Of Locusts - (Chilled Slow Hop Crunch) - Mental Anguish Mix
2 - Reign Of Locusts - Hyperdriver Mix
3 - Reign Of Locusts - Clubgoers Mix
4 - Reign Of Locusts - Psyclone Mix
5 -Reign Of Locusts - John Dante Mix
6 - Reign Of Locusts - Fruktiz Mix
7 - Reign Of Locusts - Omnitechnomatrix Mix
8 - Reign Of Locusts - DJ Stiles - Stilized Mix
9 - Reign Of Locusts - Serious Smile Mix
10 - Reign Of Locusts - CRT Mix

Reign Of Locusts - (Chilled Slow Hop Crunch) - Mental Anguish Mix - 7:39
Remix of my own track.

Reign Of Locusts - Psyclone Mix - 6:14
Drum N Bass remix by Utah's Psyclone.

Reign Of Locusts - John Dante Mix - 5:20
Remix by Florida's John Dante

Mental Anguish - Tapegerm Mixes Volume 5 - HRCD021
The 5th set of sonic Tapegerm mixes from the years 2002 & 2003.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Delirium
2 - Fall Down
3 - Trans Code Express Improv. Mix
4 - Spank That Cheeky Monkey
5 -The Last Illusion
6 - Touched
7 - Welcome To My World
8 - Kidney Whore
9 - Arrival Of The Harpies
10 - TopHat Finds His Glass Eye
11 - Tater Juice
12 - Pass Da Honey ( Anguish Mix )

Delirium - 7:04
Mix from Free Loops Pack 003. Loops - Phinney, DeVico, EarHox, International Garbageman, Sin:Ned, Zapruder Red.

Tater Juice - 4:55
The third in the Tophat & Winstye series, first one done around 87, this one Tophat & his band, give it a go in the studio, problem DJ & Drummer are asleep. Loops by Phinney, DubJay, Jason Danielson, CRT, AutoCad, Peeler, Sin:Ned, DeVico, NasCent, Alien Area Project, Mobile Sound Unit.

Spank That Cheeky Monkey - 7:19
Mix from Tapegerm Guest artist Hardcore Promo.

Mental Anguish - Tapegerm Mixes Volume 4 - HRCD020
The 4th set of Tapegerm Mixes from the years 2001 & 2002.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Dogs Life
2 - Sudden Impulse
3 - A Virtuoso Blast Of Psychic Energy
4 - Seen And Unseen
5 -Spin Me Round
6 - Tropicale
7 - Descending Sweetly
8 - My Baby Loves My Fantastic Strawberry Hand
9 - Baneemy Retreats
10 - Cook, Cat And Coffin
11 - Thought Thieves
12 - Drive She Said !!!
13 - The Summit
14 - Voyage Home

Dogs Life - 6:36
Mix from Free Loops Pack 002. Loops - DeVico, Scott Carr, Ciyd, Mobile Sound Unit, Phinney

A Virtuoso Blast Ov Psychic Energy - 4:16
Loops by Zapruder Red, EarHox, AutoCad, CRT, DeVico, Phinney, International Garbageman, Scott Carr, Heuristics Inc.,
Chainsaw Riot, Araden, Mike Cole.

Mental Anguish - Tapegerm Mixes Volume 3 - HRCD019
The 3rd set of Tapegerm mixes from the year 2001.

Track Listing/order :
1 - How Spoilers Bleed
2 - The Wrath Of The Righteous
3 - Desert Sun ( Revisited )
4 -Fester
5 - PsYkO - sOmA - bAbBlE - tRoNiCk
6 - Torn
7 - Kollagenika
8 - Montagenesiskevil
9 - I Been Smokin' All Night Long
10 - Hot Garbage Party
11 - The Skin Is Busy
12 - Realm Of Ghosts
13 - The Fields Are Full Of Glorious Poppy
14 - Blinker !!!

Desert Sun (Revisited) - 5:11
I wrote a song in the mid 80's called Desert Sun for a release I had on the GGE ecords label. This is a revisit ! Loops - Mark Cook, CIYD.

Psyko - Soma - Babble - Tronik - 4:43
Definitely a bit psyko ! Loops by Bryan Baker, Bev Stanton, Scott Carr, AutoCad, CIYD, Lokii, Jason Danielson, JP Bergman,
Sin:Ned, Daryl Westfall, melodywhore.

Torn - 4:19
A bit of space proggie ! ! ! Loops - Mike McGary, Zapruder Red, melodywhore.

Hot Garbage Party - 5:03
A mix from Tapegerm Free Loop Pack 001. Loops by Zapruder Red, Bryan Baker, ChrisPhinney.

Mental Anguish - Tapegerm Mixes Volume 2 - HRCD013
The second release of Tapegerm mixes from the years 2000 & 2001.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Yule Fool
2 - Ju Ju Ming
3 - True Felt Brown
4 - Requiem For A Recluse
5 - Nystagmus
6 - Soul Dwelling
7 - The Stalking Ground
8 - Pleasure And the Worm
9 - What The Flood Gave Up !!
10 - What Do you Dream ?

True Felt Brown - 9:34
This song was written for our dog True Felt Brown shortly after he passed away. Loops by Bryan Baker, Al Margolis, Bev Stanton, International Garbageman, male cephalasspidomorphi,
JP Bergman, John Ingram,Jason Danielson, CIYD,Speck, dotdotdot, Mike McGary, Zapruder Red & Jukka Huatamakii.

Requiem For A Recluse - 11:36
Loops by Bryan Baker, Bev Stanton, Jason Danielson, Pulse 8, Ryan Fitzgerald, The Rub,
Mark Cook, Mike McGary, Chris Phinney, John Book, Datura 1.0, Port, CIYD, International Garbageman, DragonXMan,
male cephalaspidomorphi, Speck, Dan Gray, Lokii, Zapruder Red.

Mental Anguish - Tapegerm Mixes Volume 1 - HRCD010
The first CD of the first Tapegerm mixes from 2000.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Bog Walking At Midnight
2 - Jazz Me Up
3 - Chasm
4 - Desperation Alley
5 - Down in The Trenches
6 - Grit
7 - Cliffhanger
8 - Inbred
9 - My Good Friends
10 - Purtty Kitty
11 - Departure
12 - Burning Bridges
13 - Watcchin'
14 - Alien Accoutrements
15 - Bamboo Dreams Parts 1, 2 & 3
16 - Zydeco Hum
17 - Radiogenic
18 - Never A Nest Again
17 - Essence Of Nightshade

Never A Nest Again - 3:33
Loops by MJB, L0kii, Chris Phinney, Scott Carr, Jason Danielson, Superdragon DJ. Lyrics by L0kii

Purrty Kitty - 3:24
Loops by Bryan Baker, Kelli Wise, Ghost, Hyperdriver, James Bergman, Port, Scott Carr, C. Phinney

Desperation Alley - 4:04

Essence Of Nightshade - 6:09

Reviews:

The Tapegerm Mixes by Mental Anguish - from Go Ahead You Review It

TAPEGERM is a fascinating new millennium web place where sound sculptors can pick up building materials and display the works they create from them. The virulent tapegerm microbe has spread quickly, infecting the brain cells of avant garde composers all over the world. Its insidiously insistent flagella corers these audio technicians into gluing together a variety of sounds, which they then vociferously spit back into the ears of their fellows A collective of sonic explorers oversees the mitosis of this organism, and one of this groups leaders is the legendary veteran of the home recording universe, Chris Phinney.

"The Tapegerm Mixes" is a CD collection of collages which Chris, in his guise of Mental Anguish, produced from sounds supplied by members of theTapegerm Collective and other representatives of the home recording cosmos. The list of contributors is nothing less than a conglomerate of heroes and heroines of the sonic underground, including Al Margolis, Bryan Baker, Michael J. Bowman, Bev Stanton, and several others, including Chris himself.

Hard edged heavy beats both assault and hypnotize as they build a framework for most of the nineteen pieces on the recording. Treatments of pounding percussion and synthesizer boil with machine-like thumps and whirrs to stir up a fiery soup of collaged loops, which is seasoned with overlays of other noises such as gritty guitars, volatile vocalizations, and even sprinkles of spicy clarinet.

I recognize some of these chunks of looped germ sound, so I must conjecture that many of the recordings building blocks were not created by the artists, but instead were carefully edited from other sources. The finished collages are flavored with rock, noise, pop, techno, and even zydeco. Listeners should be warned that the continually repeating patterns of the mature tapegerms can infect foot tissue, producing a spastic tapping effect.

I recommend a visit to the Tapegerm site for all those who are mentally healthy enough to indulge in the delightful rewards of its infection, and I recommend getting a copy of Mental Anguishs 'Tapegerm Mixes' CD to everyone who enjoys extraordinary entertainment.

Swami Loopynanda

May, 2002

MENTAL ANGUISH: The Tapegerm Mixes (CDR on Harsh Reality Music) from Matt Howarths Sonic Curiosity

This release from 2001 features 72 minutes of electronic craziness by Mental Anguish presented in various remixes by Tapegerms.

Tapegerms is an internet loop collective, producing experimental music of electronic nature. More data on them can be found here.

"The Tapegerm Mixes" is an in-your-face sonic experience, delivering aggressive and often abrasive melodic electronics tinged with mournful horns and tasty percussion and grinding guitars and an assortment of out-right weirdness. There is no single description that covers the music on this release, as styles and genres hop all over the place--from the attack mode of "Bog Walking at Midnight" to the sultry flow of "Jazz Me Up" to the urgent subterranean cosmology of "Chasm".

Versatility and inventive sensibilities abound on this collection of tracks, sending the listener through myriad strata of enjoyable music that tickles the rhythm sense as it jabs for the eye.

Mental Anguish - "The Tapegerm Mixes" (Harsh Reality, HRCD010)
Mental Anguish - "The Tapegerm Mixes Volume Two" (Harsh Reality, HRCD013)
Mental Anguish - "The Tapegerm Mixes Volume 3" (Harsh Reality, HRCD019)
Mental Anguish - "The Tapegerm Mixes Volume 4" (Harsh Reality, HRCD020)
Mental Anguish - "The Tapegerm Mixes Volume 5" (Harsh Reality, HRCD021)

Uploaded to Aural Innovations: July 2004

What is Tapegerm? Quoting from the FAQ at www.tapegerm.com: Tapegerm is a group of musicians and sound artists dedicated to making loop based music. We contribute loops to a pool that can be used by other Tapegerm artists to create new mixes based on these loops and conversely create our own new mixes from the loops provided by other Tapegerm artists. Essentially, we share bits of sound, and the end results of what we do with each others sounds.

Chris "Mental Anguish" Phinney has been a Tapegerm member since its inception, and the 5 volume Tapegerm Mixes offers up several hours of his mixes of the works of fellow members of the Tapegerm community. There's a tremendous amount of variety across these 5 discs and I won't dissect each volume, but will tell you that all serve up a wild assortment of music. We've got alien space dance tunes, Tangerine Dreamy explorations with an experimental edge, quirky spaced out avant-progressive rock, rhythmic industrial mish-mashes, whimsical electro ditties, melodic songs and 80's styled electro-pop enhanced and colored by quirky efx, experimental sound-art pieces, spacey chill-out grooves, and all manner of collage works that bring together a grab-bag of freaky sounds and styles, all done with the ear of a craftsman who has been creating electronic music for over 2 decades and still going strong. The influences are all over the map, but if you like The Residents, Kraftwerk, Faust, F/i, Chrome, Art Bears, Hawkwind, Techno, Industrial and Polka... all occurring simultaneously, then step right this way. (Residents fans will get a kick out of "My Baby Loves My Fantastic Strawberry Hand" from volume 4.) Of course that's just touching the surface, but anyone who is into completely strange and spaced out experimental electronic music, but prefers something more on the accessible end of the spectrum rather than abstract, is pretty well guaranteed to enjoy these discs. Freakiness abounds, and the attentive listener will surely appreciate the creative blending of music, sound and stylistic elements into totally cool slabs of electronic fun. Start with any one of these volumes and you'll hit the mark. And for more on Mr. Anguish, read the Planet Zero, Mental Anguish/Nomuzic, and other Mental Anguish reviews in this issue.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mental Anguish - Second Ashtray To Dawn HRCD012
Some originals & remixes by Magical Cigarette, Veggatron, Arthur Loves Plastic, AutoCad & remixes of tracks by AutoCad, Fetid, Sleepwalker, Veggatron , Arthur Loves Plastic, Twisted Mik, & melodywhore.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Skunk Butter Brotha
2 - Dragonfly Remix
3 - Post Hypnotic ALP Remix
4 - Plateaus Of The Dead Veggatron Eighties Mix
5 - Neinbauten Remix
6 - Fridays Hebephrenic - Phinney - Magical Cigarette Remix
7 - The Thirst
8 - Winter Nights XXX Mix
9 - Hungry Waters
10 - Land Of Nod Remix
11 - A Brief Moment ( Sedated Remix )
12 - Second Ashtray To Dawn
13 - Fucking Stop It ( Radical Protest Mix )
14 - The Attack & The Oppression Remix
15 - Spooky Stuff Remix

Second Ashtray To Dawn - 4:34

Post Hypnotic ALP Remix - 3:15

Review:

Mental Anguish - "Second Ashtray To Dawn" (Harsh Reality, HRCD012)

Uploaded to Aural Innovations: July 2004

On Second Ashtray To Dawn we've got more of the cosmic dance grooves that were such highlights of the Particles CD. Honestly, Chris has developed into a real craftsman with this stuff. He puts a witches brew of pieces together, taking just the right amounts of carefully organized chaos and skillfully molding them into finished tracks that are totally out there yet completely linear and controlled. "Hungry Waters" is an excellent example of his off-kilter approach to rhythm and sound. It's spaced out, it's freaky, it's dance music... but just you try and dance to this and see what happens. Twister anyone?!!

Other standout tracks include the alien jazzy barn dance vibe of "Skunk Butter Brotha". Is that Wes Montgomery on guitar? I love the space funk grooves on "Post Hypnotic". "Plateaus Of The Dead" is like a Mental Anguish space dance interpretation of the Peter Gunn theme. "Second Ashtray To Dawn" is a vocal track that sounds like Mental Anguish resurrecting the Eurythmics. There are also several tracks with a cool industrial dance vibe. "Friday's Hebephrenic" sounds like it could be an old Pressurehed song. "Land of Nod Remix" is similar but has a dark Gothic vibe and menacing vocals. "The Thirst" is one of the more relaxed and mind massaging space voyages of the set. And "The Attack of the Repression Remix" is one of my favorites, being a killer electro fueled Space Rock track. Earth is under attack! Run for cover! Call Homeland Security!

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mental Anguish - Psykokinesis - HRCD017
Originals & remixes of a Magical Cigarette tune, remix of a Omnitechnomatrix tune, A remix by AutoCad of a old Anguish tune, couple of trax from the Unclean Superstars project with Magical Cigarette, a remix of a Late Night Adventures track, a remix of a Twisted Mik track, a couple of remixes of the Anguish tune Recluse y Magical Cigarette & Omnitechnomatrix & a remix of Artoteq.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Psykokinesis
2 - Molten
3 - A Spaceman, A Rainbow ( Cruel Mix)
4 - A Spaceman, A Rainbow ( Dark Ambient Mix )
5 - Artoteq - Lizards In The Sun Mix
6 - Recluse
7 - Recluse - Hermit Mix
8 - Recluse - Dirty MisShapen Mix
9 - Land Of Nod 2 - AutoCad Remix
10 - Helplessness
11 - Insolence
12 - Chillsolence
13 - Fold - Anguish Remix
14 - Abstract Model Theory - Users Mix

A Spaceman A Rainbow (Cruel Mix) - 2:55
A drum n bass remix of a cool Magical Cigarette tune.

Helplessness - 4:53
Techno rave up old school type piece.

Review:

Mental Anguish - "Psykokinesis" (Harsh Reality, HRCD017)

Uploaded to Aural Innovations: July 2004

Psykokinesis is a collection of mostly remixes by Chris of other artists' music and others remixing Chris' music. We've got ethereal chill-out grooves, bubbling and grooving alien fun, and much more. Highlights includes "Artoteq", a cool combination of chill-out grooves and peaceful lulling melodies. "Molten" consists of haunting alien atmospherics with a spaced out avant-garde soundtrack feel. I liked the two different mixes of "A Spaceman, A Rainbow". The "Cruel Mix" features cool robotic jazz grooves while the "Dark Ambient Mix", as the title suggests, largely removes the grooves and adds a dark and somewhat harsh ambience to the music. "Helplessness" and "Chillsolence" are a couple of excellent freak-pop tunes. "Insolence" is a heavy electro space rocker that I enjoyed. And Chris even dives into the heavy metal arena on three remixes of the song "Recluse". The basic track is a metallic rocker with an industrial edge. The "Hermit Mix" is a freaky spaced out electro groove metal tune. And the "Dirt Misshapen Mix" fried my brain with its grinding metal against electro jazz grooves. What a wild contrast. Definitely one of my favorites of the set.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mental Anguish - All Alone - HRCD018
Remixes & collaboration tracks on this one. Remix of Arthur Loves Plastic tune in a collaborative setting with Blind Mime Ensemble, another collaborative track with Blind Mime Ensemble, a remix by AutoCad of a Blind Mime collaborative track, a track from the Unclean Superstars project with Magical Cigarette, a track from The Lunatic Never Falls project with Omnitechnomatrix, a 3 track combo remix by John Dante of 3 Anguish tunes, A remix of Drifter ny toda_V & a remix of a toda_V track by Mental Anguish.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Shove It !!!
2 - Hubris - Outraged Anguish Mix
3 - All Alone
4 - Drifter - Livin' Outta The Sack - toda_V Mix
5 - Nitros Mask Hypnosis - John Dante's Analog Sins Mega Mix
6 - Radio Railhead
7 - Radio Railhead - AutoCad Mix
8 - Insolence 2
9 - Flares

All Alone - 6:39
A collaborative type remix of a Arthur Loves Plastic tune. Music by Bryan Baker (Blind Mime Ensemble) & Chris Phinney (Mental Anguish)Vox by Lisa Moscatiello.Vox courtesy of Arthur Loves Plastic.

Radio Railhead - 5:23
A collaborative piece with Bryan Baker (Blind Mime Ensemble) Music by Bryan Baker (Blind Mime Ensemble) & Chris Phinney (Mental Anguish).

Review:

Mental Anguish - "All Alone" (Harsh Reality, HRCD018)

Uploaded to Aural Innovations: July 2004

All Alone took me a little by surprise and is probably the most varied and different set of the bunch. Chris warms up our ears with a short, high energy, head groovin' dance rocking track, before launching into "Hubris", a very interesting tune that I can only describe as ‘industrial drift". It's got a sort of Krafwerk sound at times, but it also has subtly shifting minimalist waves, dreamy atmospherics, alien synth embellishments and an intermittent dance beat. I really like the way it evolves and morphs continually throughout its 9 minute length. "All Alone" is very different. It's a vocal track with a singer that brought to mind a cross between Kate Bush and Dagmar Kraus. The music is lead by an emotional piano melody and accompanied by spacey synth washes. Very nice. Maybe like a spacier and less dissonant take on the old Art Bears sound. "Drifter-Livin' Outta The Sack-toda_v Mix" is a 16 minute workout that begins with a calm spacey drift, but it's also got these quietly pounding bass blasts that sound like those Japanese movies where you hear Godzilla's footsteps approaching in the distance. Nice effect. Percussion and sound is gradually added, and it ultimately settles into a combination of floating dreamy space, ever-shifting rhythmic patterns, and mutating noise textures. A very cool blend of spacey mind massage, aggressive sensations and cool grooves. "Nitros Mask Hypnosis-John Dante's Analog Sins Mega Mix" is another lengthy track that employs the DJ to give a rhythmic kick to the space journey. "Radio Railhead" is a heavy driving industrial rocker, parts of which remind me of Bill Nelson in his initial post-Be Bop Deluxe days. We've also got an AutoCad Mix of the same song that adds a funky twist to the original. "Insolence 2" is a fun tune that mixes 80's electro-pop melodies with the trademark Mental Anguish rhythmic pulse. And it's a riot when the military trumpet kicks in. And finally, "Flares" is an excellent spaced out robot rocker that closes the set on a head groovin' note.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mental Anguish - Drifter - HRCD016
Includes Drifter & most of the remixes of Drifter by Mental Anguish, melodywhore, Omnitechnomtrix, AutoCad, & Magical Cigarette, plus a couple of remixs by AutoCad of a couple of Mental Anguish original pieces & a Q-Cut & Veggatron & AutoCad remix by Mental Anguish plus a track wriitten for DJ Momentums child.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Drifter
2 - Drifter - Blunt Head Trauma Mix
2 - Drifter - Free Drifter Remix
3 - Drifter - AutoCad Remix
4 - Drifter - Whore To The Floor Remix
5 - Drifter - Streetscape Remix
6 - Triumph Of The Mask
7 - The Other Kids
8 - Triumph Of The Mask - AutoCad Remix
9 - The Other Kids - AutoCad Remix
10 - Snowflake - Mental Anguish Remix
11 - Baby Madisons Song
12 - Black Night - Anguish Mix
13 - Gimmie More ( Respect Mix )

Drifter (Blunt Head Trauma Mix) - 6:08
A remix I did of my Drifter tune.

Drifter (Whore To The Floor Mix) - 4:48
A remix of my Drifter tune by James Reyna (melodywhore)

Review:

Mental Anguish - "Drifter" (Harsh Reality, HRCD016)

Uploaded to Aural Innovations: July 2004

So far Drifter would seem to be the ultra cosmic, high energy rhythm and groove album of the batch I've got here. The first 6 tracks are the space rave instrumental title track, plus 5 remixes that build upon the basic repetitive bubbling beat. It's actually pretty interesting hearing these tracks in succession. So much of Chris' music consists of remixes and using loops in creative ways. So it's revealing to hear how much can be done with a single idea, especially for those of us who sit back and zone out to the results rather than participating in the creative process ourselves. And the rest of the album follows with variations of similar themes. My favorites are the ones (most of them really) having a head pounding rave beat and oodles of spaced out pieces and layers that once again achieve an impressive balance between rhythmic pulse on the one hand and outer limits brain candy on the other. "The Other Kids" and the AutoCad Remix of the same are standouts, the former sounding like a symphonic space-prog dance tune and the AutoCad Remix adding a spaced out action drama soundtrack theme feel to the music. "Baby Madisons Song" is an interesting track that has a cool Oriental theme, but also explores darker realms. And "Black Night" struck me as being like some kind of hyper-kinetic Vangelis piece.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mental Anguish - Open Loops Volume 1

First Open Loops CD features 10 tracks made from the Mental Anguish Open loops Directory Open Loops 1 that was hosted & located at Tapegerm.com. Includes killer mixes by Buzzsaw & The Shavings, Dave Fuglewicz, CYSTEM, Mystified, Omnitechnomatrix, Q-Cut, Mental Anguish, DJ Get Yo Fat On, & Heuristics Inc.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Get This Damn Thing Off Of Me by CYSTEM
2 - Tapped by mystified
3 - Babies Here by Q-Cut
4 - Telemarketers Always Call At Dinnertime by DJ Get Yo Fat On
5 - I'm Not Sure What You're Trying To Say by Heuristics Inc.
6 - Bellringer by Omnitechnomatrix
7 - Talking With The Alien by Dave Fuglewicz
8 - River Yarmouk In The Shade Of The Prophets Banner by Buzzsaw & the Shavings
9 - Stellaphane by CYSTEM
10- Mama's Crawdad Cornbread by Mental Anguish

Mama's Crawdad Cornbread - 5:03
150 bpm jungle type tune.. Mama sure fixed some dry ass cornbread. :-)

Review:

MENTAL ANGUISH: Open Loops Vol. 1 (CD on Harsh Reality Music and Tapegerm) from Matt Howarths Sonic Curiousity

This CD from 2005 features 53 minutes of splice and dice tuneage.

Mental Anguish is Chris Phinney. Tapegerms is a sonic collective community, represented here by: Cystem, Mystified, Q-Cut, DJ Get Yo Fat On, Heuristic Inc., Omnitechnomatrix, Dave Fuglewicz, and Buzzsaw & the Shavings.

The idea is: each performer contributes samples and riffs that are then mutated by other members of this electronic community. Fragments are transformed into music, often raucous in nature, but hardly unmelodic. Abrasive, though, is an amply applicable description. But strangely, for all these qualifiers, the tunes are engaging and often breathtaking.

Drum riffs conspire with grinding guitar attacks to produce hypnotic pieces. A bevy of slick electronics serve to cement the elements into a glistening display of tasty tuneage. Bass tones provide a rumbling undercurrent that uplifts the rest of the instruments.

An amazing thing is how different each track is. While one blazes with guitar pyrotechnics, another applies sultry smoothness with a touch of synthetic church bells. One track blends agro electronics with heavy metal guitar to rail against telemarketers and their predilection to always call during dinnertime. Another track generates a dreamy soundscape that would be ambient if not for its overtly gritty manner.

With the exception of the source material, the only property shared by all the compositions is a dedication to alternative sensibilities. Spurning traditional pop format, this music strives to push the envelope by forcing experimental attitudes into a pop venue, ultimately imbuing the music with a subliminal dissatisfaction with conventionality. This urge is not only laudable, it produces a tasty selection of music that resides outside the box.

For all its anarchistic roots, this music is highly listenable, often delivering tunes that would have been suitably appropriate during the Eighties heyday of electro-pop.

Mental Anguish - Open Loops Volume 2
Second CD in the ongoing series features 15 tracks made from the Mental Anguish Open loops Directory Open Loops 2 at Tapegerm. Includes killer mixes by Buzzsaw & The Shavings, CYSTEM, Mystified, Omnitechnomatrix, Q-Cut, Mental Anguish, DJ Get Yo Fat On,Blind Mime Ensemble.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Malefactors In A Cage With Valentinians Bears by Buzzsaw & the Shavings
2 - Rollercoaster by Omnitechnomatrix
3 - Pandelirium by CYSTEM
4 - Steam Vent by Mental Anguish
5 - 8 Arrows by Q-Cut
6 - Bionik - Machine Legs MX by Omnitechnomatrix
7 - Anguish Wall by Blind Mime Ensemble
8 - A Eroded Relic Of The Baroque Found Off Shikoku by Buzzsaw & the Shavings
9 - Son Of Sam Suck Fat Mix by DJ Get Yo Fat On
10 - Yod by CYSTEM
11 - Another View by mystified
12 - Glow Stikkz by Omnitechnomatrix
13 - As Dissent Arrives From Ashby - de - la - Zouch by Buzzsaw & the Shavings
14 - Thoughtless Protection by CYSTEM
15 - Star Catcher by Mental Anguish

Star Catcher - 8:41
A bit of old school electronica.

Steam Vent - 5:01

Review:

MENTAL ANGUISH: Open Loops Vol. 2 (CD on Harsh Reality Music)

This CD from 2005 features 71 minutes of industrial music stemming from online collaborations, with each band borrowing samples from each other and utilizing them according to their own idiosyncratic style.

Included here are tracks by:

Buzzsaw & the Shavings: who contribute three tracks of gritty rhythms and quirky electronics that cuts deep and leaves a permanent sonic scar.

Omnitechnomatrix: who contribute three beat-driven compositions that are dense with whirring effects and nimble-fingered chords.

Cystem: whose three tracks harness chaos with glib deftness, generating melodic tapestries of brutal impacts and liquid basslines.

Mental Anguish: whose pair of contributions combine delicate riffs with hyperactive velocity peppered with grinding effects and industrial electronics.

Q-Cut: whose single track introduces a slippery edge to the overall harsh milieu with distinctly dancefloor sensibilities.

Blind Mime Ensemble: who deliver one track whose approach tends to harness spastic delivery and create lavish surges of dreaminess to a gritty sound.

DJ Get Yo Fat On: whose single track applies growling punctuations to a searing foundation of nasty sounds.

Mystified: whose single contribution is an astral take on the industrial motif that delivers a softer edge with fragile riffs and sedately vibrating beats.

Besides being an excellent introduction to these various bands, this release has solid stand-on-its-own power. The tunes are captivating and thoroughly enjoyable if you're looking for music that spurns commercial intent and explores personal expressions of dynamic charm.

Review by Matt Howarth

Mental Anguish - Open Loops Volume 3
Third CD in the ongoing series features 15 tracks made from the Mental Anguish Open loops Directory Open Loops 3 at Tapegerm. Includes killer mixes by Esu Kurasu, Dave Fuglewicz, Climax Generator, Eel Eye, Buzzsaw & The Shavings, CYSTEM, Mystified, Omnitechnomatrix, Mental Anguish, DJ Mar 'N' Dean & DJ Get Yo Fat On.

Track Listing/order :
1 - The Informant by Mental Anguish
2 - KIMELYMI by Esu Kurasu
3 - Time Taken by mystified
4 - A Moments Consideration And Suddenly Laibach by Buzzsaw & the Shavings
5 - Doomsayer by CYSTEM
6 - The Universal Re - Monster by DJ Get Yo Fat On
7 - Runes Of Power by Dave Fuglewicz
8 - Nadia - Heart Stops Beating Mix by Esu Kurasu
9 - Ripped by Omnitechnomatrix
10 - Industrial Jungle Machine by Climax Generator
11 - Hippers Jig Or Music To Mutiny By by Buzzsaw & The Shavings
12 - The Mongoose & The Buzzard by DJ Get Yo Fat On
13 - Big Bass by DJ Mar 'N' Dean
14 - Choking by Eel Eye
15 - Leroy Jenkins I'm Sorry Edition by Esu Kurasu

The Informant - 5:39

Review:

MENTAL ANGUISH: Open Loops Vol. 3 (CD on Harsh Reality Music)

This CD from 2005 features 75 minutes of industrial music stemming from online collaborations, with each band borrowing samples from each other and utilizing them according to their own idiosyncratic style.

Included here are tracks by:

Mental Anguish: who contribute one track comprised of savage beats and fervent electronics.

Esu Kurasu: who offer three pieces that blend frenetic electronics with sampled vocal snippets and furious rhythms.

Mystified: whose single contribution provides a calming break in the overall fury with pensive tones and languid beats.Buzzsaw & the Shavings: whose pair of tracks mix metallic rhythms with wavery keyboards and a rising tide of anticipation.

Cystem: who deliver one track of glistening mien that combines steadfast beats with surging electronics.

DJ Get Yo Fat On: whose pair of contributions take different approaches, the first exploring numerous variations of an eerie theme with snappy percussives and novel electronic embellishments, while the second splices clever vocal snippets together with a plethora of unconventional instruments and injects a touch of dance fever to the strange mesh.

Dave Fuglewicz: whose single offering injects a sense of hesitancy to a dose of whirling effects and speed-altered sounds.

Omnitechnomatrix: whose single contribution steps up the pace with explosive electronic punctuations mired in a seething pool of glooping rhythms.

Climax Generator: whose sole track applied jungle sentiments to the savage beats and surging electronics.

DJ Mar "N" Dean: whose single contribution tempers the industrial motif with a sparkling touch of chittering effects.

Eel Eye: whose sole track combines a haunting undercurrent with jovial riffs and a hint of hip hop.

Again, a superb vehicle to learn the styles of several bands while enjoying a durable sampling of industrial music laced with pep and humor.

Review by Matt Howarth

Mental Anguish - Open Loops Volume 4
Fourth CD in the ongoing series features 18 tracks made from the Mental Anguish Open loops Directory Open Loops 4 at Tapegerm. Includes killer mixes by Hal McGee, Anti - Gravity Workshop, Kamakura, Insecta Sonic, Buzzsaw & The Shavings, CYSTEM, Mystified, Omnitechnomatrix, Mental Anguish, Heuristics Inc., Blind Mime, Jim Tyrrell, Shaud, & Thelonius Octopus.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Cobwebs by Hal McGee
2 - Quetiapine Fumaration by Anti - Gravity Workshop
3 - Mental Anguish by Kamakura
4 - eye of newt with a pinch of nightshade by Mental Anguish
5 - Valerian Made Into A Purple Persian Footstool by Buzzsaw & The Shavings
6 - Electro Kool Aid by Insecta Sonic
7 - Rattle by Heuristics Inc.
8 - Hyper Space Loop by Hal McGee
9 - Incredible Disappearance by mystified
10 - The Middle Of Nowhere by Jim Tyrrell
11 - Disconnect Notice by Blind Mime
12 - Ninjtendo return of the iga by shaud
13 - Love To Make Music by Thelonious Octopus
14 - Wreckage by CYSTEM
15 - Space Cake by Omnitechnomatrix
16 - The Stasi Takes Walter Ulbricht For a Walk by Buzzsaw & The Shavings
17 - Insurrection by Insecta Sonic
18 - Analog Scribble Spamwich by Hal McGee

eye of newt with a pinch of nightshade - 6:20

Mental Anguish - Open Loops Volume 5
Fifth CD in the ongoing series features 15 tracks made from the Mental Anguish Open loops Directory Open Loops 5 at Tapegerm. Includes some excellent mixes by Hal McGee, Anti - Gravity Workshop, Kamakura, Insecta Sonic, Buzzsaw & The Shavings, CYSTEM, Mental Anguish, Jim Tyrrell, Dark Syde, DJ Get Yo Fat On & Renedo.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Altitude Adjustment by Cystem
2 - UFOs R Time Machines by Dark Syde
3 - My America by Insecta Sonic
4 - Tragic by Cystem
5 - MA5 - New York by Kamakura
6 - Giant Monsters Attack New York by Hal McGee
7 - If She Lives Then I Might Die by Cystem
8 - The Pillsbury Perra Episode One by DJ Get Yo Fat On
9 - Narkoleptik Tekhnik by Anti - Gravity Workshop
10 - Eau de Protestant Sniffed by Catherine de Medici by Buzzsaw & The Shavings
11 - Grunt (knives, spears, guns & dynamite) by Cystem
12 - Transmission Two by Jim Tyrrell
13 - The Politics Of Fear by Mental Anguish
14 - Wiggy by Renedo
15 - Time Heals by Cystem

The Politics Of Fear - 8:58

Mental Anguish - Mile After Mile
Chris Phinney (Mental Anguish) collects various mixes done with material (mostly) found in Homemade Music's loop gallery forum.

Track Listing/order :
1 - My Doctor The Guinea Pig
2 -Phinney - Blind Mime Ensemble Mix
3 - Phinney- Fuglewicz Mix
4 - Hebephrenic - Phinney Beat Mix
5 - Phinney - Mundok Mix
6 - Drugs N Boxes Crank Remix
7 - Baneemy - Phinney Mix
8 - Angry Mental Americans Anguish
9 - Benzola - Phinney Mix
10 - MJB - Phinney Mix
11 - Hebephrenic - Phinney Space Mix
12 - Phinney - Alternative Car Park Mix
13 - Mundok - Phinney Mix
14 - C.O.T.N. Remix
15 - Smith - Phinney Mix
16 - Prendiville - Phinney Mix

Mundok - Phinney Mix - 2:45

Phinney - Blind Mime Ensemble Mix - 4:44

Review:

Mental Anguish - "Mile After Mile"
(Harsh Reality 2000, HRCD 007)

From Aural Innovations #15 (April 2001)

To best explain Mile After Mile's collection of various mixes of loops I'll simply quote Chris "Mental Anguish" Phinney from our interview in AI #13 in which he explains the Tapegerm project:

"We take the loops of sounds, music we create and turn them into some exciting new pieces of music. Sometimes I just use loops provided by the Germ Members and add fx and all to them. Sometimes I play live over them and sometimes (lots) I take the loops and mangle them up with a editor like Sound Forge or something, then throw them into Tuareg, an interactive phrase sampler (software), and further add sounds to the loops and mix them together with other sounds (loops) etc."

There's a wild variety of freakiness across the CD's 16 tracks. Harsh techno rhythms, pile upon pile of bizarre sounds, oddball voice samples, space gurgles, and everything else you could never imagine. Techno and other off-kilter dance rhythms play a big role on many of the tracks though I can easily see ravers falling over themselves trying to keep a steady pace. This stuff thankfully shifts gear too much, refusing to settle into a single groove. I think it's the huge chaotic glom of sounds that are driven along by the rhythms that make the music so interesting. Sort of like the cartoon Tasmanian Devil who whirled around like a tornado babbling and spitting but still cut a decisive path. The "Benzola-Phinney Mix" track gave me the best idea of what Phinney is doing because Joseph Benzola is the one artist whose music is used that I'm really familiar with. While I can certainly make out the Benzola portions it's clear that Phinney is genuinely splitting the original into billions of atoms and reassembling it into a new mutated form with lots of extras. I can see why he thinks this is so much fun and if remix projects interest you then you likely will too.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mental Anguish - Particles
Particles features a slew (a lot) of artists in collaboration with Mental Anguish (Chris Phinney). It's an immediate, cutting edge dive into electronic music being made right now. Phinney's got his virtual hand on the pulse of many electrohead networks. Features remixes by Sleepwalker, Twisted Mik, Veggatron, & remixes of tracks by Veggatron & La Cerise plus 4 early Tapegerm mixes.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Post Hypnotic - Twisted Mik Remix
2 - Nitro Exposure - Sleepwalker Remix
3 - Night Row Hex Poser - Hyperdriver Remix
4 - Nitro Exposure - Veggatron Seventies Remix
5 - Plateaus Of The Dead - Sleepwalker Remix
6 - Tongue Of The Wizard
7 - Police State
8 - Sad Sad Life - Anguish Remix
9 - Welcome To Oblivion - Anguish Remix
10 - Phinney - Hebephrenic Mix
11 - Krank
12 - Ascension
13 - Catalyst
14 - Just Dreaming

Nitro Exposure - Sleepwalker Remix - 5:12

Post Hypnotic - Twisted Mik Remix - 3:01

Review:

Mental Anguish - "Particles" (Harsh Reality, HRCD011)

Uploaded to Aural Innovations: July 2004

There's lots of dance music on Particles and it's some seriously cosmic freaky stuff. Head boppin', toe tapping, space rave for robots dance grooves that will make your body move, despite the fact that the floor is no longer under your feet. If you can make the leap from the Ozrics to Eat Static then you'll dig this stuff. Chris knows how to lay down a solid groove while mixing and mashing loads of cool freaky elements and carefully implanting them into the cranium of the music such that all the little alien bits fuse together seamlessly. Of course there's lots of fun voice samples and miscellaneous sound fun scattered about. Some tracks have a fuller cinematic feel, and there are a couple of peacefully spacey orchestral moments too. Kind of like Vangelis at a rave. We also have some off-kilter blends of experimental sound-art collage and spaced out dance weirdness, and spacey, darkly atmospheric avant-garde sound texture pieces that have an ominous horror flick soundtrack feel.

"Police State" is a standout track that starts off like one of the more sound-art oriented tracks, but soon incorporates dancey tribal elements. Chris really excels at bringing together a multitude of disparate elements in creatively strange ways and makes them all fit together like peas in a solar pod. "Sad Sad Life" is another one that grabbed me, bringing to mind Klaus Schulze meeting Isaac Stern on the soundtrack set for a John Carpenter film. "Night Row Hex Poser" was a bit of a shocker, smacking me around like an Industrial-Noise dance assault. Pretty wild. But I think my favorite tracks were "Krank" and "Catalyst". "Krank" is a killer slab of completely whigged out space weirdness. I can't even begin to describe it. Imagine a big whopping stew of Chrome and The Residents glommed together in a sort of avant-prog rock electro space groove. Yeah... freaky. And "Catalyst" is deep in space and completely alien, but includes a full potent keyboard sound that I enjoyed, as well as several off the beaten path twists and turns along the way.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mental Anguish - Eyeballs Glazed Over
Reissue of old cassette released on Mystery Hearsay. Also available from Mystryy Hearsay international. Chris Phinney: all instruments, mix; Roger Moneymaker: synths on track 5. Recorded 1989 at Harsh Reality Music.

Track Listing/order :
1 - Last Glimpse Of Dawn
2 - The Tears They Are AFalling
3 - Thick As Thieves
4 - Eyeballs Glazed Over
5 - Allure Ov Thee Ancients

Allure of thee Ancients - 15:16

The Tears They Are Falling - 4:59

Review:

Mental Anguish - "Eyeballs Glazed Over"
(Mystery Hearsay 2000, CDR, originally released on cassette 1989)

From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)

With the exception of help on one track, Eyeballs Glazed Over is a Chris Phinney solo effort. The music is subtle, minimalist in spots, and develops very slowly. The longest tracks, at 17 and 30 minutes respectively, were the ones that didn't really work for me. "Last Glimpse Of Dawn" features a repeating synth pattern accompanied by a faint background drone. Very much on the minimalist side, it changes very little across over its 17-minute length and I found it hard to give the track my attention throughout. "Eyeballs Glazed Over" is similar, but though it has a few more interesting sounds I was having trouble keeping up with this one too.

Moving on to more engaging tunes, "The Tears They Are A Falling" has far more happening in its 4-minutes than on the much longer tracks. There's lots of cool mechanical space electronics and multiple competing patterns. The music doesn't really develop much but that doesn't seem to be the idea. Rather, a handful of ideas are laid out on a palette and it works well within the confines of what for this listener is an adequate timeframe. "Thick As Thieves" is similar, but has more of a dreamy space quality. "Allure Ov Thee Ancients" is a duo effort with Roger Moneymaker accompanying Phinney on synths. A slow, distant "last mile" march sets the pace while shooting synths and various other textures and patterns develop very slowly. Percussion is integral to the piece and there's a clear sense of rhythm, however slow it may be. Probably the most purely spacey piece on the disc. It took me a few listens but I really warmed up to this tune. I felt like I was moving along with the music more than on the much longer tracks. My favorite, though as a whole this disc grabbed me less than much of Phinney's other works.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mental Anguish - Meshwerk
A selection of Harsh Reality electronic space music coupled with remixes by AutoCad. Awesome music blissfully on the outer edge of your expanded travel itinerary. "Fight The Power" features Eli Phinney on vox.

Track Listing/order :
1 - You Just Gotta
2 - You Just Gotta - AutoCad Remix
3 - AutoCad - Phinney Mix
4 - Phinney - AutoCad Mix
5 - Nitro Exposure
6 - Nitro Exposure - AutoCad Remix
7 - Fight The Power
8 - Fight The Power - AutoCad Remix
9 - Comets 124 - Anguish Remix
10 - Comets 128 - Anguish Remix
11 - Ennex - Anguish Remix
12 - Log Rhythm - Anguish Remix
13 - Parabolism - Anguish Remix
14 - Post Hypnotic
15 - Post Hypnotic - AutoCad Remix
16 - Plateaus Of The Dead
17 - Plateaus Of The Dead - AutoCad Remix
18 - Equilibrist
19 - Of Sandworms And Spice

Review:

Mental Anguish - "Meshwerk"
(Harsh Reality 2001, HRCD009)

From Aural Innovations #22 (January 2003)

More electronic space fun from Mental Anguish (aka Chris Phinney). Meshwerk offers up 19 tracks, many of which feature Chris cranking out cosmic electronic weirdness followed by a remix treatment version by AutoCad (aka Thomas Park).

The opening track, "You Just Gotta", sets the tone for the album with steady drones and a slow cosmic melody make for a cool tune. But then the same song gets the AutoCad remix treatment which takes it into completely new territory. Heavy on the toe tappin' space beats and much more fleshed out. I like both. And on it goes with a parade of wild and creative electro pieces that incorporate spacey dance, tribal rhythmic and harsh space rock influences. I dig the "Phinney AutoCad Mix" with the furious steamroller keyboard sound. The music has an ominous March Of The Daleks or some such feel to it. "Nitro Exposure" is another standout track with a head boppin' groove and mucho cosmic synth bleeps and wails. It's really fun listening to these tunes and then hearing the remix versions back to back. AutoCad kicks the Nitro up a notch or two, turning the original into a frantic percussion roller coaster ride. Ditto for "Comets", which continues the pattern of AutoCad giving the Mental Anguish tracks an overdose of speed. "Post Hypnotic" is one of my favorites, being an excellent space dance trip-out get in yer rocketship and blast off tune. I'm definitely partial to the non-remixed version in this case.

I think my favorite tracks are the ones with the heavy dance elements and full, almost orchestral, feel that also include oodles of freaky sounds and quirky patterns and are clearly meant for a rave party somewhere other than Earth. Overall, a fun listen that reveals more and more on subsequent spins.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

You Just Gotta - 6:14

You Just Gotta - AutoCad Remix - 2:41

Mental Anguish - Faded Flowers CD

Originally released by Netherlands label Korm Plastics as a cassette in 1989, this has been rereleased as a CDR on StaalPlaat you may find out more info & purchase the CD Here.

Review:

From Absurd Zine

mental anguish’s “faded flowers” is a tape which I had regretted for long that I hadn’t purchased back then from frans or later when I had the chance. Luckily was reissued in korm plastics’s reissue series so finally had the chance to listen to it. and no matter that I do’t consider myself a mental anguish expert must say that is the best mental anguish recording I’ve came across to this date! the first side (3 first tracks) are in a bizarre kinda musique concrete technique created that I found myself astound listening to them being almost unbelievable to my ears that this can be chris phinney! The second side is in a quite different mood but fuckin impressive as well, a side long track created using a 4xrhodes stage piano, out of which chris created some really minimal loops upon which he built his amazing layers making a recording that is a really spacious & impressive ambience. to be honest if this track was included in the legendary mental anguish/hands to lp then sincerely to this day would have been a landmark of the late 80’s us tape network scene, or so that I think. If you are unfamiliar with mental anguish, then without second thoughts get that, certainly a milestone to chris phinney’s bizarre world! & among korm plastics’s finest moments too!

Buy a sampler CD of some of my older trax ! Mental Anguish -
The Drifter Kids Hypnotic Exposure. A smorgasborg sampler of cutting edge electronica.Only $1 available HERE.

All Music Copyright Harsh Reality Music/Mental Anguish