Here are some interviews/reviews/playlists etc of artists that have released material on Harsh Reality Music thruout the years.CDs/mp3s & cassettes & whatever else may happen !!
Review from Paul Rance/books.music,tv.com:
Don Campau/Chris Phinney - The Black Ace (2006)
Lonely Whistle Music/Harsh Reality Music
Ah, the casino. One place losers are welcome! This is an accomplished short album by Don Campau and Chris Phinney, and they also produced it. The 28 minutes and 36 seconds, and 9 tracks, fly by.
I've always loved Don's vocal style, and the always humorous side to his music He doesn't take himself too seriously. This album shows Don & Chris to be musicians with an eclectic taste, and there is no particular genre of music which dominates. So, though I'll be pigeonholing(!) things in that typically lazy journo way, there's nuances of all sorts of music in the various tracks.
Title track 'The Black Ace' is a catchy opener, with dry lyrics on the perils of gambling, and some atmospheric synth. The moody psychedelia of 'What's Going On?' follows, then the third track, 'So And So Reclining On Her Couch', has intriguing lyrics from Wallace Stevens and a dreamy industrial sound. I love the watery effects especially. 'The Palm' is a short, experimental, guitar driven instrumental, which would have been fun if it had been more expansive. Soft rock and surreal lyrics surface in 'Depression Before Spring', while 'Cry Hail' is a swirling soundscape. 'Shocked By Lightning' is New Wave, with powerful synth and a fine guitar solo. The penultimate track, 'The House Was Quiet', is experimental with a hypnotic rhythm. 'Silent Rites' is laid back rock with an electronica backdrop. Great witty line here: "I'm not going to sit here and argue with god/because she always wins and then I feel dejected".
'The Black Ace' is a good album, with excellent playing from Don and Chris, strong songs, and Don's lyrics are inspired. Sadly, good lyrics seem increasingly elbowed aside in favour of puerile pap these days. Some music lovers do have intelligence, and like a song to be the whole package. You can do worse than check out the underground scene, where you'll find a lot of innovative music, made by people who don't have their heads up their own backsides. Anyway, with this album comes a playing card. If I've been dealt a good hand I win a prize. Ah, the casino. I'll be welcome then!
- Paul Rance/booksmusicfilmstv.com.
New Reviews from Matt Howarth's Sonic Curiosity of the CD release's Mental Anguish Open Loops 2, Mental Anguish Open Loops 3, Ed Drury & Mental Anguish - Electronic American, DJ Get Yo Fat On's - Fat Country & Charles Goff & Chris Phinney - Maestro's Of The Magnetic Age can be found using the following link:
Review from Matt Howarths Sonic Curiousity:
MENTAL ANGUISH: Open Loops Vol. 1 (CD on Harsh Reality Music and Tapegerm)
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.
Review from Vital weekly:
CHARLES
GOFF III/CHRIS PHINNEY - MAESTROS OF THE MAGNETIC AGE (2xCDR
by Taped Rugs/Harsh Reality Music)
Both Chris Phinney and Charles Goff III
aren't the new kids on the
block, as they have been active inside experimental music since
twenty or more years. Phinney used to run the Harsh Reality Music
cassette label and worked under the moniker Mental Anguish and Goff
III has been active as Goff III mainly. On this double CDR release
they do a very 80s trick: Phinney re-works sonic material of Goff
in
the 80s on analog tape and Goff does the same thing with Phinney's
material from the 80s. Chris Phinney is a man of spacious musics,
feeding the sounds of Goff through an endless line of analogue synths
and many sound effects. We don't know what the input of Goff was
here, but it's a nice cosmic trip Phinney takes us on.
On a similar trip is Charles Goff III, but his material is less
lengthy and a bit more dense. Also, but I am not 100% sure about
this, I think computer treatments play a bigger role here than with
Phinney's re-work (boys of this age don't use the term remix, mind
you). Goff's work is more 2005 than Phinney, but it's a good, solid
space ride for two hours, without much news going on. (FdW)
Read a brand new interview with me Here. Also read a review of the new Ed Drury & Mental Anguish CD " Electronic American " Here. Its the second review in the reviews section.
4 links to some reviews of recent CDs from Aural Innovations
Mental Anguish Tapegerm Mixes vols- 1 thru 5
http://aural-innovations.com/2004/july/anguish4.html
Mental Anguish - Particles/Second Ashtray/Drifter/Psykokinesis/All Alone
http://aural-innovations.com/2004/july/anguish5.html
Mental Anguish & NoMuzic - Boid & Tangled reviews
http://aural-innovations.com/2004/july/cpcarl2.html
Planet 0 - Hermit & Ragged reviews
http://aural-innovations.com/2004/july/plan02.html
Some
random reviews from Matt Howarths Sonic Curiosity
CHRIS PHINNEY & HAL McGEE: Ancient Astronauts (Homemade Alien Music Volume 2) (CDR on HalTapes)
This release from 1998 features 71 minutes of dark ambience.
This music possesses fleeting definition, as the relentless droning is flavored with a sense of anticipation. Electronic noise is sculpted to form liquid structures of astral consistency. Waves of harsh tones and squealing cycles unfold to generate tuneage that is gritty but strangely gentle.
A melodic sense is present, but only barely as the tracks generally consist of atonal structures compressed into an ambient flow. Passages display few eventful incidents as the sonic grind unfolds with a resolutely atmospheric demeanor. But this ambience carries little in the way of sedation, serving more to agitate the subconscious than relax the listener. The growling synthesizers achieve a constant tension that is lightly tinged with more synthetic noises. The overall effect is one of a never-ending slowburn.
This release comes with a 16 page B&W comicbook (sized 8.5x11) by artist Bob "X". The story involves a pair of extraterrestrial astronauts (Phinney and McGee from the planet Sono) who examine evidence that other aliens have visited the Earth before their arrival.
Reviews of the music of Chris Phinney (aka Mental Anguish) can be found here.
CHRIS PHINNEY & HAL McGEE: Stranded on Earth (CDR on HalTapes)
This release offers 70 minutes of battling machine noise.
Electronic drones provide an edgy backdrop for hissing diodes and chittering computers. Atonal structure dominates here, as the sounds conspire to generate a territory of angry resonance. Duels between the various pitches flourish as each track chronicles this sonic struggle. The screams of one machine are countered by the squeals of another device, often creating rhythms as the combatants wrestle with each other.
There is an anguish to this tuneage, as if the machinery bemoan their state and long to be far from this blue planet.
MENTAL ANGUISH: The Tapegerm Mixes (CDR on Harsh Reality Music)
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 & NOMUZIC: Flamingo Road (CDR on Harsh Reality Music/Audiofile Round Tapes)
This 39 minute CDR is a tasty collaboration between Phinney and Nomuzic (aka Carl Howard), with Richard McCracken providing "true percussion" on a single track.
The music is wholly instrumental, employing an assortment of electronic apparatus to produce quite a haunting and thoroughly melodic journey through strange territory. Drums and E-perc set engagingly quirky rhythms that are pursued by dark drones and eerie pulsations that strive to pierce the sky with their unearthly wailings. A touch of tortured guitar strains cry out as they escape from damnation to assail the listener with impressions of the hidden underworld.
The darkness of this music is far from gloomy or depressing, however. The tuneage is alive with a wariness that empowers the listener with the determination to survive another day in the oppressive real world, affording more than simple escapism with nimble melodies and attractive riffs. The audience's mind is jump-started, stimulated by the aggressive-but-dreamy passages.
While hardly frenzied, the rhythms are not sedate. The gradual pace features just the right dose of agitated elements to propel the compositions, blending conventional percussives with an assortment of odd objects struck in tempo.
PLANET 0: Set the Controls to Galaxy None (CDR on Harsh Reality Music/Audiofile Round Tapes)
Planet 0 (that's "zero", not "Oh") consists of: Roger Moneymaker (from Swine Bolt 45) on guitars, Robert Hinson (from Viktimized Karcass) on bass, Richard McCracken on percussion, Chris Phinney on electronics, and Carl Howard on even more electronics. This conjunction of indie talent produces 45 minutes of sultry space music.
The guitars growl and grind with astral dedication, resounding from a distance. The drums roll out rhythms in the fashion of live improv jazz, steady but peppered with novel breaks. The bass rumbles like an oncoming thunderstorm. The electronics swarm like alien insects trapped in a flowing aspic of unearthly constitution.
The fusion of these instruments creates a languid voyage through the interstellar void. Gurgling synthesizers unfurl just beyond the view portal of the sonic spacecraft, roiling like turgid nebulas imbued with unconventional animation. The drawling guitar adds fire to these cosmic clouds, while the terse basslines remind the audience of their terrestrial origins, a sort of visceral lifeline to insure that no one gets lost in the interplanetary vacuum. The gestalt relaxes as it invigorates.
This tuneage is a superb example of space jazz, and would be welcome in any lunar station or farflung outpost.
Review of Phinney/McGee -Antenna Club CD
Phinney / McGee ?Antenna Club? (See Hal McGee) When these two get together, some of my favorite alien space surrealism is created. I?m often left with the jaw hanging, wondering where they got those sounds and how they were able to put them all together in such an articulate way. This is noise that you cannot help understanding. It pulls you in with rich fantastic waves of cycling sounds whose warm and friendly colors call you to approach with no fear of danger. Much of this is distortion and feedback, but it doesn?t sear through you like the ?hot knife through butter? stuff that attacks and attempts to harm the ear. This tickles the ear in a playful way that yearns for attention and exploration. It?s so musical, without conforming to any of the rules of musical formatting. Some percussion was used, which puts this more square with convention, but you have to trust me when I say that it does not add enough form to ruin the abstraction.
From NeoZine
The interview & reviews below are from the excellent magazine Aural Innovations
Chris
Phinney / Harsh Reality
(Reviews/Interview)
by Jerry Kranitz
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
Publishing Aural Innovations and communicating on the internet has led me across the paths of several musicians who were involved in the underground cassette network of the 1980's. Earlier this year I discovered Chris Phinney's music on Mp3.com where he has several pages representing multiple projects from over the years. Like Carl Howard of Audiophile Tapes, Phinney, through his Harsh Reality label, has also maintained a catalog of approximately 350 cassettes that include many artists playing all forms of electronic and other brands of independently produced music. Phinney certainly has more of his music available online than any artist I've come across to date, illustrating the power of the internet to at least deal with the problem of how to make your music available to others.
Immersing myself in the five separate collections of music Phinney has available at Mp3.com it became clear that I'd stumbled across yet another musician performing adventurous electronic space music that I'd missed over the years. These include solo electronic works, duos, and full band projects, all ranging from very interesting to downright exciting. After some trading of emails Phinney also sent me eight CD's of music that are the first of the Harsh Reality cassette catalog to be released on CD. I've broken down our coverage into three sections which you can access from the links below. First, we'll review the eight CD's currently available from Harsh Reality. Second, we'll give an overview of the music available at Mp3.com. Third, we have an interview we conducted via email with Chris Phinney.
Please note that the eight CD's available from Harsh Reality only touch the surface of the music available in their catalog. I would encourage all readers to explore the pointers to Phinney's online music, and if you like what you hear then Chris will be happy to email you his catalog of releases. But for now... read on.
Chris
Phinney (Interview)
by Jerry Kranitz
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
AI: How did you get into playing electronic music? Did you start doing solo electronic music or did you begin more conventionally playing in bands?
Chris Phinney: Well I listened to lots of electronic music and said, you know I would like to do that. I had taken drum lessons and guitar lessons when I was in like 6th grade, then like 9th grade I traded drums in for the guitar. I got bored with it all around like 11th grade, then several years later I got heavily into electronic music. I got my first synth and it kind of took off from there. I started out doing both solo stuff as Mental Anguish in 1982-83 and formed my first band Pungent Odor which released one cassette tape on Harsh Reality and had one track on a compilation Noisy But Chic - on the Belgian label Insane Music by Alain Neffe(SP)? We changed the name to Skoptzies right after that because we really hated the first name. This band did several tapes on Harsh Reality and one for Audiofile Tapes. We also were on several cassette compilations from all over the world. This was really a cool band but it had to end as the various members moved all over the country in search of that elusive recording contract. A few of the members moved to Los Angeles and joined up with a few other local Memphians who had already made the move. The band was The Modifiers and they got John Densmore of The Doors to play drums and Derf Scratch of Fear to play bass, produced a watered down country sounding single and later disbanded. Another ex-member of this group Skoptzies formed Human Radio. Ross Rice is the name. They signed to Columbia and released one record with one single that did fairly well on radio, then went into the studio to record their second LP and Columbia wanted too much control over the project. Ross got frustrated and split up that band.
AI: How did you get started doing all these collaborations? Was it all in the course of the 80's tape networking scene?
CP: Well after Skoptzies I wanted to do something besides just my solo stuff. I had done a few collaborations of live studio stuff with Mike Honeycutt (Mystery Hearsay) and a few others on the local scene. Plus I was networking like crazy with lots of like minded individuals trading cassettes and all that. During all of this we would talk about doing some collaborative works and of course we would do them by mail. Lots of fun too. Then some of the artists I was collaborating with by mail, well we got into it so much that we wanted to work together in person so we would travel to each others studios, towns etc. and record there. I worked back then with Nomuzic, Alien Planetscapes, If.Bwana, Jeff Central, Pat Grafik,Hal McGee, Minoy, Cephalic Index, Teen Lesbians & Animals, Mitch Rushton, Dion Trevarthen.(Sponge, Expanded Metal), Lord Litter, Dave Prescott, and several others. I also formed the band Viktimized Karcass as a vehicle for space rock exploration. Man, lots of fun back in those daze...
AI: Was Harsh Reality set up as a vehicle for releasing your own music or did you include other musicians's projects from the beginning as well?
CP: It was originnally set up as a vehicle for my own music, but I was in touch with so many cool like minded artists in all realms of music, space rock, alternative, progressive rock, cut ups, musique concrete, avantgarde, experimental, etc.etc.that I decided I wanted to release their music as well, lots of times I would release a project of theirs and they would release a project of mine on their labels if they ran a label. I guess around HR037 is when I started releasing other artists complete works, though I did lots of compilations before that of individual tracks.
AI: Looking at your various Mp3.com pages I see where most of the Labels are Haltapes and Harsh Reality Music, or Audiofile and Harsh Reality Music. Is this a simple matter of sharing the distribution duties?
CP: Well yes and no. While we shared our share distribution duties we both wanted to release the same project as we both had or have different contacts in order to spread the music out to a wider, larger listening audience. Some of the releases were originnally only Audiofile or Haltapes etc, but when those labels were starting to suffer due to numerous problems that I won't go into here, since I have masters of everything I have ever done I released them as well, which is a good thing as a lot of the older labels have disappeared. A lot of this was also due to the fact that for a period of like 6 years I shelved Harsh Reality due to burn out and health and financial problems. The material I recorded during that timeframe was mostly solo with the exception of Phinney/McGee and Haltapes released all of it for that timeframe and a little past, but then Haltapes kinda got burnt out so I said, ya know, I need to get back into the fracas, the meat of it all once again so here I am. Moving much slower than I used to to avoid the burn out syndrome that can come with it.
AI: You've started releasing music from your EXTENSIVE cassette catalog on CDR. Has the response to them been any better than when they were released on cassette? That is, do people seem more receptive to CDR's as a medium over cassettes?
CP: Yes the response to the CDRs seems better than the cassettes, although I like to only pick the cassettes that did pretty well, or were the most interesting to me. The cassettes during their heyday did well, but in order to get radio airplay and other stuff CDRs are the way to go these days. Of course we ventured into Vinyl before CDRs when that medium became affordable, much like the CD/CDR medium is today, although Vinyl cost more to do today than the CDRs. Nothing like the sound of vinyl though. Most people do not really want cassettes today. They either want vinyl or CD/CDR. Me, I still love cassettes, but prefer releasing product on CDR these days. Just my preferred way of working. I did do a cassette compilation called Harsh Reality Sampluh for Mick Magic's United Underground Music & Elsewhere label early on this year. Was a lot of fun putting it together and designing the cover & all.
AI: Do you plan to continue releasing the HR cassette catalog on CDR?
CP: Yes,some of them but never all of them. Presently I have plans on a Angwana & a Anguish/Kapotte Muziek re-release on CDR. Others are on the back burner but I will do it slowly. Plus I would like to do a few Mental Anguish, Cancerous Growth, Imbroglio and Viktimized Karcass re-releases like samplers of a track or two from the different cassette releases. These re-releases do go to the backburner though as new material takes precedence over the older stuff.
AI: What kind of music influenced you? I'm hearing the gamut from electronic space journeys, to freakier and more experimental music, as well as more noise-oriented music.
CP: Wow, this answer could go on forever I will try and keep it short. First off my fellow collaborators are a big influence today as well as the past. Kinds of music... Progressive rock, space rock, Industrial, musique concrete, noise, alternative rock, Experimental electronics, and more and more it like never stops. Bands like Hawkwind, Amon Düül, Can, Soft Machine, Heldon, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schultze, Vangellis, Eloy, Conrad Schitzler, Pink Floyd, The Who, Gong, Ullulators, Ozrics, Osiris, Sponge, Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, Nurse with Wound, Cabaret Voltaire, The Stranglers, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Ministry, Portion Control, Attrition, Lustmord, Non,Curent 93, Merzbow, Ramones, Iggy Pop, T.Rex, Bowie, Zappa, Fugs, Grateful Dead. Oh hell, tons I have missed or forgotten that are very important to me. Some slightly important. I try to pick up a little something from everything. Damn Jazz, love jazz Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Stanley Clark, Lenny White, Billy Cobham, Mahavishnu, Dimeola. Tons more plus godfathers and mothers like Pauline Oliveros, Cage, Stockhausen, Reich and Subotnick to name just a few.
AI: Viktimized Karcass and Planet 0 seem to be band projects whereas the other music I see online seems to be from duo electronic projects. Do you prefer playing purely electronic music as opposed to more expanded instrumentation like guitars, drums, etc?
CP: That's a tough queston. No real preference. I love doing both. I think the availability of the musicians may have a lot to do with it. Nothing better than a cool band project or duo collaboration project. Solo stuff is fun to flesh out experiments. The loop stuff we are doing at Tapegerm is great because you can collab with up to 19 different artists at the same time via the wonderful world of the internet. No waiting on tapes and stuff. Grab some loops amd make some music. Freakin' awesome way to work.
AI: Have any these bands (Karcass, Mental Anguish, etc) played live? Do you do any live performances these days?
CP: Yes. Mental Anguish has done some live radio stuff as well as live radio stuff with collaborative projects. Cancerous Growth played a few live club gigs. Skoptzies and Viktimized Karcass did both radio and tons of live club festival gigs at the time they were together. No live performances today except for radio and that's usually rare. When Carl [Howard] was down here in July of this year we tried to set up a gig at the Cafe Apocalypse, a cyber cafe, but too many obstacles were in front of this to pull it off. I suppose if a gig arose and it could be pulled off, I (we)would do it.
AI: Regarding the Tapegerm project... There's some interesting music at the Tapegerm mp3.com site. Is there a randomness to mixing up the various contributor's loops/samples? Or do the participants play over the others' loops/samples?
CP: Both. 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. This is such a refreshing and exciting new way of making music and I am always up to a new way of working. Tapegerm to me is a very unique and wonderful way of collaborating with other like minded artists without the hassles of road trips and the dangers of sending your music through the Darkness of the Postal System. I asked fellow Germ Members to respond to this question as well as we are a collective, a whole unit. A group all working together with no leader, sharing in all aspects of what's going on. A true internet music collective. What follows are some of my fellow Germs answers.
Bryan Baker: It's quite random, as we have no rules about how mixes should be approached, and everyone comes from different backgrounds with a variety of different tastes. Sometimes loops are used as catalysts to pieces which ultimately mutilate whatever might have been called source material. Sometimes loops are combined and juxtaposed against other loops and something new results. And then sometimes we play over top of them. Often all of the above occurs within the same track, in fact.
Scott Carr: Yes it's quite random, although sometimes very well organized despite this. Each mix is a sort of microcosm that might contain various levels of processing to the source material. I've severely edited some of the loops and some I've used as is. Recently we've become more vocal with each other, requesting different kinds of material that we might want to use for a mix with a certain feel or agenda. Chris is working on a Zydeco influenced mix that other members have contributed material for at his request. We have yet to decide on a theme-of-the-month or anything like that, although a couple of people have suggested that this might be an interesting avenue to pursue. Tapegerm is really still in its infancy, so pretty much anything goes. With nearly 20 independent artists working on music things are unlikely to get boring around here anytime soon.
James P. Bergman: I can only speak for myself and my efforts on this one, and I would have to paraphrase the writer, Robert Anton Wilson, on this one by saying, "some but not all." I've done a few mixes that were mainly a few tapegerm loops that I combined, interweaved, and incorporated within either already existing loops/music, or that had new "live" instrumentation added. Then there have been quite a few mixes that consisted of nothing but loops by fellow Germs. I've also experimented with attempting to make a mix that consists of a loop from each member. This loosely based, almost anarchistic way of working is what has kept me so satisfied with this collective, and I am now only starting to see the possibilities that are inherant in what we are doing and accomplishing.
Kelli Wise: Speaking for myself, there is a certain randomness to it since I never really know what to expect when I'm downloading everyone's loops. A certain loop may catch my interest and I will build the final mix around it using both Tapegerm loops and/or my playing on top of it. Then again, I may have a pre-determined idea for an idea I am trying to express and use/modify the loops to flesh the idea out. I've built mixes using only Tapegerm loops, forcing myself to be creative with a limited amount of source material and I've built a mix around my own playing. Both methods require an expansion in my technique and the entire process has been very rewarding.
AI: Are "The Mixes" Tracks at your Mental Anguish Mp3.com page similar to the Tapegerm project?
CP: Well yes and no. In the fact that they are loop based and made using software yes. But they are loops of one particular artist posted at Homemade Music by Bryan Baker for mixing up, of which I added some sound loops to and such. You go in and download the particular artists' loops that you want to work on, then tell Bryan where to retrieve the final mix for posting at Homemade Music. You also can use these mixes on your own project, provided credit is given and contact and all of the particular artist you mixed up. The Homemade Music mixes are lots of fun as well. Besides the artists that are listed there, at some point some new material will be added to mix. A list of upcoming artists is there anyway. Who knows when and if new material will pop up.You really just have to check and look every once in a while..
AI: You've got a LOT of music available on the internet adding up to several albums worth. Are you at the point where you just want people to hear your music?... Trying to use the power of the internet to draw attention to the Harsh Reality label? What is your view toward this net music stuff and where is it, in your opinion, all going in terms of reaching listeners (for indie artists AND the music-industrial complex).
CP: Yes, I have always been at the point where I just want people to hear the music. That's what its all about to me. If I sell some product along the way that's way cool too. The internet is a great tool for trying to or drawing attention to Harsh Reality or any label. Everyone should use it. It's the way to go these days. I think the internet actually gives an Indie artist more of a chance to be heard than the old pack it up and drop it in the mail days. There's streaming where you can sample someones music, lots of free downloads for sampling, exchanging, etc. A much easier way of doing things, promoting, exchanging than the golden old ones. I have 3 CDs worth of music available for download. You can get Mental Anguish & Nomuzic - Flamingo Road in mp3 format for free. Planet 0 - Set The Controls For Galaxy None for free, and my new one Mental Anguish - Mile After Mile-Mix After Mix, but you have to get it from two separate mp3 hosting sites. Mp3.com has the safe mixes, and Zebox has the banned from Mp3.com mixes and remixes. Of course you don't get all the cool artwork that goes along with it but it's there if you want it without or want it to sample the music. This is the way its all going in my opinion. Of course there are still lots of people not online, but that's changing and lots of people online that don't have or refuse to get an mp3 player. I am not sure why this is but I think it may be a technology phobia of some sort. Just guessing really.
AI: Any evidence that people are listening to the music you've got online?
CP: Yes. Emails from listeners and most places you can check your statistics, plays be it HiFi or LoFi, radio station plays, downloads, etc. Page views. It's all there so that's really cool.
AI: As someone who has been distributing independent music for everal years now are you optimistic about the possibilities the internet provides for networking and making music available, be it for free or for sale?
CP: Yes, most definitely, and as stated above the internet to me provides a much easier and economical way to spread the word and get the music out there to a vast audience, some of which you would be limited to doing via the pony express way of doing things in the good old cassette networking days. Ride em cowboy!!!
AI: Last question... do you own a cell phone?
CP: No, and you know my feelings on them if you read my rant [in Improvijazzation Nation] just like I know your feelings on them from reading your interview. I think the only thing they are good for is emergency situations. Of course a beeper which I do have does the same thing but it's not as fast as a cellphone. In closing I would like to quote my good friend and comrade in arms Carl (Nomuzic) Howard.
Peace
Out
Choppa Choppa
Bang Bang
Phinney/McGee - "Homemade Alien Music Volume 2: Ancient Astronauts" (HalTapes 1997/1998, HT 097)
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
For Ancient Astronauts, Chris Phinney and Hal McGee combined their respective arsenals of electronic gear to produce over 70 minutes of pure space music, atmospherics, noise, and fun sounds. I won't even try to list the equipment each used but suffice it to say that this is analog synth heaven. By way of introduction to the music I should mention that each copy of the Ancient Astronauts CD comes with a very cool comic book titled... you guessed it... Ancient Astronauts!! Monsieurs Phinney and McGee are on the cover suited up and strapped into the seats of their flying saucer which they navigate with moogs and theremins. Our heroes travel (at 91 million miles per second) to the planet Earth where - they being the Ancient Astronauts - they visit the Mayans, the Druids at Stonehenge, and become the likenesses for the pyramids. Basically this well researched work fills in the cracks left open year ago by Von Daniken.
All the track titles represent different stages of the story told in the comic book. The atmosphere is, for the most part, cold and dark throughout... but so is space itself. The disc opens with our heroes leaving their home planet of Sono. On "Through The Inter-Dimensional Portal", wails, washes, and drones set the tone for our travelers' journey. I like the way varied synth lines are slowly phased giving the feeling that we're twisting and turning through space. This same effect is heard again on "Return Of The Star People". A heart thumping cosmic drone keeps the pace as lots of spacey bleeps and blurps dance about. The drone is relentless and when the phases kick in it's a bit jarring. The volume increases steadily and I think I now know what it must have felt and sounded like to be present in Close Encounters as the mothership was descending from overhead.
Two of my favorite tracks are "Chichen Itza" and "Crop Circles At Stonehenge". "Chichen Itza" features harsh, brain searing electronics that forced me to take off the headphones... I'm way to close to this ship's engines. But even though I ended up with my brain fried, this isn't just a massive wall of noise. All the sounds are still detectable and distinct from one another, which is important for me with this kind of music. "Crop Circles At Stonehenge" is like the daily operations of an industrial space factory. The pace and central theme are fairly static throughout. But there is a continual parade of sounds, like the goings on at the factory, or the everyday sounds of a bustling urban metropolis.
But Ancient Astronauts does have it more peaceful moments. "Tiahuanaco" and "The Great Pyramid" are the two examples on the disc of mind soothing ambient space music. And "Silver Disks Over The Jewelled City" is a calmer track as well, but with no shortage of freaky synth noodlings.
In summary, far from being an ambient form of floating electronica, Ancient Astronauts is a busy work in the sense that there is usually too much going on for it to be meditational in any way. Certainly there's ambience, but the cold mechanical atmosphere works well and listeners who are attentive to aurally exploring all that the music reveals will be rewarded. Each subsequent listen uncovers new little passages, sounds, and atmospherics making this an overall enjoyable experience. Highest recommendation to fans of cosmic electronic space music.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Mental Anguish & Nomuzic - "Po Boyz With Gobot War Toyz" (Harsh Reality 2000, HRC001)
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
"Po Boyz With Gobot War Toyz" is a CDR compilation of tracks from three cassettes recorded and released by Mental Anguish (Chris Phinney) and Nomuzic (Carl Howard) between 1987-1989. Across the disc's 11 tracks we hear thumping space rock, cosmic space electronica, and even some head boppin' and toe tappin' tunes that border on pop.
Songs like "Two" and "Eight" feature cool electronica that also have a bit of a dance beat. "Two" is a freaky electro dance tune. Not techno, but a percussion beat that makes it danceable is backed by spacey backdrops and bouncy melody lines. "Eight" has a dark and haunting, yet dreamy backdrop led by more danceable percussion beats. Again, there's lots of freaky stuff backing the dance bits. Very cool.
On the more drifting space side is "Four", a dreamy melodic tune accompanied by a mechanical repetitive synth line which contrasts in mood with the more floating keyboards. An interesting combo. "Arliss' Country Kitchen" is similar, only there seems to be quite a bit more going on musically. Dreamy atomospherics combined with cool oddball synth noodlings. Sort of a pop instrumental but high on the freaky meter when you listen closely to all the background happenings. "Look Ma, No Software" is a strong track that features classic space electronica recalling 70's Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schultz, and other related artists. The primary synth line moves along at a rapid clip while numerous other synths play their parts at varied speeds. An interesting contrast of both rhythm and sounds.
My hands down favorite tracks on the disc are "Pigs In The Barnyard" and "Jumpin' Off The Point". "Pigs In the Barnyard" kicks off with some heavy, slowly driving spacerock like Hawkwind or Krel (or Thru Black Holes Band Carl!). Slow but blistering guitar licks lead the tune while equally potent space synths provide the cosmic wall of fire that backs it up. Simple, no flash, but a powerful statement nonetheless. "Jumpin' Off The Point" is a kick ass rocker with a catchy melody line, screaming guitar, and space synth madness. Bubble, gurgle, whooooosh! I'll call it space jam rock n roll. These two alone are worth the price of admission, and make me want to check out the original three cassettes this duo produced.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Mystery
Hearsay - "Ear Gear"
(Harsh Reality 2000, HRC002)
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
Mystery Hearsay is a solo project by Tennessee based electronic musician Mike Honeycutt. The music ranges from multi-themed and fairly complex constructions to classic German-styled early 70's space electronica. The bulk of this lengthy disc are two 30 minute tracks plus a few shorter pieces.
The disc opens with "Another Whine On The Rhine". This 30 minute epic begins with chaotic electronics and percussion and strained synths lines that are dead ringers for guitar licks (or is it guitar?). The percussion style gives it a bit of a free-jazz feel and the guitar sounds create a dark spacey atmosphere which gets wildly intense. The music soon shifts into a machine-shop motif reminiscent of the Residents' Mark Of The Mole. Like the esteemed eyeballed ones, Honeycutt excels at creating image inducing electronic soundscapes that are anything but pretty or serene. The music is continually erupting with thunderous drones and a parade of pure electronic sound. Yet it's all very linear and the journey, however disturbing, has a sense of direction and develops very smoothly across its 30 length as we segue through multiple themes. There's also some really blazing industrial space electronica here that rocks out in its own wild way. Headphones are essential to grasping all that's happening here, though you'll have to keep the volume down lest your brain be fried.
"Decent Recent Percent" is the other 30 minute track. The music is an interesting combination of floating space electronica, minimalist patterns, and the same cold machine-like atmosphere heard on the opening track. Broken down into individual segments this track has some solid moments, though it doesn't evolve and flow like "Another Whine On The Rhine", and consequently lacks the "what's 'round the next bend" anticipation of each new transition. But I can still list a gazillion sci fi movies that this would make a great soundtrack for. And speaking of sci fi, "Beacons Home" and "The Reoccurence" are two shorter tunes that speak volumes as space journeys á la early Tangerine Dream or electronic Ash Ra Tempel. The eerie synth lines have that wonderful early 70's sound and are accompanied by all manner of bubbling cosmic soundscapes. Juicy!!!
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Mental
Anguish - "Eyeballs Glazed Over"
(Mystery Hearsay 2000, CDR, originally released on cassette 1989)
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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
Lord
Litter - "Litter's Reel All Itty" (Harsh Reality 2000,
HRC003)
Lord Litter - "Stone Premonitions Presents Lord Litter"
(Stone Premonitions 2000, SPCD 008)
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
These two collections of songs from German musician, radio show host, and underground figure Lord Litter are essentially the same, just on different labels. The Harsh Reality issue contains 16 tracks and the Stone Premonitions version has 13, 10 of which are also on the Harsh Reality release (the Harsh Reality disc being a re-release of an earlier cassette). The Stone Premonitions version has apparently been remastered and the sound quality is better, though for the most part I'd say you're safe choosing dependent on which side of the big pond you're ordering from. As for the music... well I can't imagine a more radical diversity of styles than those included on these discs.
There's a lot of songs here so I'll focus on the freakier tracks. "Excerpt From A Harsh Reality" is a brief noise freakout that opens the disc. "The Soft Synthed Duck" is a jazzy cosmic synth tune with some trippy spacey bits. The playing is pretty good and establishes a cool groove, though the overly mechanical electro percussion is an odd contrast. "Faktor X" is a heavy driving metallic instrumental with bits of surf and psych. VERY cool. And "The Return Of The Magnificent Space Captain" is a heavy rockin' space blues number and my hands down favorite track on the disc! "Time Shift" is a bit of an oddball track. On the Harsh Reality discs it consists of 17 minutes of guitar noodlings. If he's mocking Fripp's soundscapes than I think I like it. But it doesn't really go anywhere and seems a bit odd given the strength of the other tracks. The last few minutes, however, take a 360 degree turn becoming a psychedelic Dylan folky tune. The version on the Stone Premonitions release is only about 9 minutes, and cuts out the song portion at the end, but even then it doesn't quite cut it for me.
His Lordship also has a flair for fun novelty tunes as heard on "Pleasin' Lies", "The Easter Bunny", and "The Happy Snail". "Pleasin' Lies" is a standout with its raw stinging guitar licks. And do you remember Bill Murray's lounge singer in the 70's Saturday Night Live shows? I think Lord Litter has seen those too as evidenced by "Thank You For The Roses". "Robertism" is a dancey rocker with a groove. A bit New Wav-ish and actually it reminds me of Talking Heads. A damn good tune. "Another Reality" is another fine New Wav-ish rocker. "Open Up The Gates" is a bit on the quirky side, being like Devo as a metal band. And it's got a melody that really grabbed me.
There's lots of other stuff from folk to dance to rock, but overall this is just a cool set of tunes. There's certainly no new ground broken here. But there's variety, good songs, interesting music, and lots and lots of fun.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Dick Skinner - "Cunt Blister" (Harsh Reality 2000, HRC004, originally released on Haltapes as a cassette 1996)
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
The first thing I saw when I opened this disc is a note pointing out that this is not to be taken seriously. Phewww... I feel better. With song titles like "Jap Slut Bondage Fuck" and "Revenge Rape" I would have been pretty worried about these guys. But by way of explanation I'll simply quote from the Harsh Reality web catalog:
"Cunt Blister is a satirical examination of how sexism and violence permeate American culture. It's also a wry send-up of power electronics bands like Whitehouse and their progeny".
Works for me. So what's the music like? Dick Skinner is a duo of Big Ed Davis on voices and Ralph Silverman on electronics. The music is extremely harsh and difficult to absorb (tolerate?) in a single listen. I remember years ago a roommate having a cheap little amplifier and microphone and I used to enjoy cupping my hands around the mic and screaming insanely with the reverb turned up to 11. This is pretty much what Davis' voice sounds like though to his credit when he's actually speaking words you can make out what he's saying, even if what he's saying would make Aint Bee say 'My goodness!!'. Silverman's electronics are noisey, thundering, and rife with ear splitting squeals making it pretty damn dangerous to attempt listening to this with headphones. Believe me... I tried. And my eardrums narrowly escaped even at the lowest volumes. Beneath the high pitched howling sounds there are various drones and industrial electronics, but you've got to listen close to catch them.
Hmmm.... I'm not quite sure what to make of this. As social commentary Dick Skinner make their point quite bluntly. America is certainly rampant with sexism and violence yet we excel at dumbing down its effects by not being honest and upfront about genuine brutality. Unfortunately I haven't heard Whitehouse so I can't comment on the send-up of that band's brand of electronica. But if you want to either scare the shit out of someone, torture them, or just piss them off, then Cunt Blister is just the ticket. Not for the timid.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Don
Campau - "Guaranteed Injection Comfort Or Your Money Back"
(Harsh Reality 2000, HRC005)
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
This collection of mostly instrumental tunes features long time underground figure Don Campau cranking out all manner of music from stinging guitar driven psych rockers to experimental electronic sound collage pieces. Of the 20 tracks included my favorites tended to be the raw jamming guitar tunes that are typically played against intense electronic backdrops. Some have a pop feel as well while others are downright danceable. Other tracks feature electronic sound patterns that are simultaneously abstract and accessible and work quite well in the few minutes most of the tracks occupy. Regardless of the style being explored the music doesn't stand still for a moment and the disc as a whole is a bit of a roller coaster ride that passes by swiftly.
"Corner Market Stickup" and "Driving On The San Andreas Fault" are examples of Campau's cool guitar tunes. The former features harsh, rockin' music with raw but stinging guitar licks against an industrial electronic backdrop. The guitar has a nice atonal quality which throws the listener off a bit, but it got a great affect. "Driving On The San Andreas Fault" is similar, but the patterns are mechanical and repetitive in a "We Are Devo" way. Slightly dancey, and still rocks out. "Mind/Body Split" has an equally raw guitar sound, but in a psychedelic setting. Campau's guitar is clearly tripping its brains out, blasting out licks while steady Eastern psych percussion flows along. As the 11-minute track progresses we hear all manner of freaky sounds, acidic guitars, both electric and acoustic, fiery organ runs, and space synths. There no sense of beginning, middle, or end... it just keeps moving from one chaotic looped and cutup experimental jam to the next. For pure freakiness this sucker pops the mercury.
Highlights on the danceable but still experimental side include "Lowest Common Denominator", a nice little poppy dittie. Cool dirty guitars play a catchy melody over a dancey electronic percussion beat. "The Thrill Seekers Motto" has more of those raw dirty guitars plus electronica and is danceable in crazed and bloodied way. "Plastic Eyeball" veers in drum 'n Bass electronica realms, a direction taken into full rave territory on a cover of the Beatles old love song "And I Love Her". This is a wild tune with heavy thumping rave beats and guest Robin O'Brien singing in an avant folk style, if that makes any sense. Pretty freaky. My favorite of these type of tracks is "Insulin Reaction", a song that is tribal, ethnic, acidic, jazzy, hip-hoppy dancey... you name it. I could go on but suffice it to say that the remaining tracks dabble further into the areas I've described. A good fun set of truly alternative pop mind-mashers.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Big City Orchestra - "Arc Of Infinity" (Harsh Reality 2000, HRC006, CDR, originally released on cassette 1987)
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From Aural Innovations #13 (October 2000)
I'd never heard Big City Orchestra before, though a net search turned up an out of date web site that listed an enormous discography. There are lots of very interesting electronic passages here but many are screaming to be part of larger more fleshed out works. In fact, much of what I hear on this disc sounds like bits of what Vas Deferens Organization uses on their tunes.
The disc opens with "Brain And Brain", on which we hear harsh repetitive electronic patterns with intermittent samples of a child's voice yelling "Brain and brain, what is brain!". This sample sounds so familiar it's driving me crazy but to save my life I can't place it. "Chime Piece" is like a combination of toy instruments and a saw cutting drone. Simultaneously playful and harsh, I really liked the contrast between the two patterns. "Savages" features a similar combination of two contrasting themes. One a simple electronic drone; the other a handful of synth melodies that evolve much more than the previous tracks and keep moving throughout the piece. "Face Of Evil" is similar to "Chime Piece". We have abrupt pulsating electronics that pops in and out at various volumes and speeds, simple notes banged on what sounds like a toy piano, and simple synth melody lines. It's like an avant garde children's tune. Sort of like The Residents' Goosebump album.
For "Mind Robber", my favorite track, I had to turn the volume way up because I didn't think anything was playing. What we have is a collage of electronic patterns, various voice and other samples, and a general avant electronic atmosphere. I think I even hear some string instrument being bashed and plucked. Some of the voices are pretty disturbing. At one point we hear a blood curdling scream out of one channel and bum-bum-bum-bum Mr Sandman vocals from the other. Weird!! But pretty cool. The "Revolution #9" or "Careful With That Axe Eugene" of experimental electronica.
In summary, there are lots of good ideas on Arc Of Infinity and I think many fans of noisy drone electronica would dig this. So I may just be greedy in wanting to see Big City Orchestra flesh out these pieces a bit and add a bit of development to the music. Of course, with as many releases as they've got they may well have done that already.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Planet
0 - "Set The Controls For Planet None"
(Harsh Reality/Audiofile RoundTapes 2000, HRaRTCD02)
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From Aural Innovations #15 (April 2001)
Imagine if you will. A being from New Jersey lands his craft in Memphis, Tennessee. Like-minded mutants reside there and together they create dark, droning, jamming space rock with bits of psychedelia and hints of jazz. Planet 0 is yet another project from Mental Anguish and Nomuzic, this time in full band mode. Chris Phinney and Carl Howard on synthesizers are joined by Roger Moneymaker on guitars, Robert Hinson on bass, and Richard McCracken on drums for a voyage into some of the galaxy's coldest and darkest realms.
There may be a story here. We start with "Mothership Departure, encounter star dusters, meteorites, and comets, and the end with "Mothership Return". "Mothership Departure" sets the tone for the set with a deep droning bass and steady drumming while the guitar kicks out slow, whining, and equally droning licks. Around this the synthesizer duo creates droning, fuzzed, freaky space textures and sounds that construct the eerie cosmic landscape against which the rock trio jams. The atmosphere is intense and this would be great music for a sci fi/horror flick. If Argento did sci fi then Planet 0 would be a spot on choice for the soundtrack.
"Star Cluster Dusters" features sustained, echoed guitar notes that work well in contrast to the rapidly dancing patterned synths. The valium-paced droning rock jam combined with the wired up bug-eyed synths is pretty damn freaky. A good track. On "Fragrance Of Meteorite", Hinson's bass takes the lead playing a melody so low and thudding he could be drafted into a stoner band if he happened to pick up the pace a bit. Finally, "Mothership Return" opens with spaced out synths, and a brain-splitting pulsating drone. If this is the mothership's return than she must be running the hardest part of course because even in its first minutes these are the most cosmic sounds on the disc. Totally spaced atmospherics and slow freaked out psychedelic guitar jamming make this the bleary eyed epic of Planet 0's journey.
In summary, Planet 0 don't vary a whole lot, but taken as a whole this is a thoroughly enjoyable space jam disc. Don't expect feel good music. This stuff is dark dark DARK. Kind of like Chrome overdosed on Valium. So get a stern look on your mug, prepare your suit and breathing apparatus, and climb aboard. It's a fun ride.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Mental
Anguish & Nomuzic - "Flamingo Road"
(Harsh Reality/Audiofile RoundTapes 2000, HRaRTCD01)
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From Aural Innovations #15 (April 2001)
For the uninitiated, Mental Anguish is Chris Phinney, the main man behind the Harsh Reality releases, and Nomuzic is Carl Howard, most recently of Born to Go and Land Of Guilt + Blarney fame. Flamingo Road is an album of electronic space music. But what makes these Po Boyz music special is the prominence of rhythm throughout each track. Yes, this is mucho cosmic electronica but you can just see the boy's toes tapping along continually. I'm a big fan of space electronics but I've got to say the ubiquitous percussives keep things much more lively and interesting and Chris and Carl manage to incorporate a heavy sense of beat and bounce while still making it clear that their intention is to explore the cosmos.
Space electronics don't get any more cosmic than "Blast Pattern". A steady percussion beat and simple synth burps provide the backdrop for a free-wheeling electro trip through the galaxy. The duo does a good job of keeping things evolving and interesting as opposed to being a mere trippy floating electro fest, though the electronics are more the primary focus than on subsequent tracks. "Blissful In Enchantro" features a rapid whimsical synth pattern that dances about accompanied by intense cosmic spacescapes. The spacey synths get quite intense and a bit brain searing as they rise to their peak. The percussion has an almost jazzy feel which combined with the spacey synths and bouncy beat make for an interesting glom of sounds. On "The Gladiator" we get more spacescapes, a funky jam on the bells, and what sounds like might be wah'd guitar (maybe it's keyboards). "Drone Fury (The Terrordrone)" is the one track with "true" percussion, courtesy of Richard McCracken. And there's plenty of it to go with the synth excursions. And "Crying & Praying" has a steady beat and a cool space jazzy synth freakout.
Chris and Carl have collaborated off and on since 1987 and are clearly operating in complimentary realms. Fans of electronic space music who are getting bored and want something a little different would do well to check this out.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Mental
Anguish - "Mile After Mile"
(Harsh Reality 2000, HRCD 007)
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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
Phinney/McGee - "Stranded On Earth" (Haltapes 2002)
from Aural Innovations July 2002
Also recently released are two more collaborations between Hal and Chris "Mental Anguish" Phinney, one a set of new recordings and the other a reissue of two cassettes from 1989 and 1990. Stranded On Earth is the new disc and includes some totally cosmic electronic space with just enough noise and harshness to keep listeners wide-eyed and alert so they don't get any silly meditative thoughts. Single or slowly developing tones and noise waves are accompanied by busier and continually evolving sounds, along with all the otherworldly bleeps and blurps you could ever want. "Suffering" is a standout track featuring howling wind tunnel waves, brain shattering tones, mucho fun freaky Forbidden Planet sci fi electronics, and a faint pattern that reminds me of an old Alan Parsons tune on speed (last thing you were expecting huh?). "Sway" and "Sweat" are among the darker and more intense tracks, as well as featuring some of the more avant-garde sound sculptures, with their minimalist patterns and loads of banging and clattering on the former. An excellent set of electronic excursions that are deep in the chaotic (as opposed to ambient) realms of the cosmos.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Phinney/McGee - "Usufruct/Heads: Electronic Music 1989-1990" (Harsh Reality/Haltapes 2002)
from Aural Innovations July 2002
The Usufruct/Heads CD reissues two cassettes of the same titles from 1989 and 1990. Usufruct includes two lengthy excursions of 22 and 16 minutes. Having heard several of their collaborations now it's clear that Chris really brings out Hal's cosmic side. The duo take off into the colder and more remote regions of space, encountering all sorts of obstacles and challenges along the way. This is powerful image inducing stuff and I guarantee you if these guys were cranking out sounds in the 1950's they'd be legends among sci fi soundtrack aficionados. I also liked the combination of freaked out space electronics and slow dark melodic keys that provoked thoughts of the Phantom of the Opera having joined the Residents. Eerie and enjoyably strange. The sound voyages on Heads are equally cosmic though some of it is a bit more raucous and rough round the edges. There are some shorter tracks, but these guys can cover a lot of ground in just a few minutes. The duo apparently left many stones unturned while exploring the space quadrant they visited on Usufruct and have returned to continue their investigations. But things seem a bit more difficult for the team at first because the pace and atmosphere is somewhat more frantic and intense and the sounds are much more aggressive. Soon things quiet down and we briefly end up with some of the calmest and most meditative music on the Heads portion of the set. Overall, it's the side by side cosmic space and harsher brain bristling stuff that tripped my trigger. It flows smoothly and make for some fun listening.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Mental
Anguish - "Meshwerk"
(Harsh Reality 2001, HRCD009)
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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
Phinney/McGee
- "Antenna Club"
(HalTapes/Harsh Reality 2003, CDR)
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Uploaded to Aural Innovations: August 2003
The latest collaboration between two of the elder statesmen of the homemade electronic music underground is jam packed with noisy, chaotic and totally cosmic exploratory fun. Chris and Hal blast out of the starting gates full tilt toward the sky on "Timetunnel". The engines are fired up but this old clunker is making lots of straaaaaange noises. I don't know if there's trouble on board but the sirens are blaring and it's like somebody decided to hold an air raid drill on the Challenger (I'll give away my age and say that I remember having air raid drills in grade school). But throughout this 10 minute slab of space terrorism I felt like I was a stowaway on a rocket and the only decent hiding place I could find was smack in the belly of the engine room. I often make such engine room references with these guys and they always manage to keep it interesting and exciting. In this case it's much more intense than usual and Klaus Schulze fans can expect to have that dreamy smile of serenity wiped clean off their faces. But it's funny that I should get that impression from the opening track because the last track, "Milky Way Marauders", is the one piece on the album that does fall very nicely into the Schulze/Tangerine Dream style of syncopated cosmic space.
"Tapestry Of Creation And Destruction" is similar to "Timetunnel" but with lush orchestral symphonics rising and falling in the mix. A wild as hell combination. Things calm down a bit on "Shocking Secrets Of The Crab Nebula", though the music is still multi-layered and busy, and a sense of urgency permeates throughout. Chris and Hal excel at creating image inducing scenes of cosmic chaos that keep the listener wide eyed and at attention. "The Wrong Kind Of Galaxy" keeps the pace moving briskly, combining dark bubbling patterns and short wave radio space madness. "Calcutta Brothel Raid (Delayed Transmission)" directs us into different territory as tribal drumming and chants takes center stage while whining minimal keyboard lines drone along like bagpipes, ocean waves crash against the shore, and an assortment of freaky sounds rear their lovely heads. The aptly titled "Insectoid Assembly Line" has a strange robotic head boppin groove that I enjoyed. And things get downright heavenly on "Stargrove"... fallen angels raining down like kamikaze pilots at a Toy R Us picnic with the pops. Veteran of the HalTapes and Harsh Reality catalogs will be delighted, and newcomers who are in any way intrigued by these descriptions should throw caution to the wind and take the plunge.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Phinney/McGee - "Gnarl/Knot" (Haltapes 1996, Harsh Reality 2001, HRCD008)
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The first Phinney/McGee collaboration I heard was the excellent Ancient Astronauts CD (see Chris Phinney profile in AI #13). Gnarl/Knot is a similar space adventure with both musicians playing ARP AXXE, Moog Rogue, Korg Poly 800, FX, and some guitar from Chris. Five long tracks in the 10-20 minute range give the boys plenty of room to stretch out and develop. My favorite tracks are "Variation In Texture" and "And They Were Savages". The former features and intense mechanical noise/drone backdrop that winds a slowly shifting path through the cosmos accompanied by totally spaced synths and a siren sound that conjures up images of some kind of space ambulance rescuing casualties of an inter-galactic battle. I dig the phased effect as the waves of drone float along their determined path. An icy engine room atmosphere contrasts nicely with the lively character of the space synths. Like a 50's sci fi flick soundtrack with the noise and drones adding the texture. "And They Were Savages" is pure cosmic space, covering territory that straddles the line between ambient and aggressive. The music starts off light, and then slowly builds to a high volume frenzy exceeding that heard on "Variation In Texture". This is the busiest track on the disc as a non-stop parade of synth patterns and sounds float and fly through the headphones... and, consequently, the listener's HEAD. I also dig the more purely avant-garde improv closing track with Chris on guitar. Excellent stuff and one of the standout discs in the catalog.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz
Lord
Litter - Litter's Reel All Itty CD (Harsh Reality)
REVIEW : Mononsterzine march 2001
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With countless styles and apparent influences, it's pretty difficult to figure out where Litter's coming from sometimes, but Germany's underground radio DJ Lord Litter's music is in a world unclassifiable by any one but himself. And it doesn't need to be. I'll listen to 100 Lord Litter albums if he sent'em!
From the bizarre Americana of "Pleasin' Lies" to the sheer insanity craziness of "Faktor X" and "Excerpt from A Harsh Reality". Litter showcases his wry lyrical wit on the more tender countrified "Love Song" and melodically soars a la Syd Barrett or Roky Erickson on "Thank You For The Roses". Truly one of the best artists I have ever come across.
Interview from Go Ahead You Review It ! Go Ahead You review It
Note: The site links in this interview with exception of Homemade Music & Tapegerm no longer exist.
Chris
Phinney is an electronic musician and veteran of the underground
music scene heavily involved since the early years of the "cassette
scene" with his label, Harsh Reality.
He shares some of his views with Don Campau.
Question: When did your fascination with electronic music begin?
In
the late seventies was listening to Kraftwerk,Lucifer,Hawkwind,Amon
Dull,Gong,Can,
Heldon,Tangerine Dream & tons more.
How do you manage family life with a brisk musical involvement?
It
can be tough,though I try to not let it be,thats one of the reasons
I went to DSL,a lot
less time spent behind the machine...with my software based music
which is what I have
been doing a lot of lately.Lots of fun & much different,Studio
works are so cool,
& my family actually prefers that instead of the machine..Not
near as much music produced
here as used to be.Gotta divide the time up between music,family
& work & the
everyday chores one has to get done.
What does your wife and kids think of your music?
They
are all very supportive of the music,studio & software style,I
think my kids prefer
the rave type stuff at least my soon to be 14 year old Molly does.The
boys like the studio
work,because at times they record with me Grahm & Eli,now the
youngest Bela well
she will dance to anything!!
At
your day job do they know of your music interests and how do they
relate
to you because of it?
Well
being that I am a self employed House Painter,I have different interactions
from all over,I
am never in one place longer than a month which is the beauty of
the job.The boredom of the same place
seldom sets in but the boredom of the job can,as with any job,but
that changes up too
so it kinda stays fresh.Some of my customers are interested,some
could care less & some
have no idea.Depends on how I percieve the person to maybe be react
etc.I did at one time
several years ago traded a few Grindstone records for a few Steamboat
Strummers records
that my customers 30 years older than myself were doing..
Tell us about your current projects...
Well
they will all take some time,no rush on any of them,a studio &
a software based
Mental Anguish CDs are in the works as well as collaborative CDS
with Autocad,
Doug Michael,new Phinney/McGee,nu Angwana,some reissues of older
stuff.of course always involved
with the Internet Music Collective Tapegerm,a new group of artists
I am working with in which we
do Compilation CDs,Remix each others music & the like,Electropods
keeps me very busy as well.
Also nu Planet 0 & Swine is Mental releases to be done soon,&
more Planet 0 & Mental Anguish &
Nomuzic later this year hopefully.Plans are also just have to find
the time to collaborate with
Zan Hoffman & Ken Clinger.Whew!!!Thats about it.Damn almost
forgot working
on a collaboration CD with Bryan Baker(Gajoob,Homemade Music,Blind
Mime Ensemble)
Anguished Blind Mimes Mental Ensemble..Here are the urls of some
of the projects for those
that are into the mp3 thing!!!
"http://www.mp3.com/MentalAnguish"
"http://www.mp3.com/AnguishNomuzic"
"http://www.mp3.com/PhinneyMcGee"
"http://www.mp3.com/PLANET0"
"http://www.mp3.com/ViktimizedKarcass"
"http://www.mp3.com/tapegerm"
"http://www.mp3.com/tapegermarch"
"http://www.tapegerm.com/index.html"
"http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/205/electropods.html"
"http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/206/electropods_remixes.html"
"http://www.geocities.com/panmuse13/epods1.html"
"http://www.soundclick.com/mentalanguish"
"http://artists.traxinspace.com/DogInTheManger"
CDS are here below:
"http://www.homemademusic.com/shop/shopsearch.pl?harsh+reality"
"http://www.homestead.com/HarshRealityMusic/HarshRealityintro.html"
"http://ampcast.com/BlindAnguish"
"http://zebox.com/artists/MentalAnguish.html"
My radio stations:
"http://www.mp3.com/stations/harsh_reality_music"
"http://www.mp3.com/stations/harsh_reality_music_2"
"http://www.mp3.com/stations/harsh_reality_music_3"
"http://www.mp3.com/stations/harsh_reality_music_4"
"http://www.mp3.com/stations/mentalanguishtapegermarchive".
Has the home taper movement evolved the way you thought it would?
I
suppose it has although people do not seem to want to listen to
cassette tapes as much,
then we all got into vinyl as it got cheaper,now its CDRS &
CDS,a natural evolving process I think
as CDs & CDRs are cheap or cheaper to do than cassettes or about
the same & thats what
people want these days,some great hometapers have vanished,some
vanished & came back,
& some never went away.To answer your question.YES!!!
Is
the internet/MP3/file sharing trend the natural extension of the
mail
music collaboration? What do you see as the inherit limitations?Do
they
differ from a mail collab?
Yes,I
think it is the natural extension,easier & cheaper to do provided
one embraces & uses the
technology.I like both mail & internet,but tend to produce the
internet ones quicker.Limitations are
only size wise in length as to your pieces & all having enough
memory or storage space,they are
different in that I find them very easy to do,cheaper to do.etc.mp3s
to me are the way music is
going I think on the whole,hometapers & musicians should really
embrace the technology not stay stuck
in the old school way of doing things.Nothing wrong with old school,I
do that all the
time but the new technology is there so use it to its full extent.It
will help you
out tremendously.Otherwise you may just get left behind,of course
I know artists who really do
not care one way or another.Me I embrace it & use it!!
Any final thoughts?
Wow,thanks
for asking me to do this interview Don,its been a blast..
Hometapers all over embrace the new technology,overcome those fears..
Dive right in..."Seed the Internet with your music" Its
free,no postage due!!
Thanks, Don
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