Ramleh – Power Electronics, Noise.
Ramleh is an experimental band that has spanned many genres over many years. From power electronics to noise rock. The way they influenced this project was with their 1987 release ‘Hole in the heart’.
Hole in the Heart explores power electronics in a more subtle way to other artists in the genre (e.g. Whitehouse) by having more of an emphasis on drones, and more melodic content as well. The opening track ‘Bite The Bolster‘ almost gives off a Fripp & Eno -esque sound. With what sounds like looping guitar melodies with these faint reverb-coated vocals.
On my piece, I tried lacing in some more subtle moments, primarily at the beginning and end. With the usage of drones, field recordings, and using effects like resonators, reverb, and mishby (broken tape machine vst). I like the way Ramleh used these sounds and still created a very unsettling atmosphere without being too in your face. But that being said, being in your face isn’t always a bad thing…
Throbbing Gristle – Industrial, Ambient, Noise.
Throbbing gristle was experimental audio and visual arts project from 1975 to 1981, 2004 to 2010. Throbbing Gristle were pioneers of industrial music and electronic music as a whole. With records like ‘The Second Annual Report‘ and ‘D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle‘ under their belt.
How Throbbing gristle influenced this track was primarily through the song ‘Hamburger Lady’, one of their most well-known and infamous tracks. From the album ‘D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle‘. The track has this deep synth drone that lingers throughout the piece and a slow kick pattern. The part that took the most inspiration on my part was the way vocals are used.
The vocals sound like they are being run through a vocoder and tremolo. Resulting in the chopped-up pattern of the vocals. The song is about a victim of a horrible car accident. Below is a passage of lyrics that brutally describe the injuries this woman has suffered.
“She’s dying
She is burned from the waist up
On her arm
Her ear is burned off,
her nose is burned off,
her eyelashes are burned,
her fingers are burned
She can’t hold anything up
and with medical advances,
there’s no end in sight
for the hamburger lady “
Artwork by Hipgnosis
The lyrics are based on a letter written by “Blaster” Al Ackerman”. I always liked the way this track unsettles you. In particular with the vocal passages. In my piece (i have no mouth and I must scream). I repeated the phrase through the song. To the point, it is drowned out by pure chaos. Until the end.
Whitehouse – Power Electronics.
I have talked extensively about Whitehouse in this document, and for good reason. William Bennet & Phillip Best (among other members in their long-spanning career) have created something incredible. Bennet coined the term ‘power electronics’ on Whitehouse’s seventh record ‘Psychopathia Sexualis’ in 1982.
Whitehouse influenced this project through the usage of rhythmic noise. As seen on songs like ‘Why You Never Became A Dancer’ and ‘Wriggle Like A Fucking Eel’ there is a constant rhythmic quality to it, but done in such an abstract way that it’s completely different to throwing a jungle drum rhythm over the vocals. On my piece ‘I have no mouth and I must scream’ when the power electronics start to fade in there is a rhythmic pattern to it that really suits the track