ASMUS TIETCHENS

Somewhat schizophrenically, after having got this guy on the site, nobody has given him more than three stars for anything yet, which is a minor scandal, although actually I see why thinking about whether this is "essential" as a prog album or even just an "excellent addition to a prog rock collection" makes you not choose higher marks. Why should a prog rock collection have any avantgarde electronics that the collector probably hates? I don't have any idea. Still I will give this four stars because it's just excellent music, apart from any considerations about whether it falls into the genre that gave the site its name.

There are various varieties of avantgarde electronics, and this album falls into the "meditative" category, which by and large is my favourite (some other varieties get annoying at times but this one doesn't). This means that this is very minimalist and calm. There is the odd surprising louder sound, but normally it is driven by rather quiet, often hissing or noisy sounds (the rich English vocabulary for sounds of a native speaker would help here, I'm feeling that my description doesn't really hit the spot), some pauses, usually one or two or hardly ever three sounds at any time. Atmosphere is everything, contemplation and the ability to concentrate on very subtle things when listening. If you're craving for entertainment, this is not for you. If your life is rather too full, though, and you need something to slow you down, and to get you to listen to every subtle small thing that is going on insoide and outside of yourself, this is the way. Oh, it's also listenable as background - my experience is that it makes the room larger in which you are and gives it some kind of depth and connection to things that go on in some other place where you wouldn't normally hear them. I should probably mention that there is the odd repetition that with many goodwill some people could define as rhythm... not much of it but still. Obviously there are no melodies and harmonies or even percussion sounds. But OK, I may revise the 0% rock to 0.5%.

Soiree is very mature and uncompromising music of a composer who doesn't have to prove himself to anyone. I enjoy this a lot and a small but special minority on this site may do so, too.

'Litia' is purely electronic, full of almost discordant tunes that are unsettling in the same way as 1970's 'Residents' albums were. Tietchens once again makes full use of that old primitive drum machine which repetitively spurts out odd patterns. Meanwhile, queazy, ugly keyboards play atonal serial killer music in the foreground.

It's all quite unhinged and won't appeal to many due to the random scatter-gun approach he takes in executing each short track. Asmus Tietchens sounds disturbed and unhinged, so I'm surprised to find myself saying that this is one of his more accessible recordings.

There's a permanent ice cold feeling that runs throughout which adds to the alien quality of 'Litia' It's strange then, that the overall sound is so twisted and odd.

You can almost imagine the foam dribbling out of his mouth, with bulging watery eyes, as he punches his keyboards, relentlessly trying to find the sound he wants. 'Litia' uses technology very much of its time but is none the worse for it. It feels completely trapped in 1982, unable to escape. Nonetheless he thrashes about kicking and screaming at anyone willing to listen to his absurd noodlings.

The strangely flat chord structures may put listeners off, but if you can persevere, this is actually a colourful and funny little album. It always brings a smile to my face.

'Grav' is certainly not the Holy Grail for any Prog Archive enthusiast. In fact I'm quite certain that most listeners would start punching inanimate objects in torment whilst listening to this torture noise from the depths of hell. It would, however, make a very effective interrogation weapon if you require information from a captured suspected terrorist.

The good thing is that it's quite restrained where all three artists have combined in such a way as to not overpower one another. PGR contribute tapes and electronics. Merzbow - the noise king is on metal percussion and bowed metal and Asmus Titchens fidgets away merrily with his atonal electro-acoustic noises.

"Grav" was recorded on and off over a period of four years from '87 to '91 with tapes sent between Hamburg, Tokyo and San Francisco for each artist to contribute to. It actually punches all the right buttons with me. It sounds as though it was recorded in a very large dark cave with all noises bouncing and deflecting from wall to ceiling to ground. Perhaps it's the calming effect of Kim Cascone of PGR that makes all the difference here, because Asmus Tietchens and Merzbow are notoriously difficult to listen to before you start foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog.

Merzbow grabs the limelight on 'Three Hemispheres, with screeching metal on metal abrasive scrapes that are squeezed through various filters and effects. This is 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' territory. Murder music.

Gradually Tietchens and PGR claw back some ground as odd metallic keyboards and violent watery squirts ricochet from ear to ear, before multiple layers of acoustic bowed metal gradually create a cacophony that can only be compared to the destruction of a submarine at the bottom of the Mariana trench.

The good news is that PGR take control on 'Hymns from the Furnace'. With a far more quiet yet sinister approach, he heaps layer upon layer of ultra strange droning keyboard sounds on top of each other. This tune gets quieter and more ambient as it progresses as indecipherable whispering voices pitter patter in a very threatening manner. "Grav" slowly peters out with a sound akin to the interior of a gas boiler with whirling helium-like tones circling and gyrating to its termination.

An intense, yet accessible soundtrack from Hades

Since that moment, Tietchens has released over 40 albums of irregular quality perhaps this one, "Formen Letzter Hausmusik", is a remarkable achievement into his career.

Noisy, experimental, almost avant garde. Reminds me some Peter Frohmader "Nekropolis" electronic imporvisations or an insomniac Klaus Shulze but a little less inspired perhaps there are some intentioned ambiguous and morbid atmospheres based on dark dense and minimalistic keyboards and synthesizers and fullfilled with almost annoying distorted metalic effects; in fact, more than be labeled as an "electronic" artist I dare tos ay that you'll heard on this album some of the most dark avant garde experiments of the mid 80's.

Perhaps it's a very uniform album which fluctuate between intentioned mysterious atnmospheres and very hard experimental effects there ar some highlights to mention such as "Hydrophonie 1", "Kammermusik 1" and "Studie Über B-A-C-H". Not one of the top electronic avant-garde pieces of all times but at least a very enjoyable experimental album.

Unfortunately I was underwhelmed back then and I still am today 21 years later. There it sits in it's fancy packaging, all prim and proper with charcoal sketches on tracing paper, sitting lazily in my collection looking as though it had been bought yesterday. It's one of those cd's that just lies there, year on end collecting dust. It sits uncomfortably between 'Throbbing Gristle' and 'This Mortal Coil' which are falling to pieces through overuse through the decades.

The music within is as grey and uninteresting as the sleeve would suggest. For those who are not familiar with his name - this bloke never uses bass, guitar,vocals or percussion - although there were a few drum machines in the early 80's recordings which are infinitely superior.

The sounds used are all highly treated and of manipulated acoustic origin. Big deal - it doesn't make the album any good. There's nothing to cling to or grab hold of musically. 'Sinkende Schwimmer' is a tuneless, unmemorable random collection of tones and vaguely metallic squeaks and groans. There's nothing but a feeling of emptiness at the end and a curiosity to listen to it again because you can't remember a thing about what you've just heard. This truly is the Devil's music.

Wobbles and gurgles appear randomly and unless I'm much mistaken one of those Rolf Harris 'Wobble Boards' makes a less than dramatic appearance half way through. It's of such undetermined origin though that I just lost interest almost as soon as it started.

What a waste of twelve quid that was! Why on earth haven't I thrown this out, or at least snapped the damn thing in two? It's almost like it holds me in perpetual bondage as if I'm in an HP Lovecraft horror novel.

I can only hope and pray that I get burgled one day and that 'Sinkende Schwimmer' is finally cast from my life. If not, it will look down at me mockingly for years to come with it's sharp cornered, untouched tracing paper packaging and laugh in my face casting aspersions that it now looks far younger than me.

An antiquated drum machine beatbox is utilised on most tracks which only adds to the alien quality of each tune. There's a definite DIY charm to these recordings using analogue equipment. Nothing digital, no laptop, no editing software, just good old fashioned squishy and bloopy synths. If you're a fan of Conrad Schnitzler or fancy a more unfriendly and less hospitable 'Cluster' you'll probably like this.

Tietchens is instantly recognisable with a distinct and very personal sound. The man's a walking Rubik's Cube - either that or a complete nut-job. And that's good enough for me in an age of a morass of similar sounding bands with little originality.

What we've got here is a highly experimental, abstract yet beautiful album revolving around the sound of running water. Massive electronic effects are used to such an extent that the finished item sounds like waves of odd keyboard chords.

An excellently clear recording, 'Seuchengebiete II' should be classed as ambient. Everything is saturated in echo and reverb making you feel like you're trapped 30 feet below a river with reeds wrapped around your ankles.

Some may find this torture. Others may find it very therapeutic. One way or another, there's no mistaking it's creator.

Hats off to a any guy who can put together an album of running water through old lead pipes, that's what I say.

'Biotop' is a very, very cold record. The kind of music you'd expect to hear in Tromso in Norway just as you're about to turn the lights off to go to sleep. There are similarities here with the 'Residents' from the same time period and 'Cluster' in that the recording sounds very electronic and minimal.

I can't listen to 'Biotop' without being reminded of that old 70's and 80's Friday night programme 'It's a Knockout' starring Stuart Hall as he guffawed with his infectious laugh at our European neighbours parading about in ridiculous outfits as musical jingles played in the background.

Tietchen's first four or 5 albums listed in the Archive are all 'reasonably' accessible, after which he goes completely atonal and tuneless. Some of which are actually excellent eg: 'Seuchengebiete II'.

But for the moment I'm happy listening to 'Biotop' with its frigid air and reckless, yet somewhat robotic approach to electronic music. Nice.