Format:CD,Album
Country:US
Released:2007
Genre:Electronic
Style:Experimental,Ambient,Noise,Drone
Notes:Total time:46:51
Tracklisting:
1 - Untitled (2:49)
2 - Untitled (8:38)
3 - Untitled (7:04)
4 - Untitled (2:04)
5 - Untitled (26:24)
REVIEW:
This well-constructed, finely paced set built by Seht (New Zealander Stephen Clover) and Howard Stelzer via postally exchanged creations launches into existence the way one might have expected: a brutal storm of tortured tape. But once the door’s been kicked in, the disc takes a surprising turn toward more ethereal realms, initially a vibrating, wind tunnel-like effect shortly supplanted with a harsher, grinding tone beneath, the volume and level of detail in each increasing as the track progresses until it all comes tumbling down. The third of the five untitled cuts comes at the drone from a slightly more traditional approach, one of the prominent elements sounding almost like a cloudily recorded, low electric guitar strum, adjacent ones inferring recordings from the field. Ingredients slowly accrete, the piece expands then subsides; succinct and effective.A brief but enticing track that mixes short, radio-like bursts of noise with at least two other, more watery sounds leads to the final and most satisfying work, a 26 minute excursion into an absolutely absorbing world. As a marginal comparison, there’s something akin to the sort of hyper-dense work of Jason Lescalleet at play here, though Seht and Stelzer remain unique. Rough, multiple layers of drone, a string sample that I know I’ve heard but can’t place (a John Wall expropriation?), birds and more billow to the surface and sink beneath it, the whole mass steadily flowing past like some slow moving river. The piece has the sense to stay in one large area allowing the listener to bathe in its wealth of detail and their relationships. This is my first exposure to Seht but it’s also the finest work I’ve heard to date from Stelzer—a really strong creation. The footstep-like clops that draw the piece toward its conclusion at first seem a world away from the tape assault heard in the first track but the intrusion of raucous noise blasts in the final couple of minutes reminds the listener from whence this all has sprung.
15 comments:
Hi, I'm Howard Stelzer. You must take this down. I am trying to sell the CD! It's very much in print and available for $10 to $12 from Forced Exposure, Mimaroglu Music Sales, RRRecords, Revolver, Aquarius, Metamkine... PLEASE support independant music and independant record labels by BUYING the CDs! I put so much money and time and years of effort into each of my releases, it kills me (and my little label) to have them available on blogs for free. Honestly... $12 is not a lot of money. You can do it.
That said, I appreciate the kind review. This particular album took Seht and I a long time to finish. Mike Shiflet designed the sleeve, which looks beautiful and compliments the music nicely. The photos were taken by Seht. You can see them when you hold the booklet in your actual hands, and open its pages.
Thanks!
- Howard
www.intransitiverecordings.com
Special deal for Deleted Scenes users: write to me and mention this blog, and I'll give you BOTH Seht & Stelzer "Exactly What You Lost" CD and the forthcoming Howard Stelzer "Bond Inlets" CD (out in January '08) for $15 postpaid in the US. That's right, I'm going to take a small loss just to get your support, and attempt to persuade you that it's the right thing to do: hstelzer att gmail dottt commm.
This offer will last until January 30, 2008.
Otherwise, get 'em from me for only $12 apiece, or from Hanson, FE, Mimaroglu, Metamkine, Revolver, Diffusion i Media, RRR... they'll be around and available.
Oh, and by the way: if I see my new album, which I've sunk a good amount of time, real money, and three years of hard work into, show up for free on this blog, I can promise that you won't be pleased with my response. Same with the other two CDs I have upcoming, by Lionel Marchetti and Nerve Net Noise. Both CDs are terrific... so please buy 'em.
Alex from Students of Decay Records, here. LOADS of my releases (both in print and out of print, as well as a handful of my recording project Taiga Remains' releases on other labels) have been posted here over the last several months. I feel precisely the same way as Howie and would like the hosting of Students of Decay music on this site to cease and desist.
We tiny, DIY labels are only able to exist and sustain ourselves because of listeners' support. If this blog has helped you discover some new music, as many people seem to assert, that's good and I hope you give support to the artists and labels who work so hard to make it happen. It is, of course, up to the mods of this blog to honor our requests and not blatantly host the labors of our time and money for free. That said, I join with Howie in asking listeners to consider the ramifications of not supporting small independent labels. We're the guys who really need support to survive!
I've seen a lot of people in the "shoutbox" maintaining that the blog hosts primarily out of print releases. This is certainly not true, if anything, the exact opposite seems to be the case. Many posts on here feature albums that have JUST come out and are CERTAINLY readily available for reasonable prices to anyone on the planet. Hell, a few months ago I saw a post which hosted Procer Veneficus' "Deathwanderings" which Students of Decay will be reissuing in early January. How is this fair?
In summation, in an appeal to the decency of whoever runs this blog, please stop hosting Students of Decay releases. If you're truly interested in promoting/getting the word out for drone/ambient/experimental/out/etc music then write some good reviews or perhaps just link people to the sites where they can purchase the albums.
Thank you.
Alex
My suggestion would be to keep with the great reviews, keep with posting the albums to the blog, BUT....
Only post every other track - OR a 1/2 excerpt if it is a longer piece.
I can't get upset with anyone posting my music on their site for free (there are several of my albums on this site BTW...) - music IS free, and in reality it's the way it should be... but until artists and musicians can get paid some other way - people should really try to go out of their way to support smaller artists.
z/g
Deleted Scenes, you should respect the artists wishes. otherwise, what kind of fan are you?
keep up the good work alpha team! thanks for shining the light on these works of art.
agree with the label people here and some of the ideas presented to keep this blog alive and valuable such as posting some samples along with the review. if something is new and readily available, the full album shouldn't be up. if the record was out of print for many years or in a tiny edition of 25 or super hard to find, then that's another story. but howie and the gentleman from Students of Decay have politely asked to have their record removed, and have spelled out where to get their records. please take them down out of respect for them as artists and as captains of industry.
dg
No, seriously. Take this down right now.
you heard the man. take it down. it's not yours.
This is a masterpiece - please buy it!
I'm curious to hear from the posters of these items...
What's you take on these things?
z/g
I love how whoever runs this site refuses to explain his constant disregard for artists'/labels' wishes.
i don't like this album.
i am glad i heard it for free first rather than buying it and being disappointed, resulting in me never buying any other seht.
however i downloaded roadkill echidna and loved it and bought it.
DSFD 4EVA LULZZZ
Blogs like this should always get permission before posting music.
If the label no longer exists, then contact the artist or someone who was involved. It's not that difficult with the internet at your disposal. If you get permission, then mention it in the post to avoid getting the blog removed. Otherwise DO NOT POST IT.
And you can be rest assured that I am in the process of getting this blog shut down because anyone who has such a high level of disregard for other people's rights should not be allowed to continue their activities. End of story.
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