Label » Ant Zen

Three years after soap bubble factory and virgin pulses, ant-zen is proud to present geneviéve pasquier's new album. from the very first note the listener will be mesmerized by the elegant electronic pulses that are dominated by the persuasive/icy quality of her vulnerable and adorable voice. le cabaret moi is geneviéve pasquier's very own cabaret. a cabaret which transforms her desires into fourteen songs of diverse styles (without regard to any arbitrariness). the music's scope ranges from subtle, slow-moving ambience (changing, nobody's darling), electro noise tunes (bouge!, fusion), beautiful atmospheric lounge cabaret (mon cabaret), insistent electroid beats (rubberpop) and finally into a furious rapid interpretation of the normal's warm leatherette. at once beautiful and distant, geneviéve pasquier's delivery speaks to everyone's feelings of loneliness, anger and pleasure that crop up at some point in life. a revue of class and noblesse - enter and enjoy your stay!

von magnet dreams of the existence of other possible paths; thin and minute. those tightrope walking paths almost invisible. bouncing in between two perils, two poles, above empires, across frames, which can slip through the breaches of any walls. that is the story of this album. when rage is accompanied by tears. this album is our reaction facing the brutal reality of our world today. a world under pressure where all is put into opposition, where everything would like to divide us and where we are being arbitrarily dictated the absolute necessity of a choice. but with "ni prédateur ni proie" (neither predator nor prey) we will not choose our side. - there between partial / impartial, north / south, subjective / objective, orient / occident, coward / hero, poor / rich, indifferent / partisan ... we will remain bare handed, like astonished and turbulent children dancing on a mine field. we will just stare at you, we will fall into rage and boil into tears. within this emotional turmoil, flore magnet and the turkish actress esra bezen bilgin replace women where they are never welcome. women of multiplicity, violence, engagement and resistance. phil von gives way to the voices of the rom kids of mostar and the jewish and palestinian actors from amos gitai and hany abu-assad movies. - at their side, def sharpens his analogue bass lines and darkens atmospherical ambiances which often feel like "war". scattered explosions, shots, crackles, complaints or laments. only our guest, kurdish sufi musician mŸbin dunen softens the crawling tension. his ney bringing our clamour down to a silent light thread. now von magnet signs a harsh, raw, urgent and poetical piece, mixed and produced flawlessly by master norscq. another dary fusion which binds classical music flavours with oriental rhythms, tribal percussions within neo industrial electronic soundscapes. here orient is not any more sensual and phantasmagoric, it is rigid and almost cold. here occident is no more sparkling and victorious, it is sad and decadent. nevertheless "neither predator nor prey" is the length of rope which suddenly ties them up, confronting our hearts to dive close to the abyss.

many ways' is based on different field recordings of natural sources (fire, water, wind), found objects (chains, metal breakers) and different daily environments (street sounds, trains). using the inspirations received from these recordings anders transformed the raw sound into tracks that range from ambient to breaks. during the production process he kept his senses and spirit as receptive as possible, treading many paths to achieve this result. this open-mindedness to try 'many ways' named the album.

Related to Prodigy – the dynamic duo from bielefeld is back - one and a half years after 'now', tim kniep and philipp münch present another full dose of massive electronics for the mind and body. - tracks like 'who painted my cat black' and 'stuck' keep up synapscape's aural trademark: heavyweight interlaced polyrhythms, distorted textures and tim's non-reversible voice - an ecstatic mixture evolved to make you move! on 'countercroque' or 'requirement', crystal clear technoid detroit synth lines meet strictly accentuated beats, disturbing samples and captivating melodies. the more you listen to this album, the more details that will be visible. proper heavy engine! - the fascinating aspect of this project's work (since the beginning) is their ability to innovate in a genre in which many participants seem to restrict themselves - despite the countless amount of technical options. once 'again' synapscape assert their position as one of the most innovative artists of industrial music today. Ahuenna!

stephen sawyer took his time with his recent release - more than four years have passed since simulations 2.0 was released and now the journey into l'ombre's aural cosmos continues. join him and let go at the steering wheel... the music is personified as driving rhythmic foundations which range from slow melancholic trip hop and faster high-energetic breakbeats to syncopated triplets that emerge from mighty over amplified ambient environments - all created by acoustic and electronic sources. these cadences solidify the abstract collages, heavy low-frequency electro bass lines, sinister minor piano chords and harsh industrial sound sequences. apparently contradicting styles collide and melt into something new, f.e. the darkhop noise hymn 'combustion chamber'. truly it took a long time to move from l'ombre's ambient oriented first works to what he represents now.... does fragile abrasiveness exist? join the ride, and be committed!

full spectrum dominance sounds more like black lung than any previous record: a unique and powerful mixture of electro textures perforated by sudden breaks and lashing aural outbursts. pounding synthetic and acoustic beats carry a heavy load of variety ranging from clicks'n'cuts, cinematic soundscapes and dub-oriented sub basses up to complex sequential patterns qualified for any kind of motion.

"the curse of the mummy began when many terrible events occurred after the discovery of king tut's tomb. legend has it that anyone who dared to open the tomb would suffer the wrath of the mummy..." nobody knew where the rabbits went - one day they disappeared and were never seen again. only a few documents proved they even existed. years passed. there were rumours about a federation of ninjas overwhelming an unpremeditated audience, but before the legend became widespread there were more ominous tales being told: a congregation of mummies entering stages, taking no prisoners, making eardrums bleed... all these tall tales mentioned the same name: monokrom. after a long period of research, ant-zen obtained an aural and visual manifestation of these bandaged beings, and it is our duty to publicize it as a demonstration of the roughness and the savageness of ancient times: one fine day in the pyramid... this very special artifact, packaged in a plaster bandaged sleeve, it will riddle scientists, musicologists and listeners for decades: a permanent breathtaking attack of contorted, cadenced noise, challenging your audio equipment to the highest peak. walls of grinding uproar, pulsating frequencies and warped, unknowable voices that add up to a primordial soup of sheer intensity. beware while listening! beware while watching! do you believe in the curse of the mummy? we will leave that for you to decide... warning: this compact disc includes extreme aural frequencies. listen with extreme caution, at your own risk, and in the safety of your own pyramid dwelling!

proyecto mirage was founded in 1990 by alicia h. willen and francisco planellas. they were initially influenced by the classic electro-pop of the early nineties (a sound which is still present in their side project bubble gum) but the duo was also attracted to industrial-music projects like s.p.k., whitehouse and - of course - esplendor geométrico. their first release saw the light of day after nine years, and their creative output since then has evolved into more complexity. the hard-floor oriented aggressiveness was enriched with electronic ingredients of all kinds - ranging from electro and electronic body music to techno, drum'n'bass, or even sounds similar to those of experimental 'bridging artists' like aphex twin and pan sonic. artists who share p.m.'s taste for alarming atmospheres, broken melodies and distorted rhythms. 'turn it on' is the conclusion of more then ten years of progression. lashing high-speed dance floor blasts ('cannibal party'), distorted eighties nostalgia (6 6 5, 9), straight breakbeat excursions ('welcome to life'), pounding four-to-the-floor industrial anthems ('salvation', a collaboration with italian experimental/folk mastermind spiritual front), disturbing experimental-core ('darker bex') - this album is a perfect amalgamation of all facets of the electronic assault culture - all of which is welded together to form a powerful statement that encompasses severity as well as humorous wickedness - nobody expects the spanish inquisition! this is what they are, this is where the project is today - take it or leave it. always keep in mind: proyecto mirage is not just an illusion but a concrete reality! graphic design by gee.oh.dee

the bielefeld based live / studio project punch inc. was founded in august 2000. both protagonists, a. brinkert and a. glöckner are equally responsible for synthesizer, sampling and programming (both have played in various projects since 1992). a. glöckner (aka moctan) experimented with electronic dance music and supported local industrial projects like ars moriendi, asche, morgenstern and monokrom, while a. brinkert (aka bipol) achived recognition as an innovative bass player and sound constructor with klang, womp and templegarden's. during various sessions both generated the idea to merge these musical outputs into a collective venture. since the beginning the name punch inc. has stood for hard, intransigent and propulsive industrial that is supported by tribalistic and technoid beats. the mercilessness of an industrial civilization is punch inc's main influence, and they always place an emphasis on the rhythmic overkill. fightclub: a visualization of the fate of most everyday humans: struggle for assertiveness, combat the inner and outer predator, fight - not for the chance of winning but for survival. fightclub: machines designed for personal wars, emitting dense, grinding soundwalls that are wedged into never ending beat pulses. fightclub: mankind's biggest enemy is shutdown and here are eleven arms to make you move onward... if this album doesn't make you roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty then you need to check your pulse!

Converter's Fans will love these 100blumen's, whose' roots are in guitar (punk, grindcore and metal). from the beginning his political stance was anti-fascist and he still characterizes himself as an anarchist. he discovered industrial music in 1997 after debuting as a vocalist in a punk band and a few years later he started experimenting with electronic equipment. in 2005 he founded the 'le petit machiniste' label and the project that became 100blumen... although the project's name was taken from the mao zedong quote, (which sounds harmless at first but culminated in terribly oppressed freedom of expression) 100blumen's musical aim is not necessarily political. in his own words, music is an articulation of emotions: "not exactly the adequate means to express myself, but so far there is no better one available". what you are about to hear is a sheer outburst of distorted noise, chopped sequences and hard driving beats. an edgy fusion of energy and aggression, rooted in the roughness of punk without any stylish teenage riot nostalgia. essentially the sound is the power of innocent machines forced to run amok. this is the continuation of what started with the no-fi industrial movement way back in the eighties. music that keeps you awake. music that forces you to think. music to make you move. let a hundred flowers bloom.

two years have passed since genetic selection's last strike. the concept album "darwin's voyage" showcased the german oneman-project as an open-minded artist who is an explorer of new musical territories. futuristic sci-fi concepts combined with complex hard beats are his trademarks and these are further refined with "world of tomorrow". on this album, g.s. combines heavy rhythms with his interpretation of various styles. hypnotic synth lines converge with pounding four to the floor sequences, symphonic choirs ('epic dreams'), disturbing shattered voice samples ('a man and his droid'), and electronic ambience ('whispers in the dark'). all of this (and more) is welded together with straight but well elaborated drumwork (and breakbeats). in short, a varied sound journey can be found within a "world of tomorrow". for instance, in 'brotherhood of steel', g.s. presents a dance track with vocals that could turn a discotheque into a starlight casino. another great album by a real starship trooper who is back to squash some more bugs!

hypnosis - a process in which the critical thinking faculties of the mind are bypassed and a type of selective thinking/perception is established. this process can be achieved without any impact (consider the mind when it is half asleep or half awake). this album's intention is to aurally simulate a hypnosis session (such as one conducted by a hypnotherapist). if a 'subject' is willing to engage with the topic then different steps of hypnosis can be retraced while listening: preparation, induction (taking the subject from normal awareness to a state of enhanced relaxation), deepening (taking the subject from a very relaxed state into the fully 'hypnotized' state, where conscious thinking is minimized), purpose (when the subjects are asked to say or perform things) and finally awakening (when the subject is taken out of the hypnotic state). the music starts with straight forward (but calm) rhythmic patterns - patterns that are in place to reach a state of trance. the music changes the same way as the subject's perception does: rhythm is replaced with surreal ambient soundscapes, incomprehensible voices start to talk and then a constant but always changing flow takes over - a strange and unfamiliar experience is the result - due to the subject's inexperience. but the experience is never threatening as the final process of awakening is performed very carefully. either way, the subject will immediately realize the session is over. it matters not if you take the invitation to use 'sous hypnose' as an occasion to start a fascinating experiment, or if you just want to enjoy the new work of vromb; this album is a highly recommended document of today's serious electronic music (as all of this great canadian artist's releases are).

with their sixth full length album synapscape (t.kniep and p.münch) continue and evolve what they started twelve years ago: powerful and versatile explorations in sound, rhythm and ambience. this release is unmistakably synapscape - distorted polyrhythmic beats meet atonal synth tones, kniep's strange lyrics (coupled with his haunting alienated voice that is offset with various effects), and constant rhythmic changes (while the metric speed is kept). however, there is a readiness for experiments - thus they avoid turning a trademark into a corset. synapscape's open mindedness to the electronic art combined with their ability to integrate characteristics of breakbeat, electronica and experimental music results (as usual) in a fascinating, unique sonic exploration. the possibilities are infinite as their producing was, is, and will be. this is where they are now - another landmark in contemporary industrial music.

the ultra milkmaids can be found in unusual places: record stores, stages, maybe even on video covers. the ultra milkmaids can also be discovered in many record collections - if you file your records alphabetically then all their records can be kept in one place. but if you sort by genre... trouble may start. 'peps' for example will be stored where all the 'difficult' stuff is - soundscapes, bits'n'clicks, the 'new music' which is actually fifty years old now (if you know how to spell 'pierre schaeffer') - but we zone out. 'pop pressing', well that's another story. if you enjoyed that record then you will park it not too far from your many stereolab and sonic youth albums. with this release, u.m. has returned to the guitar-oriented basics they originally started with in 1993 but now there is the addition of the experimental sound modifications from the 'peps' days. this new release entitled 'pocket station' is the logical sequel to 'pop pressing'. the band itself classifies the u.m. sound as 'hypnotic and melodic rock'n'roll' - which might look a bit vexing. sure the instrumentation could be used by a 'rock-and-roll-band': acoustic drums, electric guitars and bass. however, the use of the sampler and gbf-moog system mentioned in the booklet stops any comparisons to the rock genre. what we have here is a truly fine mixture of post eighties experimental rock (in all its varieties) - augmented with the sound ingredients the milkies are well-known for. 'less drem' with it's long sallow synth line followed by psychedelic backwards-guitars and irritating clicks is a perfect example of u.m.'s ability to mold 'unreasonable' styles into one. there is always a surprising continuation within their songs - 'my star' could be a velvet underground cover (with the residents' vocalist as a guest), but in the end the synth takes over - and believe me, this is not a hawkwind tune... so try this release, let it take over. it might be possible that you will discover new worlds by entering seemingly 'old' ones. file this album wherever you like...

following the fantasy influenced 'war of sound', the exotic 'aswad' and the haunting 'frozen spark', mathis mootz produced his latest concept work, 'nyx' (night). 'nyx' is not only the album title but it's also the ancestral name of the eight greek goddesses and gods that are the inspiration for the track titles. mootz says that this work 'is the most satisfying squaremeter release since i started the project'. the name of the first five mythological statures characterize an attribute for which they stand for: vitiation (moros), death (thanatos), sleep (hypnos), discord (eris), retribution and revenge (nemesis). the last three tracks are named by the moires (goddesses of faith): klotho, spinning the thread of life, lachesis who decides this thread's length and atropos who cuts the thread relentlessly. nyx and her descendants represent the dark regions of greek mythology - self-evidently 'nyx' is the aural implementation of what these figures stand for. the deep drones, bass pulses and disturbing soundscapes seem to originate from some otherworldly region and worm their way through the listener's psyche (and into nightmares). often, releases of this genre have a cold icy mood but the spirit of 'nyx' is red-hot - even when the deathless long pauses occur within the tracks. except for 'nemesis' no rhythmic structures will be found here as an anchor. time itself seems to be invalidated, experiencing this album will be as if you slipped into a black hole for an eternity. this is like watching waves crash against rocks in slow motion: there's a sense of movement and development, but it's almost as if that development is taking place on a grander time scale than what we are able to grasp. truly epic and massive: enveloping and cleansing, the sound of tectonic plates colliding. adjust the headphones - references are legion.