“mash_the_place_up”
Mash the Place Up
Various Artists
Ambush/C8
This is the face of electronic brutality. Forget gabber and forget industrial (or what’s left of it). Forget your head, because by the time you’re done listening to this, all that will remain of it will be a bloody pulp. The Ambush Records crew will kick in your face and read Georges Bataille out loud to you while doing it.
This is a compilation of various out of print 12”s that have appeared on the Ambush label over the years. Appearing here are DJ Scud, Aphasic, Schizuo, Give Up, Din-S.T. and collaborative tracks between DJ Scud & Christoph Fringli, and Aphasic & DJ Scud. The only conspicuous absence I see here is Nomex, but that is forgivable. This style of music is sometimes called “splatterbreaks,” and fittingly so. But, this is no “Let’s turn our 808’s up to 180 bpms and scream inanely over the top” styled music The breaks here are massive and constantly shifting, and the textures within are rough and grating. A power electronic influence is certain, along with some musique concrete and dub. These artists use the same tools as “techno” producers, but I couldn’t imagine anyone but the most ardent speedfreak dancing to this.
The tracks on this comp are more intelligent and well thought out than much other aggressive electronic music I’ve heard. Schizuo contributes two tracks, one of which, “Moshi-Moshi,” features a murky, thick atmosphere under which maniacally shifting breaks fester. Din-S.T.’s track sounds like a 50-car pileup at 1000 miles an hour. It’s just a total fucking destroyed, insane, violent mess. I now need everything on Praxis, Ambush, and C8. This is one of the best CDs I heard last year. Absolutely essential.
