Genre/Influences: Experimental, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Robin Storey (Rapoon, Zoviet France), Robert L. Pepper (Pas Musique), and Shaun Sandor (Promute) met a long time ago. They also started releasing music under the Old Castle moniker for a few years.

Content: The work clearly appears to be a good old improvisation session resulting in a sonic puzzle. It might be linked to the early years of Kraut music.

+ + + : The least I can say is that Old Castle are simply into free-style. You might recognize different influences -I personally like passages featuring deep bass lines and Industrial sound treatments, but in the end it always remains unpredictable.

– – – : I’m missing structure and cohesion which you clearly can’t expect listening to such a sound experiment.

Conclusion: A complete anarchistic sound experiment; kind of sonic Dadaism.

Best songs: “Rage Goat”, “Nightmare Fuel”.

Rate: 6.

Label: www.zoharum.com / www.facebook.com/zoharum

About Old Castle

Old Castle is the trio of Robin Storey (Rapoon, Zoviet France), Robert L. Pepper (Pas Musique) and Shaun Sandor (Promute). “Artwork 51”, released 10 December 2022 on Zoharum, is the group’s second album for the label, built from improvisation sessions rooted in the early Kraut tradition, pressed in a 300-copy limited edition across digital and CD formats.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Experimental, industrial, abstract.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Robert L. Pepper (Pas Mustique) and Robin Story (Rapoon) have already released three albums together. “Composited Reality” is their last collaboration, which is a live recording from 2017 that took place in New York (USA) and originally released on cassette and USB stick in 2018 by Alrealon Mustique. The work has now been re-released –and this time on CD format, by Zoharum.

Content: You don’t really notice the live recording as there clearly is no interaction with the audience. This album is a sonic puzzle and an enigma as well. It sounds like an immense sonic patchwork between multiple noises. It clearly sounds like improvisation for which the artists have used an impressive arsenal of noises (including field recordings) and manipulated sound treatments. Some passages are easily reminiscent of the ambient side of Rapoon’s late years. The album features 6 cuts, which are all together creating a long single piece.

+ + + : Both musicians have created a hostile atmosphere, which is mainly emerging from the strident noises. The work clearly sounds into improvisation and yet there’s a kind of red line running through the performance. There’s a constant dark sphere hanging over this sonic puzzle. Both artists clearly seem to have found a harmony together.

– – – : The original 6 pieces have been merged together becoming a long and definitely too long, single piece. This is the kind of work that will only appeal to lovers of pure experimental & abstract stuff.

Conclusion: I think this is the kind of work, which probably had more impact during the live performance itself then being released as a live recording.

Best songs: “Composited Reality”.

Rate: (6).

Artists: www.pasmusique.net  / www.facebook.com/pas.musique / www.rapoon.org / www.facebook.com/rapoon

Label: www.zoharum.com / www.facebook.com/zoharum

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Experimental- & abstract music.

Content: Pas Musique started 20 years ago resulting from the creative brain of Robert L. Pepper. The band has mainly been active releasing albums during the past few years and we got the opportunity to discover the previous work “Abandoned Bird Egg” (2014), which was a weird, but interesting experiment reminding me of some famous pioneers in the genre.

“Inside The Spectrum” has been introduced as being inspired by space and philosophy. The transposition into music is a rather surreal idea as the name of the band has to be translated as ‘No Music’. So once again Pas Musique invites us to join imaginary ‘dada’-fields of music creation. This is not exactly about coherence rather than the creation of sounds and experimentation with the most diversified sources of noise. The title-song takes off opening with the sound of a bagpipe, but rapidly evolves into a sound labyrinth where you’ll have to find the little pieces creating a big sonic puzzle. Some kind of bewitching female vocals join to add some extra mysterious element to the track. I have to admit this is a rather successful beginning.

Quite progressively we’re moving towards chilling sound atmospheres mixed with pure experimental treatments and some passages driven by a slow rhythm. “Ancient Evil Aliens” is an interesting exposure holding on to its experimental basis, but still unleashing electronic loops and intriguing screaming-like vocals with an extra effect on top. We next move into more obscure sound paths, which are quite progressively becoming more experimental and decomposed.

I however become intrigued by the violin playing, which creates a kind of duality with the overwhelming sonic puzzle leading into a pure abstract creation. I can’t get away from the idea that most of the tracks have been accomplished by pure improvisation and that none of the Pas Musique tracks can ever be played the same. It remains a meaningful experimental voyage, which can serve as antidote to what we’re commonly calling ‘music’.

Conclusion: “Inside The Spectrum” makes me think of a sonic painting where the colors have been replaced by sounds and where the style is totally abstract and into modernism.

Best songs: “Ancient Evil Aliens”, “Inside The Spectrum”, “Cerebral Vacuum”.

Rate: (DP:6½)DP.

Band: www.pasmusique.net / www.facebook.com/pages/PasMusique/101553946846583

Label: www.alrealonmusique.com / www.alrealon.co.uk / www.facebook.com/alrealon

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com