PBK / C. Reider - "Discorporate" CDR

Ten years (off and on) in the making, this 7-track, 46-minute collaboration between drone composer C. Reider and abstractionist PBK is a curious and immersive set of noisy, textured, alien soundscapes, with a very proto-industrial feel. Beginning with the befuddling, loopily surreal opener (we'll call it 'Track 1'), the album gels into a far-out set of abstracted sounds, textures, and sound collages. Track 4 is a densely-collaged mass of squelch and what sounds like manipulated and layered field recordings. Track 5 is more woozy, like waking up from a horrible anesthesia experience with your head spinning and throbbing. Track 7 wakes from the dream to a lilting, ambient journey at the beach, complete with what seems like distant waves and seagulls (or was I imagining that? Didn't hear it the second time through). It's a fitting conclusion to an otherwise disorienting journey, and a marvelous one, at that. (Impulsy Stetoskopu)

PBKSound blog

c.reider's Vuzh Music blog

c. reider - "Long Defeat Variations"

A few years ago, veteran sound sculptor and Vuzh label-master c. reider recorded a set of improvised ambient sounds in an old abandoned factory, and released this online to a fair amount of acclaim. That recording forms the basis for this remix project, and it succeeds handily where most traditional remixes don't. These 4 extended pieces all run at over 14 minutes apiece, and none feature any semblance of rhythm or easily-discernable structures. 'Long Defeat Variation one by Mystified' is a tense, metallic drone work that summons the dark and arcane vibes of prime Organum or Nurse With Wound's majestic 'Soliloquy For Lilith'. Beautiful and mystical, somehow. Reider's own mix is more dirgey, dank (that's a compliment), and nearly industrial (in the classic sense), suitable for use in a horror flick, perhaps. Reider's drones and deep reverberations summon visions of ghostly apparitions and eerie landscapes. Well-done. The third mix, by another Godsend/Goatsend favorite, Kirchenkampf, brings in percussive elements (what sounds like chains and metal being dropped/dragged/smashed) and smooths it out with reverb, creating an interesting mesh of ambience and unease. The final mix, by Gurdonark, is a more subtle and ambient variation, with light, swirly tones and shards of drone - more in a minimalist spirit. Overall, 'Long Defeat Variations' is a superlative release of contemplative and meditative ambience, with a dark streak that's undeniable and an ominous foreboding that's somehow inviting. (Vuzh Music)

This wonderful release (and others) can be downloaded free (and legally) from the artist here