The main aim of this blog is to expand on the knowledge contained in the volumes of my Encyclopaedia of Industrial Music, not by means of biographical entries you may find in the book but by means of reviews of selected releases. This, hopefully, may restore the review as a literary form some of its old glory, and give it a new quality in the context of industrial music and experimental (avant-garde) music in its broad sense.
Writing reviews is how I am going to inform you about the latest (and older) releases and to provide a critique of them in terms of aesthetics, structure, references to music styles, the artist’s earlier works, and last but not least, to other phenomena: sociological, philosophical, artistic, cultural, and political. All of these considerations will result from the underlying premise that each and every work of art is created under certain circumstances and is the essence of unique communication between the artist and the audience.
Although my writing will not, naturally, be free from subjectivity, my judgements will follow clearly specified criteria you will soon find in the menu. I hope the conclusions I will make in those reviews will not only give you some insight into a given release, helping to make the decision about the purchase and/or finding out more about it, but will also serve as credible source of critical feedback for the artists themselves or the labels and, prompting them to improve the quality of the music they make or release. I also hope they will lead to creative exchanges of views, as discussion is meant to be in the very nature of this blog and its strong point.
On a technical note, the works I am going to review will solely be original, physical releases (vinyl, CD, CD-R, cassette). Internet releases, CDR dubs, releases which are incomplete in terms of packaging or artwork, ‘demos’ or promo copies will not be accepted.
Having said that, this blog will not be my reviews only. It is my intention to involve actively artists, label owners, writers, and other people whose work has direct influence on the quality and dynamics of the experimental/industrial scene. They will be asked to listen to a number of recordings selected by me, with no prior knowledge of either the artist or the release. It will not be a blind test on the ability to identify music or on the knowledge of facts concerning a given composition. What will count is their comments on the music alone, while its anonymous nature is merely expected to make the opinions as honest and objective as possible.
Another non-review content that may appear here is interviews, although that is not a primary activity for this blog. On occasions, I will also share my personal observations and reflections on whatever intrigues or annoys me in the sphere of music I have been passionately following for over 20 years.
The updates will not be more frequent than weekly as, apart from a full-time job, most of my free time is already taken up by my label and work on the final instalment of Encyclopaedia of Industrial Music.
Finally, great thanks must be extended to Przemek Chojnacki, whose kindness and language assistance made the English version of this blog possible.
Enjoy!
The Catcher in the Noise 