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Post by andypandy380 on Jun 6, 2018 11:47:34 GMT -5
Introducing 3RENSA the band... It would seem this whole thing has been taken a step further - Merzbow, Duenn and Nyantora have a collaborative LP coming out under the name 3RENSA. The record called Redrum is due out on Belgian record label Entr'acte in August. As well as electronics, Akita is also credited to drums on this project. Soundcloud samples on the label's website.
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Post by andypandy380 on Nov 15, 2018 16:27:21 GMT -5
I've been pleasantly surprised by this whole 3RENSA thing... (maybe not so much by how elusive Slowdown Records albums seem to be outside of Japan) 3RENSA (the album) seemed to come out of nowhere in the early part of last year, with Merzbow and co toning back the feedback and embracing more of a dark ambient style. I've enjoyed the series of remix albums a lot more than I thought I would too, I don't know whether the 'remix of a remix of a remix' idea has been done to a great extent in the past but it's produced a real wealth of different sounds. I haven't had a proper listen through the 5th instalment yet, but from a quick flick through it sounds like it could be among the strongest, taking it into some deeper, darker and downright bizarre territories. Thought I'd share a few thoughts about the 'Redrum' album by '3RENSA the band'. I can say that first impressions are pretty damn good, three accomplished and very different sounding tracks. Part one is kind of a hard one to describe. It sounds incredibly processed, manipulated and sort of muffled, not in a bad way, it's a decent hi-fidelity recording but there's a lot going on without it really becoming harsh on the ears. There's also an intimacy to the sound that makes it sound like you're at a live show, to my knowledge it isn't a live recording but likely a 'live in the studio' idea similar to the Cuts albums, at least in part with a decent slab of post processing and fiddling about. There are some percussive moments later in the track, at times with some slightly awkward phaser and tremolo effects that I wasn't quite so keen on, but it doesn't distract from the fact that it's a decent 20 minutes or so of noise. The second track starts off especially low key with moments of absolute silence and jabs of really nice synth sounds, a little like some of the lengthy more ambient moments on some of Autechre's recent albums, but it turns into a really immersive and engaging dark ambient piece. There's an otherworldly kind of tension for most of it, a constant rumbling and echoing, intermittent 'thuds' that echo endlessly. It just seems to build and get more and more tense. I think it's a really strong track. If I had to compare it to something, it reminds me a little of the album 'Quarter Turns Over A Living Line' by Raime, a British dark ambient/techno project... just in a lengthier format. The final track has a much brighter and almost uplifting/euphoric sound to it with the constant howl of synthesizers, it's intense but kind of warm and pleasant. In terms of composition it's very much reminiscent of something Richard Pinhas would have put together to the point that it would probably sit quite neatly on one of his recent albums. It also showcases Masami Akita as a drummer, not dissimilar to his work on the 13 Birds series but clearer, very much embracing his love for prog/psych rock. Things get rather noisier past the midway mark with some loud static and distortion. Almost definitely the most 'musical' piece I've heard under the Merzbow name, but it's great, I can't really fault it. I've no idea whether there is more to come under the 3RENSA name, I suspect there could be but who knows. Personally I'd love to hear them keep the ball rolling with another album like this. I'm in love with that cover art too!
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