Billy Bao and noise records
When I tell people that I became addicted to noise records this winter, I get the strangest of looks. My friends who tend to listen to a wide array of sounds and music cannot grasp my love of records that bounce – at times – non rhythmic sounds across long long compositions, which can be described as nothing more than fucking noise.
I won’t try to describe noise records, because I simply just got into the genre. But I will point you towards some of my favorite artists working in this field today – Thuja, Eleh, Hototogisu who tend to drone out their sounds and compositions into what I almost label as ambient. On the extreme side, I tend to turn to Karlheinz, Japan’s Government Alpha, and John Wiese.
If I take anything away from noise records, its a certain renewed focus on all other music I listen to. Noise may not be the most pleasant of genres to listen to but maybe I am looking for music/sounds that make me actually listen a little harder to get to the core.
Most noise is only available physically as vinyl releases, so I have been stocking up on the shit I love. You would be surprised how low some of these press runs are (or maybe you are not surprised).
Billy Bao’s “Fuck Separation” 10″ is not a true noise record but more of a layered non-stop guitar and percussion driven sound fuck. It’s rhythmic as hell and a brutal non-stop 20 minute assault. It’s easily the best rock record I have discovered this winter and it only took me a week to track down a hard copy via this small mail order joint in Berlin.
Billy Bao makes all their music available for free download. You will not find a harder piece of sound.
I happen to love the tonal white silkscreen on white cover of the 10″.
