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4LP
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MIA 020RE-LP
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Ten-year anniversary edition of Kreng's massive Works for Abattoir Férme 2007-2011 four LPs worth of slow, skin-crawling cinematic ambience made for the Belgian theater group Abattoir Fermé. It could hardly be a better time to again dive deep into Kreng and Abattoir Fermé's disturbingly beautiful underground worlds. Through eighth full-length vinyl sides you are transported through the most terrifying, shadow-filled, downright bizarre moments of the subconscious. What could be the sound of your darkest dreams or most surreal fantasies gradually unfolds throughout the three-and-a-half-hour duration. Exactly this is what Abattoir Fermé specializes in, and Pepijn Caudron's scores perfectly reflect and accompanies both this theatricality as well as your own fears and desires in a masterful way. Each extended side is crafted from an arsenal of samples, disintegrating vinyl and corroded tape, and Pepijn Caudron manipulates these sounds in a way that belies the sources. Rather than allow the sounds to emerge, they stay trapped beneath swathes of noise, tape delay, and oppressive bass giving you a composition that emerges like a cross between William Basinski, Jerry Goldsmith (circa Alien), and Henryk Górecki. Works for Abattoir Fermé is not for the faint of heart, but for the rest, it might be just what the doctor ordered... 2022 repress; four LPs with original artwork inside 350g slipcase with silver tone print; includes download code; edition of 300.
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LP
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MIA 010LP
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2015 repress. "Noise may have lost its power to offend. Silence hasn't" --Dan Warburton. Erik Skodvin, a prolific artist in his own right as Svarte Greiner and with Deaf Center, has developed a well-earned reputation for releasing beautifully disturbing music on his label Miasmah. Acts such as Elegi and Jacaszek set the bar high, creating masterpieces of contemporary doom-laden experimental music. L'Autopsie Phénoménale de Dieu, the incredible 2009 debut album from Belgian artist Kreng, carries on this tradition. On initial listening, L'Autopsie Phénoménale de Dieu immediately presents itself as a fully realized body of work, with focus, flow, and continuity. It may therefore come as a surprise to discover that the album mainly contains recordings created for a variety of separate theater productions, and even more of a surprise to learn that the compositions found here are sample-based constructions. The pieces incorporate sounds and material from a variety of sources: free jazz, electronically generated sounds, classical modernism, and vintage geographical recordings. The subtlety of the techniques Kreng has employed in the creation of these pieces is simply stunning. Discordant segments of wailing top-end violins give way to clunking rhythmic passages of metal marimbas and tuned percussion, free roaming passages of rasping low-end brass, and the shuffle of free jazz. The work recalls Prestige era Moondog, as well as aspects of Harry Partch's instrumentation via mid- to latter-day period Tom Waits. Atonal ambiance and slow builds, eerie segues into low murk, and a haunting solo soprano voice are all pulled together to make perfect sense, often in terrifying ways. The creative process in Kreng's twisted soundscapes works perhaps in parallel with the abstract and often disturbing work of the Abattoir Fermé theater company, which has used many of the scores found here in a variety of their productions. In this context, the dark and threatening moods the album creates suggest it may house more subversive, ritualistic, even occult undertones; Kreng's music is based upon the possibility of silence as a confrontational weapon. L'Autopsie Phénoménale de Dieu also features suitably twisted artwork coordinated by Erik Skodvin, presented here in full green and black color. Includes download code.
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LP
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MIA 016LP
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2015 repress. The less one knows about Belgian sound alchemist Pepijn Caudron (Kreng), the better. His debut release L'Autopsie Phénoménale de Dieu (MIA 010LP) appeared seemingly out of nowhere on Miasmah in 2009, but other than that very little tangible information has surfaced. This 2011 sequel, the blackly monikered Grimoire, simply reinforces Caudron's shadowy legacy with a similarly dank concoction of cracked strings, creaking percussion, and half-heard dialogue. Thankfully, however, Caudron has refined his craft in every way, from the artfully restrained layering of samples to the deliriously magickal atmosphere he manages to conjure up. There is the sense even from the first few seconds of the record that one is transported out of time and reality, and as hoarse, alien breaths croak over oily bass drones, the poignant spoken words "You don't belong here" become an apt anchor for the entire album. It seems almost too easy to compare Grimoire to a film soundtrack at this point; sure, Caudron has listened to his fair share of chilling scores, but Grimoire is more than simply homage. A grimoire is a book of magic, the most important of which have held strangleholds on cultures both ancient and contemporary, more pervasive than most people probably care to realize. These books have slipped into folklore and legend, and like those faded pages of incantations there is something deeply mystical and indescribable about Kreng's music. Caudron's background in theater no doubt forms a strong foundation for his compositions, but there is so much about his work that only creeps into the light after countless hours of study. These songs are best suited to moonlight, strong spice-laced liquors, and the dark recesses of painfully dull existence. Pepijn Caudron has formed a grimy, surreal ode to not only the past, but also what the future might hold, and he lets no one off lightly. Presented in a full color silver and black sleeve. Includes download code.
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CD
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MIA 030CD
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The Summoner comes four years after the last Kreng album Grimoire (MIA 016CD/LP) and three years after the massive retrospective box set Works for Abattoir Fermé 2007-2011. A lot has happened in the interim, and The Summoner can be seen as quite the departure from the aforementioned works. Pepijn Caudron's most personal album to date, The Summoner was created after a year in which Caudron lost several close friends, and takes its structure from the five stages of grief. A sixth stage, "The Summoning," helps bridge the gap to the finale, "Acceptance." Conjuring up the spirit of György Ligeti, the first half of the album is made entirely of Caudron's direction of a dozen string players, whose noisy clusters and crescendos move the listener from denial through anger, bargaining, and depression. In fact, The Summoner is the first Kreng album not constructed from hordes of samples. Music to really dig deep into. The disorienting twists and turns lead into the second half of the album, with haunting organs and smoke-filled chambers of "The Summoning" preceding an earth-shaking wall of guitars, drums, and bass courtesy of Belgian doom band Amenra. Leaving the listener in a state of shock, the album closes with the incredible and quietly heartfelt "Acceptance."
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LP
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MIA 030LP
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Repressed! LP version; presented in a laser-cut full color bronze and black sleeve with full color insert. Includes download code. The Summoner comes four years after the last Kreng album Grimoire (MIA 016CD/LP) and three years after the massive retrospective box set Works for Abattoir Fermé 2007-2011. A lot has happened in the interim, and The Summoner can be seen as quite the departure from the aforementioned works. Pepijn Caudron's most personal album to date, The Summoner was created after a year in which Caudron lost several close friends, and takes its structure from the five stages of grief. A sixth stage, "The Summoning," helps bridge the gap to the finale, "Acceptance." Conjuring up the spirit of György Ligeti, the first half of the album is made entirely of Caudron's direction of a dozen string players, whose noisy clusters and crescendos move the listener from denial through anger, bargaining, and depression. In fact, The Summoner is the first Kreng album not constructed from hordes of samples. Music to really dig deep into. The disorienting twists and turns lead into the second half of the album, with haunting organs and smoke-filled chambers of "The Summoning" preceding an earth-shaking wall of guitars, drums, and bass courtesy of Belgian doom band Amenra. Leaving the listener in a state of shock, the album closes with the incredible and quietly heartfelt "Acceptance."
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