For nearly 30 years, Sub Rosa has been one of the principal archivists of bizarro sounds, left-field experiments, and high modernity. Including as disparate individuals as Horatio Radulescu and Masami Akita (a.k.a. Merzbow), Sub Rosa’s ‘roster’ has always been incongruous, nestled in the sweet-spot crevice between eclectic and schizophrenic. An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music / Sixth A-Chronology is no exception. This series has charted out the chronology of the titular two genres, mapping from o.g. Luigi Russolo to the radical 50s, from broken music to harsh noise. This sixth and second-to-last installment furthers the deconstruction of music, focusing on the second half of the 20th century to the present day.
The penultimate a-chronology is as diverse a compilation as they come — seemingly disconnected. In the span of these two discs, the listener is catapulted from American avant-garde composition (Henry Cowell) to japnoise (Torturing Nurse), from onkyo (Sachiko M) to US noisers (John Wiese). At first glance, these juxtapositions seem tenuous and forced, almost difficult to digest in succession. Yet, after deep listening and inspection, these supposed challenges immediately dissipate. An Anthology benefits mightily from the flawless curation of Guy Marc Hinant. Tetsuo Furudate’s ugly rumination “You Are The Man Who Crucified Him” seamlessly disintegrates into Pain Jerk’s brutality; Robert Piotrowicz’s synth swell neatly drops to near-silence toward its conclusion, perfectly segueing into Tzvi Avni’s “Vocalise.”
Moreover, there appears to be a thematic aspect to this sixth installment. Whereas An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music #1 chronicles the dismantling of the sound/music dichotomy, #6 takes this Cageian insight as given. And, with that observation in hand, the musicians and composers found on An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music #6 reconsider the production of sound. Exemplified through electro-acoustic composition/improvisation, the listener is exposed to non-standard orchestrations and techniques. Whether it be Sachiko M’s sine waves or Cowell’s work for a piano frame, the idiom of the instrument is consistently called into question. At times, this dialectic digresses off-topic — during Daniel Menche and John Wiese’s tracks in particular — but the emphasis on inventive performance is nonetheless obvious.
I view this compilation as an incredibly successful freeform radio show. Each track in the micro aesthetically makes sense next to each other. In the macro, in spite of a few curve balls, each cut aggregates into a rich cohesion. The careful listener is heftily rewarded herein by DJ Sub Rosa, in aural content and by the extensive liner notes. Surely challenges abound, but both the experimental neophyte and hardened avant-garder can find much to love on An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music / Sixth A-Chronology.
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