The Real Music

.net

Aaron Dilloway is the former guitarist and tape terrorist of one of the biggest names in noise at the moment, Wolf Eyes. He also runs Hanson Records, a label and record store specialised in noise. Dilloway's sonic experimentation is predominately based on tape loops and tape manipulation. As of now, he's one of the biggest names in the blooming noise scene in Michigan. His most recent output is a double LP called Modern Jester, and may I say that the album cover is really fitting. It's stupid and bizarre and so is the music. What I hear is blocks of sound not unlike turntablists, such as Christian Marclay and Otomo Yoshihide, and also a sense of dadaism, like Nurse With Wound. It's much more original than a simple homage, however. The loops are always effective and chosen wisely, and the further manipulation borders on harsh noise at times. Appearently Dilloway sits on a large archive of field recordings from when he lived in Nepal for a brief time.

Short list of things I think I can identify on this record: dogs, train track, some kind of ethnic chants, percussion (possibly bongos?), horns, a NES game, a very sloppy and detuned bass string, people talking, a toy organ. Most of the time it's all a blur, but with hints of recognisable noises jumbled in between. This gives the album a very manic feel. I was somewhat skeptical to the idea of two LP's filled with this kind of material but it's surprising how quick it flashes by. I could feel my brain cells rotting away while it was playing, and that's a good thing. I wouldn't be surprised if this became a cornerstone in avant-garde in five, ten years time. Hippest carousel in hell.

In further news I can happily say that Dilloway has just recently teamed up with Tom Smith and Kevin Drumm in a brand new band called Psychotic. I'm eagerily waiting for something to be released under this name.