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"HiGH ▀ iNTELLiGeNCE tRoLLS"
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a r t i s t : Ming
t i t l e : Namaste - cdr
d a t e : 2004
l a b e l : Nidnod
g e n r e : Ambient
r l s. d a t e : February/2005
t r a c k s : 05
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 59.4 MB
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Two words that should be synonymous: Ming and Mighty. Why? That much
should be obvious if you've heard any of the recent Ming releases.
Campbell Kneale has created his own world in New Zealand and has carved
out a niche for himself. His recordings alternate between sterile,
hostile soundscapes that sound like a reaction to the industrial complex
and warm, soothing, trance-like drones. Birchville Cat Motel has
received extraordinary amounts of attention lately (he even opened for
Sonic Youth during a recent show in New Zealand), and the masterworks
Kneale has created under that moniker have continued with his work
as Ming.
"Namaste" is a type of greeting, and this CD-R on the Nidnod imprint
is an excellent introduction to Campell Kneale's Ming recordings.
There are five tracks on this disc, all of which meet the high standards
I've come to expect from Birchville Cat Motel and Ming. I am constantly
amazed at how much material Kneale can churn out without sacrificing
the quality of his work. That is an art form in and of itself.
These five pieces fall more on the harsher side of Ming, but have their
moments of organic warmth as well. Opening the album is the four minute
noise concoction, "Neck Destroyer." This feels like being thrown into a
mine-filled sea blindfolded. The only way to avoid being blown to bits
is to listen closely for the sounds of expanding and contracting metal.
High frequency electronic pulses hint at submarines or other warships
in the area. It's an eerie track that sends chills up and down my
spine throughout its duration, which is an accomplishment on its own.
The centerpiece of "Namaste" are the second and third tracks, which
complement each other well. At a combined length of just over 20
minutes, "Tarnished Mercenaries" and "Vehicles Bristle" make up over
half the album. X-Rays penetrate your skin on the former track,
scanning relentlessly for hidden bits of metal. In this futuristic
soundscape, the world is dotted by massive scrap heaps full of mangled
vehicles and crumbled buildings, acting as rusted monuments to days
past. It's disconcerting and brilliant.
"Vehicles Bristle," on the other hand, counteracts the wasteland feel
of "Tarnished Mercenaries" by portraying a white, sterile world with
high-pitched glitches. The beauty of this piece is how it builds up
in typical BCM-fashion. Eventually, layers of jangling percussion
and rumbling bass are dropped into the mix and this white, sterile
world becomes an insane asylum. There's so much going on that your
brain constantly searches for something stable to latch onto. But it's
useless. This mindfuck is too overpowering; it constantly bombards
you with an enormous array of organic and electronic sounds. Kneale
blends them together perfectly, creating a beautiful, swirling mess.
This is one of the best pieces of his I've heard in awhile.
As I previously stated, Ming and mighty go hand-in-hand. This is an
impressive and dense album that will massage your ears while drilling
a hole straight through your skull. At times, it's loud and obnoxious,
but at others, it's soothing. Campbell Kneale is a genius, that much I
am certain of, and on "Namaste," his already impressive resume gets
even better. If you've missed out on
http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/ming_namaste.html
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01-Neck Destroyer [04:02]
02-Tarnished Mercinaries [08:04]
03-Vehicles Bristle [12:20]
04-Hate Creations Unravelled In Triumph [05:24]
05-Silver Namaste [07:53]
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37:45 min
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