Since starting this blog through angrypixel I had decided to keep the posts all about Gentleforce related projects. In the past I had reviewed alot of music on my old blogspot page but had decided to stop when I moved over here. However in saying this I would like to every now and then put up info on musicians that need to be heard and known by a wider audience…. Comatone is one of these exceptions.
I had know of Greg’s work under the Comatone guise for several years but finally met in person back at the start of the year when he mastered my “Sacred Spaces” album on Feral Media. Greg has released several cds & lps over the years and has put his mastering expertise to hundreds of albums at Blue Mountain Sound.
Last week Greg sent me a link to a new noise album he had just completed. He had decided to give the album away for FREE and the album titled “13 Black Shapes” had been created/recorded live! I was intrigued…
Upon listening to the album I felt like I had gone through some form of portal. The album is full of dark electricity and I had the sensation of standing on the edge of a large chasm, staring into something that was vast in size and unknown in form. This album is a mystery that reveals small clues on each listen.
I was intrigued with Greg’s process of making the album as well as his ideas and thoughts on the sounds that are heard/felt. Here is what Greg had to say via email;
On the process?
“My thought behind making this thing came from 3 places,
1. To make something that was a mindfulness exercise, accept everything, reject nothing
2. The best way to go about step 1 – setup a fancy signal path, plug some of my analog gear into a desk and record the result
3. I felt the need to complete something of size that i could label as comatone work without it being a statement of any kind, musical or academic.
It was recorded like an improvised live performance, but with the benefit of being able to do two overdubs (on account of me only having two hands and 1 of each box). Alot of it involved feedback loops, sending the distortions to themselves. The Kaoss pad to itself. As soon as everything was plugged in and i knew everything was making sound, i started to record. Just turning knobs, riding faders and pressing buttons on things for 3 and a half hours. There are little bits and pieces here and there that i would liked to have cut out or ridden using PT, but in keeping with the very point of the album it was meant to be as it happened. Noise albums have been done before and there is nothing new about any of this, i wanted to make it as a salute to artists like Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Merzbow and Brian Eno. Also to give it away, because it’s meant to be given away. I did think about giving each track a descriptive title but i thought it better that the listener hear / see what they wanted.”
Equipment setup for the album?
“Equipment – 002R – ProTools running N.I.’s Guitar Rig for an FX return, Reaktor running a drone generator -Korg KP2 -Doepfer Dark Energy – D.S.I. Tetra – Big Muff pedal – Two Boss Overdrive / Distortion pedals – Laptop Generation Harmonic drones + FM random Synth – and a guitar lead connected to nothing for me to create ground loop hums and buzzes when i wanted.”
The album is available through You Sendit for the next three weeks so act fast!
Hell yeah! Comatone knows how to make some noise!!!