HR054 - Jeff Central - Gothic - C60 - 1987
Side A:
We Are What You Made Us
Kustom (Vile Cult Mix)
Surgikal Appearances
Dysmorphik Feature Pt. 1 (Remixed by Chris Phinney)
Side B:
Bassline
I.M.K. (Interactive Metal Kontraption)
Treatment
Central Inhabitants (Remixed by Chris Phinney)
Desekrate & Dissolve
Dysko (Exhumed Remix)
Proverbs In Water
We Are What You Made Us
Kustom (Vile Cult Mix)
Surgikal Appearances
Dysmorphik Feature Pt. 1 (Remixed by Chris Phinney)
Side B:
Bassline
I.M.K. (Interactive Metal Kontraption)
Treatment
Central Inhabitants (Remixed by Chris Phinney)
Desekrate & Dissolve
Dysko (Exhumed Remix)
Proverbs In Water
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
Here we’ve got a fine one hour set of electronica from Jeff ‘Central’ Chenault. Side A opens with ‘We Are What You Made Us’, a brand of industrial electronica that straddles the line between coldly robotic and dancefloor ready. I love the sizzling burns that sound like Frankenstein’s lab running full force, along with quivering synth lines, dancey grooves, and narrative voice samples (with some brief drunken caroling). The track segues smoothly into ‘Kustom (Vile Cult Mix)’, which is led by low droning noise waves with a percussive and ominously moody feel, sporadic beats, intermittent quickie manic synth jams, and crazy voice samples (I think I hear William Burroughs). Lots of demented fun!
‘Surgikal Appearances’ is an awesomely twisted combination of eerie horror film soundtrack and whimsical broken music box dance pattern. I love strangely contrasting elements that work together like this. Jeff goes sci-fi effects dance party on ‘Dysmorphik Feature Pt. 1’, which was remixed by Chris Phinney. I like the almost pastoral alien ringing effects that glimmer in waves against a dense yet potently mechanic rhythmic pulse.
Side B kicks off with ‘Bassline’, which is similar to ‘Surgikal Appearances’ in that we’ve got a cool and strange oddball combination. In this case we’re treated to classic sci-fi electronics with an ethereal musical quality, propelled by a drunken yet consistently stumbling rhythm. The appropriately titled ‘I.M.K. (Interactive Metal Kontraption)’ is an experimental yet cool grooving beat driven tune with an array of rhythms. This is another one where a sense of music comes from unexpected places. I like the otherworldly tribal feel of this tune. ‘Treatment’ is a short piece with more mad scientist laboratory noise party vibe. ‘Central Inhabitants’ sounds like some kind of minimal small horn ensemble, propelled by electronic block percussion and skittish noise rhythms. This is another track remixed by Chris Phinney.
The grooves are really cookin’ on ‘Desekrate & Dissolve’, as weather beaten walls of noisy density threaten to shatter the rhythmic flow with their own imposing idea of rhythm. Another great marriage of contrasts. ‘Dysko Exhumed Remix’ features chaotic, fidgety beats that wobble along to the sound of scrapes and scratches. And ‘Proverbs In Water’ is a playful rhythmic piece that closes the set.
INTERVIEW with Jeff Central by Jerry Kranitz
JK: What year is this? The last HR053 was 1987. Is it still that year or have we tipped into 1988?
Jeff Central (JC): I’m thinking we are still 1987 here. In the late 80’s we were BOTH recording like crazy!
JK: I like the cover art. What are the images and script from?
JC: I was always in the habit of cutting out images from wherever I saw them and placing them in a folder entitled Cassette Cover Ideas. Whenever I would need artwork, I would return to this folder to get ideas. I still have the original folder too!!
JK: General question… Did you put a lot of thought into the voice samples you use in your music? Or was it just a matter of whatever was strange, or political, or religious, or ‘other’?
JC: I didn’t put a lot of thought into anything I did. I just turned everything on and hoped for the best. As far as vocal samples or tapes I just grabbed whatever I found. I do remember the local library near my apartment in Columbus had a wide variety of strange medical cassettes. Voices of mentally ill patients, doctors, psychologists, etc. These were definitely used for this tape.
JK: Kustom (Vile Cult Mix) and Dysko (Exhumed Remix)… Going by the ‘Mix’ and ‘Remix’ in the titles, were those tracks used elsewhere and given a different mix for this release?
JC: These were different mixes using pre-tapes that I had recorded. I gave Chris the best ones and let him finish them off. The original mix may have never been released or it was simply a drum rhythm that I had changed in some way. Both mixes with Chris had him adding instrumentation and doing the final mixdown specifically for release on Harsh Reality. I really wanted this to be an exclusive release for his label.
JK: ‘Dysmorphik Feature Pt. 1’ and ‘Central Inhabitants’ are both credited as Remixed by Chris Phinney. Was this any different than your collaborations where Chris would have finished the work? Or were the tracks already finished and he remixed rather than adding anything?
JC: Good question. Sometimes Chris would finish it and sometimes I would finish it, or not finish it in the case of our fourth collaboration. I am finishing it now after 30 odd years!! Dysmorphic Features has Chris on lead synth here with me just basically providing the rhythm track and other noises. Mostly it was added instrumentation and mixdown by Chris on Gothic. We worked well together so we didn’t change our formula too much. Exchange tapes, add instrumentation, mix it down and release!
JK: The track ‘Central Inhabitants’…. You have performed, recently even, as Central Inhabitants. How did the song title lead to a moniker you performed under?
JC: The name Central Inhabitants came from a collage done by a good friend and musician Chris Robinson from Port Huron, Michigan. I was fascinated by it and the title since I was currently known as Jeff Central! LOL!! Chris is sadly no longer with us but I really loved the name and adopted it as the name of my solo project which I still use today in honor of his creative spirit.
JK: ‘I.M.K. (Interactive Metal Kontraption)’… what is producing the tribal feeling percussion? I say tribal but it’s like electronic bongos.
JC: One of the background rhythms you hear on this track was created in a shed next to the trailer I lived in. I would go out there and play distorted drum machine pre-tapes along with all the metal percussion I had hanging inside the shed. Various size buzzsaws and circular blades hung everywhere. Sometimes it worked sometimes not but that was half the fun. These rhythm tracks were recorded on a JC Penney portable cassette deck.
JK: Rhythms/Beats seem to be a dominant theme on this tape. Was that specific to this tape or characteristic of your style at the time?
JC: I was really just experimenting with my new drum machine at the time. It was one of the original Roland TR-606 machines. I just didn’t want it to sound like a drum machine so I would do anything I could to change the sound into something different. I think I succeeded!! LOL!!! Distortion and digital delay were my friends during this time. I didn’t have a style and still don’t. I had no idea what I was doing but I know I was having fun!!
Here we’ve got a fine one hour set of electronica from Jeff ‘Central’ Chenault. Side A opens with ‘We Are What You Made Us’, a brand of industrial electronica that straddles the line between coldly robotic and dancefloor ready. I love the sizzling burns that sound like Frankenstein’s lab running full force, along with quivering synth lines, dancey grooves, and narrative voice samples (with some brief drunken caroling). The track segues smoothly into ‘Kustom (Vile Cult Mix)’, which is led by low droning noise waves with a percussive and ominously moody feel, sporadic beats, intermittent quickie manic synth jams, and crazy voice samples (I think I hear William Burroughs). Lots of demented fun!
‘Surgikal Appearances’ is an awesomely twisted combination of eerie horror film soundtrack and whimsical broken music box dance pattern. I love strangely contrasting elements that work together like this. Jeff goes sci-fi effects dance party on ‘Dysmorphik Feature Pt. 1’, which was remixed by Chris Phinney. I like the almost pastoral alien ringing effects that glimmer in waves against a dense yet potently mechanic rhythmic pulse.
Side B kicks off with ‘Bassline’, which is similar to ‘Surgikal Appearances’ in that we’ve got a cool and strange oddball combination. In this case we’re treated to classic sci-fi electronics with an ethereal musical quality, propelled by a drunken yet consistently stumbling rhythm. The appropriately titled ‘I.M.K. (Interactive Metal Kontraption)’ is an experimental yet cool grooving beat driven tune with an array of rhythms. This is another one where a sense of music comes from unexpected places. I like the otherworldly tribal feel of this tune. ‘Treatment’ is a short piece with more mad scientist laboratory noise party vibe. ‘Central Inhabitants’ sounds like some kind of minimal small horn ensemble, propelled by electronic block percussion and skittish noise rhythms. This is another track remixed by Chris Phinney.
The grooves are really cookin’ on ‘Desekrate & Dissolve’, as weather beaten walls of noisy density threaten to shatter the rhythmic flow with their own imposing idea of rhythm. Another great marriage of contrasts. ‘Dysko Exhumed Remix’ features chaotic, fidgety beats that wobble along to the sound of scrapes and scratches. And ‘Proverbs In Water’ is a playful rhythmic piece that closes the set.
INTERVIEW with Jeff Central by Jerry Kranitz
JK: What year is this? The last HR053 was 1987. Is it still that year or have we tipped into 1988?
Jeff Central (JC): I’m thinking we are still 1987 here. In the late 80’s we were BOTH recording like crazy!
JK: I like the cover art. What are the images and script from?
JC: I was always in the habit of cutting out images from wherever I saw them and placing them in a folder entitled Cassette Cover Ideas. Whenever I would need artwork, I would return to this folder to get ideas. I still have the original folder too!!
JK: General question… Did you put a lot of thought into the voice samples you use in your music? Or was it just a matter of whatever was strange, or political, or religious, or ‘other’?
JC: I didn’t put a lot of thought into anything I did. I just turned everything on and hoped for the best. As far as vocal samples or tapes I just grabbed whatever I found. I do remember the local library near my apartment in Columbus had a wide variety of strange medical cassettes. Voices of mentally ill patients, doctors, psychologists, etc. These were definitely used for this tape.
JK: Kustom (Vile Cult Mix) and Dysko (Exhumed Remix)… Going by the ‘Mix’ and ‘Remix’ in the titles, were those tracks used elsewhere and given a different mix for this release?
JC: These were different mixes using pre-tapes that I had recorded. I gave Chris the best ones and let him finish them off. The original mix may have never been released or it was simply a drum rhythm that I had changed in some way. Both mixes with Chris had him adding instrumentation and doing the final mixdown specifically for release on Harsh Reality. I really wanted this to be an exclusive release for his label.
JK: ‘Dysmorphik Feature Pt. 1’ and ‘Central Inhabitants’ are both credited as Remixed by Chris Phinney. Was this any different than your collaborations where Chris would have finished the work? Or were the tracks already finished and he remixed rather than adding anything?
JC: Good question. Sometimes Chris would finish it and sometimes I would finish it, or not finish it in the case of our fourth collaboration. I am finishing it now after 30 odd years!! Dysmorphic Features has Chris on lead synth here with me just basically providing the rhythm track and other noises. Mostly it was added instrumentation and mixdown by Chris on Gothic. We worked well together so we didn’t change our formula too much. Exchange tapes, add instrumentation, mix it down and release!
JK: The track ‘Central Inhabitants’…. You have performed, recently even, as Central Inhabitants. How did the song title lead to a moniker you performed under?
JC: The name Central Inhabitants came from a collage done by a good friend and musician Chris Robinson from Port Huron, Michigan. I was fascinated by it and the title since I was currently known as Jeff Central! LOL!! Chris is sadly no longer with us but I really loved the name and adopted it as the name of my solo project which I still use today in honor of his creative spirit.
JK: ‘I.M.K. (Interactive Metal Kontraption)’… what is producing the tribal feeling percussion? I say tribal but it’s like electronic bongos.
JC: One of the background rhythms you hear on this track was created in a shed next to the trailer I lived in. I would go out there and play distorted drum machine pre-tapes along with all the metal percussion I had hanging inside the shed. Various size buzzsaws and circular blades hung everywhere. Sometimes it worked sometimes not but that was half the fun. These rhythm tracks were recorded on a JC Penney portable cassette deck.
JK: Rhythms/Beats seem to be a dominant theme on this tape. Was that specific to this tape or characteristic of your style at the time?
JC: I was really just experimenting with my new drum machine at the time. It was one of the original Roland TR-606 machines. I just didn’t want it to sound like a drum machine so I would do anything I could to change the sound into something different. I think I succeeded!! LOL!!! Distortion and digital delay were my friends during this time. I didn’t have a style and still don’t. I had no idea what I was doing but I know I was having fun!!