HR059 - Jeff Central & Chris Phinney - Weird Drug-Inspired Hits — C60 — 1988
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Side A:
No Perception Galactic Ocean Turbulence Don't Drop That Needle Mono Slave Station Crawling In The Laboratory |
Side B:
Feel My Steel Emotion (Stainless Mix) Resonance Ov Venus No Blind Spot Crawling (Vacuum Remix) Feel My Steel Emotion (Rust Mix) |
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
Chris and Jeff’s third collaboration is a 60-minute set of sound exploration and song-like music, mostly in the 2-6 minute range. Side A kicks off with the minimalist industrial clatter percussion yet steady rhythmic flow of ‘No Perception’. Infused in the mix are multiple spoken voice samples, which sound like a couple guys arguing and occasional funny spaced out pennywhistle effects.
‘Galactic Ocean’ consists of floating space electronica that creates the sensation of being caught in a black hole time warp. The procession is anchored by a rolling industrial mechanical drone, plus sci-fi flick electronics and spooky alien atmospherics, pulsating tones, and what sounds like a drugged voice, slowly repeating “Ohhhh….. Ohhhh… Ohhhh”. This theme continues on ‘Turbulence’, though the industrial drone morphs into a sand papery rumble, accompanied by a phasing monstrous growl, and the sci-fi effects are freakier as they fire and spew from all directions.
‘Don’t Drop That Needle’ heads in a different direction, sounding like a tab dosed children’s tune performed by a duo of organ grinder and monkey banging out fun melodies on cheap synths. ‘Mono Slave Station’ sounds like a space-industrial band on valium playing a musical drugged tune that’s given a periodic chain scratching noise boost. ‘Crawling’ is similar, though the scratching noise effect sounds like a rabid cat, which sounds a little disturbing against the otherwise pleasantly melodic space meditation and unbalanced, anguished voices. And it’s all propelled by a steadily chugging electronic choo-choo train beat. Multiple minimal patterns come together on ‘In The Laboratory’, including gurgling cauldron, a peculiarly rhythmic tapping, and what sounds like a stilted cut-up choir.
The fun continues on Side B with ‘Feel My Steel Emotion (Stainless Mix)’, which sounds like lost spirits moaning and crying in the oblivion that occupies the shortwave radio dial. I like the atmosphere that’s both eerie and cosmically angelic. But there’s also a music and sound effect sense of a cross between spectral soaring insects and abstract small ensemble orchestra.
‘Resonance Ov Venus’ is one of the most purely sound experimental pieces of the set, consisting of slowly rumbling oscillations, potently cascading and bubbling laser gun blasts, flowing waves of windy static, and rustling metallic percussion. ‘No Blind Spot’ is a darkly foreboding bit of smokey lounge space-jazz and eerie atmospherics, with a brooding melody, a peppy electronic beat, and layers of edgy grooving soundscapes. ‘Crawling (Vacuum Remix)’ does much differ from ‘Crawling’ on Side A. Finally, ‘Feel My Steel Emotion (Rust Mix’) is like the pulsating whir of a cargo plane that’s being tailed by a UFO to the sound of a wailing theremin siren song.
Chris and Jeff’s third collaboration is a 60-minute set of sound exploration and song-like music, mostly in the 2-6 minute range. Side A kicks off with the minimalist industrial clatter percussion yet steady rhythmic flow of ‘No Perception’. Infused in the mix are multiple spoken voice samples, which sound like a couple guys arguing and occasional funny spaced out pennywhistle effects.
‘Galactic Ocean’ consists of floating space electronica that creates the sensation of being caught in a black hole time warp. The procession is anchored by a rolling industrial mechanical drone, plus sci-fi flick electronics and spooky alien atmospherics, pulsating tones, and what sounds like a drugged voice, slowly repeating “Ohhhh….. Ohhhh… Ohhhh”. This theme continues on ‘Turbulence’, though the industrial drone morphs into a sand papery rumble, accompanied by a phasing monstrous growl, and the sci-fi effects are freakier as they fire and spew from all directions.
‘Don’t Drop That Needle’ heads in a different direction, sounding like a tab dosed children’s tune performed by a duo of organ grinder and monkey banging out fun melodies on cheap synths. ‘Mono Slave Station’ sounds like a space-industrial band on valium playing a musical drugged tune that’s given a periodic chain scratching noise boost. ‘Crawling’ is similar, though the scratching noise effect sounds like a rabid cat, which sounds a little disturbing against the otherwise pleasantly melodic space meditation and unbalanced, anguished voices. And it’s all propelled by a steadily chugging electronic choo-choo train beat. Multiple minimal patterns come together on ‘In The Laboratory’, including gurgling cauldron, a peculiarly rhythmic tapping, and what sounds like a stilted cut-up choir.
The fun continues on Side B with ‘Feel My Steel Emotion (Stainless Mix)’, which sounds like lost spirits moaning and crying in the oblivion that occupies the shortwave radio dial. I like the atmosphere that’s both eerie and cosmically angelic. But there’s also a music and sound effect sense of a cross between spectral soaring insects and abstract small ensemble orchestra.
‘Resonance Ov Venus’ is one of the most purely sound experimental pieces of the set, consisting of slowly rumbling oscillations, potently cascading and bubbling laser gun blasts, flowing waves of windy static, and rustling metallic percussion. ‘No Blind Spot’ is a darkly foreboding bit of smokey lounge space-jazz and eerie atmospherics, with a brooding melody, a peppy electronic beat, and layers of edgy grooving soundscapes. ‘Crawling (Vacuum Remix)’ does much differ from ‘Crawling’ on Side A. Finally, ‘Feel My Steel Emotion (Rust Mix’) is like the pulsating whir of a cargo plane that’s being tailed by a UFO to the sound of a wailing theremin siren song.
INTERVIEW with Jeff Chenault and Chris Phinney by Jerry Kranitz
JK: This if your third collaboration. Chris did the final mix on Alternative Communication Through Autonomic Overdubbing (HR027) and Jeff did Forces Of Waves (HR052). Which one of you did the final mix on this one?
Chris Phinney (CP): Jeff sent me the material and I did the final mix. But the two remixes, I don’t recall remixing those songs. I think Jeff took those two songs and remixed them himself.
Jeff Chenault (JC): I didn’t do anything after I sent my original pre-tape to Chris. I may have put different versions of 'Feel My Steel Emotion' and 'Crawling' on that original pre-tape, hence the remix titles. Chris has the only copy of the pre-tape but I know I didn’t record anything after Chris mixed everything down. It was perfect first time I heard it! Chris did an amazing job!
JK: I don’t detect much difference between ‘Crawling’ and the ‘(Vacuum Mix)’, but there are really interesting differences between the two ‘Feel My Steel Emotion’ tracks.
CP: Probably some additional effects or reverb or something on the ‘(Vacuum Mix)’.
JC: The rhythm track on 'Crawling (Vacuum Mix)' is definitely running through a flanger or something making it sound like it’s going through a vacuum. Everything else, including Chris’ vocals and duration time seems to be the same. The Rust Mix of 'Feel My Steel Emotion' definitely has a more droney type sound to it. I’m sure this was also on the original pre-tape I sent Chris. I really don’t remember a whole lot regarding this tape. It is called Weird-Drug Inspired hits for a reason you know! LOL!!
JK: Just an observation but there are 12 shorter tracks on this tape. Your first collaboration had a handful and your last one had three long stretch out tracks. Did several more concise pieces just work out that way or was it intentional?
CP: I think it just worked out that way, we didn’t talk about it at all. It’s just the way we did it.
JC: Yep, that was the way it ended up. I was tired of the 30-minute pieces so I sent Chris more shorter type tracks to work with just to mix things up a little.
JK: I might have asked this about a previous collab, but were the tracks on the tape sent as distinct tracks? Or is determining tracks part of the responsibility of the one doing the final mix?
CP: He sent them all as separate tracks. And I mixed down each individual track.
JK: I describe an effect on ‘No Perception’…
CP: When I read your description of ‘Crawling’ about “the scratching noise effect sounding like a rabid cat which sounds a little disturbing”, I laughed my ass off!!
JK: Ha! When I’m listening I just roll with the impressions the music and sounds make on me.
CP: You’ve got to. I thought it was funny as hell. And spot on!
JK: There’s something on ‘No Perception’ that struck me as sounding like a pennywhistle, and think I heard it on other tracks too. What is producing that sound?
CP: Probably my horn. It’s one of those old car horns that if you blow through it it makes that noise. I didn’t credit it.
JK: The credits for ‘No Blind Spot’ include ‘with Rolmo’. I assume that’s Roger Moneymaker?
CP: Yeah that’s Roger Moneymaker. He came over to the house while I was recording and added to it.
JK: What is producing the melody on that track? It sounds like it could be either a piano or bass?
CP: It’s a bass. No piano.
JK: How did you happen to later use ‘Crawling’ on the 1990 released Mental Anguish/Hands To split vinyl LP?
CP: That’s what I picked to be on there. I picked several songs that I had. I picked one from Residue (Mental Anguish, HR272). I picked one I did with Carl (Howard).
JK: Ok, so you selected songs that had been previously released on different tapes.
CP: Yeah. They were from different tapes.
JC: I was so happy when I found out Chris had picked “Crawling” to be on the LP. It’s my first and only vinyl appearance to date!
JK: Given the connection to this tape, let’s talk more about the LP. How did you happen to do a split vinyl LP with Hands To (Jeph Jerman)?
CP: Me and Jeph were doing a lot of trading. He was putting out my stuff on his label, and I was putting out his stuff, Blowhole and Hands To, on Harsh Reality. And we just got to talking about doing a split LP. We had it pressed in Ville Platte, Louisiana. It was a limited edition of 300. We ordered the black jackets from somewhere and Richard Martin printed the stickers for the front and back covers. And then we bought our own sleeves and plastic covers and put them together. We sold them all real quick and got our money back. Jeph had his own distributors but Ron Lessard at RRRecords took most of mine.
JK: This if your third collaboration. Chris did the final mix on Alternative Communication Through Autonomic Overdubbing (HR027) and Jeff did Forces Of Waves (HR052). Which one of you did the final mix on this one?
Chris Phinney (CP): Jeff sent me the material and I did the final mix. But the two remixes, I don’t recall remixing those songs. I think Jeff took those two songs and remixed them himself.
Jeff Chenault (JC): I didn’t do anything after I sent my original pre-tape to Chris. I may have put different versions of 'Feel My Steel Emotion' and 'Crawling' on that original pre-tape, hence the remix titles. Chris has the only copy of the pre-tape but I know I didn’t record anything after Chris mixed everything down. It was perfect first time I heard it! Chris did an amazing job!
JK: I don’t detect much difference between ‘Crawling’ and the ‘(Vacuum Mix)’, but there are really interesting differences between the two ‘Feel My Steel Emotion’ tracks.
CP: Probably some additional effects or reverb or something on the ‘(Vacuum Mix)’.
JC: The rhythm track on 'Crawling (Vacuum Mix)' is definitely running through a flanger or something making it sound like it’s going through a vacuum. Everything else, including Chris’ vocals and duration time seems to be the same. The Rust Mix of 'Feel My Steel Emotion' definitely has a more droney type sound to it. I’m sure this was also on the original pre-tape I sent Chris. I really don’t remember a whole lot regarding this tape. It is called Weird-Drug Inspired hits for a reason you know! LOL!!
JK: Just an observation but there are 12 shorter tracks on this tape. Your first collaboration had a handful and your last one had three long stretch out tracks. Did several more concise pieces just work out that way or was it intentional?
CP: I think it just worked out that way, we didn’t talk about it at all. It’s just the way we did it.
JC: Yep, that was the way it ended up. I was tired of the 30-minute pieces so I sent Chris more shorter type tracks to work with just to mix things up a little.
JK: I might have asked this about a previous collab, but were the tracks on the tape sent as distinct tracks? Or is determining tracks part of the responsibility of the one doing the final mix?
CP: He sent them all as separate tracks. And I mixed down each individual track.
JK: I describe an effect on ‘No Perception’…
CP: When I read your description of ‘Crawling’ about “the scratching noise effect sounding like a rabid cat which sounds a little disturbing”, I laughed my ass off!!
JK: Ha! When I’m listening I just roll with the impressions the music and sounds make on me.
CP: You’ve got to. I thought it was funny as hell. And spot on!
JK: There’s something on ‘No Perception’ that struck me as sounding like a pennywhistle, and think I heard it on other tracks too. What is producing that sound?
CP: Probably my horn. It’s one of those old car horns that if you blow through it it makes that noise. I didn’t credit it.
JK: The credits for ‘No Blind Spot’ include ‘with Rolmo’. I assume that’s Roger Moneymaker?
CP: Yeah that’s Roger Moneymaker. He came over to the house while I was recording and added to it.
JK: What is producing the melody on that track? It sounds like it could be either a piano or bass?
CP: It’s a bass. No piano.
JK: How did you happen to later use ‘Crawling’ on the 1990 released Mental Anguish/Hands To split vinyl LP?
CP: That’s what I picked to be on there. I picked several songs that I had. I picked one from Residue (Mental Anguish, HR272). I picked one I did with Carl (Howard).
JK: Ok, so you selected songs that had been previously released on different tapes.
CP: Yeah. They were from different tapes.
JC: I was so happy when I found out Chris had picked “Crawling” to be on the LP. It’s my first and only vinyl appearance to date!
JK: Given the connection to this tape, let’s talk more about the LP. How did you happen to do a split vinyl LP with Hands To (Jeph Jerman)?
CP: Me and Jeph were doing a lot of trading. He was putting out my stuff on his label, and I was putting out his stuff, Blowhole and Hands To, on Harsh Reality. And we just got to talking about doing a split LP. We had it pressed in Ville Platte, Louisiana. It was a limited edition of 300. We ordered the black jackets from somewhere and Richard Martin printed the stickers for the front and back covers. And then we bought our own sleeves and plastic covers and put them together. We sold them all real quick and got our money back. Jeph had his own distributors but Ron Lessard at RRRecords took most of mine.
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JK: Back to Weird Drug-Inspired Hits, my overall impression of the album, and what I really liked about it, is the balance between and blend of spacey experimental and song-like elements.
CP: They’re almost like songs. But there’s noise pieces, experimental noise. Mostly consisting of synthesizers and drum machines and all that good stuff.
JK: I like the cover art which I recognize as coming from an old pulp magazine from the 1930s or 40s.
CP: Jeff did the cover. And I think he named it too.
JC: Yeah, I was into old pulp magazines at the time and really liked the look of those Weird Tales magazines. That was my inspiration for the title and cover art, besides all the drug usage!
CP: They’re almost like songs. But there’s noise pieces, experimental noise. Mostly consisting of synthesizers and drum machines and all that good stuff.
JK: I like the cover art which I recognize as coming from an old pulp magazine from the 1930s or 40s.
CP: Jeff did the cover. And I think he named it too.
JC: Yeah, I was into old pulp magazines at the time and really liked the look of those Weird Tales magazines. That was my inspiration for the title and cover art, besides all the drug usage!