New York Noise 2 Release


I went into great depth about this in an earlier post, so I'll try to hold back some of the enthusiasm this time around. Suffice it to say that Soul Jazz's New York Noise 2 comp runs circles around its predecessor; it's loaded with obscurities and refrains from acting as an introductory primer.

Glorious Stranger, Red Transistor, The Static, all names I had no familiarity with before. Yet they might be the most essential tracks on this comp. Soul Jazz also did the right thing by not only including Rhys Chatham, but by making sure to insert his "Drastic Classicism":

Rhys Chatham - Drastic Classicism
**Pre-Order New York Noise 2 Here**

I first heard this hissing demon of a track on Music from Antarctica (another compilation worth seeking out). It neatly straddles the divide between the academic world and the sticky floors of East Village basement punk shows, as only Chatham's (and Branca's) best work is able to do.

My only major complaint would be the dubious prominence of Arthur Russell's name on the cover art, as the Felix - Tiger Stripes track is actually a collaboration with the criminally underexposed Nicky Siano. It's doubly odd when you consider the rumor that Russell pushed for an original pressing under the Felix name as a way to distance himself from the whole project. I can understand the marketing angle of latching on to all the Arthur Russell revivalism, but Soul Jazz also has a Siano comp to sell as well. Tiger Stripes is a peculiar fusion of Siano's "Move" (the flip on the original) and this track.

At the risk of making this sound like a "Where Are They Now?", it's important to realize many of these artists are still incredibly busy musicians:

Y Pant's Barbara Ess is now a professor of photography at Bard College, and a well respected artist still keeping a hand in underground music. A few years ago she put out an album with co-conspirator Peggy Ahwesh (herself a noted experimental filmmaker) on Ecstatic Peace, a washed out comingling of processed radio signals and guitar scrapings:

Barbara Ess & Peggy Awesh - Track 1
**Buy Radio Guitar Here**

Sal Principato of Liquid Liquid fame still DJs quite a bit in NYC and abroad, and besides being revered by beatminers and electronic artists, has moved into collaborating with a few of them.

Ectomorph with Sal Principato - Chromed Out
**Buy Chomed Out Here**

Not on the Soul Jazz 2 comp of course, but I think Liquid Liquid was on the first one. Sal Principato also did a wild PS/1 Warm Up this past summer that can still be streamed. Read an interview with him here, poor guy's got to be sick of talking about Melle Mel and the Furious Five by now.

No surprise that Glenn Branca is still incredibly busy, given the influence of his work. I wonder how long it takes to get to Montclair, New Jersey. More importantly, I wonder what one hunder guitars playing at once sounds like.

Glenn Branca is performing Hallucination City: Symphony 13 for 100 Guitars on February 4th
Samples of Branca's work here and here, also, ordering info over at Carpark Records