from the beyond

elsewhere review

Hiroshimabend – J10C

(Opiumdenpluto)

The unifying characteristics of “England’s Hidden Reverse“ artists like Nurse With Wound, Current 93 and COIL has been their utter uniqueness and the constant reinventions contained in each of their bodies of work. What joins them together isn’t a genre or style but the way they approach(ed) their art. During their lifetime COIL’s Peter Christopherson and Jhonn Balance often collaborated with or championed equally singular individuals. After Balance’s death in 2004 Sleazy (Christopherson) forged new partnerships: SoiSong (with CoH’s Ivan Pavlov) and Electric Sewer Age. Conceived by John Deek (who ran the Divine Frequency label) with Sleazy and previous COIL collaborator Danny Hyde, originally Deek intended to involve further individuals in the ESA project.

The story goes that before Deek’s untimely death at the age of 39 in 2013 he passed on a sound library he and Sleazy had recorded for a future Electric Sewer Age project to Adam Czarnecki (Mort Douce) in order to work with. With the deaths of both Sleazy (in 2010) and Deek the project was never realized. Hyde continued ESA on his own but Czarnecki passed the soundfiles he’d been working with on to Puppy38 who utilized them for this Hiroshimabend release. In essence it’s a collaboration created in stages by Christopherson and Czarnecki and finalized by Puppy38 (Michael Everett, originally from Texas, now living in Vienna) and so it became a stand-out release by the very prolific Hiroshimabend project, a beyond the grave rendition so to speak.

If all of this tale is true i can’t say*, but the music certainly speaks Christopherson’s language. Throughout the album we hear signature Sleazy sounds and like other ESA releases they often directly link to previous COIL themes. What makes this album stand out from other artists recycling older Christopherson and COIL material is the unique flavour of Hiroshimabend’s production. It very delicately incorporates the COIL aesthetic into a new world of ambient industrial settings. You never feel it’s trying. Instead J10C achieves a fresh interpretation that is satisfying – a mirror reflection of the familiar Threshold House. The well calibrated balance of deep atmospherics, surprises and boldness plus the excellent composition and production is sheer listening delight. Rarely has there been a more respectful and elegant treatment of a part of the COIL legacy. Here it has inspired an admiring artist to create something previously hidden, unique and beautiful. Highly recommended.

(Jenus)

• 2xCD

• digital files

label: Opiumdenpluto

released 2019

(due to lack of funding a 4xLP version has not been realized)

*As a footnote I just want to mention that Hiroshimabend stated that earnings from the sales of this music are only to recoup manufacturing costs and once those are met the music will be made available for free. There seem to be a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the Christopherson Estate and new releases containing unpublished Christopherson material. Hiroshimabend has been quite open about these concerns, so i think it should be seen for what it is, music should be shared.

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( M U S I C K C U R E S Y O U O F T I M E )