Project Dark - Press

Excited By Gramophones Volume 4

INVISIBLE RECORDS INVSX7002 CD

THE WIRE

Forget vinyl, what about the sonic properties of cheese? Project Dark's limited edition 7" singles were manufactured from preposterous materials - white bread, Edam cheese, hair, Brazillian glasspaper, steel, and so on. This reluctant CD - a sleevenote regrets the use of this format - treats the contents of their entire singles back catalogue as source material. The music's aesthetic is best summed up by the image on the back of the CD - an exploding turntable.

Though drum patterns are used on some tracks, most of the music is concerned with manipulations of rough sound. The album begins with the noise of a firework rocket and moves into a succession of succinct and bristly sound pieces, covering a wide range of colours, and fascinated with the blurring into noise. However, only the minute long "Jake's Drawing" is really committed to the (familiar) territory of howling, electric viscera tweaking. The rest depends more on the often ragged sound textures of the source material. The longest, the eight minute "Spongers", moves from calm drift into a drum'n'bass sequence overlaid with a rasping, hooting sound and towards the end, explosions. This is where the strengths of the music come across most forcefully, when Project Dark are not tied up with dull art terrorist posturing and steer well clear of whimsy. On four of the best tracks, the Project Dark nucleus - Ashley Davies, Kirsten Reynolds and Tony Pattinson - is augmented by Dub Colossus of Transglobal Underground. (Elsewhere collaborators include artist/Headcoat Billy Childish). For all the noise input, the music works best through playfulness Low-cal avant garde, for sure, but somehow, with near zero gravitas and a lurking pop sensibility. It's diverting stuff. But it's a more wholesome racket than they'd like it to be.
       

Will Montgomery  

The Wire, November 1998

click here to read interview with Kirsten Reynolds talking to Mr.Greg of Last Sigh. (English)

Der Tagesspiegel - Schoener Scratchen -18.1.99 (Deutsch)

The Wire - ISEA 98 UK Liverpool LIPA - October 1998 (English)

Melody Maker - Massive - October 1998

The Wire - Gummy Twinkle - review - April 1999 (English)