This 1982 12"er finds the Zoviets when they were still the $oviets, finding their identity.the opening track, "Ritual", is a virtual sonic manifesto, laying out everything they were to become over the forthcoming records that followed. It has the dark ambient dubby sections, the tribal drum loops, the noise, and the desperate screams of the modern primitive. "Mudbast boys" is a dark muffled dub based on a random voice tape loop echoing into vast amounts of foggy space.
"Sem Boys" treads uncomfortably on the ethnological forgery footprints that Muslimgauze would exploit to death....even after death!?.
Weirdly, we then have the Zoviets using silly voices like a Residents out-take, for "Bring Hessa"....did I hear Laughter?????
"Mounw" starts as a nascent dark ambient piece,then segues into a post punk funk pastiche.
It ends in more familiar territory with "Ji Boys", a throbbing overloaded percussion workout.
There you go, i never do a running commentary of all the tracks!....I must be uninspired this evening.
Basically this is Proto-Zoviet,but it has its good if not great moments.One of the great moments being the Hessian bag it was released in. this is why its also know as the Hessian Album.If only the Beatles had thought of that?
Tracklist:
A1 Ritual
A2 Mudbast Boys
B1 Sem Boys
B2 Bring Hessa
B3 Mounw
B4 Ji Boys
As previously mentioned,when buying a copy of "Norsch" back in the day; some kind/incompetent record shop employee,slipped this double album in the sleeve as well. Unfortunately, without the screen printed heavy cardboard and string masterpiece that was the cover to the "Mohmonische" 2LP set that I had accidentally acquired.
I now know that this album is Zoviet France's greatest work.Heavy on the repetitive tribal drum loops,and dense, dark ambient soundscapes.
I could listen to the variations of drum loop featured on track A3 all day. Sounding like ten thousand analogue electronic Zulu's approaching Rourke's Drift, as seen on a badly tuned cathode ray tube.
There's something about the trial and error inaccuracy of hand spliced tape loops that preserve that much mourned human factor. The real 'X' factor that has been lost in the post sampler,computer era. Each loop in the modern era can be tweaked and tidied until it becomes something akin to a musical plastic chair. In the old method,once that razor blade and splicing tape are applied,your loop is carved in stone; a child with a life of its own, born without genetic modifications. Digital music is the equivalent of musical eugenics,where everyone and everything is 'Beautiful', as dictated by the incumbent 'taste-makers' incarnate.
This album is ugliness redefined as Beauty......the true meaning of beauty in fact.
Track Listing:
A1
A2
A3
B1
B2
C1
C2
D1
DOWNLOAD this beautiful ugliness HERE!
When I bought this,I was attracted by its shiny silver foil cover, glistening from the Industrial section in, the now defunct, Rhythm Records in Camden Lock around 1985.Like a music magpie I pounced,unaware of its identity. And what joy unfolded, as when I arrived home the sleeve included two 33rpm LP's and a 45rpm 12 incher.
I thought that was the actual official contents until quite recently. The two LP's were in fact the Zoviet France double album "Mohmonische", which must have been inserted in error by confused record shop staff;and the 45rpm 12" was "Norsch".
"Norsch" has that trademark tribal feel, like some kind of secular ritual disco for a nuclear winter. Which manifests impressions of abandoned cities,with gatherings of disfigured survivors performing a ritual sacrifice in a burnt out supermarket.
Whip this out after Daesh(ISIS) has nuked your home town.....but then again there would be no electricity would there(?) so don't bother.
(ps...you can download the "Eostre" album HERE!...for which i received a DCMA complaint for from one of the dick'eads in the band)
Tracklisting:
1. Tauss
2. Baelmaen
3. Virang
4. Imirsch
5. Vorvah
DOWNLOAD for your bunker HERE!
Zoviet France make a kind of post-apocalyptic urban folk, as if they were doomsday survivors making ritual music for the new age from the remnants of the old.
This begs the question of "Who would you allow into your Nuclear Bunker?"
'Dave Cameron' knocks on your door with his carpenter mate,who do you allow in? There's limited space.
Answer is obviously Mucky Mick the carpenter,and 'Dave' can fuck right off. In fact if Cameron turned up with Hitler,it'd be a difficult choice. As tempting as it is to choose Adolf for his organisational skills and charisma, Dave may get the vote so you could have someone to beat up,and he speaks English.
If Zoviet France rang the bunkers door bell alongside Mumford and sons,you would relish the chance to send the Mumfords to burn in the coming Nuclear wind.Although ZF would beat most music acts for a ticket to the post apocalyptic Earth; unless Danny and the Dressmakers turned up,they'd be safe-ish.
They were to get far more ambient than this early effort, but somehow I prefer their earlier dark tribal ambient Industrial sound. The random joy of the analogue tape loop is evident, among the bursts of electronic noise,and tape echo laden percussion. A sound sculpted from the crumbling edifices of post-industrial Britain.
Tracklist:
A1 Scrama Mdags
A2 Mosbas
A3 Mama Piss
A4 Nruknesh
A5 Caarcuraz
B1 M1 M1 M1
B2 Rangmabasm
DOWNLOAD some geordie style communist bon vie HERE!
