Michael DOWNING / INSANE ASYLUM "Heaviness of Underworlds"
Kultura Industrialna | CD-R | 2003

This is the very first release of Kultura Industrialna CD-R label, and a website of the same name. Following their fast development, one can say they're going to join to a quite big bunch of small, but prolific record labels in Poland... The first part of the disc belongs to a novice from the American noise scene Michael Downing. 6 tracks of software noise. In the two opening ones Michael extracts to the extremes the possibilities of his software programmes to generate, violent in numerous changes, noise of many faces - harsh and abrassive noise, white noise, feedbacks, drones. Crank Sturgeon meets PBK meets Cock ESP. Unfortunately, the third work shows exhaustion of Downing in pursuit for more and more abstract ideas to explore, so the boring part begins. A sort of obscure, electro tracks with heavy beats, with additional sound f/x, noise junks, and cyber techno doesn't seem convincing to my ears. The ending piece is somewhat quiet, and based on sonorous aspect of music - lots of glitches, scratchings, and... silence. Summing up, the first part of 'Heaviness of Underworlds' is characterized for the typical of debutant wish to struggle with many aspects of music, a sort of 'test' release for him... The other project is Poland 's Insane Asylum, whose offer is more reliable in my opinion than that of his American partner's - pounding, heavy rhythms against electronic backgrounds. Aggressive EBM with strong itches to industrial noise. It's not my cup of tea, indeed. However, their proposals are clearer in comparison to Michael Downing's - they are not overloaded with redundant elements. Insane Asylum concentrates on the force of his music. Be it techno, be it electro body music, or just electro lashing, everything seems to be well done. Not an outstanding work, but just well done. Perhaps, it's down to the wider experience the Polish project has, I don't know. Anyway, time shall tell who survives...

[krzysztof sadza]