Ruidismo (noise music) in Catalonia: The Silent Beast

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Cesc Fortuny i Fabré

Discussing Catalan noise music is easy, given its broad range and its rich and diverse tradition. Here, I will highlight emblematic projects within the Catalan noise scene and its periphery, works that, while not strictly taken into account by noise music connaisseurs, would pass the test for more general audiences.

Among the oldest projects is 25HOMBRES, an eclectic collective of experimental artists from various parts of Catalonia. They unite around the idea of destabilising, attacking, and mocking the status quo and its control systems. They express their disdain for religions, phobias, states, nations, and neoliberal narratives through their numerous improvised actions.

In contrast, Signatus is a much younger, solo project that I discovered at the festival hosted by the Reus-based noise label, Marbre Negre. Signatus delivered a coldly executed harsh noise performance with a distinctly black metal aesthetic.

The artist manipulated pig skulls (some of them female) with a knife, which contained contact microphones inside. The result was terrifying, and the distortions combined to create an infernal noise. I am left with the image of him singing through a pig.

The performance, reminiscent of an autopsy or a slaughterhouse, was completed with a Celtic Frost t-shirt, embodying a disturbingly sickly presentation. Do not miss his album Ritos de sangre, a powerful statement of intent.

From Cambrils, we have Òscar Alfonso aka Oscar de Marbre Negre (the puppeteer behind the aforementioned label). His restless creativity has led him to develop numerous solo projects and collaborations with other artists. The list of his collaborations and projects is truly endless; Gyakusatsu is his harsh noise project and undoubtedly the most active; Urgent to Kill is his alter ego for creating harsh noise wall; Opera im Keller is the project with another key figure in the underground scene, David Area of Catatonic State, in a power electronics vein; Mekurabe is the project he has with the great Kike Garoz of Tube Tentacles, aiming for a mix of noise and dark ambient; Disciples du Chaos is a project with Stephane Kerandel that ceased to exist in 2016 and offered old-school harsh noise; Heulen, the group with Josué Coloma from the Alozeau project, mixes dark ambient, industrial, and of course, noise; DAO is a dark ambient project, although it has more experimental works, with field recordings and so on; Totosatsu is a project in collaboration with Pol Sort of Totonizer; Real Death is a project exploring the Korg MS20 and bass with pedals, and has the darkest and heaviest sound of the entire list.

A proactive, multidisciplinary, and multifaceted individual, as defined by Antonio Clavijo in the 2016 interview on his programme La Moto de Sasha, Oscar Alfonso has explored the politically incorrect periphery of anti-music. Through his label, both in its netlabel and independent record label versions, he has provided a platform and voice to countless extreme artists, both from the national territory and internationally.

Much can also be said about Juanito))), who has been active in the underground scene for many years, even before this project, which has been active since 2018, offering a brutal blast of noise. He describes it as Catalan harsh noise, but to me, it has hints of Noise Wall and even some touches of Power Electronics, if you push me. However, as you know, the boundaries of these styles are fleeting. He told me, before going on stage at one of the most important Catalan noise festivals, that he has more than 500 albums, has participated in numerous splits, and has many exclusive tracks for compilations. He also mentioned, with extreme modesty, that this was his first concert, as he had only participated in private parties (as if private parties and restricted sessions were not live performances in their own right). In short, as he himself proclaims: ”An extremist experimental punk vision with no commercial compromise”, and this is another characteristic of Juanito))) – a politically incontestable and tremendously forceful message

He has worked with many labels, both national and international, including BIZARRE COSMIC SCUM OF REALITY PRODUCTIONS, Basement Corner Emissions, Throne Of Nurgle, Olivia Records, Gates Of Hypnos, and most notably Hamfuggi Records.

Let this modest list serve as an example of a bizarre scene, largely unknown to the general public, but one that is in excellent health and flourishes artistically through live performances and recordings emanating from independent labels.

Source: educational EVIDENCE

Rights: Creative Commons