January 11–18, 2001
disc quicks|noise/experimental
KK Null
Discoteca Plasma
(Mindfield Records)
It’s chaos disguised with serenity — cluttered rhythmic techno without drum loops. Kazuyuki K. Null, known for grinding out labyrinthine soundscapes, is one of the leading Japanese avant-garde experimental noise tormentors. Since the early ’80s, Null has accumulated a lengthy discography on his own, with his band Zeni Geva and in a cluster of collaborations with the likes of Jim O’Rourke, John Zorn and Steve Albini. Null’s most recent splurge of ruthless, non-melodic mayhem on York, PA’s Mindfield is an unemotional mental escapade through unwanted sound; it’s ambient music for the headstrong. Your ears will be scraped, scuffed and scoured by warbley, buzzsaw-like sounds amid digital screaming and piercing pops. Discoteca Plasma seems ambient and serene at first, but becomes deeply intense and almost panic attack-provoking. Lovers of ambient, drone and noise may experience a chilling sensation as you digest fluctuating timbres that pleasantly twang out and chime with a razor-sharp edge. Meanwhile, the rest of you may freak out or become nauseous from the shrieking repetition that ricochets back and forth between your speakers. And a long-forgotten fierce toothache just might re-emerge, too, since the one constant of KK Null’s sonic frolic is that you can feel it vibrating in your cavity fillings (www.kknull.com or www.mindfieldrecords.com).
