Vziel Projet Listening List 7: Default artist - Tymoshenko demonstrations 09/10-2011

 

Artist: Default Artist
Genre: Field Recording
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT367
Year: 2011

Wow, absolutely wow, have no idea how I haven't heard this album before. An amazing set of four field recordings of Ukrainian political demonstrations that are immediately incredibly captivating. The album gives a brief description of what the protest is about, but obviously, I have no idea about it, but the actual sounds, are amazing. The opening track, The 6th of September, seriously sounds like some sort of industrial power electronics track, with blasted out mucky loud-speaker speeches, and political songs cutting in and out throughout the recording. I feel the low recording quality really adds to it, making it feel even more like power electronics. The entire album keeps up this vibe and energy, and it makes for a really interesting set of field recordings.

Listen to it here: https://archive.org/details/gt367DefaultArtist-TymoshenkoDemonstrations0910-2011/

Vziel Projet Listening List 6: default artist - Untitled 2011-02-11

 

Artist: Default Artist
Genre: Field Recording
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT131
Year: 2011

Default Artist is Vziel's (mostly) field recording project. Obviously with my TCLB alias, I love field recordings, especially random internet ones. This is a five minute lo-fi field recording, presumably somewhere in Ukraine (it gives a location but Google gives no results). Its a rather minimal recording, but it has a nice atmosphere.

Listen to it here: https://archive.org/details/gt131DefaultArtist-Untitled2011-02-11

Vziel Projet Listening List 5: Vziel Projet - Hail Jesu Recurrection

 

Artist: Vziel Projet
Genre: Ambient / Proto-Comfy Synth
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT268 / GTC001
Year: 2011

It was just Easter this past weekend, so might as well do their Easter album, Hail Jesu Resurrection. This has always been of my favorite albums by Vziel, three tracks (with the main being over 20 minutes long), of wonderful lo-fi ambient recorded direct to tape. The album has all of the common trappings of comfy synth, but long before comfy synth was a thing (and done much better than most comfy synth). The tonality of the instrument, slow chord progressions, and pretty melodies, make me envision a church in a sleepy little country down in the snow. It really is a wonderful ambient album, and being a Christian, I especially love the religious theme it has. If you're into stuff like Grandma's Cottage, then you'll love this.

Listen to it here: https://archive.org/details/gt268VzielProjet-HailJesuRecurrection/

Vziel Projet Listening List 4: Surrogate Sigma - Ukraine 2016

 

Artist: Surrogate Sigma
Genre: Industrial / Tribal Ambient
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT968
Year: 2018 (according to Bandcamp, title makes me want to say 2016, but you never know with them lol)

Surrogate Sigma is one of my favorite aliases of Vziel's, typically putting out a consistent stream of hard and experimental techno, but Ukraine 2016 completely mixes of the formula with 6 tracks of lo-fi industrial with the occasional tribal ambient. The entire album is incredibly stripped down and minimal, really letting the rhythms speak for themselves, as well as really using the low quality recording techniques as a music instrumental. There's still elements of techno in the music, but its Vatican Shadow's stuff, where techno is sort of the avenue for industrial soundscapes. I really love this kind of stuff, and Vziel really nails it here. I think the cover is quite impactful as well, the passport-esque photos on the Ukrainian flag represented through a domestic item; the Ukraine crisis long predates the current invasion, and this album really sheds a light on that.

Listen to it here: https://genetictrance.bandcamp.com/album/ukraine-2016

Vziel Projet Listening List 3: Genetic Trance - Dec 15 EP

 

Artist: Genetic Trance
Genre: House / IDM
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT655
Year: 2016

So far this listening list has been ones that I've heard before, but this release is new to me. A really nice three track EP that has Vziel's signature sound, but is also quite different from other stuff that I've heard by them. The EP follows a consistent Vziel trait, where each track experiments with the same concept and sounds, and all of the tracks are nice and choppy tech house tracks with some IDM elements. The choppy sounds really give moeclick vibes, which is awesome. I especially liked the addition of a breakbeat on the final track.

Listen to it here: https://archive.org/details/GT655/

Vziel Projet Listening List 2: Merzlux - An Attempt to Revive Genetic Trance

 

Artist: Merzlux
Genre: Musique Concrete
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT1250
Year: 2021

Merzlux is an interesting project's of Vziel's. Originally starting as a HNW project (which I'm pretty sure is just the same song being released repeatedly), it gradually evolved into just another alias, but full of short experimental releases. An Attempt to Revive Genetic Trance is a 28 second single in the micro-genre of vulnerable musique concrete, whatever that is. I feel that musique concrete as a whole is largely overshadowed these days by its noisier brothers, but its a great genre, and this single is actually one of my favorite works of the genre. A really nice field recording of traffic combined with sporadic short clips of bass tones and snippets of techno, its reminiscent of Rudolf Eb.er's stuff, but without all of the perversion (not that that's a bad thing though).

Listen to it here: https://archive.org/details/GT1250

Vziel Projet Listening List 1: Genetic Trance - Sacred Ad

 

Artist: Genetic Trance
Genre: Techno
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT685
Year: 2016

Ok, so I am still doing the CDR listening list thing, and still want to do the other planned ones as well (such as the Tsundere Violence one). Those ended up on hold due to just getting busy with other things, then forgetting about it. I got interest in doing these listening list log things again though, so why not do one for the net-label scene legend, Vziel Projet (aka a billion other names). These posts might not be as in-depth as my other posts, or maybe they will be. I also will probably have these be more "rapid fire" due to how many short releases they have.

Sacred Ad from their Genetic Trance alias is what I would consider one of their classic releases. An EP with four straight to the point techno bangers that really makes one get into the groove and want to dance. The opening track Books of Samuel transforms cheap sound computer clicking sound effects into a hard techno tune with a nice repetitive lead that gets a variety of counter-melodies and rhythms applied through the track. The second track, Eternal Guest, has to be one of my faves, I love the mix of the four-on-the-floor kicks with the more unusual rhythms they're known for, this track really is a groove, makes me want to dance. The third track Exult, combined elements of dark techno with spastic footwork, occasionally falling into broken drum'n'bass rhythms reminiscent of Milanese's more experimental works; its somehow slow and frenetic simultaneously. The EP ends with Crude Herb, another stomper of a techno tune similar to track two, but the edition of really nice acid lines.

Listen here: https://archive.org/details/GT685/