Body Lovers / Body Haters
Body Lovers The long awaited re release of Michael Gira’s (Angels of Light/Swans and Young God Records head) soundtrack-without-a-film “psycho-ambient” instrumental opus of sonic chaos and wordless lullabies.
Compiled, edited, mangled, fed back, mutated and morphed from high quality recordings of a dizzying array of musicians using acoustic and electric instruments -performed in the studio - as well as loops and fragments generated from these sessions, found cassette recordings, sine waves and drones, live Swans recordings, electronic noise and the occasional insect, weeping woman, or a touching recording of a baby in the process of being circumcised. Gira’s archive of early (from as far back as 1982) analog synth, tape loop experiments and “slabs of sound” mingle and interact here with contemporary studio performances . Originally composed/recorded in 1998, this prescient collage epic summed up Gira’s 15 year (Swans) obsession with music as raw, mutable sound – alternately dreamy and abrasive, drifting from sweet acoustic melodies to music concrete in one breath. Sound-source contributions from Pan Sonic, Deathprod, Origami Rebulika, Swans and many more. The Body Haters disc contains a new track recorded specifically for this re release. Ultra lush (and expanded new) artwork by Nicole Boitos.
“ The entire spectrum of sound is covered throughout... simply the most beautiful piece of music committed to tape I've heard in many, many years (and quite emotionally uplifting with each listen)… a brilliant step forward for MG and friends…Highly recommended to anyone in search of first class instrumental music. Essential listening for 1998 and many years to come …” – BRAINWASHED.COM 1998
THE BODY LOVERS DEBUT NUMBER ONE OF THREE, IS THE FIRST INSTALLMENT IN THIS "PSYCHOAMBIENT" INSTRUMENTAL "SOUNDTRACK-WITH-OUT-A-FILM" PROJECT. ESSENTIALLY ONE SHIFTING AND RADICALLY MORPHING STREAM OF SOUNDS AND TEXTURES (WITH ID POINTS PROVIDED FOR THE LISTENER'S CONVENIENCE), THE MUSIC ON THIS CD IS IN GIRA'S WORDS, "A METASTASIZING SONIC FLOWER GARDEN", CHARACTERISTICALLY, THIS IS NOT PASSIVE AMBIENT MUSIC. SENSUAL ONE MOMENT, TURNING BRUTAL AND CATACLYSMIC THE NEXT. SOUND SOURCES INCLUDE EVERYTHING FROM ELECTRONIC & SYNTH NOISES, TO RAIDED SWANS GROOVES, BASS-DRUM-GUITAR- PROCESSIONALS, SINE WAVES, IRISH HARPS, MANDOLINS, ACCORDIONS, ORCHESTRAL BELLS, VIBRAPHONES, FLUGEL HORN, DIGITAL FEEDBACK, FOUND RECORDINGS, A BABY IN THE COURSE OF HIS CIRCUMCISION - ALL WOVEN TOGETHER AND FURTHER MUTILATED IN A COMPUTER, INTO A TRAJECTORY THAT NOT ONLY MAKES PERFECT SENSE (SOMEHOW), BUT IS GRATIFYING, ALMOST TRANCE-INDUCING TO HEAR.
MUSICIANS CONTRIBUTING TO THESE RECORDINGS COME FROM A WIDE RANGE IN THE SPECTRUM: JARBOE (SWANS. WORLD OF SKIN); BILL RIEFLIN (EX-SWANS, MINISTRY); MIKA VANIO (PANASONIC); BILL BRONSON & PHIL PULEO (EX-COP SHOOT COP); JAMES PLOTKIN (SCORN, DEATH AMBIENT), AS WELL AS SONIC CONTRIBUTIONS FROM NORWAY'S ORIGAMI REPUBLIKA & DEATHPROD.
