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Merzbow - Noisembryo - 28-Jul-05 10:43 AM
According to Anders, the owner of The Releasing Eskimo, there was a special limited edition version of Noisembryo released in an edition of one (1) copy. It has since become known as the Merzcar. Anders states:

"A while ago I had a Mercedes 230 that I didn't drive much. The police told me that I had to move it or they'd tow it away. Well, I didn't want to keep it and I didn't have anywhere to store it so I decided to use it for something else. I rigged the car's CD player with our latest release of Merzbow's "Noise Embryo" CD so that the music started when the car was turned on and it was impossible to turn it off. I put it up for sale as an extremely limited edition of the "Noise Embryo" CD but no one ever bought it, and in the end the car broke down. So we took out the CD and got rid of the car. Now I'm thinking about if it's possible to release a record in a Boeing 747..."

Current 93 - How He Loved The Moon (Moonsongs For Jhonn Balance) - 27-Jul-05 07:43 AM
There was a Special Edition of this Deluxe Limited Edition. Limited to one (1) numbered copy, that was auctioned off on eBay (eBay auction number: 4748664752; start date: 15 July 2005; end date: 25 July 2005; end price: US $1,625.00). In addition to the normal contents of this Deluxe Edition, the "Charity Edition" included a handwritten manuscript in David Tibet's hand of the lyrics to "Moonbird For Jhonn", a photograph of Jhonn Balance, a photograph of David Tibet and Steven Stapleton, a one-sided card thanking all those involved in this charitable edition, and a hand-printed 4-page card (signed by David) featuring the text of the lyrics to "Moonbird for Jhonn" and this additional text:

"This is an edition of 1 numbered copy, signed by the author, inserted into the Beta-lactam Ring wooden-box auction edition of 'How He Loved The Moon'. Also included is a holograph manuscript of the 'Moonbird' text in the hand of someone who when he wrote it was David Tibet. All monies from the auction of this item will go to the John Bradburne Memorial Society for their work to the Mutemwa Leprosy Mission in Zimbabwe. My thanks to whoever bought this for their kindness and charity."

Allerseelen - Alle Lust Will Ewigkeit / Traumlied - 12-Mar-05 07:01 AM
Comments by Kadmon, the 'leader' of Allerseelen, on the reasoning behind the dedication to Leni Riefenstahl:
"She was and still is a beautiful and powerful  woman.  She reminds me of the Tarot card Forza -- the woman or goddess with the lion. I recently saw her in a documentary -- she is still very charming, very active. I sent some copies of this blue vinyl 7" release to her in Bavaria and got a very friendly answer.  She was amazed and surprised by this release. She was a dancer before her career as filmmaker. One of her dances was called Traumblüte -- Dream Blossom. I dedicated this 7" to her because Traumlied means Dream Song and Alle Lust will Ewigkeit (All Lust Wants Eternity) has for me a deep connection to Leni Riefenstahl's beautiful movie Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light) about a girl living in the mountains, guarding a grotto with blue crystals. This blue light is the reason why I chose the colours silver and blue for the 7". I also wanted to release something, which is easier to listen to by people who are not that much into the darker, industrial works of Allerseelen. Though I am not really sure whether she really liked the songs."

150 Murderous Passions, Or Those Belonging To The Fourth Class, Composing The 28 Days Of February Spent In Hearing The Narrations Of Madame Desgranges, Interspersed Amongst Which Are The Scandalous Doings At The Château During That Month, The - The 150 Murderous Passions - 30-Jan-05 11:13 PM
William Bennett: "This is strictly speaking neither a Whitehouse nor a NWW album but was a special project. Steve Stapleton produced the 'long' track and I produced the 'short' track with assistance from each other and Peter McKay on the other's tracks. It was Alan Trench's PWC (in all but name - subsequently to be named World Serpent) and Stapleton who decided to market the album as WH/NWW for commercial reasons (to make a quick buck - like with so many of their and Current 93's releases) - it was released by them without my consultation or permission (although they later paid the money owing from it). The proof of the greed is that they could have asked me for the tapes which I would gladly have provided - but their haste proved too great. The master tapes were, and always have been, in my possession - when PWC ('UD') went ahead with the CD and LP release they simply mastered it from a vinyl copy of the album. That's why the 'mix' sounds so different (and so disappointingly poor, in my opinion) because, to disguise its origins, lots of reverb and other effects were (rather clumsily) added to it. Susan Lawly decided to include my track on Cream of The Second Coming so that at least it was available for people to hear in its proper form. If you have access to the Come Organisation original you will hear the enormous difference." NB: These recordings are available in their original format (digitally remastered) on the release Anthology 1 2xCD (SLCD019).

V/Vm - Machine Component 1 - 30-Jan-05 04:39 AM
A smoke stack send forth a billow of putrid ash, the smell of brimstone rides faintly in the atmosphere, and Moloch roars into life. As the gears slowly revolve around one another, a pulsating hum is created which fuses itself into the hundred similar sounds simultaneously rising from various machines. The duality of this industrialization is the pollution and mass production it creates; heralding itself as The Land of Milk and Honey as well as Gomorra.
These images, sounds and thoughts, which constantly surround any modernized society, were what Luigi Russolo was referring to when he claimed that we must "attune and regulate this tremendous variety of noises harmonically and rhythmically." Conventional instruments, which create 'pure sound,' are unable to invoke emotion in modern listeners. 'Pure sounds' are not taught to children by society. From a very early age, humans are indoctrinated into the cult of mechanics. Our entire contemporary life-style relies upon electronic devices on a day to day basis.
Sharing Russolo's philosophical theory of music, V/Vm use repetitious electronics, harsh glitches, and symphonic arias of circuitry to make the minimal tracks on any of the MACHINE COMPONENTS releases. V/Vm delve deeper into musical philosophy when they announce that these releases "MUST NOT BE SEEN AS A PASSIVE EXPERIENCE." An invitation has been given for "YOU to become the operator of the V/Vm MACHINE..."
The typical listener of any music is inherently passive, sitting comfortably in a plush chair and straining to hear each variation in tone, while the music itself is active. V/Vm are forcing their audience to become active, since each MACHINE COMPONENT can be played individually or in unison with any/all other parts in the series. You must construct your own machine.
This shift from passive to active is akin to John Cage's famed 4'33", which calls for the pianist to walk on stage and sit at the instrument for said amount of time. It is during this time that the audience self-orchestrates themselves into creating, through giggling, whispering, and other subtle noises, the piece in question. V/Vm have surpassed Cage in this matter, though, since their creation is active for the home listener as well as the live one.
Every MACHINE COMPONENT contains a minimum of four parts, or tracks, which the listener decides the context of. Even if played by itself, it is an active choice of the "mechanic" since you are made aware of this release's intended purpose. Through initial trial of various mixes it appears that V/Vm have exceeded all expectations: beyond releasing a theoretically brilliant idea, it is equally ingenious in working terms. Every mix randomly formed blended perfectly regardless of speed, placement, or turntable settings.
In the future V/Vm and like-minded musicians will supposedly be releasing further parts in this saga. The machine continues to be hungry and must be fed. Machines have no soul until you provide one "through experimentation and construction/deconstruction." What does your machines sound like?