Fouke - Batutut [New Forces - 2010]"Batutut" is a three c20 boxset that offers up six new ten minute tracks of thick ‘n’ extremely crushing static texture and engulf HNW matter from Richard Ramirez's bigfoot obsessed project. The set takes it’s title from the name used for the bigfoot/Yeti beast in the forests and jungles of Vietnam, Laos, and Borneo. This certainly is one of the more colorful/glossy looking HNW releases you’ll have come across with the three tapes coming in a vinyl case that features full color artwork and insert of jungle/forest that the Batutut call it’s home. Also each tape features pro-printed labels that feature pictures of footprints made by the Batutut and other Bigfoot like beasts- all told a very nice package. Sound wise if you’ve heard any of Fouke’s work in the past, then this follows a similar path to the projects other releases with each track being a huge, all engulfing and extremely thick studies in dense, rolling, roaring and head tearing static texturing and truly unforgiving HNW matter. Each track here summons up either the sonic equivalent of runing through a dense and claustrophobic forest while being chased by something. Or the textural feel of the fierce and primal roar of a group of very cross and blood thirst Bigfoot, onto the torrential rain hammering sound on the rain forest thick and green canopies. All six tracks here are equally engulfing and enjoyable crushing, but one of my favorite moments comes in the form of “Wilderness” which appears on the second side of tape two. The track feels like a huge, speeded-up and on-mass collection of tribal drum hammering/ beatings; it brings to mind hundreds of natives battering their drums in pure and overloaded rage/panic(maybe to scare off the Batutut?)- with their hands bleeding and splitting-open due to the rate that there attacking their drums. So this three tape set is a very a nicely presented and thought-out collection of total brutal static texturing and primal/ fierce HNW matter. Sadly as with most things HNW related this is ltd to a very small number copies with only 30 available. So to see if you can still secure yourself a copy of this sonic beast in six parts pop over to the labels blog here. Roger Batty
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