David Wallraf - Crudeltá Necessaria [Karlrecords - 2025]Hamburg-based noise theorist and musician, David Wallraf, returns to Karl for his second release with the label, Crudeltá Necessaria. Focused on the abject cruelty showcased in the works of legendary Italian filmmaker and writer, Pier Paolo Pasolini. Wallraf uses multiple textures and processes to bring about his view and the resulting noise palette is a vibrant and exciting form of expression. Samples, field recordings, and thick distortion all come together to help Wallraf paint his vision which resonates well with those familiar with the works of Pasolini, but also speaks very strongly to those who have yet to be initiated.
While a picture may be worth a thousand words, we're still unsure about the word quantity of sound. The amount that can be conveyed with a simple sigh, laugh, moan, or groan is almost limitless, and this efficiency of communication is often overlooked. Crudeltá Necessaria is a short, effective, and evocative work that speaks far more than the run time suggests, being just shy of thirty minutes. Composed around a 4:1 ratio, the first side of the cassette flows between styles and structures a bit, building more tension and giving a better overview of Wallraf's sonic thesis. Opening with the meaty "Porcile," the mood is quickly set with haunting female choral samples played along side slow, industrial hits and ebbing feedback. "È Inutile. Niente È Più Possibile, Ormai." is next and a pretty quick hitter. Following the well placed feedback from the previous track, this one strips the mood for more of a grim assault. This continues but shifts in more of a horror score direction with "È Inutile. La Abisso In Cui Mi Spingi È Dentro Di Te." Starting heavily laden with noise, this piece slowly thins itself out and focuses on the high, oscillating feedback to carry the rest of the track forward. Bringing in a creepy aesthetic, this one adds much needed terror to the album. As a prelude to the side long "Petrolio," side A's final track, "La Nuova Periferia" ups the ante with the level of noise, industry, and run time. Plodding forth like a factory tour, the noisy, industrial clamor brings about an urgency that the previous tracks eluded to with their whistling feedback and haunting evocations. The field recordings overlayed here add depth as well as a torturous essence like the factory isn't all it seems. Utilizing the feedback as segue leitmotif, "La Nuova Periferia" builds back to a noisy crescendo before fading out and ending the first half of Crudeltá Necessaria. Picking up where side A leaves off, "Petrolio" fades into waves of cascading noise and industrial violence which make up the majority of the track/side. Wallraf takes these destructive layers and moves them to and fro, in and out of the mix, allowing more subtle synthesizers and "musical" elements to appear, giving a false sense of security. The waves of noise inevitably come back, in varying forms, to make their mark on the listener. With much of the piece based in droning layers, there is an engaging fluidity that keeps everything together, even when the sounds are pretty disparate. This attention to composition is what keeps Crudeltá Necessaria from being just an ordinary work of noise and instead a well constructed statement.
Eschewing the genre tendency to lean on longer pieces and drawn out phrases, Crudeltá Necessaria moves forward quickly and with determination to bring David Wallraf's commentary to light. Using noise, samples, field recordings, and a sense of disquiet, the message of the album is undeniably brought to the surface. Whether one is familiar with Pier Paolo Pasolini or not, this album certainly speaks to cruetly and violence, even if tangentially, through its sonic shouts. Never getting overly oppressive, Crudeltá Necessaria is a fantastic piece of smart, rough electronics. For more Paul Casey
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