Anonymous Masturbaudioum / RRR - Distorted Feelings [Porn Noise Records - 2015]Porn Noise Records presents Distorted Feelings, a full-length CD-R by HNW acts Anonymous Masturbaudioum and RRR. I’ve seen both names bandied around internet forums, but haven’t delved too far into either artist's output. From what I can tell, both acts seem to hail from France and have a healthy penchant for static noise, nylon stockings, and bondage porn...the foundation of any respectable HNW act. Anonymous Masturbaudioum offers a 35 minute wall, entitled “Corps Destructifs.” It’s a dense slab of low-end juddering that unfolds like an unstoppable battering ram. Engulfing and claustrophobic, the piece really requires the listener to sink in an immerse themselves in the caustic mass. It travels in near static precision, save for a couple departures. Right out the gates, the wall asserts itself as a rough and tumble slog. I’m sinking in, immersing myself into the wall, and then a weird synth blip pops out at around 1 minute in. It only lasts for a millisecond and doesn’t really detract from the wall at all, but it was just unexpected. It makes me wonder if it was on purpose or just a hiccup that they decided to say “fuck it’ and leave it in the mix. From there the wall stays rather fixed until around the 10 minute mark, where another line joins the mix. As I was driving through tropical storm Colin, I thought the sound of a torrential downpour was emanating from the environment outside, but after some close attention I noticed it was actually coming from the track.This dense rain sound runs parallel to the primary wall which dominates the track. This additional line is short-lived and recedes back into obscurity a few minutes later. The piece then continues, much like it started to the very end. RRR’s track, “Body Confusion,” offers a different palette of sounds altogether. This piece offers a menacing wall based on broken sonic slabs chopped and choked, with residual stressed bass thuddings between each break. It barrels along in a saw-like fashion...the jagged edge striking solid matter with a low end pause in between each motion. Over the course of 40 minutes, there’s constant tension between the sounds presented. At times RRR eases up on the choke, letting the floodgates fly open. Other times the low-end thudding takes prominence. You can tell he’s constantly tweaking his effects to achieve maximum sonic destruction. Distorted Feelings is a solid offering by a solid pair of wall noise artists. Hal Harmon
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