The first piece, Judges, is one long stretch of (most likely) tape exploration. It might possibly also just be the playing out of a process of sorts. Essentially, the work would appear to be founded on a series of delays, stereo-split, through which tape (I think) sources are fed. The bulk of these sources are classical music, which become increasingly mangled as the track progresses. In the beginning sections, the effect is of a stuttering string drone, punctuated by little explosions of sound and noise. The sounds shift - whilst the ‘process’ appears not to change - moving from a haunting, siren-like swirl, to a more noisy, saturated sprawl. Here, the classical sources are sped up, even more distressed. Judges ends with a passage of blown-out bass; initially, I thought it might be some kind of feedback, but it contains clear melodies and patterns.

The second track, Be Kind With Me And I Will Destroy You, begins in a more subdued manner, mixing drones, echoing voices and tones, and vinyl-like crackle. This clears to reveal a strong feedback drone, with those echoing elements buried deeper within. The metallic drone develops into a similar stuttering to that on Judges, before being consumed by these patterns, and reducing itself to a nervous, quiet jerking. Later on, it reduces further to distant, discrete sounds, so quiet as to be almost hidden by the hiss of the tape.

This is a good release, though on first listens it might appear a little shallow or one-dimensional - Judges, in particular. However, it demands concentrated listening, and that reveals a much deeper sound-world. Whilst the apparent ‘process’ on Judges sometimes gets in the way of the material, it remains a rewarding experience for your ears; the middle section, where the sounds get more saturated and mangled, is particularly good. The whole piece has a decayed quality and charm. This quality is also evident in Be Kind With Me And I Will Destroy You, even in the drone that dominates it. The entire tape is rather abstract and obtuse, hard-boiled even, but if you’re prepared to listen closely, there are some stellar passages. (This release is somewhat old now, and long gone, but the label bandcamp awaits you…)