Fight Your Own War: Power Electronics and Noise Culture

by Jennifer Wallis

Overview

Power electronics is a genre of industrial or noise music that utilises feedback and synthesizers to produce an intense, loud, challenging sound. To match this sonic excess, power electronics also relies heavily upon extreme thematic and visual content whether in lyrics, album art, or live performance. The result is a violent, ecstatic, and potentially consciousness-altering spectacle, and a genre that often invites strong reactions from both listeners and critics. FIGHT YOUR OWN WAR is the first English-language book primarily devoted to power electronics. Written by artists, fans, and critics from around the world, its essays and reviews explore the current state of the genre, from early development through to live performance, listener experience, artist motivation, gender and subcultures such as Japanoise. In considering this spectacle of noise, how far can we simply label power electronics as a genre of shock tactics or of transgression for transgression's sake?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909394414
Publisher:	Headpress
Publication date:	09/28/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Jennifer Wallis is a historian and author, currently living in Oxford, UK. She is a fan of power electronics and has previously worked with noise act Hate-Male.

Read an Excerpt

From 'Questionable Intent: The Meaning and Message of Power Electronics', Richard Stevenson.
With potential 'meaning' couched in ambiguity, power electronics forces the listener to engage with and interpret the material based on their own perceptions and biases; the questions and interpretations of the listener could be considered to be of far greater importance than the material presented.

From this standpoint does antagonism and provocation play a specific role? One might ask what the function is of the direct antagonism of much of The Grey Wolves' output, who reference extreme elements of both left- and right-wing politics. Likewise, as something of an agent provocateur to many critics of power electronics, should the works of Ulex Xane as Streicher be taken at rather crass face value; considered on a deeper level as a societal critique; an exploration of the nature of taboo; an artistic exploration of absurdism, or perhaps the logical (illogical?) conclusion of total nihilism? More broadly, could such antagonism and provocation be a means to seek the subversion of the status quo — be it political, religious, cultural or societal — or to highlight the hypocrisy of such authorities, systems and institutions?

In order to frame these general premises, it's worthwhile analysing the extensive work of Genocide Organ. In existence for three decades now (established in 1985), the four-piece from Mannheim, Germany have risen to a cult level within the heavy industrial and power electronics scene to become one of the most revered or reviled acts of the genre, depending on your interpretation. Their status is as much a consequence of their 'controversial' thematic material as it is their extremely physical approach to sound — as well as the packaging of their releases, which have engendered a collector fetishism due to the rarity and special presentation of early recorded outputs. Also rather counterintuitively, their underground status seems to have been immeasurably boosted by their general aversion to conducting interviews. The only readily available interview with the group was published in issue five of cult underground publication Descent Magazine (June 1999).

From an analysis of Genocide Organ's recorded output, it's evident from their lyrics, texts, images and dialogue samples that there is a sustained focus on war, the Ku Klux Klan, conspiracy theories, American imperialism and militarism, terrorism, the Third Reich, and fetishism. Their releases come armed with loaded titles such as Klan Kountry (1996), Mind Control (1995) and The Truth Will Make You Free (1999). Even their name begs the question: what is the 'organ' of genocide? Is it the brain that formulates the idea? The tongue that articulates the order? The body that executes the task? Or is the name referring to the collective 'organ' of state or government, and the actions of its apparatus such as the military? Genocide Organ are clearly striving for higher aims beyond mere 'music' and 'lyrics', and their approach could be considered their Gesamtkunstwerk: to synthesise musical, visual and thematic materials into a comprehensive and all-embracing aesthetic art form.

Table of Contents

Foreword Mike Dando 1

Introduction Jennifer Wallis 3

Part I Scenes

The Genesis of Power Electronics in the UK Philip Taylor 10

Maurizio Bianchi: Symphony for a Genocide Andrew Cooke 19

The Rise of Power Electronics in Finland Mikko Aspa 21

RJF: Greater Success in Apprehension & Convictions and Blood Ov Thee Christ: Master Control Richard Stevenson 30

Order of the Boot Interdiction by Force: Streicher and the Growth of Power Electronics in Australia Ulex Xane 32

Streicher: Annihilism and Kulmhof: Morality's Simulacra Richard Stevenson 40

Chronicling US Noise and Power Electronics Scott E. Candey 42

Werewolf Jerusalem: Confessions of a Sex Manioc Grant Hobson 62

A Physical Legacy: The Enduring Role of Underground Zines. Some personal musings from the creator of Spectrum Magazine and Noise Receptor Journal Richard Stevenson 65

Part II Experience and Performance

The Power of Performance Nathan Clemence 74

Consumer Electronics: Estuary English Richard Stevenson 91

"The Horror! The Horror!" Leeds Termite Club and British Noise History d folst 93

The Bongoleeros: The Fat Arse'd Report Tom Bench 112

Power [Electronics]: Exploring Liveness in Japanese Noise Daniel Wilson 115

Hijokaidan: Emergency Stairway to Heaven Duncan Taylor 134

Listening to the Void: Harsh Noise Walls Clive Henry 137

Sounding the Abyss: Schloss Tegal's Block Static Transmission Stephen Sennitt 155

The Creative Process of Uneasy Listening: Noise from the Deathtripping Perspective Nick Nihilist 159

Stalker Process Bindweed 166

Noise, Rhythm, and Excess from Whitehouse to Cut Hands Jack Sargeant 168

Part III Readings

Questionable Intent: The Meaning and Message of Power Electronics Richard Stevenson 176

Genocide Organ:$$$ and The Grey Wolves: Blood and Sand Richard Stevenson 185

Object Histories. The Black (Visual) Economy of Power Electronics Jennifer Wallis 187

The Servitudes of Slapstick: A Comedy of Violence Spencer Grady 199

Farce the First Time Round? Encountering Noise as Comedy Paul Margree 212

BRUT - The Killjoy of 'White' Noise Sonia Dietrich 219

Dave Phillips: 6 Clive Henry 229

Talking about Noise: The Limits of Language Kevin Matthew Jones 235

Selected further reading 240

Photographer links 240

Editor's acknowledgements 241

Contributor notes 241

Index 245