Staalplaat Holland レコード& CD

Review: Het Zweet is, in Marien Van Oers' own words, her "tribal industrial ritual". As abstract as that sounds, it's actually not hard to hear what the Breda, Netherlands-based artists means. There's a mantra like quality to much of what's here, although the sounds themselves definitely feel as though they've been captured from a production line, recording equipment set up at a distance to ensure there's plenty of space between noises.

Rhythmically charged, tracks like 'From The Lowland' have an almost-rave-techno quality to them, while 'Topsy Turvy' takes us into remote regions of indigenous somewhere, and 'Ram' plays hide and seek with suggestions of echo and distant drums. Meanwhile, 'Red Robe' takes us down a kind of bar-punk-rock-n-roll warm up avenue, all frenetic guitar hook build up. Incredibly varied, considering how minimalistic the whole thing is, it's frankly a work of subtle genius.

Review: Staalplaat continue to take care of Bryn Jones' Muslimgauze legacy, here presenting a vinyl edition of the Kashmiri Queens album they originally released as a limited CD edition in 2001. Some of the tracks had previously appeared on the Nadir Of Purdah EP in 1995, but as a whole this release reframes them in the broader context of the wholly unique soundworld Jones crafted for himself and his music. There is a range of moods on offer, with synthesis and meditation more prominent than the abrasion sometimes associated with Muslimgauze, especially on the extended trip of the second track.