Niku Daruma - Love Is an Excessive Thing.

Niku Daruma – Love Is An Excessive Thing – Orb Tapes - Cassette/Download – 2023

https://nikudaruma.bandcamp.com/

https://orbtapes.bandcamp.com/

       1.    My Healing Angel.

       2.    I Only Want to be Nice.

       3.    An Excessive Thing.

       4.    The Equation of Eternal Love.

       5.    If a Great Wave Shall Fall.

Niku Daruma have a dangerous edge, I like them a lot and they might even be my Power Electronics heroines. I watched some live footage as a break to this review to inform it better. The live show is in part scary, in part funny – two women delivering 100% art. However, there is no humour in the recordings, bleak assaults and cold delivery as the exploration of the self is laid bare as fact.

Sampled, distressed dialogue opens the album, feedback and buzzing rudely interrupt, the noise lacks manners. The Noise becomes a pulsating, fractured assault and then the screaming starts. Incoherent, hysterical dialogue is thrown through pedals and becomes noise itself. Wailing drones sustain until the vocal noise erupts again. A bigger assault of sound goes off, it is forced back as the hysterical screaming goes off. That was My Healing Angels.

A restrained distortion and high-pitched drone play out over sampled dialogue, this is broken up and fractured until it is allowed to explode before further restraint and cutting into. I Only Want to be Nice feels as if it is being suffocated with a pillow for a time. As clarity of sound emerges, of electronics that are allowed to surface; it shifts through many different passages. Clear, broken electronics combine on An Excessive Thing which shifts a lot like the last track. Silence and the impact of singular electronics resonates around the sound space. The breakdown of the sound allows for silence to be punctuated by whispered vocals and hiss.

A field recording of a conversation plays, big electronics go off into hyperdrive, the key sounds are churning and droning here. Cheeky electronics cut into the main base sounds. There seem to be a shift in timeframes across the noise, sometimes it feels like something from the early 80s pulling me back in time - The Equation of Eternal Love makes for an exciting title track. The final track starts as silence interrupted by movement of recording gear until deep, bleak drones hum, feedback and tonal shifts blare out. Music plays as noise hums over it, this is an example that parallels the lives how where noise is allowed to play out on its’ own as the fighting occurs. This album has lots of long passages of noise that do the work of the work until the vocals go off.

Love Is an Excessive Thing experiments on itself, ideas collide, interact and form new ideas, it is an ever-changing entity and I like where the project is going.

Army of One 2023.

Niku Daruma – Tourniquetting

Niku Daruma – Tourniquetting – 7” / Download – Damien Records - 2022

https://nikudaruma.bandcamp.com/album/tourniquetting

https://damienrecords666.bandcamp.com/album/tourniquetting

       1.       Exsanguinating.

       2.       Tourniquetting.

       3.       Triaging.

A massive blast of distortion that buries screaming and synthesiser sounds greets me. After a break, I am reacquainted with Niku Daruma and Exsanguinating shows a massive development and massive leap forward in their sound. Tourniquetting pushes this out even further, the vocal is amazing and barks through the noise. The sound is huge, bleak, mournful whilst still maintaining the rage of the earlier work. The underlying synthesisers add the mournful aspect as if playing out funeral sadness under the distortion and vocal howl. The variation brings texture, by collapsing the sound and allowing the vocal prominence at one point is impressive. Triaging goes into a lower volume, whispered vocals and jolts of sound build up collide to demonstrate a complex depth. Lone drones become howling frequencies as they shift from one to the other and back again. The screams of old return here, the stripped-down sound now works to emphasise them and bolster their effectiveness.

As modern, younger, American Power Electronics goes, Niku Daruma fits in with the current generation that are trying to remodel it, whilst successfully retaining a dangerous, wilfully violent sound that resonates on recordings and live performances. I want to look around the scene and dare myself to find anything as good as this.

Army of One 2022.

Nevis Kretini/Choppy Noodles - 2019 Best of list.

Choppy Noodles > Nevis Kretini – Best of 2019.

This has been an amazing year, so many ace releases. Too many names to mention, it was impossible to limit to 10,so here are my 12 favourites.

Rusalka – Base Waters. Absurd Exposition – LP – 2019.

I knew of Rusalka, but this was the first time that I really listened - I reviewed this on first listen. Base Waters shifts through a lot of changes in Sonic Language over two tracks to create an album of powerful conceptualised effect. The sound builds to massive proportions as the language shifts and I am now very aware of this top tier project.

Nacht Und Nebel – Limitations – Self Released Cassette and Download– 2019.

I’ve gradually accumulated a lot of Nacht Und Nebel releases over the years through seeing the project play live. Both live shows and releases are always consistently strong with the project playing with acts like Ramleh, Blackcloudsummoner, Vampyres, Culver and many more over the years. However, this release really does stand out against the others, here the project really ups its game. Sounds are all sourced from a Cello and treated to varying degrees, overlaid to make epic compositions.

Ordeal by Roses – A Petty and Childish Obsession – Outsider Art – Cassette andDownload – 2019.

Both releases by Ordeal by Roses on the Outsider Art label this year have been very strong, I could have picked either of them. I’d call this a stand-alone, outsider project based in Cardiff, Wales that has come from trauma to the self. This took me by surprise, and I see this as a standout project amongst newer artists.

Niku Daruma – She Gets What She Wants – Black Ring Rituals – 2019.

Niku Daruma have been prolific this year, they featured on a lot of great split releases as well as their own. They all do other noise related projects, but this one really stands out. Some of the releases are base raw and work even better and I could pick from a few of their releases. They seem like nice people who turn into hysterical, violent monsters when performing, making amazing Harsh Noise whilst erupting everywhere.

Suffer In April – Pomona. Corde Raide Productions – Cassette – 2019.

I met this guy as he runs a tribute page to another noise artist, we got chatting and he said he had his own project called Suffer in April. The first release Femme Fatale is what I would call forward thinking Power Electronics, in contrast Pomona carries on these methods yet goes elsewhere and radiates immense beauty.

Entre Vifs – Offrande et Partage - Aussaat und Ernte - 2019.

This is a beautifully presented cd that cases the angrier side of Entre Vifs. I liked the previous album Ontologie a lot, but Offrande seems to go to much higher levels of intensity. Entre Vifs use their own self-made instruments to create an elaborate sound that is simultaneously structured and chaotic, yet to me they remain one of the most brutal noise acts of the present day.

Wolvestribe – Understanding the Ecological Role – Aaarrrg.

Wolvestribe came to my attention when a label called Harsh Noise London sent me some of their releases. HNL tend to put different artists on compilations together on recycled audio cassettes – Wolvestribe were part of a 4-way split. I was very impressed and had to investigate further and I was suitably convinced that we have a new heavyweight amongst the newer UK noise crop. Wolvestribe release their own lathe cut 10” records and frequently produce new material that is consistently of a high standard.

Testing Vault – Amnesia Milk. – Looney Tick – 2019.

I’ve followed Testing Vault for over a decade now, the project has changed and shifted gradually – with side projects that experiment in other areas of sound. The output by the project has been consistently strong, but Amnesia Milk seems to take the sound of reeds and drones that have been lurking in recent releases and take a massive leap forward with them to perfect things. Amnesia Milk eclipses Complete Shit Exorcism as the best Testing Vault recording so far.

S.T.A.B. Electronics – Enemy of Pigs – Unrest – 2019.

S.T.A.B. grabbed my attention as a strong modern-day project. On ‘Day of the Male’, the vocals were next level. ‘Mother, Mother, Mother please’ as a repeated opening sample opens Enemy of Pigs, this album is just bleak violence and pushes the project forwards to new levels of intensity and quality. Seeing the project live at the opening party for the release was something I will never forget. This album is strong on every track, a consistent, impressive step up.

Satori – The Braver the Bull, the Better the Bullfight – Outsider Art – 2019.

Outsider art often releases Knifedoutofexistence and does batches of four cassettes, all by different artists. The acts featured are often newer artists on the UK scene, however this time veteran project Satori was featured. It’s a repeated rule in PE that newer artists are where it is really at and older acts are often seen to be not what they were once. When I saw Satori live this year, that wasn’t the case, Dave Kirby was an unnerving presence which made for an effective show. Satori has this distanced rage that I see come through in other Outsider Art acts of the present day such as Ordeal by Roses and Knifedoutofexistence to a point where I see it as being influential. To top it off this cassette is excellent – clear evidence of an older act at the top of its game.

Active Denial – What Dreams are Made Of – Outsider Art – 2019.

Both releases by Active Denial are powerful, but this one is the best one, the sound is stripped down, raw and intense. Horrible noise and ranted sermons of bile. Active Denial are a name to watch as recordings and live performances are amazing. Get both recordings if you can, this was so popular it was gone in the blink of an eye and Research Laboratories reissued it. Thomas Laroche (one half of AD) has a whole bunch of stuff on there that is a whole new nightmare running parallel to this. I’m still not over the Summer of Hate, don’t know if I ever will be – you’re still it.

Detrimental Effect – Your Truth – Tesco – 2019.

I often talk about distanced Power Electronics; this however uses restraint in its sound – the tension that builds up as a result of this on Your Truth is enormous and makes for an effective, powerful release. Noise and samples play off each other, things pushed a hair’s length from their breaking points. This depiction of the lies used in politics and media is the soundtrack of today.

Nevis Kretini 2019. 

Niku Daruma - FUCKING NOTHING

Niku daruma – FUCKING NOTHING – Reel to Reel/Download/cassette – My Skin Don't Mean Much / Laura's Girls - 2019.

      1.   FUCKING.

      2.   NOTHING.

https://nikudaruma.bandcamp.com/

My appreciation of the trio that is niku daruma has been documented on here through reviews of the Goreshit split and She Gets What She Wants releases. There is live footage a plenty on YouTube and recordings on their Bandcamp to immerse yourselves in the full ND experience. The imagery of their work, tells plenty, live performances are intense, and the releases are rare, so keep on it.

This may be a 2-track release, but the stakes are high, and ND are to me, a leading light in modern Harsh Noise/PE, so fingers crossed.

FUCKING starts of as if a microphone or a sound lead is being tapped repeatedly, it goes right through you, this ensures that the dialogue continually punctuated as feedback and distortion seem to want their say too, it hasn’t kicked off and its nasty already – why did I review this on headphones, I have a headache already. I can’t follow the dialogue, then it explodes into a massive wall of distortion that is cut into by sharp, piercing noise and here we are Niku Daruma’s fuck noise is in full swing. Nasty displays of frequency abuse ensure, I am getting what I wanted. The shifts in frequency are sudden and harsh, the sharpest frequency seems to act as a lead as if taking over from the dialogue. There are several prominent shifts in the sound to ensure the delivery doesn’t get samey. The tracks end is epic. FUCKING is horrible, nasty, sound abuse and pure spontaneous delivery.

NOTHING is an immediate wall, a dense barrage of distortion. This is dense, immense and intense; more so as it is then frequently interrupted by harsh feedback that resonates as much as the wall does. I am aware of the project’s RITA appreciation, but in my view, this is impressive HNW fucked with to maximum effect. The breakdowns and drops in sound to sharper noise mass that develop are impressive and ensure a continual and gradual shift. Again, the abuse of sharper frequencies forms an impressive lead noise, the sound is pure violence.

Niku Daruma continually steps up their game, it is amazing to see the project develop and grow into something else.

Nevis Kretini 2019

Niku Daruma - She Gets What She Wants.

NikuDaruma – She Gets What She Wants – Black Ring Rituals – CD/Tape/Download – 2019.

Tracklist.

     1.    Who’s Counting? (Any Sharp Object).

     2.    Who’s Counting? ( Quick, precise movements.)

     3.    Who’s Counting ( Mouth to Wound)

     4.    Body’s Slick and Crimson.

     5.    Unrecognizable Faces.

     6.    Joyful Permanent Smiles.

     7.    Please Guide Us Home.

The intensity of the recent split with Goreshit on Dough Girl made Niku Daruma one of my favourite current day, noise acts, I feel the need to investigate Niku Daruma’s work even further and She Gets What She Wants is one of their most recent releases on Black Ring Rituals.

The album begins with some raw, sharp displays of noise, there is some vocal interlude, but this is spoken and to the point which continues into the second movement of Who’s Counting only to become more explosive, I feel the sheer extremity of this release more so than the other Daruma stuff that I have heard. The three Who’s Counting’s are impressive stripped back displays of pure Harsh Noise that seem destined to find new ways to up the intensity. The third is the longest, this really drops to quiet crackles and splutters, before building to huge eruptions of noise – there are more cut up vocals that sound warped and depraved.

Body’s Slick and Crimson used a more direct vocal that loses the plot immediately, backed by the noise, this is unnerving and direct; it is screamed rather than spoken as before and sounds like torture – I feel this is Niku Daruma in full throttle. Unrecognizable Faces seems to carry on the noise of Body’s Slick and build into bigger, layered displays of pained noise, the sound becomes busier and massive in comparison to the earlier tracks, this is violent Power Electronics that likes to die by pulling back to farting hums and reigniting itself with passages of sharp sound abuse.

Further abuse and rage forms Joyful Permanent Smiles, I like the progression from Harsh Noise to PE that occurs throughout the later tracks. The vocals are just enraged screams that are surrounded by scraping rises and sudden drops in sound – this leads to a wailing, upset vocal that is psychotic and disturbing. The final track builds tornados of sharp cut sound that seem to illustrate the bands themes of violence and conflict perfectly, this eventually pulls into a deeper vortex of noise and makes for a dramatic finale.  

I think Niku Daruma’s work is something of a knife to the face where modern Harsh Noise/PE is concerned and as new acts go, they remain amongst my top cards, I cannot express my love and support for this project enough.

Choppy Noodles 2019.

Goreshit/niku daruma split cassette.

goreshit / niku daruma – split cassette/download – Dough Girl – 2019.

https://doughgirltapes.bandcamp.com/album/goreshit-niku-daruma

https://goreshit.bandcamp.com/music

https://nikudaruma.bandcamp.com/

Track list.

     1.    goreshit – ruminate, relapse, regret, regress.

     2.    niku daruma – her blade.

     3.    niku daruma – our throat(s)

I’m very aware of Dough Girl Tapes, I have reviewed Ritual Chair who have recorded on the Dough Girl and they have become another odd American Noise label whom I find myself frequently eyeing up. When I say odd, I mean it in the sense they cater to the challenging end of all forms of noise with a very forward-thinking mindset. There is a lot of impressive queer identity work on the label, which from my Closer Bones review I’ve become a lot more aware of – Niku Daruma was one of the recommendations of artists to check out from Closer Bones. I’m not familiar with either of these artists, I might be friends with one on my Facebook, but I’m going in Blind.

Goreshit has been releasing since 2005, originally conceived as a Black Metal project, then it became something else. Guitar Riff type noise appears, beats really kick in which as it intensifies becomes noise, as the sound gains momentum it becomes more of a fuller noise. This is an example of really good use of beats that works well, to see this done on the scummier, rawer end of the spectrum is something else. ‘Breakcore’ is used in the tags, but the combinations of genres are exciting – the ambient meltdowns are also great. How he makes four tracks into different passages of one piece is excellent too. I’m into Goreshit now.

Active since around 2018, niku daruma have released on Fusty Cunt, Black Ring Rituals and Mutual Aid Records, members are linked to the burnt-feathers and SHAME HOLE projects. Live performances are violent and direct between the three members. Her Blade has narratives about knife wounding through attack, ominous Power Electronic drones hummin the background before a violent noise assault kicks off. I like this, the performative aspect of the live show is replaced by some bold, raw use of harsh noise. The vocal screams are disturbing and effective.

I hear the “Power Electronics is Dead” spiel, quite frequently, “it repeats itself” etc. I say “but people, you’re not listening to any newer artists, there’s so many new approaches and directions” Niku Daruma is a shining example of fresh approach, that makes me happy and excited about Noise/PE today. I don’t feel the project has reached its full potential yet, but it’s heading there, so far, the results are impressive and this project is yet another ace discovery of 2019.

Both artists have made for an ace split, fresh results in different ways, buy it.

Choppy Noodles 2019.