Phinery Winter Batch
1.16.15 by Mike Haley

With the ever-expanding front lines of the War on Christmas, Facebook posts about how it’s snowing and/or cold outside, and year-end-listsanity, it’s easy for late December releases to get lost in the proverbial sauce. It would be a crime, and frankly irresponsible, if I didn’t bring some much-deserved attention Phinery‘s way. The Denmark concern, who didn’t exist prior to 2014, pretty much nailed it with tape output by Head Dress, Karl Fousek, Demonstration Synthesis, and others earlier in the year. Their final batch of the year, released on December 22nd, consists of some hyper-splendid matter.

Lortica, the project of one Alister Hill, chaperons the listener on a foggy journey deep, deep down into sink holes of sound. “Mialle Tapes” (ph013, co-released w/ Feral Media) is austere in it’s movements, processing found sounds over ten modest tracks. The pastoral floaters partner up with artwork by Tim Ferson, are cased in a clear red Norelco case, and limited to 75 physical copies.

Daniel James Laznoff continues his tenacious outpouring of mesmerizing tones as Demonstration Synthesis, this being his 15th cassette under the name. I’ve heard a lot of DS over the last few months, and this is, without a doubt, my favorite DS out of all the DS I have heard. Not that the other DS is BS. Far from it. “DS15” (ph014) is just a delight is all. A legion of varying ideas whirl around each other on this C40 in a keyboard fantasy land. PS: The blue norelco cases are beauties.

“1409-1” (ph015), a six-cut fizzling feast, is a straight up necessity. Japanese sound sculptor Takahiro Mukai trots out surface after surface of tiny, concentrated buzzes, loops, and electronic taunts, nonchalantly simulating a world taken over by minicomputers and microchips. Some tracks find Takahiro spilling sounds at random, while other beat-involved jams come across as more prepared. Both styles are insane, so grip before all 50 copies are spoken for.

Rounding out the batch is handsome sounding, and looking, cassette from Ondness titled “Filho Do Dono” (ph016), which either translates to “Filo Dough? I don’t know!” OR “The owner’s son”. You’ve got Google (and a brain), so I think you can figure it out. Bruno Silva, who is behind the controls here, has dished out Ondness on labels like Metaphysical Circuits, Fort Evil Fruit, and others, so maybe you are familiar with his cloud of amorphous drone slithering. If not, get with the program. The side-long burners here squirm through a forest, leaves crunching under feet. Moans panning behind the trees. It’s a macabre scene, but what are you even doing out in the forest at night?

You can pick up each of these heavy hitters on their own, or in a batch deal, from Phinery. Supplies are getting low, so do not delay.