New Batch – Mondoj
1.4.18 by Ryan Masteller

A few quick facts about Mondoj:

Mondoj is new.
Mondoj is swell.
Mondoj is based in Poland – Warsaw to be exact.
Mondoj is neat.
Mondoj releases tapes. Two so far.
Tabs Out LOVES tapes.
Fact 6 was not about Mondoj.
Mondoj is cuddly, like a puppy.
Mondoj will probably release more tapes. Let’s hope it’s soon.

Max Eilbacher is a good get for catalog number 001. The erstwhile bass pounder at Horse Lord Inc. hasn’t exactly had a down 2017. In fact, his release on Unifactor, “Music for Piano #7,” ranks up there with my favorites this year. “Dual Monologues in Parallel” ranks up there too, except this time, in order to offset his skill limitations (“limitations,” ha!), he did some hacking (the type of hacking as seen in the film “Hackers“) and created a whole new computer program to help him keep up with his vision. In the process he composed a piece of music, “Unnamed (For Guitar and Tape),” that could literally go on forever, if need be, harmonic and rhythmic patterns stretching out beyond the edge of existence. Only seventeen minutes and twenty-one seconds are included here, though, so you’ll just have to use your imagination for the rest of the infinite work. That and “The Ecstatic Movement of a Broken Arm (excerpt)” anchor the tape, the latter existing as a cut-up and repurposed symphonic suite that lasts twenty minutes and features a voice, a human voice! I don’t know, I’m gripped by the tense vibe. Two shorter pieces are also included, both experimental/electro-trippy, but they ONLY last about six minutes each, so they’re barely even there. (Just kidding, they’re awesome too.)

Patrick Shiroishi’s “Tulean Dispatch” isn’t for the faint of heart, as hinted at by the title of the tape itself, which was “the newspaper that was distributed at Tule Lake Internment camp, where [Shiroishi’s] grandparents were placed during WWII.” Through Mondoj 002 Shiroishi examines how he relates to history and his Japanese ancestry, what these things mean to him, and how they form an integral part of his own being. Opener “Herni” goes a long way toward spanning the spectrum of Shiroishi’s outlook, as a sax drone gradually morphs into virtuosic performance that’s colorful and full of flavor. “The Screams of a Father’s Tears” is raw and abrasive and undeniably heartwrenching. If Shiroishi was truly channeling ghosts, “Screams” is the medium through which he presents them to us. I mean, “Tulean Dispatch” in total is a cathartic spasm of sax blasts intercut with the void (allusion to “Form and Void” fully intended) of breathless silence, necessary after such exertion. You can’t help but be completely carried away by its awesome power.

The limited-edition pro-dubbed cassettes are out RIGHT NOW, and you can get them from Mondoj’s Bandcamp page. Buy ten!