Muslimgauze - crazy English electronical musician from Manchester - motherland of Autechre. From the beginning of 80s up to the end of 90s he recorded and released a great number of albums and collaborations on different labels. In sum it's more that one hundred releases on various media - cassettes, DAT-cassettes, mini-discs, vinyl records and compact-discs. The concept and presentation of such music are very simple. Clash of western culture and Islamic world had the definite influence on the musician. He's firmly convinced that the West imposes it's political views and rules of play directly on the Arab people, and with the help of his music Muslimgauze expresses his negative attitude to such state of affairs. The musician uses simple means to compile his ideas - he records Arabic percussion rhythms on tape, adds analogue synthesizers and noises of Tvset or radio. The result is something like a collage. Absolutely different visions of the situation create the concept + minimalism + psychodelic music which in summ gives incredible, even fairy results - adventures through time and space to occupied territories.
Albums, which were not released while he was alive, proceed their life after his death. Various labels keep reediting of numerous albums which had been released earlier.
Virus of Muslimgauze is a very dangerous virus of creative freedom. Having got such virus you immediately become an outsider in common society and start realizing all events in a different way.
Having started over 10 years ago, the conflict in the Middle East is still lasting. And nowadays the creative work and concept of Muslimgauze are still very urgent and interesting, as well as 6-8 years ago.
From all 100 or more albums I'd like to point out one unusual and in some way odd work - the album Azzazin (hired killer in translation) with 13 tracks without titles. This work of Muslimgauze doesn't only differ from other his works, it also has no analogues among all experimental electronics.
The album starts with strong sinusoid impulsive vibrations of analogue origin, they turn from one channel to another. These vibrations are joined by remote voices, noises and sounds of some doors and metal hatches opening. Every second the tension becomes stronger and turns everything into one scanning sound picture - sounds of shots, drops of strain making an amateur listener the feeling of claustrophobia and auditory delusions. It seems to me, that the samples of this album are very much alike with the soundtracks to the film "Alien" - extremely similar atmosphere and dangerous sound effects hiding inside the tracks.
Track number 2 keeps forcing the strain. The only thing which is added to the samples is the work with atmospheric fields. There is such a feeling that at the same time the designer creates another audio picture and dubs his hypnotic acid sound line without any drums. It includes only flicks, noises, sounds of reloaded weapon, voices and perversions - a new parallel theme.
In the third track we hear something different - sounds of acid synths transforming into almost rhythmically pulsing noise-movement starting its speeding-up. By the way, in each coming track there is the change of instruments' tone. Sometimes it seems that the samples of noises have disappeared, but it's only a trick, illusion to sleep the listener's attention. During the whole album we hear something disappear and return again but nothing disappears in fact.
Track 6 is the culmination of the increasing strain - acid sounds become very sharp, pressing, there appear other ring samples - unsafe theme for listening at home with high volume.
In tracks 7, 8, 9 basic sound images are joined by something Arabic and psychodelic, nevertheless the main sound picture remains unchangeable.
Track 11 may be compaired with a dialogue with aliens from other planets, but there can be a great number of parallels - so many as your fantasy can afford you.
The last track 13 is the most silent one. That's why it should be listened to very attentively. There will appear additional parallel layers.
The artist, who made the design for the Azzazin, was impressed by hypnotic hallucinative music of Muslimgauze. Being inspired by yellow-black emblem of one gas-oil concerns, he made the same one, but more minimalistic, sophisticated design. It's psychological music for individual, confidential listening - non-existent killer from digital technology reality.
- Muslimgauze