JAZKAMER 2010

In 2010, the fantastic Norwegian label Pica Disk will release one new Jazkamer CD every month. It will be 12 different albums, and each release will vary as much as Jazkamer has varied the sound and line-up over the years, such as:
• First studio recordings of the metal line-up since ”Metal Music Machine” album
• New ”Art Breaker”-style grindcore recordings
• New ”Panic”-style broken-blues material
• Collaborations with John Wiese, Putrefier, Government Alpha and others
• Material with regular four-piece line-up of Hegre, Marhaug, Gross and Drønen
• And more.

To make it easy obtaining them all, it is also possible to subscribe. More information at the Jazkamer site.

Government Alpha, Will Guthrie & more from Pica Disk

Four new releases from one of my favourite labels, Pica Disk has just been announced. Firstly the Government Alpha "Resolution Of Remembrance 1992-1999" 4CD Box-Set looks just as fantastic as the Incapacitants box from earlier this year. Containing 4 CDs of 62 tracks, remastered from the original cassette and DAT-masters, the box also gives promises of obscure Japanese pure energy noise. Yasutoshi Yoshida's Government Alpha project is one of the leading names in Japanese noise from the 90s.


Maja S.K. Ratkje and Lasse Marhaug joins forces on their "Music For Gardening" CD. The forth entry in Ratkje and Marhaug's "Music For"-collaborative series, is meant to inspire the listener to spend more time in their garden taking care of their plants (I might spend more time inside listening to Pica releases).

Australian soundwizard Will Guthrie has created two intense pieces of drums/electronics. War metal drumming meets free-noise spazz bliss on both sides of the new "Spike-S" 7" single.

Oren Ambarchi and Lasse Marhaug did a tour of China in 2005, and they not only performed live, they also did some location recordings and studiorecordings. A tapestry of this is presented on the "Devil Wolf Men" 7" single.

Incapacitants, Hijokaidan & Birchville Cat Motel

are simultaneously released by Lasse Marhaugs new label Pica Disk. Japan noise veterans Incapacitants CD "Burning Orange" is a live recording from All Ears festival in Oslo, Norway in January 2007. This is actually a split with Incapacitants - Fumio Kosakai and T.Mikawa on track one (Orange Smoke), followed by (Out Of Schnaps ) by "Fumio Tommiakawa" who are- Kosakai and T.Mikawa with Tommi Keränen). Track one is simply fantastic pure noise, complex or simple as it can be, and you can hear the two just trying to kick ass. In a sense they do, as this is a live recording that contains a lot of energy in all its beauty. The second track starts out more varied, and it seems that the (three on this) artists try to communicate with each other. I love it after just one listen and I am already looking forward to some more rounds.



Hijokaidan is a duo of Jojo Hiroshige (guitar) and Junko (voice). The high pitch voice of Junko is a perfect match to the guitar shredding noises of Jojo Hiroshige. The "Polar Nights Live" CD was recorded at All Ears festival in 2006. From the Pica Disk website:

"Jojo and Junko performed as a Hijokaidan two-piece on the opening night of the festival, a rarely heard line-up. Their performance got such a tremendous response that they came back for an encore (Otomo Yoshihide, longtime Hijokaidan fan who also performed at the festival, proclaimed "Incredible! Hijokaidan never does encores!"). The second night Jojo collaborated with guitarist Per Gisle Galåen (DEL, The Birds), unleashing thick layers of psychedelic and distorted guitar fog, which fans of of Fushitsusha, Les Rallizes Denudes and Jojo's non-Hijokaidan work will appreciate. The final night saw Junko hooking up with noise-nik Sten Ove Toft (Ryfylke) for a hellish meltdown of twisted electronics and the most intense voice in music.
Unlike most other noise acts Hijokaidan has not spoiled their fans with a huge number of releases, which makes Polar Nights Live an even more unique statement of pure noise sound."

Bircville Cat Motel "Gunpowder Temple Of Heaven" CD contains a 40 minutes long noise-drone track. This is the project of New Zealander Campbell Kneale, and the track is building and building and is not even drowning itself! the CD also comes with a booklet with Birchville Cat Motel discography.

All the CDs come in nicely done paper wallets, and you can read more and check soundsamples at the labels website.


In addition you should check out some of the Pica Disk releases from 2007!