Psychick Warriors ov Gaia, Exquisite Corpse, and their odd brand of minimal & tribal trance-techno-ambient

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuFLfFzV6nw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrumV_CsfXc

Recently I've rediscovered these two related (Exquisite Corpse was originally a solo project by a PWOG member, then became a duo when Debbie Jones joined) acts, and I've been kinda amazed how timeless and unique this stuff still sounds, especially considering how many similar electronic acts of 20 years ago are now so obviously "of their time". Obviously you can draw some connections between them and contemporaneous British ambient house and "ethno-techno" (stuff on Planet Dog etc), or German trance, but their sound is clearly harsher than ambient house and more minimal than trance.

I understand PWOG didn't originally come from a dance music background, but were these acts part of a scene or something? Does that the fact they came from Netherlands, where the dominant underground club sound of that era was (as far as I know) gabba and hardcore, partially explain why they are so different from most of their contemporaries in UK/Germany/USA? Or were/are there other acts who were doing similar things? I'd love to hear more shit like this, so recommendations are welcome!

their music has aged incredibly well. i had both of them play in scotland in the early 90s (PWOG on several occasions) and got to know them a bit though i have long since lost touch. they were from an industrial background and had been members of the temple ov psychick youth but had fallen in love with dance music and were trying to combine their pasts with the music that was then current. i always felt that robbert heynen was the real musical driving force as when he left to concentrate on exquisite corpse PWOG lost a lot of their musicality (though still made some great records). mr. heynen was a fan of a lot of new york house of the era iirc and several early exquisite corpse singles do sound akin to classic deep house. they played mega dog several times and got lumped in with that scene which i never really felt they were part of musically as they were a lot more interesting and rhythmic. not a lot springs to mind that is similar to what they were doing at that time.

All I know is that Genesis P-Orridge issued them with a cease and desist order because they were using the Psychick Cross logo without his permission.

i find that whole era of Industrial/underground artists going Disco incredibly fascinating. Despite all of Gen's hagiography, the TG techno side-projects always seemed the more intentionally 'psychedelic' than that coming from the dance/rave side, more Acid than House, though I'm sure it was all incestuous.

Thanks for the info, Stirmonster, that's quite interesting. I was vaguely aware of the industrial connection, though I don't hear much industrial in their music. Would you happen to know why EC particularly were so fascinated by Native Americans, especially in their imagery but sound too?

agreed their music doesn't sound industrial but i rather think they were going for the ritual / hypnotic / tribal aspect of industrial culture. i'm afraid i don't know why he was fascinated by native americans.

I guess if they were interested in the hypnotic nature of music, that's what lead them to Native American signifiers? It's still quite tasteful compared to some other attempts to include that imagery to dance music, such "P.ower of A.merican N.atives".

The closest thing I can think of to this sort of idea of dance music as a tribal ritual is the music Oliver Lieb released around the same time on Harthouse, under the name Ambush, though those records are (unsurprisingly, considering Lieb's background) more trancey and cosmic than PWOG or EC.

other records from that era that successfully used native american signifiers imo -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG7ofODbF3k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3cnbFIETUw

or maybe the other side of the peyote one a bit more -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwh5x2JLJ8s

I listened to PWOG a bit back, in the early 90s. I probably owned one of their CDs at one point. My (and my 1989-1991 friend and house-mate's) Psychic TV interest tended to pull in other closely related things. I can't say PWOG has stuck with me. Listening to the track you linked to above and it's just meh to me.

(I might still have a copy of the Genesis P-Orridge cease and desist letter somewhere.)

Incidentally, Tuomas, do you know Kondole thee Whale? I still like this one, along with the other tracks that were on the original (?) vinyl, although I don't care for the third, to me Residents-like track that was added to this CD reissue.

The other main track on Ov Dolphins and Whales, or whatever the vinyl release was called, was Dead Cat, which is much nicer than its title.

apart from jack the tab which wasn't very acid house, without exception i found all PTV's forays into dance music absolutely atrocious and I say that as a huge PTV fan.

Love this youtube comment for Dead Cat:

Thx so much for posting. We used to hook up the stereo speakers and listen to the sound go back and forth.

without exception i found all PTV's forays into dance music absolutely atrocious and I say that as a huge PTV fan.

I'm not really defending them in general, but Kondole and Dead Cat aren't all that "dance" really (even in its more ambient forms). Still, I don't know. They seem to fit alongside that stuff.

(Should have formatted that better.)

i like Jack the Tab but i don't think i've ever heard a good Genesis P. dance track

i shall revisit those two when i have a moment. live during their dance era they were v. entertaining though. i still have vivid memories of a naked GPO slapping his penis against the face of a perplexed bouncer at a Glasgow gig.

Duplicate thread locked, please use other thread.

Incidentally, Tuomas, do you know Kondole thee Whale? I still like this one, along with the other tracks that were on the original (?) vinyl, although I don't care for the third, to me Residents-like track that was added to this CD reissue.

― _Rudipherous_, 11. lokakuuta 2013 17:46 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The other main track on Ov Dolphins and Whales, or whatever the vinyl release was called, was Dead Cat, which is much nicer than its title.

I tried listening to these, but they still sound too much like "real" music to me, with a live bass and improvisation and so on. I don't really care for any "live" elements in electronic music, makes it too close to rock IMO.

rock music, the only form of music with live instruments and improvisation

mr. heynen was a fan of a lot of new york house of the era iirc and several early exquisite corpse singles do sound akin to classic deep house.

This is very true btw, the first(?) Exquisite Corpse release Reassembling Reality sounds a lot like someone trying to filter deep house through a hypnotic, dubby lens - it's not really that far from the approach DJ Sprinkles has taken to deep house in his recent releases. Something similar can also be heard on PWOG's "The Key", especially this remix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbEqFEL7IZ4

Tuomas, yeah, I sort of put those tracks in an electronic music category in my head but, as I think I said later in the thread, that's based more on associating them with other PTV output of that time. And most other ambient music (in a loose, broad sense) I was listening to at the time tended to be electronic. I think. You don't mind improvisation in other contexts, I assume, based on other things you've said?

Yeah, I like in improv in jazz and other types of music where it's kind of the point, the thing that makes the music what it is. But in electronic music I don't dig it, that shit is all about the moods and grooves for me, I don't want any element of human imprecision to it.

I'm going to drop it here before you make me want to end my recent rapprochement with electronic dance music. PLUR.

I only found out last week that Exquisite Corpse released their first recording of new material in 14 years this March, and it's bloody excellent!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmGEgeXm1Ec

It's more droney and less techno than their previous material, but still has that unique, shamanistic percussive vibe of their earlier releases. According to the notes on their Bandcamp page, "most of the material on the record is selected from improvisations Robbert and Debbie recorded in their home studio in Vancouver, BC during 2003, except for “SDLY” which was recorded in the Netherlands in 1996". I dunno why they took so long to release these tunes, but I'm glad they finally did.

Reviving this, because this is probably the album of the year for me, and everyone should listen to it so they can vote for it in ILM end-of-the-year poll. :)

glad you re-upped, I'm interested in this -- I was confused by PWOG as I was by p much all dance music progression in those days, but I bought it and sort of ~contemplated~ it with pleasure

Nice that you liked it, and yeah, I think contemplation is a good term for listening to this one. Despite there being beats thoroughout the album, it's not really dance music, even less so than the previous EC releases.

Ha I got into pwog this summer. Really interesting stuff

It is, and it's still amazing to me how timeless a lot of material is. Take this track, for example: it's from 1992, but doesn't sound dated at all like a lot of their contemporaries do:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arPTNT4o5Fw

Similarly, it's easy to imagine the stuff on the new album being from the 1990s (and one track apparently does date back to 1996), nothing in it sounds like the 2000s, yet it still feels fresh - maybe because few techno producers travelled the same paths they did?

Which of the between rhythms are new stuff and old stuff?

I'm into this. Just saw it mentioned on a Mixmag list too:
https://mixmag.net/feature/the-best-tracks-of-the-year-2020

Which of the between rhythms are new stuff and old stuff?

ahh looks like EA isn't on streaming

It's in Bandcamp, you can stream from there. Though maybe only albums you've bought? Never tried that feature.

Kind of unrelated but in the 4th world music thread we were recently talking about how 'tribal ambient' is a bit of a weird label and I think about it every time this gets bumped.

Interested in this one too. Can anyone comment on the vinyl pressing? I thinking of ordering it but not so keen if it sounds dreadful.

Join the tribe, baby!

Has this been posted? Maybe I posted it already. Proto-PWOG from 1988.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13f-hI1VJ0s

This was the Exquisite Corpse one I always really liked. Must try playing it 45 to see if it sounds exactly like The Helicopter Tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzuTroM9lDs

It doesn't really sound like The Helicopter Tune, I don't know why I had that association.

Exquisite Corpse reissue news:

https://klassewrecks.bandcamp.com/album/chief-ep