Hafler Trio s/d

even when they go for the straight drones, there's a lot more white noise sanding you down than on the zoviet:france records, which were more tribal/primitive/lovely. in the 80's those two bands were the ones following what I thought were the more interesting directions of early industrial music, spreading out. (Nurse With Wound were always completely their own thing, i thought. The NWW/HT collaboration is actually just McKenzie remixing Stapleton sounds)

There are a lot of pointless Hafler Trio records though, they really put out way too much. (bag of cats is pointless, yes.) In the mid-90's Mute did a reissue series that just flooded the shelves with way too much samey material (he reuses source materials across records way too often. Nurse With Wound does this too but for some reason I don't mind as much, there's usually a valid new context for them across the different albums.)

My personal favorite is 'kill the king', not much to say about it beyond that it's quite a powerful piece of sound. 'intoutof' is a one track piece, beautiful whistling drones interrupted at the halfway point by 6 minutes of metallic noise twice as loud as anything else on the disc. That record made quite an impression on me in 1989. 'mastery of money' is quite good too.

The new 10" eps are $15-20 each. I'm curious about them yup but hesitant as well. It's two decades later and all.

still feeling this way. more recommendations?

sounds like it could be hopelessly dated -- should i have a listen ?

but do the words amount to anything profound (my real reason i feel i can only inquire here first) or is it more of a unique of-its-time technique presentation ?
and so it follows, are they really that musical ?

I grew up with compilations on which the Haflers would make an inevitable appearance. They were OK but not as visceral as, say, NWW or The Legendary Pink Dots were visceral. There was something canny and academic about the way they looked, the sounds they made, and the name of the band itself - professors of the new wave of noise, cluey, grant-savvy, aware of the history of noise music, perhaps natural teachers - no, too kind, natural historians in some department of new media or other - but ambitious too, ambitious enough to - pretend to be musical. They were not musicians, and could never be: they placed theory before sound. You are right, george gossett.

I think they have won the day - The Wire is full of artists like this, they tour from one university to the next, they play at events with names like 'futur.fall', and they are smart artists - not really artists, but academics, they play the system. The Hafler Trio make me think of all that. I don't know what they really contributed, but when I think of the kind of dull-normal artists often featured in that period piece of pretentious journalism, The Wire, making various noises through various gimmicky means, but ending up with sound pastiches of no real intensity or imagination, I think of them.

McKenzie is certainly on the academic side, and capable of some very self-indulgent, ponderous liners, but when it comes to 70 minute tunnels of post-eraserhead industrial drone like 'kill the king' I think he's definitely got some intuitive, musical ears.

we need a new thread in which we book the lineup of 'futur.fall codetone 2005 (Fengersfors)'

'futur.fall codetone 2005 (Fengersfors)'

Already confirmed:

Helmut Frinckmann

Some info:

Frinckmann is (Non)-'Musician'-in-Residence at Soundlab, Leipzig. He has played with such prestigious post-muisc artists as Thurston Moore, Philip Glass and DJ Shadow at No(h) Enjoyment Allowed and other prestigious events attended by numerous worried young white men in coke bottle glasses.

He plays a plastic tube with contact mic attachments through which he screams, hollers and pleads for more funding.

A Bag of Cats really is one of the most pointless CDs ever.

No(h) Enjoyment Allowed and other prestigious events attended by numerous worried young white men in coke bottle glasses.

He plays a plastic tube with contact mic attachments through which he screams, hollers and pleads for more funding.

this is hilarious and sadly close to truth but i would never think to put the blame on the hafler trio for it. Wire Magazine, on the other hand...

of course all largely propaganda of course all largely propaganda of course all largely propaganda of course all largely propaganda of course all largely propaganda of course all largely propaganda

Great new interview:

https://toneglow.substack.com/p/0355-the-hafler-trio

this fucking guy and his Bandcamp and his endless scams

"will be ONLY spoken word from the 10th of August 2022 onwards. this is mandated by the new overly intrusive Bandcamp tax details policy. sorry. really. items will be made available again through Gumroad."

supported by
neunrg WOW, I bought the entire discography in March for 303.58EURO and now its all gone. FUCKING BULLSHIT.

gonna comfortably say that you can destroy everything after 1987 or so

more hilarity here:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/62507-The-Hafler-Trio/reviews#c91091