In the late 80s, when the experimental tape scene was still very much alive and kicking some serious butts, there was a small tape label called Interrupt Product based in Haarlem, Netherlands, run by Egbert van der Vliet. Back then, there were a lot of labels and people active on all kinds of territories, but when I look at what happened in '88 and '89 (Discogs ;-), I already see great names like Grey Wolves, Odal, S-Core, Vidna Obmana, 6de Kolonne, PBK, Big City Orchestra, Blackhumour ... Stuff to look out for, to say the least. In 2019, so that's 30 years later, Egbert jumpstarted his ideas and started a little label called Non-Interrupt. Several releases from projects from Egbert and befriended artists. As well as a few sampler tapes and CDr's under the title "Music For A Few People". And an extra sampler on the side label of Non-Interrupt: Eyeless Vision. And now: It's 2022 - almost 2023, and it's time to get it all out. Now the world has Bandcamp as a proper digital distribution channel. And a CDR on the side as well! So we have a batch of three volumes sold as separate releases; let's dive into them.
"Volume 1" has six tracks and opens with a collaboration between Modelbau and Pool Pervert, so it's Egbert and Frans together. "Umbau 10" is almost 10 minutes of minimal noise drones as a base, completed with manipulated field recordings and lovely tape delays. It sounds really saturated if I can use this word here. Tracks two and six are from Grey Planet with different collaborators. It doesn't say who Grey Planet is, so I can only describe the tunes to you. Like the first track, there is heavy use of delays in the 'added' sounds, but the ambient drone in "Molecules are spaceships" (way too short with only four minutes) is very well done: Think old Projekt sound. "Control Room" is twice as long and has the same vibe, but field recordings/samples have made way too lovely high-pitched rattling. The whole experience gets an almost sci-fi yet organic feel. Pool Pervert - Egbert himself - has two tracks on this one, the eighteen-minute "Error (Part 2)" and the seven-minute "Guru". The "Error"-track fits what I wrote in Vital 1361 about his recent release on NDWICM: 'The sounds depict a landscape in decay, and they can be played to change the environment you're in while listening'. "Guru" is a minimal drone based on sounds that might very well be from some organ. Minimal yet intrusive through the choice of sounds. M.T.U.L.'s track is entitled "A9"; again, I have no clue who this is. The track is based on a repetitive loop or sound going in and out of the sonic image. A heavy granular drone in the back completes this minimal experiment.
Up to "Volume 2". This one opens again with a collaboration between Pool Pervert and MNomized. "Phantom Train (Ghost Version)". It's safe to say that the field recordings that take care of the atmospheres are from Pool Pervert and that MNomized, a.k.a. Michel Madrange from Paris, France, has written the rhythmic track. The track's flow feels like a train with an ambience describing the environment it travels through. "You Can't Unbake A Cake (excerpt)" by Dei Stephen & Jeffrey Sinibaldi continues with a more electronic-sounding-sounding sampler than the first one. Ambient layers with filtered pulses and a rhythmic structure create an uneasy atmosphere, and the added atonal children's organ sounds and bass lines don't make it sound any easier. This is way outside my comfort zone, but I must say, I now know why people sometimes refer to complex music as being 'interesting' when they don't know what to say. The next one is Modelbau with "End Game". This one is less noisy than what I've heard from him recently; I think this should even be considered class 'A' ambient. Massage Creep with "Botox (Full Version)" is a three-minute interlude and, honestly, didn't do it for me. This sounded a bit too easy between some of the other tracks on the CDR. Track 5 is another collab between MNomized and Pool Pervert. With the title "The Core", this is how I like my soundscapes. A story translated into sounds, a description of an environment and getting lost during listening. The final two tracks are again both collabs; PBK and Pool Pervert wrote "Sentimental Berlin + Close", and it's again no secret I've known PBK for quite some time and followed his output. The two together deliver a great soundtrack for a cold winter's evening. The final track of this CDR is "Alone" by Grey Planet, which we've seen in "Volume 1", and I still don't know who or what. He/she/it/they collaborate with Perseverance (also: no clue), resulting in a five-minute short fun track, but like the Massage Creep track, it doesn't do it for me. It's not bad, but a few earlier tracks made me happier.
Finally, "Volume 3" and this review will be shorter than the previous 2. Why? Because it's a re-release of a cassette written about before in Vital Weekly 1240. And If you read the Vital on a regular base, you know there's not too much regurgitation unless it's recorded and used as a sound source. But ok, a short recap: The Modelbau track left me with buzzing ears, holy shit. The Massage Creep track is very, very lovely, well-done lo-fi analogue rumbling experiments. The three Minoy tracks are an amazing joy to listen to. The Utrecht-based Lärmschutz do 17 minutes of free improv jazz noise, which just isn't to my taste. MNomized and Pool Pervert do another great collab together, and finally, Ian Stenhouse' "Solo Trumpet" is precisely how I like my trumpets: Unrecognizable.
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