Experimental music is a method of bringing over a message like no other form of music. Sure, it also happens in other music; think of hip-hop and NWA or Public Enemy. But stating you’ve learned about something while listening to Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift? Not really. This doesn’t say anything about their art form; it’s just different. Experimental music leaves space for conceptualizing ideas and incorporating a message into the art. And as we’ve learned, Inner Demons is a label that feels strongly about particular politics and injustice in this world. So does Austrian artist Fabio Keiner, whom I’ve never heard of before, by the way.
‘Battle Hymn’ is a 21-minute 3″ CDR. I’m blatantly gonna copy the promo here: ‘These three tracks are a rendition of Julia Ward Howe’s famous ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ (so often misappropriated by the most diverse political forces for their own purpose) as a short tribute to the spirit of the fight against slavery and racism; a fight which still is raging in the US as well as the rest of the world.’ So yeah, the message is strong, even if the music is – in this case – absolutely not noise-related. But to have a strong message, you don’t need harsh music.
‘Truth is Marching On’, ‘Shall Never Call Retreat’ and ‘Let Us Die to Make All Free’ are lush ambient tracks, but I couldn’t tell you the production behind them. It can be anything, to be honest. From meticulously performed granular synthesis to some synth composition to improvisation in a complex studio to even endless writing on a laptop in some software environment. I have no clue! That in itself is what makes it interesting for me because I always try to find the origin of sounds just to be able to learn. So, Fabio taught me twice on this one: Political knowledge and exploring the origin of the sounds he used. Which I’m still trying to find after several listening sessions, by the way.
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