2–5 August 2014
Wolf Eyes' infamous blistering noise propelled them from being a dank Ann Arbour, Michigan basement sensation to the finest ranks of Sub Pop without ever losing a shred of credibility. From touring with Sonic Youth and Andrew W.K., Wolf Eyes have crossed borders into popularity which few other such confrontational units of their ilk have been able to and kept straight and narrow on their blazing path.
Wolf Eyes' infamous blistering noise propelled them from being a dank Ann Arbour, Michigan basement sensation to the finest ranks of Sub Pop without ever losing a shred of credibility. From touring with Sonic Youth and Andrew W.K., Wolf Eyes have crossed borders into popularity which few other such confrontational units of their ilk have been able to and kept straight and narrow on their blazing path. Originally started as the solo project of former Nautical Almanac member Nate Young, he was soon joined by Aaron Dilloway in 1998, John Olson in 2000 then Mike Connelly and now Crazy Jim. They has released over 150 recordings in their relatively short lifespan, on labels such as Bulb Records, Troubleman Unlimited, Fusetron, and Sub Pop, as well as on Olson’s American Tapes label, Dilloway’s Hanson Records, Mike Connelly’s Gods of Tundra label and Nate Young’s AA Records. This show sees WOLF EYES play a one off UK show in support of their incredible new album 'No Answer: Lower Floors' out this month on De Stijl Records and as anyone whose seen them play live can attest the overwhelming force of a Wolf Eyes performance must be seen/felt/heard to to be believed.
Regression is the solo project of Nate Young, founding member of seminal Detroit noise band Wolf Eyes, who hasmost recently been honing an equally distinctive sound of his own that blends myriad sources from musique concrète, vintage film atmospherics, layered synths and archive library recordings into something thrillingly intense. Summoning up crushingly ominous crepuscular soundscapes and synth-washed phantasmagoria, Young undercuts the brutalism of Wolf Eyes with the kind of ambient dread that conjures images of lost horror soundtracks from the 70's. "...this might be the heaviest/sickest volume of the series to date, crossing minimal analogue synth violence with thunder cracks of metal percussion ala the early Akita/Null Merzbow duets, classic 70s sci-fi/horror atmospherics, massively doomy beat hypnotics and an atmosphere that's somewhere between the most apocalyptic Throbbing Gristle recordings, Coil's Musick To Play In The Dark, The Conet Project and your favourite Kraut kosmonaut. Something more 'hands on' about this particular volume that gives it the feel of a kind of post-synth electro- acoustic ritual, albeit tied-in with a visionary compositional aesthetic that is a couple of miles beyond your average weird-beard in a basement non-vibe. Highly recommended. " - David Keenan on Regression Volume 3
Crazy Jim aka James ‘Crazy Jim’ Baljo, is proof that not every side-project of Wolf Eyes results in noise. Veering towards the sweet and ambient, Crazy Jim uses only guitars to build huge waves of tonic abstraction. Nate Young credits Crazy Jim as "the first person to coin the term INZANE and plays and lives accordingly", look out for some sweet folk-tuned bliss.
Henry & Hazel Slaughter is a solo moniker of Wolf Eyes' John Olson seeing him cook up some absolutely ace, squashed and f*cked basement techno. And when we say f*cked, we mean totally backwards in the best possible sense of the word. Unlike his bandmate Nate Young's Moon Pool & Dead Band techno exploits, this is waaaay more blasted and basically demented, decimating unhealthy loops of sludgy kicks and scummy synths with salty distortion and a wickedly unhinged sense of funk. To add to the fun, each track ends in a locked groove. Massively recommended to fans of KPLR or Astral Social Club who want to go more primordial - this is just tops.
