R E V I E W S

–
ANEMONE TUBE . :EXISTENCE . CD . AUF ABWEGEN . 2001

"German ambient-industrial project Anemone Tube was formed in 1996, and has explored a variety of heavy noisescapes and rhythmic blocks of sound; the Tube's modus operandi has always seemed to focus on putting the listener into a state of delirium caused by constantly shifting sounds and tones sourced from assorted organic and synthetic sounds, and this approach has resulted in a stylistically diverse body of work over the years. On the debut full length Existence, a nearly hour-long disc released in a hand-numbered limited edition of 500 copies, Anemone Tube is at it's heaviest, constructing seven bulky tracks that move from gorgeous ambient dronescapes to crushing, loop-heavy walls of distortion and menacing melodic tracers undulating over grinding rhythmic throb, sort of like what I'd expect a collaboration between Wolf Eyes and Maurizio Bianchi to sound like, although you can also draw lines to Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and violent early UK power electronics when tracks like 'Choke Down' and 'The Encounter III" get into full swing and start obliterating speakers with ferocious torrents of factory distortion. I really dig the way that Existence manages to balance the haunting, atmospheric drones and buried deconstructed rhythms with the louder, brutal passages of rumbling machine filth, making this much easier to digest than many of Anemone Tube's peers. Packaged in an elegant jewel case with a large 10-panel booklet glowing in fiery, fractaled reds and oranges, imprinted with mysterious pictograms.”
(Crucial Blast, USA)

”First proper CD release by this German project. The sounds range from beautiful ambient soundscapes to more harsh, loopy noise tracks. Layers of distorted rhythms, haunting drones and rumbling Industrial Noise make this a recommended release for fans of early Orphx, Throbbing Gristle and SPK.”
(Cold Spring, UK)

”Active in the german noise / drone scene since 1997, Anemone Tube has had to wait till 2001 to release its first full length album, ":Existence", on the label of the Auf Abwegen magazine. 7 tracks for a total of 50 minutes come in an elegant CD displaying a warm, fire-like design.
The tracks Anemone Tube has written for this album are somewhere between harsh noise ("Secondary master" or even the power electronics of "Choke Down"), and calmer ones, made of distant drones and long soundscapes that carry a dark mood ("Red waves" and it violin-like high pitched sounds, "Flesh and bombs").
This CD evens dwells into quasi-electronic (understand "undistorted electronics") on "Continuity" and the very dronesque "The encounter II" which progresses slowly into a new harsh, loud and noisy track.
Very well done, this CD demonstrate how mature Anemone Tube is. From noise material that can compare tothe new american noise scene (think Troniks or Fusion Audio) to soundscapish and abyssmal tracks, the diversity of this CD adds to his quality and brings some fresh air to breathe between the most suffocating tracks. Really well done, this is for sure a success for a debut album, and I guess that Anemone Tube is going to make quite a name for himself in the noise scene."
(Recycle Your Ears, Nicolas, Berlin, June 15th, 2001)

"This is a brand new release of this great German Noise activist. 7 tracks of original Noise from violent to ambient, with many sound sources and great arrangements. The impression of new sound is felt while listening to this great work mixing many influences but in a very personal manner. Atmospheric parts a really mind escaping invitations and powerful ones will pulse your brain. Definitely a Great project to discover or to follow if you want something new in noise sound construction. Get this one now!"
(The Noisiest Newsletter . Ben . September 2001)

This is the first real CD release from the German Anemone Tube, previously having released a load of tapes, vinyl and CDRs. Originally this was supposed to be Anemone Tubes last release, as Stefan was meaning to stop making noise and to concentrate on his graphic designing. Nonetheless, as the text 'A new beginning " in the inner sleeve of this CD suggests, Stefan has maybe decided to continue with Anemone Tube and apparently is preparing new material as we speak. This CD the other hand contains material recorded between 1996-1999 and it represents the more harsh side of Anemone Tube. Of the six tracks included, more than half are probably the noiseiest material ever heard from this band, but instead of plain harsh 'noise, they often bear clear structures and occasionally even rhythms that keep them from becoming too static. Also, the layers of distorted electronics and diverse sounds are so dense and detailed, that the tracks remain quite interesting throughout. Combining the extreme flushes or white noise with some low frequency electronics also quarantees, that the sound contains an essential amount of of strength, The more calm, harsh ambient side of Anemone Tube is presented here on "Red Waves" as well as on the title track which is my absolute favorite of the CD with its slowly evolving layers of massive sound. As a sort of a "new start'" for Anemone Tube this CD serves well and I hope that Stefan has enough enthusiasm arid vision to keep developing the material onwards. (J)
(Degenerate Magazine)

Any extreme music fans in the room? (i see hands raising up here and there). Well, kids, you’ll have lots to go crazy over. :EXISTENCE is of the stuff menacing and rather merciless albums are made of. This is not non-stop japnoise frenzy from beginning to end; indeed, the Japanese influence can be felt on various tracks, but the album rather proposes various paths, amalgamated one with the other, all in a total nervous fashion: power-electronics, old-school industrial, hardcore noise, drones, subdued deconstructed rhythms …the middle track of the album (its nucleus), :EXISTENCE, based on an essentially ambient backbone, deranges, in the same way the more saturated tracks of the disc do. An album that is striking in its intensity. A must for fans of MERZBOW, SOLDNERGEIST or THROBBING GRISTLE etc.
(Angel Records)

Anemone Tube is het pseudoniem dat de Duitser Stefan H. hanteert voor zijn noise-escapades op het Duitse undergroundlabel Auf Abwegen. :existence bevat zeven tracks die de luisteraar in een delirische trance moeten brengen. Hanser werkt zich flink uit de naad op het knarsende en knetterende 'Flesh & Bombs', 'Secondary Master', 'Choke Down' en 'The Encounter III' om een zo extreem mogelijk geluid te creëren met analoge en digitale geluidsbronnen. Beeld je in dat je ergens op het drukste kruispunt van het land staat temidden van het niet aflatende en helse geluid van boorhamers, overvliegende jets, krijsend verkeer en ondefinieerbare stemmen die constant in- en uitfaden. Diegem, jawel… Het contrast met de golvende illbient van 'Red Waves' en 'Continuity' is enorm. Die twee tracks roepen de verstilde sfeer op van een net gebeurde lustmoord. :existence is de perfecte soundtrack voor uw hentaï-bondage rituelen op een late zaterdagavond.
(Urban Magazine)

–
CHRISTIAN RENOU / ANEMONE TUBE - TRANSFERENCE . CD . AUF ABWEGEN . 2003

Anemone Tube is a relatively new ambient-concrete project from Germany. Christian Renou is the man behind the legendary project Brume, and released tons of excellent works on almost every important label in the field of drone music and music concrete. Now that the Brume project is no more, Christian Renou works under his own name. On this CD Renou reworks some of the recordings made by Anemone Tube. The result is an intense dark-ambient drone work that ranges from soft drones to loud noise-bursts. The CD is quite different from the average Brume material, since it lacks the immensely layered fluttering sounds that are so common in electro-acoustic compositions. It is really atmospheric and most of the time very calm. Also the CD is very melancholic and emotional. This release comes in a nice oversized package and is limited to 500 copies. It is highly recommended.
(funprox.com, TD 2003)

Christian Renou, the French man behind the Brume project, has reworked the music of Germany’s Anemone Tube. The result is a stunning collection of pieces – untitled yet under the heading of “transference” – that range from analogue bruitism to concrete sounds and dense soundscapes in an ambient mood. Underneath the music’s flow there lies a sense of despair and soft melancholy. These are not hard guys, although their music can be challenging and harsh at times. The tracks create an atmosphere of longing, a feeling that there is more to it all than appears on the surface at first glance. Very suitable is the accompanying design, a minimal and elegant poster booklet conceived by Stefan Hanser, the man behind Anemone Tube. The CD and booklet are packaged in a green specially printed envelope and come in a hand-numbered edition of 500 copies.
(DENSE, 036, Berlin, Juni 2003)

French project BRUME is no more, but its creator, CHRISTIAN RENOU, is as active as he was. This legendary figure of concrete and drone music teams up, this time, with ANEMONE TUBE, a German artist renowned for his monolithic and dense drones; here, ANEMONE TUBE’s compositions are reworked by RENOU. The resulting sound loops oscillate between melancholic drones that could make stones cry and noisy outbursts that are well-measured and controlled, and sometimes embedded as interludes between the calmer passages. Organic, elusive and often emotional, this record surprises the listener by its freshness and audacity. It played on repeat mode at .Angle.Rec.’s headquarters during a whole day… A disc that is unseizable but that will seize you and will litterally possess you.
(Urban Magazine)

Du néologisme du titre découle beaucoup de suggestions et d’idées. L’association de 2 termes, transparence et transfert, émanation directe du vocabulaire de l’image et du son suggère ici les apports visuels et musicaux des 2 protagonistes, respectivement Stefan H. et Christian Renou. Une collaboration qui prend en fait les traits d’une relecture d’un travail passé, prétexte à la sortie du brouillard de Christian Renou, artiste français caché durant de longues années sur le pseudonyme Brume. Un travail qui, ça ne surprendra personne (du moins pour les amateurs du français) gravite et s’imprègne d’une densité sonore noire et palpable, matière évoluant et lancinante de couches dark atmosphériques, d’éléments néo industriels, et de strates droniennes et opaques. Une sorte d’esthétique de l’austérité et de l’obscurité qui prend à l’occasion des couleurs « liturgiques et ambiantes » comme sur ce second et troisième morceau d’une belle intensité. Stefan Hanser, en sus d’être musicien au sein d’Anémone Tube, a par la voie de la plastique et du design, développé une pensée conceptuelle autour de ses travaux qui se reflète  dans la fluctuation de lignes fines et « parallèles » qui ornent ce Transference. Les amateurs d’Alan Lamb, de Comae ou des climats de chez Ant-zen seront comblés.
(Pastis)

Here is a nice collaboration from artists whose works I`ve always enjoyed. Anemone Tube and Christian Renou/Brume. For this work Anemone Tube has provided source sounds which Christian Renou has re-worked and finally added his own sounds to it. A lot of material is very calm and ambient, reminding me very much of Anemone Tube`s more ambient and droning approach, but there are also some more striking noises and louder electronics addong to the dynamics of the sounds. The subtle melodies underneath the dense soundscapes create a sense of melancholy on the entire work which sometimes appears as a sad mood in the ambience or in a more aggressive manner as abrasive loiud electronics like in the third track and I like it a lot. Limited eddies of 500 copies in a poster sleeve. (J)
(Degenerate Magazine)

–
ANEMONE TUBE . FORGET HEAVEN/ANGEL FALLS . DO-CD  . SOLIPSISM/USA . 2000

Diese auf 100 Stück limitierte Doppel-CDR auf Transflexion wartet mit insgesamt 13 Industrial-Tracks auf, die zwischen Ambient –und Noise Industrial pendeln. Die einzelnen Songs wurden bereits auf diversen Tapes veröffentlicht und entstanden überwiegend 1997. Was mir an dieser Doppel-CD gefällt, ist eben genau die Verbindung zwischen Atmosphäre und Noise, so dass sich das Ohr auch einmal entspannen kann. Brachiale Noise-Attacken mit unterschwelligen Rhythmen halten sich mit Ambient-Industrial-Tracks die Waage. Auf Vocals wird gänzlich verzichtet, was den Sound von Anemone Tube aber sicher nicht belastet. „Forget heaven/Angels falls” ist absolut weiterzuempfehlen und sicherlich eine Bereicherung der Industrial-Szene.
(Broken seal)

–
ANEMONE TUBE . FORGET HEAVEN . C-50 TAPE . BAWLER . 1997

"Das Artwork auf dem tape schlägt dem Betrachter mit einer Brutalität entgegen, die man bisher nur von Esoterik-Bändchen gewohnt war. Wachsmalstifte auf weissem Grund. Die Versöhnlichkeit jedoch täuscht. Die Klänge halten sich vorwiegend zwischen den Polen Harsh-Noise mit gemeinem Windkanal-Terror und bedächtigem Ambient der ritualistischen Spielart auf. Will heissen, auch perkussive und naturverbunden-mystische Elemente aus der Voice-of-Eye-Schule kommen, selten, aber dennoch, zum Zug und sorgen dadurch für ein ausgewogenes Verhältnis zwischen Harmonie und Wahnsinn, das gebannt lauschen läßt."
(Artefakt . Ausgabe #3 . Berlin 1997)

"Anemone Tube is all about ambient noisescapes. Blending in organic and synthetic sounds and noises, all culminating into storming and raging sonic experience. Nothing really concrete can be said about this tape, since it is always a new emotion. Purely depending on the listeners mood, the sounds may either soothe or enrage, expand into massive adventurous soundscapes or diminish into pitiful minimalism. At times the result may be pure revolt, causing you into immediately stop listening the tape. At times it can fuse with your psyche and imagination, accumulating in delirious and halluzinative experiences. The sounds are pulsating, drowning, flowing and floating, tormenting and caressing the listener, but most imporatantly, they cause reaction. Sometimes the sounds can be extremely haunting and claustrophobic, making the listener squirm in uncomfortability and irritation, yet insatiability craving for more. Manic and depressive. The tape comes in special CD-size packaging and has been professionally dublicated. Test your openmindedness with Anemone Tube."
(Epilog . Issue #3 . Finland 1998 - never released)

–
ANEMONE TUBE . FLOWERS OF REALITY . 10”LP . TRANSFIXIONAL . 1998

"Anemone Tube zeigen, wie man mit Noise kreativ umgehen kann. Die 10" hat drei völlig verschiedene Gesichter: Der lange Track Ka Do - Der Blumenweg ist Powernoise mit dem direkten Effekt einer dich überrollenden Dampfwalze. Breaks und minimale Strukturansätze geben etwas halt im Chaos, was ansonsten eher bedrückend als straight forward rüberkommt. Black River und Building of Flavors arbeiten mit Strukturen; einmal klingts wie Dive-mäßig angecrunchter Electrosound, einmal wie überrissene Feldaufnahmen mit Narkosespritze. Die Klangquellen zu erschliessen ist mir zwar unmöglich, aber ich habe den Eindruck, als ob sich hier Effekte und Synties mit realtime Geräuschen überlagern würden. Dazu gibt`s eine sehr stilvolle Gestaltung - Kauf lohnt sich!"
(AufAbwegen . Ausgabe #24 . Köln 1998)

"This is the 1rst vinyl release of this excellent German newcomer. It features 3 tracks: 1rst one is an alternance of pulsating drums with electronics manipulations, and harsh noise. Track 2 is a water ambient introspective trip soundtrack. 3rd track is a more old school industrial tune with noise tools. Definitely a well structured power-noise to watch out! Try this!"
(The Noisiest Newsletter . Ben . 09/2001)

–
BRUME / WURZELBEWUSSTSEIN . LE TROU DANS L`EAU / TRAUMBEISETZUNG . C-50 SPLIT TAPE . TRANSFIXIONAL 1998

“...there are three long tracks of brume on his side, beginning with a voice and strange bass-playing, later long delayed harmonies played on a horn are added, and concrete noises appear with slow percussions, the whole becoming more and more melancholic and less aggressive than usual, with a deeply atmospheric touch. really great. wurzelbewusstsein is a duo from south-germany ... they work with cello, guitars, percussion, and lots of electronic devices and treatments. here they present 5 tracks in a quite experimental vein, tracks begin with silent noises and end up in harsher textures, cut-ups appear, mysterious sounds are everywhere, even more conventional passages come to the air and intense atmospheres are created. a promising debut. it’s good to see such stuff on
cassettes.“
(Vital Weekly .Issue#165 . E-mail-newswetter Netherlands 1998)

–
TARKATAK / ANEMONE TUBE . SPLIT CDR . TRANSFIXIONAL 2000

"From the German underground two 'bands' on one CD. I write 'bands', since they have one member each. Tarkatak slowly gaines a reputation as the natural successor to Maeror Tri (aside of course Troum). His almost 30 minute piece is based on, maybe even a 'remix', who knows, something by the other band on this CD, a track curiously not on this CD. Tarkatak slides through rough and dark edges to built his own world on the guitar, samples and who knows what else. Great production with lots of attention of the detail, the base end sound good here. Anemone Tube just uses the guitar, but not in one great composition, but in 5 smaller. Which are nonetheless great. Short excursions into the same sort of territory that Tarkakat is inhabiting. Textured ambient drones with a refined character." (FdW)
(Vital Weekly .Issue#165 . E-mail-newswetter Netherlands 1999)

Eine archäologische Hörerfahrung aus ferner Zukunft? Beim Ausgraben von Industriebauten einer längst vergessenen Zivilisation, aus deren Speicherbänken sich ab und zu ein frei flottierendes Datenfragment löst, das niemand entziffern kann? Tarkatak führt einen in gigantische Räume, in denen ferne Musik anklingt, die aus unserer Zeit stammen könnte, aber auch Schritte, die die eines Verfolgers sein könnten. Eine halbe Stunde im Labyrinth. Vom Gehörgang stolpert man immer tiefer in die Gehirnwindungen. Wenn Tarkatak den Staub hörbar macht, der sich auf den Ruinen absetzt, dann sind die fünf Tracks von Anemone Tube die akustische Darstellung der Pflanzen, die den Beton überwuchern - oder Algen in einem Überschwemmungsgebiet. Faszinierend, dass die Klangtexturen der Anemone-Tube-Stücke, deren Melancholie insgesamt etwas mehr 'mellow' wirkt als die anorganische Strenge des Tarkatak-Stücks, alle mit einer elektrischen Gitarre kreiert wurden. Eher geologisch als archäologisch ist an dem Ganzen übrigens, dass ein Anemone-Tube-Track in das Tarkatak-Stück hineingemixt wurde, was hier weniger wie ein gewöhnlicher Remix wirkt als wie die Ablagerung von Gesteinsschichten, bei der man Zeuge sein darf. Fazit: Eine CD zum Überwintern.
(Gebrauchtemusik . 2000)

–
TENDER LOVE / ANEMONE TUBE “TENDERANEMONELOVETUBE” 7” 1999

Tender Love starts out with some nice dark ambient that includes dismal distorted rumblings that lend a slight death industrial feel to the piece. The source material is indicated as wind, vocals, dirt, a rock, and glass. The vocals are fairly hard to notice, if at all, but it's all about atmosphere here. Things are pretty consistent and repetitive, and the side ends with an excellent locked grove. Anemone Tube (Germany) offers up some slightly harsher noise, and it's interesting in that it sort of defies simple categorization. It's part ambient, but it's somewhat abrasive. There are drones and crackling distortion, but the feel is unique. The louder output volume is nice, but the track isn't as strong as Tender Love's. The sleeve is printed in black ink on metallic silver paper, and the cover is all text that layers the record title's blending of the two band names. There's are two inserts on red paper, one which is smaller and reveals a T.S. Eliot quote, and another larger piece that contains an interesting passage regarding the nature of experimentalism. There's also a postcard insert from Anemone Tube's Transfixional Entertainment label with some wonderful abstract artwork on it. This is a nice split, but I honestly would have preferred to hear more from Tender Love, as the Anemone Tube composition falls short by comparison.


C O M P I L A T I O N S

–
V/A TABLE FOR SIX: ALL QUIET? #3. CD. LTD. 300 COPIES . EE-TAPES. 2008

"EE Tapes was originally a tape-exclusive label established in Belgium back 1987, but during the years the media forms released from the label has changed, to the present state of being a CD-only label. Present release is another shot from the "Table For Six"-series, that celebrates different forms of ambient with contributions from interesting composers of the scene. On this third chapter contributions comes from newcomers as well as from more established artists. Despite the focus on ambient the approaches to the style is quite different with everything from concrete sounds to abstracts noise. Opening piece titled "Bulo omega" is twelve minute work of buzzing drones from Italian artist Neuestrasse. Washes of noise waves creates a quite organic edge to the expressions of noise. Organic is also the word to describe the following contribution from Danish artists Stormhat that specializes in ambient-scapes exclusively based on field recordings. His piece "Substanser" nicely mixes abstract concrete sounds with recognizable found sounds. German project Anemone Tube continues with a minimalist piece of beautiful ambient based on processed choir-samples and grandiose soundscapes. With its warm atmosphere, the work titled "Projected cataclysm" from Anemone Tube stand in extreme contrast to the following icy drone work from Dutch sound artist Frans De Waard. His piece titled "Wortel (root)" is another minimalist work based on buzzing drones operating in subconscious levels with a very interesting result. Once in a while the drones fades away giving space for swarms of high frequency noises and crackling electronics wiping out any sign of buzzing tranquility. Dutch artist (Ad)vance(d) closes the compilation with another great piece of ambience based on field recordings with subtle melodies moving in deeper layers. Excellent compilation that also presents some quite bizarre and beautiful jazz-like ambient-noise-spheres based on acoustic instruments such as horns and string instruments from Italian artist Bruno De Angelis. Thus a great span in the contributing expressions. Good work. (NM) Address: http://www. eetapes. be
(Vital Weekly .Issue #654 . E-mail-newswetter Netherlands 1999)

Depuis vingt ans que le label belge EE Tapes existe, les compilations à suite sont devenues une de ses spécialités. Après les "Notre Dame", "Elegy" et autres "The Walls Are Whispering", la série des Table For Six continue avec, comme d'habitude, six artistes évoluant dans des genres allant de l'expérimental au Dark Ambient. Le CD est, encore une fois, présenté dans un packaging au format 45 tours, avec un graphisme rassemblant les six couverts et assiettes. Le dîner est servi, et chaque invité aura aux alentours de douze minutes pour s'exprimer. Explorons donc ce menu.
Comme hors-d'œuvre, la formation italienne Neue Strasse introduit bien sombrement cette aventure. Des nappes glaçantes nous recouvrent comme des vagues jusqu'à nous paralyser. Au fur et à mesure des minutes, le cauchemar s'intensifie. Des coups portés et leur long retentissement semblent sonner le glas d'un funeste événement. D'autres sons perturbants contribuent à créer un climat d'angoisse. Du Dark Ambient donc pas si calme que ça. La tension monte avec la pièce suivante, assurée par Stormhat, projet du danois Peter Bach Nicolaisen. Les sonorités sont ici plus massives et proche de l'électro-acoustique. Si le titre précédent sentait la givre, là c'est plus le déluge ou la tempête. Grouillant et enveloppant, ce titre se développe tout autant dans le domaine du sensoriel et du climatique. Il nous semble y reconnaître des sons mais sans jamais en être sûr : oiseaux en panique, machinerie urbaine, qui sait ? Viennent ensuite les plats de résistance. Anemone Tube, de l'allemand Stefan H., propose avec son "Projected Cataclysm" une musique synthétique dans la lignée des compositeurs planants allemands des années 1970. Cela peut surprendre, mais la pièce est très réussie, et ne dépareille pas avec l'ensemble. Arrive ensuite une de mes pièces préférées, assurée cette fois-ci par Bruno de Angelis, qui s'était fait connaître dans les années 1980 avec la formation Influenza Prods. Ce titre mélange habilement sonorités acoustiques (harpe, guitare...) et électronique. Suit la pièce la plus conceptuelle de l'oeuvre: le titre "Wortel (Root)" de Frans de Waard, composé entièrement à base de souffles de cassette. Et pour digérer ce repas onctueux, une pièce musicale fascinante et hors norme de (ad)vance(d), projet de Mars F. Wellink, un ancien des néerlandais de Vance Orchestra, quelque part entre électro-acoustique et effets électroniques planants, créant du coup une ambiance à la fois tactile et abstraite. Une compilation dans la lignée donc, pour ceux qui connaissent le travail de EE Tapes, avec toujours des moments très forts.
(Obskure Magazine)

Throughout the years (already 20 and counting), EE Tapes has been presenting several compilation series, where sounding names and new values cohabit in editions that, in their own way, have gained a rightful place in the European underground history. That is the case of “Table For Six: All Quiet?”, from which the third issue was recently released by the Belgian label. The concept behind this series is quite simple: six artists/projects present their work in an autonomous way, although contributing, in the end, to a solid final result. A common point between its contributors is the sound "aesthetic" of their tracks, which can – somehow – be pointed as “ambient”, filtered through different visions and methods. This means a wide range of interpretations, from post-industrial dark ambient to well-learned Eno lessons. Nothing new around here, only guarantied emotions – and that fact deserves to be underlined.
In that sense, it’s never easy to point out “highlights” in compilations like this one. Nevertheless, it’s inevitable to mention the tracks by the certified Anemone Tube (great melodic sound, as usual) and Frans de Waard (noise collages, in its most minimal and subtle version), as well as the pleasant surprise advanced by... (ad)vance(d). It probably will not be a member of your CD collection’s top 10, but here’s another fine goal for the EE Tapes catalogue, though.
(Chain DLK)