People Who Do Noise DVD
 

Not my tasse de thé, but I'm sure some of you'll like it:



"People Who Do Noise is a film about the experimental music of Portland, Oregon. Extensive interviews and intimate performance footage provide an intense portrait of the motivations, emotions, and ideas that go into this uncompromising, sometimes brutal musical form. Unwavering in its focus, the film brings to light an art form unfathomable to many, with only the words of the musicians themselves providing any explanation for the pulsating sonic chaos they create.

The film takes a very personal approach, capturing the musicians working alone with no interference from a live audience. What often took place in crowded basements or dark smoky venues was stripped bare for the cameras, providing an unprecedented glimpse of the many different instruments and methods used.

Covering a wide range of artists and styles, the film features everything from the absurdist free-improvisations of genre-pioneers Smegma, to the harsh-noise assaults of Oscillating Innards and everything in between. Many of the artists in the film, such as Yellow Swans and Daniel Menche, have performed and sold records all over the world. In spite of such successes, noise music remains one of the least understood and most inaccessible of genres.

With an unflinching cinematic style, the film defies any trend-setting or commercial representation, opting instead for a stark portrayal of a musical underground at its most genuine and vital. For the subjects of the film, noise music is a way of life; a life in opposition to the tidy, orderly, and vacuous pop-culture experience." - Cold Hands.

http://www.peoplewhodonoise.com/

I'm not a HUGE noise fan, but I'd probably watch it. I'm always up for a good music DVD, and they can be hard to find at times. Now if you want a live AC/DC or Pearl Jam DVD, you are in luck; they are EVERYWHERE.

I think noise is probably the best understood genre. It's mostly shit and there's too much of it. Everyone knows that.

Yes, you know it, but do you understand it? Yeah..............

I made it my new year resolution to stop listening to anything that has dubious motivations for existing.

Dubious motivations according to sarramkrop:

1 - An infantile desire to shock

2 -Saying shit, just louder

3 - Purposely trying to drive people off your music, rather than spreading the good/evil and all inbetween vibes

4 - Imagining that notes are really a substitute for your 'plague'

5 - Imagining that lack of talent is easily hidden by aural ineptitude


Good riddance.

that's like a guideline for music in the new millenium

@Porkypork^^ oh my, you use language in such a precise way, i'm not joking. I like reading your stuff, it's eductaional.

Soooo.... you aren't going to listen to music anymore?

why you ask?

Had this at the top of my netflix queue for months but it's never been sent. Always Availability: Short wait.

so who is actually featured in the thing?

yellow swans and some other bands and some hot chick.

All fair. From what I understand about this movie, it shouldn't be overly like that. Of course when you document a bunch of people, somebody is likely to go that direction, but I have to say my experience of the Portland "noise" scene is that it's mostly people who take making music seriously in the right ways. I don't think Yellow Swans or Soup Purse are even "noise" by the cliches of the genre, but it seems to be an effective way to get a certain level of acceptance in Portland to say you play "noise" that you will never get saying you play "electro-acoustic" or "experimental music". It's kind of like the days when bands like Flipper and Sun City Girls were considered part of the "hardcore" scene because that was the scene they arose from rather than sounded like.

Would that be badlands?

I believe so. I'd never heard of her before.

One of my good friends made this documentary, so needless to say i recommend it. it features Smegma as well.

i didn't know but there are really too much assholes on this forum....
do you know this word : tolerance....
i think you're a big fat mo'fo...

i make noise purely for shocking purposes and to say offensive things louder.

i obviously don't have any talent at all.

Just kidding, seeing as how these rules, although very good rules to go by, cancel out a lot of music.

Noise is antithetical to the notion of tolerance. The founding edict of noise is prurience (cf the etymology of 'cacophony', viz 'shit'). I don't think there's any point in pretending that noise is anything other than masturbatory bollocks at this point in time, although I'd like to be surprised.

I am a cunt but I assure you I'm a slight one.

I have not seen this but I did find 40 BANDS in 80 MINUTES at the local used shop, watched half last night. very interesting idea for a show.
has anyone seen it?

Noise, as described by most of it's adherents and practitioners is either

A) just as Glice describes, a concerted effort to be as purposefully abrasive and non-musical as possible, to offend ears and sensibilities, etc. like a big noisy musical jerkoff. good while it happens for those doing it, mildly amusicng to those who paid money to "experience" it.

or

B) the preliminary stages of a musical group trying to discover new sonic forms which will then be used in more standard song format, in other words, bands "trying to find themselves" sonically, upon which they will no longer be a "noise" act.

either way, it does not seem to make for widely enjoyed albums.

i find absolutely nothing masturbatory about incapacitants or kevin drumm's sheer hellish miasma.

Most noise out there is shit, I'll give you that much. But most MUSIC is shit. There's good and band in all genres, and some of my all time favorite albums are noise. If someone knows how to do noise correctly, there's nothing quite like it in the world and it's awesome. As for the 12 year olds screaming into contact mics and randomly pressing pedals, I could do without that. But, again, that's any genre.

has a noise "canon" of Must-Listen recordings emerged?

maybe we should do that

ha ha what a definitive statement ha ha
THERE

Merzbow only has made 364 must-listen albums.

I'm kind of joking.

i'm all for that.
a nice short list would do thanks.

and he did all this while drinving his merzedes with a merzdildo in his arse.

hahaha. How'd ya know.

I'd trust ASP and Herr Neurotic to do that - for myself I'd agree with:

Birthdeath Experience
MMM
Sheer Hellish Miasma
Frequency LSD
and a Merz record
And probably something by CCCC or Hijokaidan

Can't agree with that enough. In theory noise is my favourite genre; in practise it makes me incredibly angry how terrible it often is.

Yeah, but you're a Yes fan, so we all know you secretly want to make the noise Tales of Topographical Oceans. I'd even probably buy it if you did.

Or maybe it is masturbatory music which is fine to turn into a voyeur for.

arguementix

dvd includes great sets by daniel menche, oscillating innards, and yellow swans. the pulse emitter clip was interesting but brief. would have definitely preferred full sets without the cut up interviews though.. worth renting if you are into the bands listed above.

also the smegma set is really cool.

keeping the genre definitions loose, here are my nominations for entry into the noise canon

smegma - pigs for lepers
merzbow - rainbow electronics
merzbow - yoshinotsune
merzbow - 1930
merzbow - aquanecromancer
merzbow - 24 hours, a day of deals
the new blockaders - changez les blockeurs
wolf eyes - human animal
raionbashi - kollekte
prurient - the black vase
prurient - pleasure ground
daniel menche & kevin drumm - gauntlet

Yeah, I always feel that way about these type of documentaries. What makes the music brilliant often gets edited out so we can cut to somebody explaining it. This one doesn't have an obligatory Thurston interview thrown in, which makes it semi-unique. Actually he probably would have done it if asked since he's played with some of these groups.

haha
 

so many knee jerk reactions to noise on this message board!!!

lots of great acts on this dvd, the josh hydeman sequence is great.

PNW NOISE REPRESENT!!!!!!

ps. want some more vids?

guerilla noise in victoria, bc
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=RszHzPIsXUQ

documenting the 2008 Vancouver Noise Fest
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=8tpEqaOYoEc

2008 PNW tour vids
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=kKs0aS9eeFg

2008 norcal noise fest
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Y50wPq2gMPQ

BURNING INDIAN
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ww8A3VB2vlc

the rita / wolf eyes
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu-OxOh0SXQ

2008 US Tour
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=wBe3Qlwupdo

Domestic Violence
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ0vK99fXgA

sounds like mustard
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=MuNwN5NMBxU

Coastal
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=2vyYD6_JgRQ