BRUTUM FULMEN
CURRENT PROJECTS:
- We have a 7" on clear vinyl coming out this summer. All the sounds are taken
from computer data & transmissions and are heavily processed. It has an
"outer space" sound to it. We would like to do a full album of this type of
material in the future, if we can find an interested label.
- The main Brutum Fulmen project at the moment is to finish up our album that
is to be released on CDR by NEUS-318 of Japan. The main sound source on this
album is feedback.
- We also have plans for a dark atmospheric album that is unlike anything on
"Collapsing Orchestra" but uses similar acoustic sound sources.
- There are Brutum Fulmen tracks on several new compilations: there is a half-hour
track on the "Experimental Go Go" DAT compilation from Jazzassin, two tracks
on the "Humiliation" LP compilation to be put out soon by the guys in Cock ESP,
a track on the impending "Noise Kills Punk Dead" CD compilation, and several
other pieces on tape and CD compilations that are still in the works.
As soon as I finish with the album for NEUS-318, I will be really looking for
labels who want to release either "Collapsing Orchestra" or some of our new
material on CD. Currently, I am releasing "Collapsing Orchestra" myself and
burning CDRs as they are needed, but I would like to have it handled by a label
that has more time and experience with distribution than I do.
I consider Brutum Fulmen to be more of a studio project than a live band, but
we did play our first live show in March. There is RealAudio of the whole thing
on my web site! We have another show scheduled later this summer with Cock ESP
and hopefully Macronympha. We will probably also play at RRRecords in the coming
months, and maybe a few other shows.
BRUTUM FULMEN SOUND:
The concept for Brutum Fulmen is simply not to use any musical instruments including
synthesizers. Also, we do not want to make music that is based on rhythms or
tonality (like "normal" music). For "Collapsing Orchestra" we also decided not
to heavily manipulate
the sound. The only thing we did was add a little reverb in some places, and
some parts we recorded at excessive volumes which distorted the sound.
Most of the pieces are edited together from large amounts of raw field recordings.
First I use a DAT recorder and tape the sounds that I make with hinges, metal,
and all the other things listed in the "Collapsing Orchestra" notes. Then I
sit and listen to the tapes over and over to find interesting parts and hopefully
get inspired with an idea for a new piece. I use the analogy of a sculptor who
looks at a piece of rock until he sees a form inside it then cuts away everything
else. I edit and overlap my field recordings to make the piece that I think
is hidden inside the sounds. Many times I discover combinations of sound by
accident that are better than what I had first planned.
My experiment is to take sounds from all sorts common or uncommon things and
fit them together in unexpected ways. Sounds that are usually quiet can seem
strange when they are made loud. To find the sounds for "Collapsing Orchestra"
I made recordings on playgrounds, in my house, in a sewer pumping station, in
parking lots, near industrial buildings, and on a military base.
People have said, after listening to "Collapsing Orchestra," that they later
notice all sorts of sounds around them that they never paid attention to before.
Jeff Wrench