Prototeronomy by Andreas Wahnmann.
And I saw a powerful angel. The angel called in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”
Revelation 5:2
First Law is the perfect example of non-situational music. And it comes not from the sound forms - it is nor japanoise nor European minimalism counted on the very narrow circle of listeners. Andreas Wahnmann (the only participant of the project) started his sound experiments in 1981. What they were that time - it is hard to tell it now because recently the musician hadn’t tried to bring his creations to the masses. However, according to his statements, he doesn’t aspire to it even now. State Art label were never famous neither for large issues, nor for popularity among the so called “musical elite”. As it was mentioned, Wahnmann music isn’t mass not because of any technical reasons - the case is in the attitude to the creation activity and in the lack of any ambitions (in common sense). FIRST LAW have been released only due to the Manfred Lenzs (Turbund Sturmwerk) initiative. At the last three years two albums (CD and MCD) have been released. Moreover, First Law appeared at two compilations: German “Natural Order” (State Art 1998) with the “Holy War” track and “Saturn Gnosis” (Loki rec.), announced at the 2000. The “Holy War” track is nothing else then the cover version of the famous Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love”, where Wahnmann combines the hard rock beats of the 70th and the speeches of Jim Jones, the American symbol of the apocalyptic sectarianism, poisoned himself with the group of his brothers in faith. The musical concept of FIRST LAW could not be digitally determined. It balances between quite blur IDM and ambient CONTASTATE - like passages. But the project ideological and cultural backgrounds are rather obvious. Wahnmann has the aspire to the things, that are beyond the borders of the modern liberal - protestant moral and above the law of corroding civilization. Projects logo - the celtic cross consisting of the bullets, - a kind of emblem of this outburst and forthcoming struggle. Meanwhile - both albums (“Revelation 5:2” and “Violent::Sedated”) are emotionally contrary. The first one is the dedication and the requiem to the American ideologist and sectarian David Koresh, annihilated with the group of his comrades by the hydra of American mondialism. Koresh picture at the cover is accompanied by the screenshots of the storm of his citadel in Texas, and the quotes from the New Testament and the poems of D. Koresh himself:
Hebrews 12:18,25
For in the Christ, we’ve seen a bride,
The water mixed with blood,
The wife with cloven tongues of fire,
Of whom the Christ has loved.
(excerpt from “Eden to eden by D. Koresh”)

This release, consisting of three tracks, contains the challenge to the profane and the reflections about new protestant eschatology. In musical sense the album is a number of electronic compositions with slow drums and pulsing highfrequent sounds. Rare samples of trumpets just aggravate the depressing atmosphere of profane feast. In the culmination parts the ambient range mixing with the drums turn into acoustic and emotional chaos. On this background - the constant poetical sermon by David Koresh. These sermons about Christ, music and modern world are put on the rhythm, permanent during the whole album. Sometimes it sounds like the ancient ritual song (which, by the way, also have place in the form of hymns and psalms). The sounds of shooting mixing with the protestant melodies outline the absurd and perversity of liberal religiosity. Andreas himself considers “REVELATION 5:2” to be the"”wonderful" multi-dimensional story about Propaganda and Dis-information, the mistake of giving the monopoly of power into the hands of a fiction like a "good government", and the self-fulfilling prophecy about a man being a sheep ... sorry, lamb.” The minialbum is timed to the fifth anniversary of tragedy in Waco. And inspite such a straight statements of Andreas, one can feel his non-digital attitude to the Koresh figure. Of course, it is the tragical apocalyptic image which suffered from so common for the age perversity of the information methods. The case with deciples of Koresh, shooted down not because of any specific crimes, but only because of the “potential danger” of militarized sect - is just the mean, which Wahnmann uses to draw the picture of American tyranny of crowd, alien to the normal state of mind government and prostituted mass media. Such a vivid ideological conception is not typical for the album “Violent::Sedated”. The sound concept is quite different then on the MCD. The sound becomes softer and more atmospheric. This very well corresponds with the idea of the release, reflected in the words printed at the back of the CD cover:
“As long as the illusion is sweet, we sit in harmony, conversing peacefully and often with an arm on a neighbour’s shoulder. But there are certain experiences which force us to reconsider this sedation. And as soon as we taste the bitter waters of intoxication our vital spirits awake mightily. We cast around for words and images to catch the new splendour which dazzled us. Even the very ground under our feet strikes us as stranger and less familiar. But most disquieting of all is that our memory strays. When we seek out unknown ways it is easy to lose the sense of balance. On the other hand - if we dream of flying, a clumsy hop can bring us more joy than the security of well-trod paths. As soon as we become aware of our failure we strive to free ourselves. We feel a longing for presence, for reality, and would even plunge into ice or fire or either only to rid ourselves of weariness. As always when despair and maturity combine, we turn to power - for is that not the eternal pendulum that drives on the hand of time by day or night. So let’s begin to imagine violence and domination!”,
The aspiration to combine harmoniously the design, the idea and the sound. Even the track list consists of the names of the chemical substances with the doze marked in the brackets. But the result of taking inside or the other use of the substances isn’t obvious. May be it will lead to the ecstatic state, preached at the album “Violent::Sedated”, to the searing spiritual calls and penetrating trance. But may be to the real conclusion - the spiritual and physical death. The sound of last release is not useful for the conception of sound of LOKI. Dark ambient is not so deep and archaic, as other LOKI projects produce. The above mentioned MCD is much closer to them. But from the technical point the creation is wonderful and this not only speaks for Wahnmanns professionalism, but makes the honor for the non-commercial label. The concept of First Law, as its leader stresses, excludes any possibility of live performance: “ I don't believe that "playing live" is a working concept for industrial or electronic music. Come on, we're no rock stars, aren't we?” It’s nice to realize that the term of concept is still used among the modern industrial musicians, the real artists, considering to be humiliating the performances with the made serious pushing of “play” and “stop” buttons on the CD-player.

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ДИСКОГРАФИЯ:
“Holy War” - v/a “Natural Order” (State Art 1998)
“Revelation 5:2” - (State Art 1998 MCD)
“Violent::Sedated” - (Loki Foundation 1999 CD)