Arnau Sala “Les Nostres Necessitats” 5x MP3
Label: Panospria
“Les Nostres Necessitats, the album with which the Panospria netlabel closed out 2010, is a great way to start 2011, opening, as the record does, with an extended piece whose primary sonic content is like an antiquated radio trying, madly and apparently in vain, to locate a signal over the course of its 10-plus minutes (MP3). The record, whose title translates into English as “Our Needs,” collects five tracks, all by Arnau Sala, including the gated echoes of “Processó Cap al Forat (Procession Towards the Hole)” and the fritzy static of “Mai Més (Never Again).” But the real keeper is this opening track, “Atraccions,” or “Attractions”.
By documenting the failure to locate a substantial enough signal on which to focus, the piece shows that the process of signal-locating, that waveform-shuddering turn of the dial familiar from cross-country trips and mountain passes, is itself a signal — one whose inherent sonic properties a listener might all too easily fail to appreciate unto itself.”
Arnau Sala “Originals 2005 / 2009? (Special Edition) A5 Zine
Label: Ozonokids
“¡Por fin Arnau se decide a publicar una colección de su alucinante trabajo! Un librito lleno de carteles, fliers, portadas de discos, cintas y cd’s, experimentos y un buen puñado de dibujos. Arnau es una persona inquieta y aqui lo podemos comprobar: paisajes que huelen a muerte en cada gota de tinta de sus gruesos y potentes trazos, psicodelia geométrica en movimiento, manchas que esconden formas pre-humanas…
La primera edición de 24 copias incluye un fantástico desplegable serigrafiado a dos tintas, así que ¡corre!”
Arnau Sala “Homenatges” (Special Edition) CD-R
Label: Ozonokids
“Primer disco largo del capo del sello tras unas cuantas cintas y un buenísimo cd de tres pulgadas en Faux Pas (“Per Sempre”). Música Electrónica poderosísima y fría como una película de Kubrick. Palpitaciones cibernéticas, agudos lacerantes y muchísimo óxido ferroso. El cd viene con un libreto a todo color de experimentos fotográficos que me recuerdan a la imaginería industrial de principios de los 80. Buenísimo.”
Carlos Villena / Arnau Sala – Split – 3" CD-R
Label: Mantricum
“In a short time I received another split of the man Carlos Villena behind Mantricum Records label from Spain. This split has two complete atmospheres what makes the 3?CDR an interesting release. Again the artwork is well-done. Packed in a small dvd-box with melancholic drawings of Arnau Sala. Besides his work as musician, he is an artist and graphic designer. His composition of about 10 minutes is noisy with crackling sounds, harsh pulsations. After a while there is more quietness and subtlety in the composition what makes the composition great to listen to. It would be interesting if he continues to explore the fine sounds of his noisy world and built it up like this. The track of Carlos Villena has about the same length and is more quiet and drony. The long sounds develop more and fluid into each other and become more and more noisy and go slowly back to more dark and melancholic tones. Villena takes time to create new atmospheres in this great track. For this release is a nice development in the music of Carlos Villena and a big step forward.”
Arnau Sala “La Joia d’agredir” C22
Label: Circuit Torçat
“…Arnau Sala’s “La Joia d’Agredir”…could well have been released at the very acme of industrial tape culture: Distorted frequencies, high-pitched squeals, abrasive textures and long vocal samples possibly culled from radio plays or movies combine into cold, alien landscapes of bleak moods and subcutaneous tension – not at all surprising considering the title of the release translates to “the joy of attacking“. And yet, Sala nonetheless manages to integrate some vital vocabulary of his own into the mix. Some of the extended exchanges of clashing sinewaves take on an almost atmospheric character and on “Triple Morro“, a Drum Kit is battling it out with a swarm of aggressive killerbees. “La Força“ (not a Nelly Furtado-cover, mind you), meanwhile, is typical of Sala’s talent of mashing up completely incoherent elements in an outwardly random way and still creating something darkly entrancing: In the distance, two Recorders are joyfully whistling far away from their tonal centre, a primitive robotic beat is digging through a narrow tunnel and cymbals are crashing incessantly. Mysteriously, it all sounds entirely natural…”
“The second tape from brand new Barcelona label, Circuit Torçat, run by Juan Matos Capote. Arnau Sala, Barcelona’s main man in experimental music and operator of the Ozonokids label, made this tape and having been wanting to hear his stuff for a while now I was psyched to listen. I’m pleased to report that it’s good, it’s real good.
Four tracks comprise the first side. “Blasfèmia Primitive” begins with a strong electronic pulse that Sala modulates rhythmically creating an air of anticipation. The track teeters on combusting into total sonic fury but manages to hold itself together. “Triple Morro” is a quirky track of free drumming paired with a wigged out oscillator; some kind of futuristic jazz when people no longer use their lungs for music. The oscillator does a surprisingly agile job playing the role of a sax or cornet. I like the track more and more each time I listen. “Viure per Punxar (i no Punxar per Viure)” has a homemade techno vibe, little skittering circuitry beats and electronic creaks, grinds and pulsations. “Obstacles Coherents” changes things up again with a manipulated speech sample and loose improv on guitar (I think.) The focus on rhythm is deemphasized compared to the previous tracks. Instead of drums or loops at the forefront, rhythm is derived from the speech and fragments of guitar and oscillator that waft in and out of the composition. It’s a nice track to end the side on because the music just kind of floats away beyond reach and disappears.
The second side features my favorite piece on the tape, “Voluntad D’agressió Pura,” which is a collaboration with Juan Matos Capote. I hope these guys start playing with each other in a more permanent fashion cause they work really well together. The piece is heavy on the oscillations and there are some great, metallic rhythmic shards (maybe samples?) that get the piece moving in a really interesting, asymmetrical way. The sounds bounce off each other with little seeming purpose but all the movements in the piece are so self-assured that there has to be a grand scheme I’m just not tapping into. By the end of the piece Sala and Capote have probably crossed so many wires and scrambled so many circuits that things get blistering and noisy. The piece takes up a good chunk of the side but its energy never fails, it keeps clawing forth like some ravenous, wounded beast. Just an awesome track all around. The finale “La Força” is a bit more tempered. Acoustic instruments, wood flute and cymbal, are paired with a crunchy, minimal electronic beat and flakes of vocals. The piece trudges along in a relatively hypnotic manner but gets a tad unruly near the end.
I also have to say this is one the nicest looking tapes I’ve come across this year. Sala did the rad artwork and Capote decked the whole thing out in yellow; yellow tapes, yellow labels, yellow cases. It looks reeeeeally nice. Check it out.”
Arnau Sala “Per Sempre” 3" CDR
Label: Faux Pas
"Treating the 3" mini-cd format as the digital equivalent of a 7? single, Arnau Sala from Barcelona presents a concise blast of electronic sound and noise on this recording from June 2008. I’d run into Sala’s work before, as part of a split release with Weirding Module, a cassette that hit the right pleasure spots with remarkable consistency. Four tracks comprise this release, and its vision, though not wholly unique, is both uncompromising and highly effective. From the first note, there is an intensity to the proceedings that jumps right out to the listener. Sala’s not making music for the weak of heart, and we’re the better for it. While it’s not quite harsh noise, the sheer force of the sound is remarkable. When Sala pulls back to reveal the sputtering, digital glitches inside his machines, it’s a welcome break, serving as quick rest before jumping us right back into the fray again. The approximately 9 minutes of music works incredibly effectively as both an introduction to this uncompromising artist’s vision and simply as a blast of red hot energy that cannot be ignored. It’s nice to see someone value brevity and concision, and the impact of playing this disc will have you immediately ready for round two . With sounds this rewarding and visceral, less can indeed be more. 8/10"
Weirding Module / Arnau Sala – Split C40
Senseless Empire / Ozonokids
“These two dudes have been on a roll in my “book” lately, Weirding Module runs the senseless empire label which released that Canopic Lidz tape that awkwardly rules, Arnau runs the Ozono Kids label that has been putting out awesome Angeldust, M Ax Noi Mach Records and running the barcelona noise scene. It’s no that their recorded output, as you’d guess, is up to par.
The Weirding Module side is a continuation of the territory that he’s been digging through, mucking up and re-wiring. Low repetitive bass lines loop and roll on top of each other like so many worms in a can, burbling and boiling in clean tones that are soo deep you almost lose a filling. This dream team is followed by a floor cleaner gleam on a super sharp drum machine loop that really lacks the warmth and presence of a synth, but it’s a short walk alone as the beat carries on the whole side of the tape tormented, threatened and eventually subsumed by a wave of electronics and synths that whip and whirl about finally enveloping the beat as part of it’s mermaid vomit sea algae jam, harsh and patient enough to soften glass.
Arnau’s side is more a dentistry nightmare to the outerspace grease of the WM side. Thick electronic layering feels like a fuggin sonic weapon, all the while remaining warm. This side is also distinct from WM’s with the presence of vocals. A lot of times, voices can be a hard match for the limitlessness of “noise” and as a result, at it’s worst, can un-do all the hard work an artist has done to create something interesting, by grounding it, making it totally tangible and often times just a background to the voice. In the best case scenario, as is close here, the voice and the noise become the good cop/bad cop, or really, the bad cop / bad cop with the antagonism of the voice only becoming more palpable because of the shrill, skittish electronics teetering above you. This is well played out here especially at points where Arnau is practically whispering, like a stalker in the closet. Throw in some drum machines, gasping electronic and shortwave interference and you’ve got yrself a hot tape!
comes in real nice two color silkscreen on black paper, numbered to 100, black tapes.”