STRAIN/GALAXY by MAbH
REVIEWS
"Did I say “uncompromising” was a good adjective for this? Let’s also throw “expansive” into the mix, because Strain/Galaxy is nothing if not wide open, a vastness onto which you can project yourself and every thought that comes into your mind. “Strain” begins your travels with pensive accompaniment, a dawning, a realization, and an anticipation of endeavor. Waveforms activate themselves, but only when you’re ready, about seven and a half minutes in – Taylor knows when you’re ready, and does it right. The track decays into stark transmission, but ends with gorgeous piano. Twenty-five minutes of magnificence. I have to take a deep breath, because that was only one side."
Cassette Gods 2016
Source: http://cassettegods.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/mortuus-auris-black-hand-straingalaxy.html
"Side B (Galaxy) begins with an ominous hum which melts into soft, yet building piano which fades in and out of moments of silence as if the melody is holding its breath in a pause before exhaling and continuing again. The composition wanes and waxes, piano to humming synth and hisses, then back again. The album’s concluding minutes feature eerie vocalizations paired with stark hums and murmurs, giving the listener the feeling that they have lost themselves deep within the catacombs of an ancient, perhaps even celestial, deity."
United Cassettes 2016
Source: http://unitedcassettes.com/mortuus-auris-the-black-hands-straingalaxy-on-hyle-tapes/
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Hylé Tapes 018 : "Strain / Galaxy" by Mortuus Auris & The Black Hand
"Mortuus Auris & the Black Hand (MAbH) is the shape-shifting musical project of audio/visual artist Peter Taylor (London, UK). The project was founded in 2008 after the loss of a large collection of animated and illustrated work, sparking a new creative direction. Throughout the last 7 years the artist has explored a rich sonic pallet traversing musique concrète, Gamelan cut-ups, drone, ambient improv and industrial techno.
STRAIN/GALAXY will be the 11th solo full length since the self-titled debut on Digitalis Ltd in 2008. This new work is quite a departure from the taught analogue ‘tribo-industrial drum patterns’ of the previous double CD ‘Digestiv Komune’ on S.I.N.K CDs. MAbH has returned to decayed tapes and ventured into new experiments with piano and analogue synths. Minimal composition often takes the place of previous heavily improvised structures; yet the overall sound remains full of live interpretation and reactive playing.The final mix resonates over various tapes at different stages of decay, allowing washes of hiss and thick ambience to creep over the cleaner synth, piano and vocal recordings. This album was an effort to find peace, to find time away from the din of residing and working in such a confusticated city full of clamour and impatience.
Since the completion of STRAIN/GALAXY MAbH has continued to utilise simple melody as a core motif to construct his most recent works. He is also compiling video of some of his most beloved places, in order to record a slow moving document, at a pace contradictory to the aforementioned chaos which surrounds him. The artwork was created by Peter Taylor, (photography, type and layout).
Gratitude to Richard Frances of Hylé Tapes for having faith in this record and for creating a spot on his fantastic new label to host it."
Credits
Peter Taylor
