JEF MERTENS New Music for Mouth Harmonica” C30 (Dadaist Tapes)

NM4MH is one of two things; it’s either:

A) Somebody unapologetically huffing around with a harmonica and some extended effects pedals…

or…

B) an admittedly aleatory but nonetheless strongly-intentioned simultaneous mixing of the most venerable tones concerning long-range sonic communications devices between mountainsides AND the dying breath of the steam engine.

Think: Spaghetti Western.

Think: Deep valleys and soaring vistas echoing the tremble of exhaled exasperations.

Think: Chirps, coos, roostering, high-tide’s arrival.

This is either a deep listener’s delight, a semi-antagonistic exercise in controlled room feedback (a la CAVITY*)/ambiance, or…just annoying. Or all three, at varying intervals.

Be adventurous & play loud in an unpadded chamber!

https://jefmertens.bandcamp.com/album/new-music-for-mouth-harmonica

and/or

https://dadaisttapes.com/

—Jacob An Kittenplan

*perhaps FL’s best buried secret

JEF MERTENS “The Only Music I Ever Recorded” (Dadaist Tapes)

Lifted from the dadaisttapes.com site:

"Dadaist Tapes is a tape project discouraging product sales by making each tape available for free in an edition of 25, funded by a monthly cycling allowance to work. free downloads."

Translation: When these limited run tapes are available, they’re free to order (though I can only assume shipping’ll cost ya?), so you’re gonna hafta check in constantly to see if you can grab one before they’re outta there.

This specific tape (already “non-sold out”) by Jef Mertens documents some simple, contemplative electric guitar strumming improvisations (and a passing chime or two) that sounds a whole helluva lot like late 90s instrumental emo bridges segueing between cathartic/melodramatic belting/hollerings. It’s a pleasant atmospheric jaunt, but nothing groundbreaking like what you’ll find on JM’s bandcamp page if you click to watch the video for “Nyack”*, though I’d strongly discourage this if you’re even mildly epileptic.

https://dadaisttapes.com/dadaisttapes/the-only-music-i-ever-recorded

and/or

https://jefmertens.bandcamp.com/releases

—Jacob An Kittenplan

*doo iit!