Ripit‘s “Live At MS Stubnitz, 8th April 2016” can be found on National Crime History, an upcoming compilation of artists from Belgium’s re-burgeoning Industrialist Movement. Curated by the Belgian labels Silken Tofu and Idiosyncratics, both known for cross-pollinating various strains of Industrial, Techno, Noise and Ambient, National Crime History will feature tracks from Onrust, Icon Template, Orphan Swords, as well as Nicolas Esterle‘s “radical electronics” project, Ripit. Esterle began his musical activities as a black metal guitarist in 1995, before turning to analog electronics in 1998, and he continues to use a combination of modular synths and vintage drum machine/mixer to create a heady brand of ambience.
On “Live At MS Stubnitz, 8th April 2016“, Ripit takes full advantage of the Hamburg venue’s previous existence as a large fishing vessel, with the kind of monumental sound that resonates from hull to hull. Metallic smears of mist open the performance and they slither across the sound space in a slow motion dissolve like long rolling waves. Eventually, a submarine hum joins the aquatic textures while heavily delayed single beats ping-pong in a zoned-out half-rhythm. Esterle’s minimal ambiance is soon beset by battering washes of noisy sonic spray and a slow beating primal throb that gathers into a face melting cloud of black drone. Continuing to float thru these outer zones, Ripit eventually unleashes a mind-blowing array of laser cut bits that fly around the space in glitched chaos. Sounding ancient and alien all at once, “Live At MS Stubnitz, 8th April 2016” proves Belgium’s New Industrialists are up to no good! And, that’s just fine with us.
National Crime History will be released as a double cassette/digital album on June the 3rd, and to celebrate the event Onrust, Orphan Swords, Icon Template, and Ripit will perform at Magasin 4 in Brussels on Friday, June 2nd.
