Non-Music Roundup (April 25)

Peter Wullen is a Belgian poet, writer, sound artist and field recordist. He has released a variety of works (both solo and collaborative) - independently and through various labels. 'Master of Inertia' is a kind of (if I understand correctly) a cross between a sound art experimental and a one-man/one-act stage play, based on Samuel Beckett's ''Knapp's Last Tape''. The album consists of seven tracks, created from field recordings taken on Zebrastraat in Gent, Belgium. It's worth reading the descriptive text on Bandcamp before listening to this, in order to have a better understanding of what you're hearing... It begins with a quiet eerie soundscape filled with rapidly stuttering drones, hissing electrical static, distant knocks and ominous vibrations that swirl slowly and moodily around this dark abstract environment. Different sounds and textural layers weave in and out, and if you listen closely - you will hear a variety of intriguing background noises, all of which make the whole thing rather trance-inducing... After that you will hear wooden creaking noises, mechanical ambience and the faintest wisps of some kind of beautiful distant music emerging through the mix... Throughout the rest of the tracks, you will hear a series of mesmerizing rattles, altered frequencies, wailing police sirens, soft crunching noises, atonal ambience, trembling tones, haunting drones and subtle environmental sounds... 'Master of Inertia' is a spellbinding album of eerie field recordings, atmospheric dronescapes, haunting vibrations and abstract sound manipulation. The mood of these pieces are lonesome and troubling, yet oddly comforting. A wonderful slice of absurd realism, and a highly engrossing listening experience...