deafness is not a gift CD
TracklistReviews
     


(dbcd02)

fine international noise/industrial/power electronics compilation with all exclusive tracks !


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.      
Cazzodio
Grunt
Narbenerde
Rectal Surgery
Anemone Tube
Death Squad
Macronypmha
Mürnau (ex Eisengrau)      
DL
Irikarah
Einleitungszeit
Lefthandeddecision
Government Alpha
Mourmansk 150
Satori
Skalpell
per un'etica selvaggia
bilaterally unwanted
deaf is not a giveness
teenietuss
abstract death
strung out and infected
autovisual sound system
treason
xi-b (dark dub)
silentium
untitled
infidelity 2.0
behind the scenes
nobody owns me
bring me the head of pgk      
purgatorium
4:53
4:39
4:05
4:28
4:32
3:44
5:37
3:12
4:40
5:08
4:24
2:47
5:25
4:57
4:51
6:21     
Italy
Finland
Germany
Germany
Germany
USA
USA
Belgium
Germany
Germany
Slovakia
USA
Japan
France
UK
Switzerland

Total playtime : 74:33
release date : 9th March 2001.

check our  contact section for a list of distributors who carry this CD.




Reviews :

Recycle Your Ears Webzine

If  I've had the feeling lately that harsh noise was more active on the american side of the atlantic ocean, this sampler, released by the German deafborn records (Home of Rectal Surgery) is here to prove I was wrong. Featuring mostly european acts, but also dwelling to the USA (with Death Squad and Lefthandeddecision) and to Japan (with Government Alpha), "Deafness is not a gift" is a treat for noise addicts and a hit in the face for the rest of the world.
It all starts with an excellent instrumental track by Cazzodio (even noisier than usual) and then stays for most of the sampler in the fields of heavy electronics: ultra high frequencies, saturated noises, chaotic structures and screams. Not much of calm tracks, with the exception of Anemone Tube, DL, and Skalpell's tracks. Overall, the quality of the tracks is really high, without much surprise considering the names featured here. I enjoyed particularely the kamikaze assault by Rectal Surgery, Anemone Tube's death industrial offering, Einleitungszeit's mixed track, or Lefhandeddecision's one (a bit calmer than usual), and the award for the craziest and most ear blasting track goes to Government Alpha's "Behind the scenes".
Gathering some big names and presenting an enjoyable end product with very good tracks for the open minded, "Deafness is not a gift" doesn't make any compromise but reaches well its goal: being a good harsh noise compilation. To conclude with a quote from the booklet, "those who are unwilling to listen are not much better off than the deaf". (Nicolas, March 19, 2001)
 

Spectrum Magazine  Issue #5, 2001

Picking a selection of clearly noise oriented groups, deafborn records have produced a premier themed compilation, with the quote of the cover expanding on this topic: “those who are unwilling to listen are not much better off than the deaf”.  Likewise with it being nominated that all track contributions are exclusive, it ensures that interest in this should be at peak level.  Reminding me somewhat of the style & focus of StateArt’s: How Terrorists Kill compilation, one should really have an appreciation of hectic noise and power electronics to tackle this (or certainly be willing to subject yourself to some rather ear shattering and brain numbing compositions).
Cazzodio introduce the compilation clearly spelling out its focus with an all out punishment of atmospheric noise via melding partial structure into the chaos as the metallic percussion forges forward (with select noise layers following suit and overall reminding me of Stratvm Terror’s nosiest pieces).  On ‘bilaterally unwanted’, Grunt showcase a sustained high end noise approach with an underbelly of weighty distortion that is certainly focused, if not a touch one dimensional.  Regardless, the blistering noise, throbbing distortional structure and vocals presented as expulsions of violent static certainly ensures Rectal Surgery’s track is worthy of a particular and individual mention. At the quieter end and to provide just a hint of respite, Anemone Tube’s track starts off with a lower key approach having a touch of a death industrial framework with distortional static amassing in the background that gradually crawls towards the foreground – hence achieving submission through a subversional approach.
  Continuing on (and being far from subversive), the Death Squad track is a fantastic freeform & chaotic yet atmospheric piece that uses prominent screamed and further distorted vocals that is certainly reminiscent of the Con-Dom or Grey Wolves approach.  Despite this compilation being mastered VERY loud, somehow Macronympha (the American noise specialist) manages to be even louder than most, with a partly fragmented piece of metallic/ electronic oriented noisescape. DL on the other hand creates an aura of a slightly more experimental noise aesthetic with some choppy/ some atmospheric sounds along with wavering short band radio scanning elements (yet it is the sporadic moaning of a distant human voice that is a bizarre and slightly unnerving addition). Einleitungszeit are a fierce beasts to contend with due to high end piecing distortion writhing above a dense and slow metallic percussive base.  Working both on structured and freeform levels, the vocals meld into the mix sometimes providing focus but mostly adding to the sonic chaos.  Lefthandeddecision’s piece contains a hint of rhythmic structure with the mid ranged rumbling static affair, but does not progress terribly far as the piece is less than three minutes in length.
Admittedly Satori tend to stand out more than most, mainly as they are much more subdued starting with slow tonal shifts of sound and far off noise, building further with blasts of crunchy static (nice!).  Final compilation piece is offered up by Skalpell, presenting a track of quite noisy dark ambience generated via pulsating undercurrents inter-spread with freeform
static, dialogue samples and cyclic tune that certainly ensures ‘purgatorium’ is a memorable conclusion to the compilation.
Without having made reference to all tracks, other pieces are presented by Narbenerde, Mürnau, Irikarah, Government Alpha & Mourmansk150 which take this 16 track compilation up to a play time just shy of 75 minutes.  A release that your ear specialist is highly unlikely to recommend (unless to first dislodge that nasty wax build up!).
 

Old Europa Magazine Webzine (in English) & Gonzo Circus Magazine Nr. 49 (in Dutch)

This follow up to the live retrospective 'Noise Transmission' is the second cd by a young German label. There are few established projects participating but this compilation holds plenty of infamous names (Dachau Lustknaben, Einleitungszeit and Satori) and storming new talents (Grunt, Mürnau, Irikarah and the labelowner's anally fixed orchestra Rectal Surgery). Sixteen bands from ten different countries offer a varied and personal interpretation of the 'noise' phenomena. The slow moodmusic of Cazzodio explodes into the destructiveness of Macronympha and the maniacal screams of Deathsquad. Mürnaus' distored rhythms stand shoulder to shoulder with Government Alphas hysterical japnoise and the excellent soundscapes of Skalpell and Satori. If eternal tinnitus sounds like fun to you, you really should give this a try. Deafness is not given, it is earned ! (Peter Vercauteren)
 

Sonic Seducer, Mai 2001 (in German)

Schön zu sehen, daß es innerhalb der so-called „Industrial-Scene“ immer noch Unentwegte gibt, die rein gar nichts auf infantile anti-pc-Spielchen geben und sich eher für die Musik statt für die Limitierung der Tonträger nebst Wertsteigerung interessieren. So wundert es auch nicht, daß einige bekanntere Acts bei der Zusammenstellung dieser Compilation den Weg auf die CD nicht fanden, da bereits ausreichend gutes Material von unbekannteren Gruppen vorlag. So finden sich 16 Tracks von begrenzt bekannten, dafür jedoch für Qualität bürgende Namen wie Cazzodio, Deathsquad, Einleitungszeit, Goverment Alpha oder Skalpell. Erfreulicherweise bleiben die meisten Teilnehmer dem klassichen Noise verpflichtet, statt sich wie in Teilen der aktuellen Power Electronics Bewegung immer mehr in Richtung härtere Tanzmusik zu bewegen. Wer also auch Lärm erwartet, wo Noise draufsteht, wird auf „Deafness is not a gift“ mehr als ausreichend fündig, empfindlicheren Ohren sei lieber Vorsicht angeraten.
 

Sideline, July 2001

If it's noise one wants, look no further.  Deafness Is Not A Gift, is a compilation culled by the folks at deafborn, a label that specializes in an assortment of sonic assaults, all under the guise of noise (for noise sake).  This love of noise is most evident on the abusive compilation at hand, a rousing exhibition of atrocious (lovely!) noise.
Cazzodio open the noise-gates with a bit of crusted distortion and clanking metallic disarray on the harsh, battered landscape that is "Per Un'etica Selvaggia."  An imploding factory devours my speakers during Grunt's cluttered tornado of sonic abuse during "Bilaterally Unwanted."  Rectal Surgery gets positively abrasive on the skull scraping (picture a dull knife on white bone) "Teenietuss."  Further in, a vortex of mangled voices and erratic, clunky beats pummel the skull, seeking entrance via sheer sonic insistence.
Death Squad's "Strung Out And Infected" takes a more vocal approach, the screech and desperate cry of the narrator indicating involvement in something most hideous with no escape.  Government Alpha, quite simply, torture my ears with the knob-twisting feedback and voracious wail of "Behind The Scenes."  A cloudy, murky ambience of dread is ruptured, via filthy knife, during Satori's "Bring Me The Head Of PGK," floods of squirming, ugly noise sporadically pumping out of haphazardly pressurized wounds.  Frantic hands cover wounds to the stomach, the chest, the neck, growing sticky, hindered by weakness, by failing bodily functions. Skalpell create a soundtrack of heightening dread during their descent into the "Purgatorium," oblique samples, ragged, skittish electronics and a tense synth line (think John Carpenter's Halloween, slightly) converging to cast a remarkably unnerving shroud over the listener.  Deafness Is Not A Gift, is a scintillating presentation of unabashed, gleefully outrageous, noise!  JCS
 

Flux  magazine, June/July 2001

This is noise and god-damn it hurts. Persist, because by doing so you will uncover the compositions amongst the chaos that first greeted your ears. As the volume increases to the sounds of, say, Rectal Surgery's "Teenietuss" your brain will grind to a halt. Hopefully, this is when your subconscious and doubt masochistic receptors will lead you on and convince you that the disturbing sound is actually serene and complex. That is the point with this: aural textures that mean you harm. Can you live with that ?
 

Ironflame  Webzine, September 2001

Ein wenig vernachlässigt scheint mir in letzter Zeit der Powerelectronics-Sektor, was Compilations nicht nur in Deutschland angeht.
Neben dem Grey-Wolves-initiierten 'Transmissions of Power' kommt mir ad hoc nur noch Stateart's hervorragende 'How Terrorists Kill' in den Sinn, doch glücklicherseise musste dieser Sommer nicht ohne zumindest eine Compilation aus deutschen Lande zuende gehen - und die lieferte uns das Odenthaler Label deafborn von Lutz Bauer/Rectal Surgery, mit einer Complation, die nicht nur grafisch (bereits auf den ersten Blick) voll überzeugt! Mit einem vollfarbigen, durchgängig bebilderten Booklet ist der Spaß mit augenzwinkernden Illustrationen zum Thema Gehörverlust umso größer, beim gemütlichen Hören im Ohrensessel ein wenig im Beiheft zu schmökern und sich beim Lesen der Kontakadressen die Internationaliät dieser Zusammenstellung vor Augen zu führen.
Inhaltlich musikalisch noch innovativer als der Gesamteindruck der TOP-Compilation, enttäuscht tatsächlich kein einziger Beitrag wirklich, und bei Gewinnertracks wie Einleitungszeit's 'Untitled' kommen gar sehnsüchtige Erinnerungen an Klassiker wie die glorreiche 'Neuengamme' Compilation auf. Und wer behauptet, auf dem Sampler fänden sich sehr viele unbekannte Künstler, ist wohl eher in der tumben Tanz-'Industrial'-Szene beheimatet. Wir entdecken hier nur fast ausnahmslos bewährte Künstler, so Cazzodio, die Finnen Grunt vom dortigen 'Freak Animal' Konglomerat (zweitbester Track: ein schriller verzerrt modulierender Endloston vor gewaltigen sich im Hintergrund abspielenden atonalen Kriegsschauplätzen), Rectal Surgery (hier deutlich überzeugender als auf ihrer MP3com-CD mit einem gekonnt Rhytmen einsetzenden und auch wieder auf sie verzichten könnenden Highspeedtrack, dessen sporadischer Vokaleinsatz ebenso voll überzeugt. Überraschug des Albums!), Death Squad (die von allen Beiträgen am stärksten auf Vocals setzen - klasse!), Macronympha (höchstchaotisch), DL (sehr zurückgenommen), Irikarah (der mit seinem neuesten Sideproject 'Asandre' für ihn neue und Lichtjahre ruhigere Wege beschreitet - hier Extreme to the Max!), die Genialität des Einleitungszeit-Tracks erwähnte ich ja bereits, Lefthanddecision (verzichten hier ungewohnterweise fast vollkommen auf schrille Sounds), Government Alpha (wie die Japaner nun mal sind, ein Track der in seiner extremen Machart wieder zu breitem Grinsen bis unbändigem Lachen einlädt), Satori (die hier hervorragend mit Sphären, Hall und Räumlichkeit arbeiten, ein sehr ruhiger Track mit vereinzelten Noiseeinbrüchen) und den "elektronischsten" und zugleich auch längsten Beitrag des Albums 'Purgatorium' von Skalpell, musikalisch in den späten Achtzigern beiheimatet in direkter Nähe zu den kanadischen Noise Unit. Vernachlässigt in der vorangegangenen Aufzählung wurden lediglich Mourmansk 150, Mürnau und Anemone Tube, drei auf die einige Hörer hier erstmals aufmerksam geworden sein dürften.
Nach deafborn's erster Compilatiom 'Noise Transmission' und der nun vorliegenden darf man auf den Nachfolger schon jetzt gespannt sein und das größte Lob wollte ich mir für das Ende der Rezension aufsparen: Das Mastering des kompletten Albums ist ohne Übetribung nur als fantastisch zu beschreiben und es verwundert mich in höchstem Maße, dass der hierfür Verantwortliche Bypass/RS nicht im Inlet Erwähnung fand! Soundtechnisch könnnten auf die Art und Weise viele Labels ihren Produken ein um 100% verbessertes Audio Finish verleihen, was zuletzt doch allen zugute käme!
 

Degenerate Magazine, Issue #1

This label released very good "Noise Transmission" live compilation with Cazzodio, Mörder Machine, Rectal Surgery and Irikarah. This new concept CD includes 16 artists in total, and I have to say they did not succeed any less! Actually, this is better!
Excellent track by Death Squad with loud feedback and killer vocals. Macronympha, who seem to be much less productive these days, throws the best noise blast they've done in a long time! Sound is sharp and intense, there is enough of distortion, but mostly it's clear metal sounds. I love this sound of abusing the junk objects. You hear small objects, bigger ones, metal plates and pieces. In the middle of the track they add devastating electronic assault and loops. Damn! Really highlight of the CD! Einleitungszeit is noisier than usually. It's excellent work.
Lefthandeddecision delivers their style of heavy & crushing noise wall. Government Alpha is guaranteed headfuck. Irikarah is just getting better every time. DL, Satori, Mürnau, Anemone Tube, Rectal Surgery, Mourmansk 150, Narbenerde,.. they all do well. There is also track by Grunt, which I shouldn't comment. One ones what I would complain a bit is Cazzodio, who seems to be too clean and computerized this time and Skalpell, who has some sequencer music (?) over their dark ambient which makes it sound more like cheap movie soundtrack than such ambient I like to listen from records.
Nevertheless, one of the best compilations with professional package! Do not miss! (Mikko Aspa)
 

Terrorizer magazine, Issue #93

A wise man once said, "Noise is a great and powerful tool, but it needs something to back it up." Actually it was William Bennett, and it's an observation that stands up for this compilation. Not because a few of these acts could learn that lesson, but because most of them have.
Good power electronic noise is as powerful and resonant as the highest form of artistic communication known to man - it can paint vivid pictures, it can act out intense dramas, it can genuinely run the gamut of extreme emotions - and this quality collection is a satisfying example. The violent disturbance of Rectal Surgery, Death Squad's swathes of kamikaze rage and the fractured stereo dementia of Macronympha share unnerving space with DL's bleak, haunted frequencies, Satori's billowing black fuzz and the cold, tense, horror-movie ambience of Skalpell.
This is a versatile and fascinating international noise collection, the all-exclusive tracklist making it essential for the noise crowd, though it's also a fine baptism for anyone curious to sample genuine musical and emotional intensity. (Chris Chantler) 

 

Real Art magazine, web

A great collection of electronic noise-bands - 16 commands from ten countries are released by the young German label Deafborn Records. I think, as well as me you suspect that this stage is incredibly great and various, in addition a lot of known musicians anyhow pass the period of interest in noise in their creativity (KK.Null, Lee Ranaldo, etc.). By the way, not less interesting are the results of penetration of noise-musicians on adjacent territories (recollect disco from Murnau or the Australian movement "Beanbag Aesthetics" that left marks on all modern styles and directions of music.

The bands submitted on this disk show practically all spectrum of modern electro-noise-scene: from the slow, mercilessly deformed and overflown with disturbing advantage march of Cazzodio up to storm, emotionally oversaturated shake-up of Grunt, from almost industrial landscapes of Anemone Tube (very close to the Haters!) up to heart-rending cries of Death Squad, from almost Zev's early roar of Macronympha up to machine-gun disco from Murnau, from... You are probably tired already from reading? I shall simply list the most interesting, ОК?
Irikarah - rigid guitar (if it is a guitar!!!) noise with magnificent vocal inserts.
Lefthandeddecision - classical "wall of noise", hardly highlighted with unexpected inserts.
Government Alpha - classics of style! Incredibly rigidly and with some invention!
Satori - ambient noise, nevertheless, decently giving on head and ears. For some reason the mix of ambient and noise became very popular recently.
Skalpell - for a long time I've heard the most positive responses on this band! The powerful play reminding a stage from science-fiction performance. It is masterfully staged and recorded! One of the best tracks on the disk, believe me.
It is the last, by the way.
In general, if something even latent sits in you - this disk will let all your demons outside! Probably, you even begin to play something similar. It is cool, isn't it?
(Pavel Baleevsky)

Geluidsoverlast, web

First of all the artwork of this album is well done and really thought over twice. It’s a 3-panel booklet with all small pictures related to deafness standing in front of every band announcement. The other side of the booklet is a photo taken from the inside of an ear I guess. Under the clear tray there’s a tone diagram, don’t know what to learn from it but ok…
Who’s more effective than Cazzodio to wake you up in the morning. The usual Cazzodio thing, heavy walls of industrial noises and sequencing loops of high noises with a complete fucked up slow distorted beat which sounds a little into the vein of Haus Arafne. Then continued by Grunt doing very noisey structured collages with slow distorted pounding rhythms and high pitched walls of noise. Narbenerde takes of with a different sound. You could call it "minimalistic" noise that builds up slowly to more slightly shifting, but monotonous structures, the further you get the more it will become complete mayhem. Next on is Rectal Surgery, this is so goooood, complete fucked up rhythmic beats and distortion with rumbling, sequencing drones and noises. In between there’s something that seem to be vocals,… it tends to go more into the Massona direction, beware! Anemone Tube start very slowly and peacefully with a shrieking mixtured industrial while on a hollow sounding background you can hear metal pounding, it is not as hard, after a while it starts to build up into more dark droning noise. Death Squad is as expected power electronics, PE in the sense of the yelling angry vocals… and so on I could give a similar description for every of the other bands, but that’s for you to find out. Further bands that participate though are Macronympha, Mürnau, DL, Irikarah, Einleitungszeit, Lefthanddecision, Government Alpha, Mourmansk 150, Satori and Skalpell. Expect to be blasted away. A fantastic compilation which I recommend you to include in your collection. You can also use it to get your neighbours angry…

 

click  here to go back to the releases page