Initial Schock

CD reissue of Knurl's debut 1994 tape 'Initial Shock' with 3 bonus tracks, all mastered for CD in 2020.
Packaged with a DVD including footage from nine shows circa 1995-1999 including the debut Knurl performance, and a 1996 Quebec television interview for a total of about 3 hours of footagel.

Blasting his way onto the scene with the aptly-titled Initial Shock in 1994, Alan established contact with Joe Roemer and his infamous Mother Savage Noise Productions label early on.
In 1995 KNURL appeared on "MOTHER SAVAGE NOISE PRODUCTIONS", label run by JOE ROEMER / MACRONYMPHA, “AMERICANOIS” compilation featuring many of the harsh noise heavyweights of the day.
KNURL also appeared on the “UNITED STATES OF TERRORISM” compilation via RICHARD RAMIREZ's DEADLINE RECORDINGS that same year.
These high-profile and genre-defining compilations helped expose Knurl to the greater harsh noise audience of the mid-90s, but it was with "INITIAL SHOCK" that KNURL announced and immediately solidified his tenure in the pantheon of North American harsh noise.
The textures and dynamism explored in the tape’s half-hour runtime feel ahead of their time.
One can get lost in those churning rotor blades of abrasion again and again.

The selected shows for the DVD are all highlights in their own right, but the following notes can provide further context:
(1) Debut performance.
(5) Shared bill with Jojo Hiroshige and Junko (Hijokaidan) and Thurston Moore, hosted by the Nihilist Spasm Band.
(6) Hosted by Joe Roemer.
(8) Shared bill with MSBR, Government Alpha and TADM.
(9) Shared bill with Merzbow.
One can even see noise luminaries such as Patrick O’Neil (Skin Crime), and of course Ron Lessard himself, in attendance at the RRRecords gig (7).

Tracklist
§  CD
1.  Bilge 1:36
2.  Eyehook 3:04
3.  Itradem 9:59
4.  Clostirian Imbalance 2:20
5.  Ridzt 0:28
6.  Payhst 2:15
7.  Gjadra Dance 9:28
8.  Optromodal Dissent 7:35
9.  Abjective Singe 9:59
10.  Sehnt 11:33

§  DVD
1.  1995-01-21 - L'Oblique, Montreal, QC (Live Debut) 37:33
2.  1996-04-XX - Hotel 2 Tango, Montreal, QC (Part 2) 17:18
3.  1996-XX-XX - Bistro 4, Montreal, QC (Excerpt) 5:32
4.  1997-01-03 - Eclectic Cafe, Windsor, ON 30:20
5.  1998-03-27 - No Music Festival, Aeolian Hall, London, ON 16:08
6.  1998-06-02 - Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL 18:12
7.  1998-06-09 - RRRecords, Lowell, MA 12:57
8.  1999-02-21 - Toronto Vs Tokyo, Reverb Club, Toronto, ON 15:51
9.  1999-05-23 - Perfect Strangers, Ottawa, ON (Parts 1 & 2) 12:59
10.  1996-06-26 - Videotron Studios, Montreal, QC (Interview) 10:50

« back