a r t o . a r t i a n

musika txikien katalogoa / catálogo de musicas mínimas

1. .

   Ruta 66 #251 Julio/Agosto 2008 (Barcelona)

   Josetxo Grieta, Sonrisas vendo (Tgmt) / Billy Bao Dialectics of shit (parts unknown)

   Atormenta pensar qué pasaría en la cabeza y sentimientos de Josetxo Anitua, ahora que sabemos de su trágico fin. Añade esas desaparición una siniestra dimensión extra al tortuoso grito elemental que fueron Josetxo Grieta. “! No siento nada!” , brama con todas sus fuerzas Anitua, y un escalofrío me hace comprender. Grabado el año pasado en Galicia, durante su única e incloncusa fira, Sonrisas vendo, el primero de los títulos postumos que están previstos del dúo, a los que cabrá sumar un DVD de su último concierto, cierne una sombra inquietante porque, por fin, tanta desesperación parece tener sentido. Caos primordial, todo lo excluye la dantesca kermesse aquí capturada, como si el resto del mundo, y con él la humanidad entera, se hubiera quedado petrificado en un grotesco rigor mortis. Queda de Josetxo Grieta su otro 50%, Martín, absorvido últimamente en exclusiva por uno de sus muchos proyectos, Billy Bao. Asunto extremo, también, en apariencia como una descarga de Stooges en el hipotálamo de la niña de El Exorcista, en realidad un sabotaje de la experiencia rock, que tergiversa, subvierte y pervierte códigos bajo un monolítico rodillo. Gozan los muy cabrones practicando sadismo con el oyente, recordándole su vida de mierda, simulando que la aguja se ha atascado, despedazando esquemas al tiempo que los subliman cual carga de caballería cosaca. Ponen a prueba nuestro temple, pero por si les sirve de algo, es disco del mes en mi agenda personal. JAIME GONZALO.
2. .

   Rock de Lux (Barcelona)

   Josetxo Grieta
   “Sonrisas vendo ¿Dónde nos llevan?”
   Taumaturgia

   Esta grabación en directo del proyecto del fallecido Josetxo Anitua -en este caso Anitua y Mattin- es una improvisación de dieciséis minutos únicamente apta para valientes: gritos, distorsión profunda, ecos de fábrica fantasmal…Del CD-R solo hay cien unidades, pero puede descargarse gratis en http://www.taumaturgia.com
3. .

   Noiseblog

   Josetxo Grieta - Eating borders Tour - CDr

   All liners notes of this one are in Spanish (or is it Basque?) and as far as I can tell the material on the CD was recorded on may 10, 2007 during the “Eating Borders Tour” of Josetxo Grieta [website] and Swizz Saxwizz Antoine Chessex [website, make sure to scroll down, he placed his links a tad off-screen]. A tour that for the larger part followed the coastlines of France, Spain and Portugal. For this occasion Josetxo Grieta were Josexto Anitua (also member of Cancer Moon, and according to the label’s website passed away recently) and Mattin [website]. Though this CDr is not released on Mattin’s own label, but on Taumaturgia [website], a label I hadn’t heard of yet, it has all the characteristics of a Mattin-release, up to the Anti-copyright-statement [more info about that] and its non-standard-size. The CDr’s one and only track is some 16 minutes in length, and starts off in an acoustic, almost folky atmosphere: we hear someone strike an acoustic guitar, while the vocals that accompany it are half spoken, half sung, at regular intervals they turn into shouting, and things grow only harsher and wilder from there on (as a side-note: I first thought that this was a solo-project). As I don’t know Spanish (nor Basque) I don’t know what the lyrics are about, but knowing Mattin’s work I can imagine that they aren’t random. It’s a live recording, and such relases are often anecdotical, or to be regarded as documenting a particular evening - As for me, I indeed see it as an interesting live-document, of a gig I surely would have loved to see for the way it gradually builds up towards its trashy noiseclimax. I already wrote a review of one of Josetxo Grieta previous releases [you can still read it here], the “peeled banana” of that releases’ artwork is re-used for this one. There is a whole concept behind the work of Mattin, a concept that is shared by Taumaturgia and they have loads of links on their sites pointing you to places where you can learn more about what they’re doing, so I suggest you give it a go. As a side-note: I mentioned I didn’t know much of Basque, but it could as well be Catalan (Basque and Catalan are both languages that are spoken in Spain, and part of France, besides the dominant Spanish language - they both have an old and distinct culture, and were oppressed during the regime of Franco - both regions have since then gained more political autonomy).
4. .

   Sound Projector (17 Issue, November 2008, London)

   Josetxo Grieta, often associated with Mattin, returns with a live CDR Sonrisa vendo-¿Donde nos Ilevan? (TAUMATURGIA TA 03). For less than 17 minutes, we hear a man ranting and raving in front of a microphone while all around him noise, samples and feedback seem to be signalling something approaching the end of the world. The apocalyptic sense of alarm can be said to have registered on the anxious face of the young man on the front cover, whose portrait has been overprinted in lurid red. We noted his clever European Son release last issue, but this item is quite another kettle of bones.
5. .

   Just Outside (Brian Olewnick)

   Josetxo Grieta - sonrisas vendo - ¿Dónde nos llevan?

   For this occasion, the band consists of Josetxo Anitua and Mattin, playing guitars, electronics and other noise-emitters. I’m probably finding myself in increasingly diminishing company, but dammit, I still get something of a kick from this sort of thing. I found myself thinking, if I were in an adjacent room in a cellar somewhere hearing this clatter and wail, a smile would cross my face; “They’re clearly enjoying themselves in there.” A mere 16 minutes (probably a good idea) of audience noise, idle guitar strumming, mumbling, screaming, crooning, extreme raucous noise, etc. Fun!

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