Noise factory is a fresh, young label from Canada. They pleasant us with three very good releases, KC accidental (self-willed post-rock) Sparrow Orange (weird ambient) and a very strong compilation "Beautiful noise" which proves that there can grow something very beautiful out of this young label.We have had a little conversation with Joe English from Noise Factory Records:

What are the criteria to become a noise factory act?

- Beautiful music that is not constrained by the limits of commercially. A pure artistic vision in the music is a necessity. genres of music we like - post rock, instrumental, ambient electronic and minimalist electronica (e.g. Pole) and anything else that strikes our fancy. KC accidental goes on a European tour, do you have many contacts in Europe, and can we expect more likely events in the future? Kevin Drew of KC accidental will be touring with Do Make Say Think. Since Charles Spearin is also a member of Do Make Say Think, they are planning on playing some KC accidental songs. Kevin and Charles are planning a formal KC accidental tour, but first we need some contacts and distribution in Europe.

When I browse your catalogue there is a noise factor 1 en 2, what is the difference?

 - Noise Factory 01 was our humble and awkward beginnings. We were without focus then. Some unpleasantness also happened at the beginning. So with the release of the compilation we began again, a renaissance of the soul if you will. Noise Factory 02 has focus and a sound that we always intended. We are happy now.

Which bands from the compilation have the best change to become the next noise factory highlight?

 - That's a tough one. Our next release is beef terminal's 20 goto 10. The track on the compilation from beef terminal does not reflect the music on his album. But it is quite strange in a beautiful sense. Beef terminal's music is ambient instrumentals overtop of unusual samples. Very cinematic stuff. I really like the Tetrezene stuff and Fwark. I guess you will just have to wait and see.

There is something on the move in Canada and North American with labels as Drop Beat, deLuxe, Orthlorng Musork…Have you take over the electro feel from the Germans (Kreidler, To rococo rot, Schneider tm…..)?

 - I love To Rococo Rot. That album blew me away. The German feel is definitely an influence but i would say it is not the determining factor for what we do. I wouldn't say it's a Canadian or North American movement, but more of a city movement. Places like Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, San Francisco tend to develop music that is non-mainstream because of a great arts community and music fanatics that demand more from their musical experiences then what is normally dished out through the commercial realm. So you kind of have this small community that goes against the grain. I can't speak for Canada or North America but I know this movement has existed in Toronto since the early days of Kraftwerk.

When people ask: "what kind of music do you release" what is your answer?

 - Beautiful music.


E-mail Sparrow Orange

SPARROW ORANGE: The beauty of strangeness

 Sparrow orange composed six long (6 to 10 minutes tunes) dark ambient - electro trips on this CD. Lucky that it is not all just ambient, they combine the dark background sounds with cool distorted samples, weird percussion rhythms and the rolling and rustling on noises. This increased the listen-ability for a non-ambient fan like me.
A track forms not a complete whole they start somewhere and end up totally different with all strange intermediate stations. This results and very good tracks as "sponge city/level 12". Especially the first part with the words "the world is not as sad as it feels, let your mind go, let the music flows" a good opening statement for this CD. Also "an explicit explanation" is a very cool journey along weird sounds. Lesser successful is a track as "demi's request" a more ambient tune which can not hold my attention for the whole ride.
Sparrow Orange proves that they with some songs can rivalry with the rushing along legion of electronica artists and certainly deserves a place among them. But at the other hand I have still the feeling that they can do it better, this release proves that they have many potential what must come out in later releases.

mailto:Noise facory records

K.C. ACCIDENTAL: anthems for the could've bin pills

 Kevin Drew & Charles Spearn formed this project back in 1997. Charles his mean band is "Do you make say think", this CD is the first official release from K.C. Accidental but they have already recorded a mini EP.
Kevin and Charles have a big range of instruments they play (guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, accordion, organs, and piano.) and they get the help of twelve guests. This results in a warm, full sound, which sounds never superabundant. They build their songs around repetitive easy rhythms and coloured it up with according to the mood of the songs, for instance, modest violins in "instrument died in the bathtub and took the daydreams with it", more percussion and up-tempo in "ruined in 84" and "them (pop song #3333) ", this last is the only one with vocals. K.C.accidental combined the more rock sounds from non-conformists as Salarymen and Trans-am with the experimental impulses and subtlety of for instance "the Rachels" or "For Carnation" (listen to the beautiful "is and of the".
Very good CD that fits wonderful between my Rachel, Trans am, Tortoise, For carnation, records.

mailto:DJ serpent one
mailto:Do you make say think
Home of Fwark
mailto:Wave Motion Gun
mailto:Fantastic Lovers
mailto:Tom Spacey
mailto:Tetrezene
mailto:Beef Terminal

BEAUTIFUL NOISE: the apocalypse

 Compilation CD, bands who all search for a place in the post - electro landscape.
A short summary:

1) dj serpent one: "terrain (last movement)" : With dreamy sounds an good worked out percussion made dj serpent one a good openings track.
2) Do make say think: "I love you (la,la,la)" : band with Charles from KC. accidental, repetitive bass riff complemented with some guitar plucking and electro sounds.
3) Fwark: "ailo rmx" : Cool build up listen "drum'n bass" can be put one the next leaf-compilation.
4) Tetrezene: "springtime" : A fluent post-rock tune.
5) Wave motion gun: "throwing star" : Strongly by dub influenced track, very well.
6) Paik: "sunlite" : short instrumental with bass and guitar.
7) Sparrow Orange: "an explicit explanation" : One of the better tracks from their CD.
8) Beef terminal: "lookstrafe" : Also Dark ambient / soundscapes, not so strong.
9) Fantastic lovers: "Aleutian low" : Nice forward rippling lo-fi post - rock song.
10) Tom Spacey: "the ether pilot" : Minimal floating track, a lesser one.
11) KC accidental: "tired hands" : Show them more from their experimental site.

The level of this compilation is very high, two number ones for me: Wave motion gun and Fwark. This compilation shows that Noise Factory have many potential to grow out as a label with a self-willed but coherent total sound.


e-mail noisefacory records