John Duncan and Saturn and the Sun
Cassette released 2022 by iDEAL
ARTIST: JOHN DUNCAN & SATURN AND THE SUN
TITLE: ”THE WELT”
FORMAT: CASSETTE & DIGITAL
EDITION: 100
DESIGN: PHILIP MARSHALL
CAT NO: iDEAL234
In 2019, American conceptual artist John Duncan and Swedish noise/future techno duo Saturn and the Sun made a trip to Porto, Portugal for a concert weekend set up by the Materia Prima crew in town. During the gig at the Teatro Rivoli, the artists found that their music touched a lot of common ground and agreed to record together. Years later, the result is this futuristic, raw, rather primitive and psychedelic experience with shortwave radio, no input mixing desk feedback, analogue synths and effects. Joachim Nordwall mixed it at the Gothenburg Sound Experiment and Philip Marshall gave it its iDEAL234 personality! Deep stuff, perfect for driving your car fast in a darkened tunnel with your lights off.
JOHN DUNCAN has operated for decades at the cutting edge of performance, video, experimental music, installation, pirate radio and television. He has played a pivotal role in the development of performance art in Los Angeles, of experimental music as a member of LAFMS, of Japanese noise and pirate radio in Tokyo.SATURN AND THE SUN is Henrik Rylander and Joachim Nordwall and they have collaborated since 2005 creating ritual rock music as The Skull Defekts and circular electronic music and noise as Saturn and the Sun since 2015 and with their latest album, tastefully entitled ”The New Age Is Shit”, they have found their place as the link between Robert Hood, Pan Sonic and avant garde noise.
Released November 21, 2022
Cross-generational titans of noise and sound experiments, John Duncan, Joachim Nordwall & Henrik Ryland supply a proper drone zoner hashed from shortwave radio, no-input mixer and analogue synths on the iDEAL powerhouse.
Likely to have yr eyes rolling into the back of yr skull by the time it’s done with you, ‘The Welt’ combines the energies of notorious sound artist John Duncan and his spars after a congregation at a festival in Porto, 2019, hosted by the Materia Prima crew. Over the course of 30 minutes it ushers a subliminal segue from super spacious, intoxicating drone to denser, spongiform noise, all peppered with electronic scree inducing a bezzzzonked, liminal state of mind that’s right up our ginnel.
John Duncan has remarkably turned to the bleakest, most beautiful cover versions c.20th evergreens in recent years, brings his paranormal sound craft tekkerz to the post-everything duo of iDEAL boss Nordwall and his fellow Swedish noise artist Rylander (The Skull Defekts) in a perfect marriage of unheimlich forces. Neither side of the equation outdoes itself, but holds to a potent slow burn stasis that swerves the spectacular in favour of a clammy, amniotic effect with intractable grip.
Spot on, this. –Boomkat