Henry Flynt, and C. C. Hennix ‎– "Dharma Warriors" (Locust Music ‎– L114) 1983/2008

Good to hear that american minimalist legends are as clueless and talent strapped as we are. With the technical efficacy of The Prats ,Drone masters Flynt and Hennix provide us with a 30 minute rock work-out that some not so bright spark captured to a cassette on a Boombox. It would have been thrown in the garbage were it not for the glowing CV's of the two performers. Hennix's drumming drifts between the mildly incompetant to producing drum rolls that echo Rat Scabies at the height of his powers. Flynt, without the easy stability of a drone to prop him up,struggles to sound like anything more than a schoolboy practising in his bedroom.Now we know why he was booted out of the Velvet Underground. 

The begining of 'Warriors Of the Dharma' even has hints of Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio,which Ironically the Minimalists had originally inspired,revealing a disturbing lack of ideas for a man once so proficient on his fiddle when it comes to improvised droney bluegrass. If this album had been made by a couple of unemployed kids from Grimsby in their bedroom,then I would have been singing its praises;but its been made by a pair of intellectuals who should know better. Admitedly not intended to be released,but nonetheless it was.I'm just surprised that it exists, so that in itself is its justification.

DOWNLOAD as the intellectuals jam HERE!

 

Catherine Christer Hennix ‎– "The Electric Harpsichord" (Die Schachtel ‎– DSART10) 1976/2010

During my section on females of early Electronics, one carelessly overlooked this drone epic by Catherine Christer Hennix, who was...it says here.....a Swedish-American composer, philosopher, scientist and visual artist associated with drone minimal music.There's no evidence that anyone else but herself gave her the often tenuous title of Philosopher,but there IS evidence of Drone music,and here it is.

You got it.....a Drone done on a....yep...Electric Harpsichord.There is also evidence that Hennix actually moves her fingers on the clavier rather than just holding down a chord for 25 minutes.Not sure how sustained an electric Harpsichord is, but i guess ,not too much, so the notes have to be retriggered or we would have silence instead of another drone.

Name dropping time:La Monte Young's a fan,Henry Flynt is a pal,and Glenn Branca found this influential.

That changes everything and nuthin',but it helps in the marketing,even if their plaudits could have easily been taken out of context like those ridiculous quotes on the back of paperbacks...."Amazing","Sensational","Superb!".

There's little info about this performance on the cover,especially after Young and Branca have used up the space, but i gather it was recorded in 1976? 25 minutes of backbreaking toil....maybe on another day she may get out of bed to do another 25 minutes....life's hard in the art world.

Tracklist:

1. The Electric Harpsichord 25:24

DOWNLOAD electrically HERE!