Reverof Zrem (Jaap Blonk) ‎– "Ursonate" (Jaap Blonk Self-released) 1999

Apart from Hugo Ball's seminal work with language invention and vocal sounds,the other Dadaist of note in Jaap the sound poet's life was Kurt Schwitters,Though initially associated with German Dada, he later started his own one-man movement Merz, and published a magazine of that name. Like Ball before him, he made a smart move and left Germany before world war two,via oslo,then settled in that hell-hole of English country living, Ambleside, in the gloriously lovely Lake District of England.Life was hard as a sound artist.
The earlier version of "Ursonate" that Jaap did in 1986, was prohibited by Schwitters' son Ernst. He wouldn’t allow any other versions of the work except his fathers' one. The pressing was officially destroyed and unofficially went underground.So,as you can guess, we don't have it here,except this live version from 1998,live in Norway,which seems to be the modern home for sound poetry.
The house that Kurt had created in a Dada style from 1923-37 in Hannover, the Merzbau, was responsible for the naming of Merzbow,the prolific japanoise artist,rather than Jaap-a-noise. The original Merzbau was destroyed by the RAF in 1943,very likely by a bomb dropped by my fathers plane.A more Dadaist ending to this story I cannot imagine;but why it wasn't destroyed by the Nazi's before that I find incredible! Classsic Degenerate Art by any Nazi standards.


Tracklist:

1 Erster Teil
2 Largo
3 Scherzo À La Zrem
4 Presto

DOWNLOAD ursonation from jaap's eye HERE!