Latest dispatch from French players micro_penis is called Süra Wald (choc.565), and it’s come out as a very limited CDR from Chocolate Monk…for this, the foursome of Heyer, Kittel, Ogrob and Spenlehauer assembled in the woods in the Black Forest area. Very coincidentally, it was done at the exact same locations where Peter Brötzmann and Han Bennink made their 1977 LP Schwarzwaldfahrt, famous for being recorded in the open air using their trusty Stellavox recorder.
Sébastien Borgo in his enclosed note wishes to make it clear that Süra Wald is not intended as a tribute record to these two titans of European free improv, rather that it’s “just the exploration of two places where something happened in 1977”. The other dimension to Süra Wald is that it’s a tribute to their friend Thierry Monnier. I did hear about his death in 2021 mainly through emails from Sébastien. Monnier played guitar in two avant-rock guitar combos, Sun Stabbed and La Morte Young, whose abrasive and challenging work we have noted in the past; I think he may also have managed the Doubtful Sounds label in Grenoble, which was also home to a few micro_penis projects.
If you’ve been following our reviews of these records since about 2011, you’ll know that micro_penis are capable of producing hideous, repellent, and very rude noises, and also went out of their way to make fun of “serious” music in all its forms. Yet neither applies to Süra Wald. Oh, it’s still very eccentric in its production and its overall sound; just scope the colour photos in the booklet here to garner some idea of their extremely unorthodox approach to music production. The image of rubber hoses dipped in a mud puddle, while being blown by two solemn Frenchmen kneeling in place, is but one indicator. And the record is packed with unexpected vocal yawps and shrieks punctuating the music. But it’s also strangely subdued, dare one even say respectful, compared to earlier zanies we’ve heard from this unpredictable band. While they like to advertise their disrespect for improvised musicians, maybe they’ve stopped short of blowing the raspberry in the direction of Brötzmann and Bennink (the former of whom has died since). Perhaps also the need to make a memorial for Thierry Monnier has injected a note of respect into the event. Either way, here is an unclassifiable gem of raw, unfettered, slightly mad free noise, made all the more interesting for its open-air circumstances. Doubt if you can get a copy now, but it’s still a worthwhile release. From 17 November 2022.