The Multi (WETWEAR WW019) record is the result of a collaboration between the Danish duo H E X and Japanese multi-media artist Doravideo.
The two Danes Lars Bech Pilgaard (guitars) and Anders Bach Pedersen (drums) have been fairly active for about 20 years – Pedersen has drummed on numerous records, including with Epicentre, Ice Cream Cathedral, Kostcirkeln, and Spillemændene, and Pilgaard’s guitar work can be heard with bands such as Bissebanden, Klimaforandringer, Laser Nun, Magnus Fra Gaarden, Maskinvåd, Svin, and The Wøøøh. I never heard any of these, but going by today’s output, they’re mostly at home with a raggedy type of free-form rock noise splurgery, happy to enter a zone where the normal sound of an electric guitar can be sent crazy by liberal use of the effects board. Bach can do the unhinged Lightning Bolt high-energy thing quite well, but it’s also unfortunate how often he lapses into straight-ahead four-to-the-floor rhythms, which risk turning the sizzling music into torpid sludge.
Doravideo is Ichiraku Yoshimitsu from Acid Mothers Temple, where he used to be a drummer, and you’d be amazed how many records of Japan free noise psychedelic underground from the 1990s on which he appears. But he’s now more interested in working with his modular synths; he also added a laser light show to this project when they went on tour in Europe in 2022. With so much talent and enthused power in the room, I was hoping Multi would be more spectacular, shocking even. There is a lot of sonic variety, the players exhibit great fluency with many modes, but there are few flashes of inspiration, most of the music treading water with no clear idea of how to move forwards. (12/07/2023)