Playback Device Confusion, Vol. 1

What the heck is this? This 3" CD is billed to Aleph Empire, but it has been recorded live at the Rhiz, Vienna, on May 30, 2002, during a tour by Ohne. The press release says it features Tiefpunk Crew, Schimpfluch-Gruppe International, Good Looking Communists, Costes, Fear of God, K2, R. H.Y. Yau, and Raionbashi, then lists five "very special guests" -- all this for a single 21-minute track. And what a track! This brutal aural assault consists of a succession of harsh noise outbursts, turntable tricks, snippets of laughter, and a few complete stops to make you wonder. Dub and speed metal samples hold hands while lathe cuts spin up and down and TV quotes are thrown in for good measure. Imagine Fantômas remixed by Merzbow or John Oswald's Plexure remixed by Sissy Spacek: lots of excruciating feedback, mindless screaming, and frighteningly quiet passages, all arranged for the shortest of attention spans. It makes no sense -- it's not supposed to. But it will overload your ears and drive your neighbors nuts.