Label: De Fabriek - FABPROD 25

70年代の終わりにRichard Van DellenとAndries D. Ekerによって設立、自らを通常のバンドとは見なさず、ある種のファクトリーとしての活動を提示し続け、VivenzaやGen Ken Montgomery、O.R.D.U.C、Brumeと共にレコーディングをしていたオランダの不定形プロジェクトDe Fabriek。80年代初頭〜90年代に掛け多くの音源を残したこのレーベルが2020年に突如リリースした、現在のDe Fabriekのメンバーにして多くのカバーデザインをサポートしてきたMartijn Hohmannのソロ作。個人としては寡作な為あまり知られていませんが、本作は月への旅行、意識の喪失、人生の終わりなど、人間が地球を離れるさまざまな形をコンセプトにした激ヤバな持続音&パルス作。NASAが1969年に録音したアポロ計画コックピットのサウンド、フランスの発明家エドゥアールレオン・スコットド・マルタンヴィルが残した1860年の音記録などの古いマテリアルを用い、ユーモアのある漆黒世界を作り上げています。

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Compact disc in 6 panel spot varnished digipack. Each containing a unique artwork, Individually signed and numbered. Limited to 200 copies.

A free association between the various forms of leaving earth like traveling to the moon, losing one's consciousness or the end of life itself, with the Hohmann family name as a starting point and guiding theme.

All compositions by Martijn Hohmann
Mastered by Jos Smolders at EARLabs Studios
Released by De Fabriek records and tapes in 2020 - FABPROD 25

All sounds recorded 2017 - 2019.
except:
track 4: “Apollo cockpit recordings” recorded 1969 by NASA, digitized by the Houston Audio Control Room.
track 5 and 8: “sea and wind sounds” recorded late 20th century by Wim van Holstein.
track 8: “Au claire de la lune” recorded 1860 by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, restored by First Sounds.

In memory of Piet Hohmann who died of Alzheimer’s disease on New Year’s eve 2017.

"The first thing to notice here is this released by De Fabriek Records & Tapes, a label usually reserved for releases by De Fabriek, even when in ancient history they released music by Mark Lane, RTC, Gen Ken Montgomery and The Force Dimension. However, Hohmann belongs to the current rotating cast of members of De Fabriek and helps them out with the design of covers. So, that might explain this. Martijn Hohmann works as a visual and audio artist in Breda, The Netherlands, and over the years he didn’t release that much as a solo artist. His last one was a limited run 3″CDR, Yunus’ (Vital Weekly 1114), which I enjoyed quite a bit, even when it was all way too brief. This time, Hohmann went to town. ‘The Hohmann Transfer’ is released in two editions. One is a standard digipack, with spot varnish and ‘teacup’ print inside, while the other is a box, about 7″ sized and it contains bigger printed cards, “giant 840 x 960mm poster, an art print, a unique signed and numbered artwork and various undisclosed theme-related artefacts”, which I am still not sure what they are. This is an edition of twenty-copies. The poster contains a map of the moon and that is what this release is about; transfers to the moon. The fateful mission of Apollo 10 and the death of Hohmann’s father; both travel towards the moon, the end of life. And, it is also the end of the line of the name Hohmann, so I am told. What is not said here, on the cover or otherwise, is what kind of instruments Hohmann is using. Before he was interested in using vinyl as sources, but I would think this is replaced by the use of synthesizers, modular, analogue or software-based (I am not the sort of expert to say anything sensible about that), along with found sound from NASA (well, duh!), field recordings and an ancient recording from 1860 of ‘Au Claire De La Lune’. Throughout the music is slow and peaceful; it is like being a slow spaceship moving through a vast empty and dark night, destination moon, but maybe also destination unknown. It is heavy on the drone side but it is not exclusively just that. In ‘Deemesterhede’ there is some sort of pulse to be noted, next to crackles and drones, that reminded me of Pan Sonic and in ‘Au Claire De Lune’, lots static, vinyl crackles and transmissions. Sometimes the music is all-dark but, again, also not something that he does all over the place. ‘Morphin’ is a ray of light, despite the heavy-handed title. Here we have eight pieces, sixty-three minutes of pure sonic bliss. If I had such a thing, this would be my pick of the week." - Frans de Waard / Vital Weekly