Hong Chulki
Amplified WC


4.5
superb

Review

by Bitchfork USER (61 Reviews)
March 6th, 2011 | 33 replies


Release Date: 2010 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Bathrooms are sinister, apparently.

North Korean native Hong Chulki's Amplified WC is all about the interaction between two feedback loops that Chulki set up in the Nam June Paik Art Center between the summer and fall of 2009 as a tribute to Paik's similar "Prepared WC." Comprised of contact microphones placed underneath air ducts, exposed wire, tin foil and other electronic devices, Chulki's intention was to magnify the subtle vibrations of the machines in the bathroom. Think of it as improvised music without an improviser. The music itself reflects the absence of human touch, as all you hear is a dense mixture of closed-circuits, glitches, feedback and buzz. However, the fact that the ‘improviser' (I'm using that term as loosely as possible here, I am aware) is the building itself doesn't make the twenty minute sample provided here a sterile one. The movements of the machines, the building's processes quickening and slowing down work together to provide a surprisingly coherent and extremely creepy whole. Flashes of feedback and high frequencies are sinister, painting a portrait of a factory running on its own. Each little device has been imbued with malevolence, and when all the sounds work together, like cogs meshing in a machine, they illuminate the intricacy and frightening nature of its subject. In essence, Chulki avoids his concept's biggest potential drawback: the music he recorded isn't at all plastic or sterile. All around a big thumbs up.



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user ratings (7)
3.1
good


Comments:Add a Comment 
Bitchfork
March 7th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

20 mins of sinister air ducts

klap
Emeritus
March 7th 2011


12409 Comments


where do you go from here bitchfork

Bitchfork
March 7th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

i finna go to japan so i can record eai and call it onkyo instead!!!





but no eai and onkyo are great this is great if you are great be great get this its great great k

couldwinarabbit
March 7th 2011


6996 Comments


...this might be too much for even me.

Bitchfork
March 7th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

what i'm reviewing next is gonna be too much for you, but sniper liked this so i think you can too.

bungy
March 7th 2011


9009 Comments


this FINALLY gets a review

Bitchfork
March 7th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

i mean with 32 votes on rym it's just so poopular

couldwinarabbit
March 7th 2011


6996 Comments


actually this is pretty cool.

Bitchfork
March 7th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

You see bathrooms aren't that bad.

AngelofDeath
Emeritus
March 7th 2011


16303 Comments


This sounds kinda rad. Definitely gonna check it. Love the review B4k. Pos-y pos.

Bitchfork
March 7th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Thanks.

sifFlammable
March 7th 2011


2741 Comments


wow north korea making music

Meatplow
March 7th 2011


5523 Comments


lol, was waiting for you to review this

i've been meaning to listen to it soon

AggravatedYeti
March 7th 2011


7683 Comments


sounds very interesting.

Paik Art Center was a good choice for recording as well--place is supposed to have amazing acoustics.

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
March 7th 2011


10710 Comments


pos.

I'm intrigued.

i used to work in a factory as a chemical engineer and i was listening to all those "ramdom" loops of noise coming from the machinery.

The sure thing is that millions of COOL sounds like that are waiting to be recorded...


Bitchfork
March 7th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

so many EA(I) artists record from those sources nowadays but chulki's done a fantastic job.

Dryden
March 8th 2011


13585 Comments


awesome

Bitchfork
March 8th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

it is. i think you'd like.

sniper
March 8th 2011


19075 Comments


gonna become a total sputnik album now. this is super satisfying noise.

Bitchfork
March 8th 2011


7581 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

so doth i



listening to this type of music=best way to do good at geometry.



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