Probably one of the most obscure genres available on the vast landscape of music available today is noise. With the increased affordability of cassette tapes in the 70s and the emergence of louder, more agressive genres compared to previous standards, like punk music, came a new kind of aesthetic called "No Wave", that, inspired by post-industrialism, evolved into what we nowadays call the noise genre. Noise makes use of heavily distorted frequencies (literal noise), and appears very peculiar, even potentially uncomfortable to most people who aren't into it. I got the chance to talk to iwouldcutmyhands, a Ukrainian noise artist to figure out the purpose and essence of this kind of music.
iwouldcutmyhands on one of his live sets.
Thanks for taking the time to share your insights, I really appreciate it! Do you want to tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
Hi! Thank you for inviting me, my name is Prabhu Egorus. I am originally from Ukraine, but currently living in Budapest. I've been making music since 2019 in different genres, from garage rock to rap, but nowadays I mostly focus on experimental music. I currently have two active projects iwouldcutmyhands, that are associated with noise/industrial/freak-pop, and Bogems of Saint Petersburg, which is a mix of everything with weird stories.
Let's just assume someone who is reading this has never even heard the notion of noise. As the name implies already, noise is a genre of experimental music characterised by its extensive use of electronic, but also analogue noise. What is noise to you?
In general, Noise is a genre of music, where artists search to push the borders of what's possible through experimenting with our perception of music. We used to think that as long as something sounds harmonic, it's music, but that's not all. Even chaotic tones or recording your ventilator can be music too. For me, noise is just an instrument through which I can express myself more easily. I kind of feel that that's the essence of all music, some might just feel better expressing themselves through black metal, some through techno.
Noise is often times messy, arythmic and using frequencies that would otherwise be considered flaws because of their, conventionally speaking, unpleasant sound. Among all of this, what makes noise enjoyable? What is it that fans find in this genre that keeps them at it?
That's the kinda thing that you should just try out for yourself, and it is hard to explain why people particularly love noise. I think, that most noise musicians are some of the most sincere musicians, because if you choose a niche segment of music, it can be one of the best ways to explore and express yourself, which truly creates the most beautiful music.
That's a beautiful take. I think noise is really just something that can resonate with you, or it doesn't. It all comes down to your habit or way of listening to music, while some might find the lack of structure overwhelming, others might like that kind of stimulation. More chaotic versions of noise might be rather stressful for some listeners, but I personally like to listen to it to calm down even. I think it's something with the way your senses are occupied and can't be pertruded by any outside stimuli like let's say the chatter in a bus, or maybe also the fact that you can't really focus on a particular pattern (when it comes to improvised noise) that lets my brain sort of shut off and do its thing. Anyways, let's talk about the process behind making noise. How do you personally create your music?
My setup is always changing, but what is unchangeable is my DIY noise box, delay, and reverb pedal, which are my main tools for noise. I usually put delay on max to make it just loop the sound, and I use springs, little pianos, and bolts to create patterns of noise. Sometimes I throw in some vocals using a microphone for periodic screams or synths for even crazier sounds, even radios work, cassette loops, literally everything!
What role does control take in the music? Is each frequency carefully selected and placed or is improvisation key here?
Most of the music I release under iwouldcutmyhands on Bandcamp is purely improvisational, but currently, I am working on an album and I want to make it more structured. Also for performances, I sometimes add little sketches of toxic-dark dub or ambient to make my set less boring. It is really difficult for me to make something centred around one idea or at least one "same" sound, the process of making music is always really chaotic.
Personally, I had my first real experiences with noise when I found the astounding collab album 2ROI2PO by Japanese band Boris and noise legend Merzbow, where Boris create those beautifully peaceful and dreamy soundscapes that Merzbow then starts to deconstruct with his own style. I believe that noise might really be an acquired taste where most first time listeners are most likely to feel very disoriented if they immediately jump into the "hard stuff". Are there any pieces you recommend for non-listener to get into it and understand the gist?
I have an interesting story about how I discovered noise music, or rather got into it. One time I was in Istanbul, and I went to a vinyl shop to look for something "dark", I wanted dark music. I found interesting vinyl with the name "20 Jazz Funk Greats" (as you might guess) by Throbbing Gristle. I listened to it, and I was terrified, that was absolutely magnificent and magical, especially the song "Persuasion", my personal favorite. After that I started listening to all English Hidden Reverse, Nurse With Wound, Coil, Current93, Death in June, etc. I think all of these artists are good introduction points for any beginner, but I really discovered the beauty of noise when I listened to my god-father Boyd Rice's project "Non", highly recommend it.
Definitely some solid picks there. I would personally also like to recommend some, like a band I recently discovered called A Place to Bury Strangers which have a lot of noise influences in their tracks. Another artist I love is called Uboa who creates very devastating soundscapes about mental illness using noise. That's also an artist that's high up on my list of performances I would love to see live. In general, is there an active scene when it comes to live performances? What can a visitor expect at such shows?
Budapest has a noise scene, I can particularly recommend zaj+. They are small but powerful, but overall noise events are not uncommon and I always try to take part in them. These are usually big gigs with 4+ artists, with different approaches, from code music to acoustic noise using of metal furniture. I don't like the usual way of noise performances where a guy is sitting in front of a computer and doing bzzz bzzz, so I always try to make at least any performance, sitting and lying on the floor, screaming, moving strangely, this kind of stuff. Or I like to add something unfamiliar to noise music, pop music samples, or even put lyrics to my songs.
I think that those details are always what makes someone stand out within a genre, so that definitely sounds very interesting. Almost all genres and subcultures that historically found refuge in niche communities, like techno or metal, end up in the mainstream at some point. Is noise too extreme, to unconventional for this or do you think it will meet the same fate?
It depends on what we consider mainstream because I believe that with a good amount of performance and noise-musician getting more exposure, and gain a following, it is possible to make something less niche from noise. But if we only consider the music aspect, then I think it is going to be a niche genre for a long time.
I agree, I do believe that with how social media work, certain individuals could have the potential to create a sort of cult around their persona that would get fans into the music, but I doubt a big trend would rise out of that. On the other hand, I think it's important to never gatekeep more niche genres like this. It's a dangerous trap to believe that your aquired taste makes you intellectually superior, because one genre is never superior to another, only different. So I think it's important to accept not everyone enjoying noise, and to not hold it over their head like they just don't get it.
Thanks again for taking the time! Finally, is there anything you wanna plug? Any future projects coming up?
First of all, thank you for inviting me, and thanks to everyone who is listening to my music and reached this point of the interview. Now, I am currently working on the first album of iwouldcutmyhands, besides that me and my friend planning a little Europe tour, so would be nice to see everyone! Details soon.
Hope I get to see it and excited to hear that album! Bless
Find iwouldcutmyhands here:
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