Syphilis Sauna- Pony Puree

Artist: Syphilis Sauna
CD Title: Pony Puree (A Deconstruction Of Horse Filth In Several Stages)
Label: Backwards Records
Reviewer: Matthew Johnson
Date: 4/23/06

A remix single of sorts, this 8-track CD features various tracks created using an original "Horse Filth Loop," created by Syphilis Sauna's Patrick Urn as source material. The original loop is a short burst of squealing, grating noise, which was then traded around to various compatriots from the Backwards Records family. Nova-Sak takes the original and processes it, cutting out the screechy high end to turn it into a bass-heavy rumble of fuzz and white noise, while Koma Fuzz's "Filthymix" is all earsplitting whines and painful high-pitched tones. XISIX comes up with "Paroxysms Of Youth," incorporating bits of found sound ranging from opera and radio static to the appropriate whinnies of sampled horses, while DJ L.A.M.P. takes the disk's least confrontational approach by incorporating glitch rhythms, drones, and some vintage keyboards reminiscent of early Coil. Urn himself also reworks the source material in several different ways, including "AngerPony," which reveals some bleeps and whirs buried in the mix of distortion, and the excellent "Gluefac," which shows Syphilis Sauna's industrial noise roots with clanking and mutilated beats reverberating against a background of warped electronics. Definitely a selection for the extreme set, this collaborative effort finds new ways of assaulting your eardrums. Highly recommended for harsh noise addicts, this should be a special treat for fans of Throbbing Gristle and early Controlled Bleeding.

Visit Syphilis Sauna and friends at www.backwardsrecords.com.