Qebaxugon – ��▀̿▀̿▀̿ �☐ � ☐� ▀̿▀̿▀̿��
Recommendation: ☀☀☁
��▀̿▀̿▀̿ �☐ � ☐� ▀̿▀̿▀̿�� is easily one of the most enigmatic releases thus far on HVRF (much less hardvapour), and I’m fully aware of the gravity of such a statement. This sixteen-track album comes from the equally incomprehensibly-named Qebaxugon. The release is described in the HVRF accompanying release as a “an alien album transmission” that is the “first music in the universe to exist in 13 dimensions”,1 which is a pretty good description.
The best way to tag ��▀̿▀̿▀̿ �☐ � ☐� ▀̿▀̿▀̿�� would be as “hardvapournoise”. There is little-to-nothing in the way of techno or gabber influence that characterizes much of hardvapour music; instead, the industrial and noise influences are turned all the way up. Qebaxugon makes heavy use of feedback, screw, and extreme delays to create caustically unrefined sounds. It’s not entirely metal machine music though – several tracks have ambient and quiet moments that give the listener a break from the frontal assault, such as track six. Others have a semblance of beat, as with track 9 and its bass-heavy, pseudo-dubstep drops.2
Naturally in most forms of noise music, the tracks here don’t much function as delineations of different songs.
��▀̿▀̿▀̿ �☐ � ☐� ▀̿▀̿▀̿�� is best experienced as a single suite of insane noise music. In that sense, it’s similar to some other noise/hardvapour releases such as the World War III series (also available through HVRF) and the Henry Wong series of albums (on TKX Vault and HVRF). Both of those are highly experimental and exceptionally abrasive works of art that are almost anti-art; in the case of ��▀̿▀̿▀̿ �☐ � ☐� ▀̿▀̿▀̿��, it’s hard to imagine it being produced for any reason other than being an exercise in punishment for the creator and the listener. That concept is kind of par for the course for many hardvapour releases as well, seeing as how the genre’s progenitors (e.g. wosX, HKE) marketed it early on as being distinctly antagonistic toward elements of “softness”.
Therefore, the abusive nature of Qebaxugon’s work is somewhat of a logical extreme to hardvapour as a source of “hardness”. Note that this is not to say that Qebaxugon is a “logical conclusion” to noise music and hardvapour – if ��▀̿▀̿▀̿ �☐ � ☐� ▀̿▀̿▀̿�� shows anything, it’s that there’s plenty of space in that realm for hardvapour to expand – or appropriate – within noise music. This is not a release to which one will listen for ironic “hardness” or for some Eastern European techno aesthetics, but one that really pushes the idea of “hard” in “hardvapour” to the extent with which the genre flirts. It’s a great noise release in its own right, but it’s strength in concept makes it a worthy addition to hardvapour (and the discography of HVRF). All too often, scenes that are founded in pushing boundaries end up becoming ironically static in staying in a continual state of pushing those exact same boundaries throughout their lifetime. ��▀̿▀̿▀̿ �☐ � ☐� ▀̿▀̿▀̿�� and albums like it are an anathema for accusations of faux-transgressiveness.
Tracklist3
1. ��▀̿��▀̿���� – (1:32)4
2. ��▀̿��▀̿���� – (1:28)
3. ���☐�����☐ – (0:47)
4. ���▀̿�▀̿���� – (2:01)
5. �����▀̿��▀̿� – (2:20)
6. ☐�������☐� – (1:41)
7. ��▀̿����▀̿�� – (1:56)
8. �☐���☐���� – (1:15)
9. ��▀̿������▀̿ – (2:45)
10. ����☐☐���� – (1:02)
11. ����▀̿����▀̿ – (2:42)
12. ��☐���☐��� – (1:03)
13. ▀̿�������▀̿� – (1:05)
14. �▀̿���▀̿���� – (1:52)
15. ☐☐☐☐☐☐ � ☐☐☐☐☐☐ – (0:42)
16. ▀̿▀̿▀̿▀̿▀̿ � � ▀̿▀̿▀̿▀̿▀̿ – (4:42)
1Written in all caps, of course.
2We’re mostly talking old-school British dubstep, not Skrillex dubstep.
3Your ASCII rendering isn’t glitched. The titles really are boxes and diamonds.
4Rejected item squares from the Mario Kart franchise.