|
|
Richard Francis is a New Zealander currently residing in Tokyo. (Back when he still lived down under, he was one of the participants on LVD's own Small Blue Torch release.) In Japan, he runs his own 20 City label and presumably walks the streets with his high-powered tape recorder in hand. When he gets back to his apartment and loads the results into his home studio, he becomes Eso Steel. This mysterious mixture of billowing noise, humming/pulsing electronics, field recordings, and other more unidentifiable sounds is a fine example of what happens when the man dons his costume. One of the Dog's top sellers!
Eso Steel is a solo project from Richard Francis, one of the members of Small Blue Torch, which includes a shit load of electronics. Judging from the bizarre sounds presented here he also has to be the electronic master of Small Blue Torch. Atmospheric music or drone if you will, might be a miss-used as well as a criminally over-used term but I can't really find any more suitable words. The occasional outburst from what could have been jagged guitars but probably are electronics, are the main suprises in an overall minimal and monotonous but yet powerful and detailed noise concoction. Imagine a vast flatland area with the wind gradually growing from just with a great effort moving the smalles grains of sand to a state where it will scare the shit out of everyone that is daft enough to get anywhere close. This blast will make a strong physical impression on everyone that is courageous enough to stand in the way of the sweeping musical tumbleweeds. Headphones are required to get optimal listening pleasure and maximised blank stares of approval.
--Mats Gustafsson, Broken Face #8