Muslimgauze is Bryn Jones (1961-1999) a Manchester, UK born electronic artist who was prolific as hell during his tenure on this here globe. I mean this guy is even more prolific than Frank Zappa. Some of the unauthorized discographies I have seen on this guy number up past the 150’s. Iranian Inflight Magazine ranks up near one of the most recent releases. Jones as Muslimgauze since 1982 has registered as many as 1 or 2 or 18 releases a year. And since his passing his catalogue has increased geometrically in size. If the trickle of music coming out under the Muslimgauze brand is any indication, Jones must have made enough music to fill a lifetime. Prolific and talented artists like Jones don’t come around all too often. I suggest experimenting with many and any of Muslimgauze’s releases. Iranian Air Flight Magazine is a combination of old found European airforce propaganda images and cut up tribal percussive music that buzz’s and blips inside out. Every once and a while there is a soundclash, soundburst of Arab flavoured instrumentation: percussive, confrontational and mysterious. The combinations of all of these elements makes for some interesting desert grit sounding, raw minimal, organic electronic music. The second song on the recording “Unfinished Mosque Of The Hotel Menzah Zalagh�, comprises and brings all of these elements together seamlessly. The beats click and bleep while the Arab inflections fade in and out keeping time with another beat buried somewhere beneath the crunchy beats. With obviously found song titles like “Jagdeep Radio Repairs, Zorawar Singh Marg, Old Delhi, India� and “In The Bazaars Of Srinagar, Chuddar Clad Women Speak Of Foreigner In Their Midst�, Iranian Inflight Magazine comes across with a sudden urgency. The music sounds like it was thrown together quickly, raw and precise by a true expert. These beats are brutally expressive in their bareness. Staalplaat Records is a prolific Netherlands-based label that releases ridiculously beautiful obscure music that stands up to the tests of time. Their releases are put out in limited quantities (100-2000), their artwork keeps you looking and touching (they’ve previously done chocolate and glass artwork) and they’ve released tons of spectacular recordings from such artists as: zoviet*france, Jaap Blonk, Merzbow, the Legendary Pink Dots and Jim O’Rourke. Check out Muslimgauze. There is enough to keep yr ears occupied for generations. Check out Staalplaat. This label has their finger on the pulse of something that is truly happening.

By L Pounds
Nov 15, 2003