It has been a busy last few years for UK experimental multidisclipinary artist Russell Haswell, with releases popping up in all sorts of places such as iDEAL, No Fun, Warp, Warners, and more recently, Downwards. Returning to his spiritual home, FACTUAL is Haswell's fifth release for Editions Mego since 2009. Following on from 2011's ACID nO!se Synthesis (EMEGO 134CD) (a real-time exploration of phase scope image generation: Oscillographics), this new set of tracks takes his use of real-time, one-take, analog/digital modular synthesis to new levels and extremes. As with most of Haswell's work, it is what it says on the box, so "BLACK METAL INSTRUMENTAL INTRO DEMO," is exactly that. Or at least should be. A one-man-band flashback, recalling his personal exposure and experiences at early black metal concerts in UK and Europe. "URBAN nO!se" and "RECORD SHOP DAY" are fine sand-blasts of style-smashing experimental noise we have come to expect and love from Haswell, whereas "KILLER SNAKEHEAD" and "RAVE NIHILATION" are further investigations into the extremities of techno and its logical interplay with Japanese noise. In addition, complex waveforms, chaos oscillators and man-eating fish, are all dealt with. Finally, to end the album, "SHEFFIELD" is a short salvaged live session recorded by Peter Rehberg at Channing Hall (a haven of religious liberalism and tolerance), Sheffield, March 24th 2012. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, August 2012.
