Von Einem, aka Melbourne experimental musician Mark Groves has just released a 2CD package compiling the Von Einem cassettes he has released on Australian labels Solar Anus, Mazurka Editions, Altered States Tapes, Cantankerous Records, Virulent Rationality and Future Archaic from 2011-2014.
Groves has operated the excellent Sabbatical label since 2006 with Leith Thomas and Marcus Cook. The Von Einem Tapes however is the first release on Index Clean, a new label he has established. He has a few other currently active projects such as Red Wine and Sugar (with Samaan Fieck), Dead Boomers (with Leith Thomas), and Seeping (with David Coen). Previously he’s been a member of True Radical Miracle, Whitehorse, Hans Harms, Dick Threats, Ratsak and Collapsed Toilet Vietnam. The Von Einem Tapes documents solo recordings made in Thornbury during the period 2011-2014 that were released as cassettes on the aforementioned Australian underground labels. As indicated by the project name, the imagery and text for this material was drawn from incidents in South Australia – both contemporary and from the recent past.
Cyclic: Do you remember when you first heard about Von Einem? What made you want to explore his world more?
Mark: I spent my teenage years in Adelaide. Many of the events drawn upon were common knowledge locally. Not all of the text utilised is drawn from information related to Von Einem however, in fact it was only used for the two initial cassettes on Mazurka Editions. The common thread across the project was South Australia. All of the fragments selected, cut and arranged to form the text for spoken passages and titles were of South Australian origin. The myth of Adelaide as Australia’s “crime capital” was also a presence throughout. It’s something of interest as a former resident of the northeast, as it essentially runs counter to my experience of living there.
Cyclic: And by extension what made you want to associate yourself with these horrible crimes? Isn’t it a little grim?
Mark: I’m not entirely sure how to respond to this. As I see it I’m largely absent from the material itself. I didn’t seek to associate myself with the subject matter used – that thought wasn’t a part of the process. My name doesn’t appear in the liner notes, there is no autobiographical component, and it definitely isn’t driven by personal anxieties, as with some other projects I’ve been involved with. Why create work of this nature? I’m not sure, but I’m certainly not the first person to use true crime as source material.
Cyclic: What came first the music that you were looking to contextualise or the moniker and concept that you would then try and create a sound for? Is this the way you always work?
Mark: The concepts and approach to sound production developed concurrently. In both cases there was some development in the methods along the way. I located additional sources of information, reassembled it in different ways, and augmented the devices used to generate the sound. The project did involve a conscious attempt to work in a different manner than I had previously, and certain elements have informed my approach since.
Cyclic: Is this a concept album?
Mark: I guess there are pervasive themes that run throughout, but it wasn’t a conscious decision to make a concept album. I wanted to generate a series with a consistent temperament.
Cyclic: Did you place any parameters around this project? If so why?
Mark: The South Australian origin of the text was one; the other was the use of tape. All sound sources were recorded to tape initially, then manipulated. I found recording sounds to an early 90s Panasonic portable applied consistent grit that seemed fitting within the overall scope. The machine and the medium were also in keeping with the timeframe of the text contents.
Cyclic: How would you describe the music that Von Einem Tapes makes? I think I described it as lofi industrial noise, what were you thinking about when you were making it?
Mark: At the time I was listening to a lot of small run cassettes, and a number offered possibilities beyond just the choice of format. I guess they were informed by industrial culture to some extent, so it’s a useful marker. I’d point to four as most significant in relation to Von Einem – ‘Raset’ by Sewer Election, ‘Gestalt Bruise’ by Gaze Campaign, ‘Dresden 1945’ by Geography of Hell, and the first self-titled Snuff LP. There isn’t an audible link in all cases, but the choices made in those works were definitely motivating.
Cyclic: I’m curious that it was released on various cassette labels, over 4 years, yet still sounds very coherent as a double album. Why did you take this route for releasing this material?
Mark: There were slight variations in approach over the lifespan of the project, and each release captured a particular iteration. For example, the initial split release on Solar Anus was built solely from layered cassette tape loops, while the later Cantankerous cassette signalled the addition of a reel-to-reel tape machine. I was also interested in engaging directly with local labels I felt would be appropriate for the material.
Cyclic: A lot of the dialogue feels almost slowed down, expressionless, obtuse, even reading from Wikipedia. Can you tell me what you were thinking when it came to the spoken word material?
Mark: I did slow my voice down and in general sought a narcotic pace. Perhaps looking for the tone of a television documentary, not that of a rock show.
Cyclic: Why did you release the lyrics on the cd?
Mark: None of the text accompanied the cassette versions, and a friend suggested it might be something to consider. I’m aware that in certain passages the spoken parts are difficult to make out, and I saw no reason to hide them.
Cyclic: What attracts you to difficult music, to high pitches, screeching electrics, and bleak noise?
Mark: I guess I’ve found recordings that incorporate the sounds you’re describing to be significant, affecting or satisfying at times. The Incapacitants for example have always sounded good – even pleasurable – to me, even at their most shrill (‘Quietus’ for instance). Admittedly the space in my life for ‘savage’ sound is not what it once was, but I still have an appreciation for it. Generally I find that when external pressures exert themselves, I tend to abandon ‘noise’ in favour of less violent sound. That said I’ve spent some time recently with ‘Ultra Primitiv’ by Heinz Hopf and ‘Heteronormativ Musik För Att Stärka Medelklassens Självbild’ by Treriksröset. Both are recent albums, and both are virulent blasts of composed harsh sound. They’re only two examples I’ve enjoyed recently though, and I’m keen to avoid a reduced depiction. I’d like to think the scope of my listening generally is broader.
In regard to ‘bleak’ sound, I guess it resonates somehow. I’ve always found much in the work of Maurizio Bianchi for example, and it’s possible his early 80s albums could be framed as bleak in tone. That’s a reduction, but I think it’s a component. I’ve spent considerable time with ‘The Plain Truth’ in recent years, and its mood is something I could point to as an inspiration for the Von Einem project.
Cyclic: This is an immense body of work that you created over a long period. What was it like for you living in this world during that time?
Mark: Calming in many respects. The approach didn’t require the physical exertion of previous projects, and allowed for quiet consideration.
Cyclic: Is this an ongoing project?
Mark: Definitely not – I always saw it as a finite undertaking, and once it had run its course I ended it.
You can find The Von Einem Tapes at:
A G Picks (VIC), Polyester Records (VIC), Cipher Productions (TAS), Repressed Records (NSW), Resistance / Restraint (VIC), Shame File (VIC)
