Background Noise : A Smegma Feature

First broadcast 1.8.7. Details to follow.

The link is here.

Morning this morning a feature on Smegma, underground noise/improv/free jazz/ audio collage/weirdness group from Portland, Oregon , USA.  They have a 30 year history and have been involved with the Los Angeles Free Music Society. Their New CD is called 33 1/3 and is a kind of anniversary tribute.Smegma formed in Pasadena, California in 1973 and currently based in Portland, Oregon. Smegma is one of the few music collectives of that era still active today.^[1] Author Richard Meltzer became their vocalist in the late 1990s.^[1] The group was included in the Nurse with Wound list and more recently was featured on the cover of the August 2006 edition of The Wire.^[2]We Started out with the smegma side from the 1979 single on mute which was shared with Non on the other side .The Original Members Are Oblivia, Ju Suk Reet Meate, Burned Mind, Conroy, Dr. Id.

Now tracks from Nattering Naybobs of Negativity released earlier this year on Harbinger sound.  Beautifully messy conglom of cruddy tape manips, out-Beefheart, goofball near-rock, etc. 1/2 of a cassette from ‘88 & all of the ‘87 lp of the same name, Negativland meets improv.  A beautiful meeting.Tracks:
happy birthday rhumba,

freakish high

turn me loose

lymp dynamics

innermost cravings

porky section

en vout

project 22

grammer

hairlip diary

jungle ride

now it’s dark

sanctum

nall scarred hand

Now the New CD 33 1/3 on important records. 33 1/3 is Smegma’s tribute to their 20th century avant-garde and out-jazz influences. The title is one part reference to the happy revival of passionate vinyl listening in the 21st century and one part celebration of their long hard slog of 33 1/3 years of being one of the most free thinking and original American underground groups.Tracks:
world of plugs

the door