Schimpfluch-Gruppe

Since the '80s, Swiss performance troupe Schimpfluch-Gruppe have been contravening the tastes of the average art consumer with their "aktionen": confrontational performances that include grotesque physical elements alongside bizarre tapestries of sonic mayhem. With an ever-evolving line-up of personnel — only a core handful of members have stayed the wonky course — the collective of artists, musicians and performers has been consistent in one key aspect: their desire to challenge. That said, Nigredo comes off as quite a tame affair when compared to the group's engaging and highly disturbing Paris 961123 LP (released on Toronto's Beniffer Editions imprint). Documenting a live action performed by founders and core members Rudolph Eb.er and Dave Phillips, the A side of this cassette blends the mundane sounds of nature and an electronic drone with the duo's subdued grunts and hisses. It's a slow burner that becomes increasingly sinister by the minute. Presented on the flip is the pre-recorded source material for the performance, which is interesting in its own right, yet lacks the weight of the cacophony preceding it.