Plastic Noise Experience: "Noised" Reviews
Plastic Noise Experience latest release under the tile Noised, last
official release as a duo since now PNE is a one man project. SM Kalwa has
left the band to pursue other interests. This cd is an excellent
opportunity for one to learn what PNE is all about. A Cd that was born in
an older decade. A decade with philosophy, originality and beliefs. Pure
80Us electro songs dressed up with underground attitude will be recognized
for its originality and uniqueness. Dark rythms, 80's electro keyboards,
deep gothic vocals, dark wave at its finnest form, I am really wondering
how come Plastic Noise Experience are not so well known to the public nor
will ever understand why they changed their music style nowadays. This
album includes the completely reworked and remastered RRauschenS record
plus six new tracks including a great cover version of MotorheadUs
Hellraiser III. For those who listen to underground electronic music
similar to Controlled Bleeding, Skinny Puppy, Cassandra Complex and so on,
this is something you will definitely love. - Vassago, Enochian Apocalypse E-zine
Una release controversa per l'americana VR. che mette nuovamente sul
mercato questa ristampa per PNE (gia` edita nel 2001) compredente l'album
"Rauschen" (1997) e ben sei bonus-track. Controversa perche`, sul sito deli
a band tedesca leggiamo uno statement del mastermind Cluse Kruse. Detto
questo, ci (ri)troviamo ad analizzare quella che e stata l'ultima uscita
di PNE come duo (compredente all'epoca anche SM Kalwa): un album di pura
EBM old style minimalista, da piu parti paragonato alle prime uscite dei
Front Line Assembly. Lo stile di PNE e sempre stato questo: una totale
devozione ai suoni scarni, quadrati e muscolari delia 'vecchia scuola'
EBM. per una proposta destimata ad un pubblico ben specifico. "Rauschen"
era ed e un disco che, oggi come allora, puo` apparire datato ed
anacronistico, ma i PNE sono questi, quindi prendere o lasciare...Dello
stresso tenore le sei bonus - track, comprendenti fra l'altro una curiosa
versione di "Hellraiser III" dei Motorhaed che farebbe di sicuro storcere
il naso ai fans della band di Lemmy. Tra strumentali bizzarri e
serpeggianti e tracce decisamente piu cattive ed incisive, questa lunga
opera aggradera di certo i fan del primordiale suono EBM, e pertanto
possiamo sconsigliare l'acquisto a chi negli ultimi anni ha preferito un
sound piu evoluto(quando non addirittura il future - pop tout court):
ognuno si faccia i suoi conti. Roberto Alessandro Filippozzi, Rock Hard Magazine
Quite a strange situation, but since this compilation of old, yet
unreleased tracks and the completely remastered album "RauschenR (1997)
are available, we might as well have a look and a listen and ask, what's
inside this electronic CD. The answer is simple: 18 tracks in the vein of
the early minimalist work of Front Line Assembly and other old school
pioniers of song orientated EBM-music. Which means that the majority of
the tracks are kept in mid-tempo, the vocals slightly distorted, the
sequencers pulsating monotonously. Nothing to fret about, nothing to get
worked up about either. - Tocafi, Mouvement Nouveau Magazine
They come from Germany (the 3rd electronic industrial release). Actually
it's the reissue of the duet Plastic Noise Experience, and that is the
album "Rauschen" (1997) in a remastered version naturally and enriched by
six bonus tracks. Listening to it in pieces, continuously
jumping with the fast skip buttons, we remain interested in such geometric
synthetic structures dripping big love for the eighties music, but we must
admit the whole listening (over seventy minutes) waters down the starting
expectations a little. The only fault in this
album is an anachronistic linearity, but the antiquated sound does stand
the test of time (like other similar analog products) . An essentiality
which fingers the do-it-yourself-ness, that would recall the big champions
of the middle European electronics, and which collects a few ideas,
developing them in an old school EBM way. The cover of Motorhead,
"Hellraiser III" presents and develops as a pot of EBM common places with
inventiveness. And mind you they made an operation of rewriting with huge
perspectives, not only from the point of view of arrangements). The
structures are though good but a little confident, that at times one has
the impression there's something lacking. We must not mistake expressive
minimalism with lack of content. PNE hits the mark for fans of old school
EBM. - Flavio Ignelzi, Silent Scream
This album is very good. But I'm just not into this type electro
industrial. It's a mix of minimal dance music, new wave, and some
pretty harsh treated vocals. The music sounds like it was made with the
a lot of analog electronic music equipment. It sounds alittle dated,
but in a good way. I will say that when there are no vocal tracks, it
can also be decent background music. There, an additional compliment
from someone that does not know the genre. - Eddie Fleisher, Utter Trash
This is the last gasp of German EBM wizards PNE before they fractured
off into various bubbling cauldrons of nu-electronica, including the
infamous Gaytron (!). This sour-faced duo specialized in early 90's
style darkwave, in the much-punctured vein of Skinny Puppy and Front
242. You know, herky-jerky dancefloor fillers with 80's hangover synths,
thunderous machine-beats and hissing vocals swimming in a sea of
distortion and angst. All good fodder for the razor kids and the beat
junkies, and "Noised" collects 18 such specimens, all of 'em glowing a
bright, hypnotic purple and shooting electric sparks everywhere. The
evil cyber-core shit ("Moving Hands" "D-Ranged" "No Return"
"Hellraiser" holds up better than the gurgling, poppy synth-wave stuff,
but that's a given, really. And seeing as it looks like Clause Kruse and
Stephen Kalwa are pretty much abandoning the serial killer disco for
less aggro sounds, ya better grab this clusterfuck of electro-darkness
while you can. - Ken, Sleazegrinder
Plastic Noise Experience are back with a new album. The Industrial Duo,
consisting of Claus Kruse and SM Kalwa, is presenting 18 remarkable new
tracks. The songs are under EBM as we are used to by Plastic Noise
Experience heavy attacks from the drum machines and are banging
themselves from minute to minute. Pleasing melody arcs are found only
rarely, as any hints of them are drowned by the merciless bass lines.
Noised is missing the most important musical variability and therefore
the CD is hard to listen to for more than the first 5 titles. The
aggressive singing, which most of the time is layered screaming and
distorted over the sound constructs, is very often drowned in the
electronic noise. Nevertheless Plastic Noise Experience is offering
their fans with this CD a lot of music for relatively little money. - Ingo Mller, ReFlexion Magazine
The album "Noised" the latest release by PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE, but
contains mostly old material. It’s in fact the album "Rauschen" that has
been remastered and together with 6 new songs make up the album
"Noised".Those who have had an eye on the EBM scene the last decade has
most likely come across the name PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE and this
EBM/industrial duo (which now consists just out of Claus Kruse after SM
Kalwa left the band) has released quite many interesting album during
the years. "Noised" takes us back both in terms of time, and also
regarding the style, since the music here stands quite far from what PNE
stands for today. On "Noised" it's the more minimalistic EBM that stands
out and I can't keep myself from drawing parallels to the early material
by FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY. The tempo is therefore relatively low, but the
song material is definitely dance floor friendly and also takes in quite
strong elements from dark wave, which makes the album a quite dark one.
The quite heavily distorted and rather dark vocals further add to the
atmosphere that runs through the album like an electric spark of angst
and dark destructivity. Especially the opening track "City Of Lies" is a
really good song and has always been one of my favourite tracks by PNE.
The previously unreleased material is generally not as dark as the rest
of the album, but nevertheless it keeps up the high quality. The
sharp-eyes can also among the previously unreleased material spot a
cover track, namely MOTORHEAD's classic song "Hellraiser". This version
is, as one can expect, not that similar to the original, but the song
proves to work nicely in a electronic from too.The album "Rauschen" was
in its original form a really good album, so it's therefore not that
surprising that "Noised" gets my approval. The fact that the album also
contains some additional material just makes things better. - Jan-Erik Nyman, Metal Only Zine
Noised, the new Plastic Noise Experience (PNE) release from Van Richter
Records, represents a wide range of sound perspectives from various
facets of the industrial crystal. I thought this was my first
introduction to the band, but it turns out I recognize a couple of the
tracks from local clubs, including City of Lies, Hellraiser, and Moving
Hands. Energie has also received some play on Seattle's weekly
industrial radio program. My daughter thought 1001 sounded like dance
music for aliens, and couldn't resist busting out with some
extra-terrestrial moves of her own. My old friend Bob, who has good and
diverse taste in music, happened to be over while I was giving it a
listen, and he found a lot of good things and favorable comparisons,
which I was planning to remember and include here. Unfortunately, I'm
old, and my memory is not all it once was. The best I can offer, by way
of summary, is that PNE is finding a receptive, active and enthusiastic
audience among nightclubbers and barhoppers, radio-listeners, children
and people in my apartment. Plastic Noise Experience is made up of the
dynamic duo from Hamburg, Claus Kruse on programming and vocals and
Stephen Kalwa on programming and lyrics. Noised contains newly
remastered recordings of PNE's previous work Rauschen. That accounts
for the first 11 songs, which are more in the electro/industrial mode
that Germany seems to best represent. The new bonus tracks (12-18)
cover a much broader range of styles and sounds, which seem to work out
pretty well for the PNE boys. The new tracks don't have much in common
with one another. Each has a unique sound, and innovation and
experimentation are the only common thread. Energie and 1001 could be
kissin' cousins or neighbors of Kraftwerk's. Stadt im Schlaf, an
instrumental, is strongly reminiscent of Coil, while a cover of
Motorhead's Hellraiser goes in a powerful, driving dancefloor direction.
Noised contains a strong element of classic electro, but doesn't die
out there. Diverse styles, approaches and influences are apparent
throughout, and the new tracks show sure signs of artistic development
and change from the earlier work. Speaking of the earlier tracks, some
of the English lyrics are a liitle confusing. I know English is the
lingua franca of the media world, but i think exceptions are made in the
realms of gothic and industrial music, where the Germans hold a
commanding lead. People love to hear this style of music in the
Muttersprache. More German songs from this band could only add more
power and flow to what's already a good thing. - Dharmageddon, Dark Life Magazine
Alhoewel dit het nieuwste PNE album is bevat "Noised" bijna enkel oud
material. Meer zelfs, eigenlijk gaat het hier over een reissue van het
album "Rauschen" ooit nog gereleased op ons eigen Belgische "cultlabel"
KK records (KK170). Tevens het laatste album waarop PNE nog als een duo
opereerde, daarna ging Claus Kruse solo verder met dit project. Op de
bijgevoegde persinfo claimt men ook dat de nummers van dit album
"reworked and remastered" zouden zijn maar daar valt bij beluistering
weinig of niks van te merken. De meeste tracks op deze "Noised" stammen
nog uit het tijdperk dat Electro/EBM nog minimalistisch mocht zijn en
niet persé aan 160 BPM moest voorbijrazen. Niet tegenstaande zijn vele
van deze tracks uiterst geschikt om enkel danspasjes op te maken. Naast
het "Rauschen" materiaal staat er ook nog wat extra onuitgegeven(?)
materiaal op deze cd. Zo vind men onder andere twee covers onder die zes
extra tracks, namelijk "Hellraiser" van Moterhead en een extra lange
studio versie (dus niet de live) van het legendarische "Moving Hands"
van The Klinik.
Omdat het "Rauschen" album op zich zelf al een redelijk sterk PNE album
was maken de extra tracks deze "Noised" zeer interessant, vooral als men
het originele album nog niet in zijn collectie heeft steken. - PM, Dark Entries Magazine
Incepted in 1989, Claus Kruse and SM Kalwa created Plastic Noise
Experience. A power house in creating minimal EBM laced dance music. Now
in 2005 a new PNE release sees the light of day, but it doesn't appear
to be new material, instead a collection of rarities and covers. Any fan
of classic EBM or PNE should defiantly own this release, 18 tracks are
crammed into "Noised" to give you your money's worth. The Cover tracks
are decent. The "Moving Hands" cover was originally composed by The
Klinik. Clause takes on the role of EBM legend Dirk Ivens and nails this
song with the accuracy of a nail gun. The instrumentals show a side of
PNE rarely seen, taking a break from the dance floor beats to a more
ambient approach to the song writing, this compilation has all the
flavors of PNE packed tightly into one valuable release. - Dj Carrion, Lollipop Magazine
Noised, the third release for Plastic Noise Experience on the US label
Van Richter Records, has a bit of the old, a bit of the new, and a bit
of controversy added in just to make it interesting. Noised is the last
release of the German duo Claus Kruse and SM Kalwa, as Kalwa has left
the band to pursue other interests. This release is mainly comprised of
PNE's 1997 album Rauschen, re-mastered, as well as six new songs more in
line with PNE's recent solo releases , including a cover of Motorhead's
"Hellraiser III." The album really needs to be treated as two separate
pieces - the re-mastered older album and an EP of newer music. The older
material is reminiscient of older Front Line Assembly or Front 242, with
minimalist sounds and somewhat distorted vocals - old-school ebm if you
like. Keeping in mind these songs are eight years old, they are rather
good for their time; a touch of nostalgia from the old days. There are
quite a few good tracks, such as "City of Lies," "In your Mind," "I Want
You (Part I)" and "Do You Know my Name?" The last six songs head in a
slightly different direction, being more modern in sound, being more in
line with the more recent works of Kraftwerk. These tracks are
definitely brothers of the songs on PNE's 2004 release, Maschinenmusik.
All in all, Noised is a good album as long as you realize this is older
material with newer material tacked onto the end of the album. It will
give people unfamiliar with PNE exposure to the band's older sound and
newer sound as well. Van Richter probably should have released the
remastered Rauschen album separately and made Noised an EP of the newer
material to keep things a bit cleaner, but who am I to judge. - Legion, This is Corrosion
Noised is my first foray into world of PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE, and now
all I can do is wonder how I never discovered this band earlier. PNE has
been around since 1989, but Noised is only the third release from German
industrial duo Claus Kruse and Stephan Kalwa. In fact, this will be the
last album from the pair as Stephan Kalwa left PNE to pursue other
interests, making the current PNE in effect a solo project by Claus
Kruse. In actuality, Noised is hardly an album per se; it is more of a
re-issue of a re-mastered version of the band's 1997 release Rauschen.
The only major difference here is the inclusion 6 new tracks, which
encompass bonus tracks and rarities. It therefore in essence makes
Noised a re-mastered older album and an EP of newer music married
together, packaged as one.The older works ? which, melodically and
lyrically are comparatively darker and heavier than the newer tracks ?
is highly reminiscent of the legendary classic duo Dirk Ivens and Marc
Verhaeghen of Klinik ? which of course, is hardly a bad thing in itself.
On opening track "City of Lies", the distorted voice of Claus Kruse asks
the listener: 'Storm and thunder above the City of Lies / Keep your
public appearance / Be successful or die / Are you ready to die in a
City of Lies?' It is undoubtedly one of the strongest tracks on
Noised.But it is the new tracks on this record that are especially worth
taking note of as they include PNE's recent solo releases, such as the
cover of Motorhead's “Hellraiser", for which the result is just
absolutely superb, although it sounds so different from the original. I
would say this music is more plastic ? with its clean-cut beats a la
Kraftwerk ? than noise-based. There is, of course, without a doubt the
element of noise here, but PNE is one of those bands that know how to
use a multitude of sounds subtly and skillfully, in this case delicately
placing the element of industrial noise under several layers of smooth
electronics and Haujobb-esque angry vocals: the former masks the harsh
edges of the base arrangements used whilst the latter simultaneously
enhances this very ingredient of noise. It is this colossal struggle
between the violent rage and the sorrowful serenity in the futuristic
programming that drives PNE. Simply put, Noised is just an outstanding
album and Plastic Noise Experience are masters at what they do. In fact,
this album just makes me realize what I have been missing ? I will
definitely be checking out their first two records after having listened
to Noised. This is an experience not to be missed! - Nasreen Lina Chowdhury, Subculture Magazine
Once a duo, Singer Claus Kruse has taken up all responsibilities of
writing and is now running PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE. The style in all
actuality is typical industrial music but the key is that it's executed
very well. For being a music fan that is not familiar with the
industrial scene whatsoever, I found this album to be quite relaxing and
entrancing at times. The serene melodies really put a daze over you as
minute after minute goes by. I do not think PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE are
striving to write anything groundbreaking, rather than just perfecting
the sound they set out with from the beginning. Don't sell yourself
short and pass on this album. - Derek Hubbard, Pit Magazine
This is not exactly a new release for the German duo of Claus Kruze and
Stephan Kalwa, with 12 of 18 tracks serving as an overhauled version of
their Rauschen record (the first time around must have been a practice).
Creating songs that play upon the harsh metallic percussions of
traditional industrial music, PNE are a dark and catchy digital
experience. Tracks such as "In Your Mind" and "City of Lies" are
especially reminiscent of a detached and metallic music experience.
Unfortunately this release also has a tendency to veer towards tedium. The far too
repetitive "Digital Noise" and the more recent "1001" almost taunt you
to hit the skip button midway through the song. The duo do include a
great cover version of Motorhead's "Hellraiser III" and offers a great
electro-atmospheric track with "Propagated Beat," which means that
overall, these guys hit more than they miss. With this disc standing as
their last album as a duo, it will be interesting to see what Kruze will
offer in his future solo PNE projects. Mike Adair, Exclaim Magazine
If you love industrial music tinged with EBM you'll love this latest album
release by German's PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE. It's dark and edgy with
trippy blips and beeps and heart pounding bass lines topped off by deep-throated
vocals. Once you listen to this you'll never look at industrial music the same
again, like a title of one of their songs suggests there's "No Return" from
this music. Wednesday Elektra, Space Junkies Magazine
(Old Skool Electro) 8/10
List of Ingredients: 1 part Gary Numan, 1 part Klaus Nomi, 1 pard Devo, 1
part Front Line Assembly, and shake well.
I really like this one, and you will too if you like the experimental side
of the 80's. Van Richter has definatley got a hit cd with this one. PNE have
always been one of those bands that bubbled under the surface (you know,
"I've heard the name but I don't think I know any songs" when you probably
do) and with this cd I honestly think they are going to gain some new fans
of the old style.
In an age when even the newest fad of "electro-clash" is now considered old
and passe, it's cool to see a band like PNE that has the original sound (and
has been doing it for YEARS already). These guys are gonna make you remember
WHY you liked the experimental-dance stuff when you were young all over
again! Favorite Tracks: In Your Mind - Electronic Dreams - Hellraiser Mike Wimer,
MusicWerks Magazine
Plastic Noise Experience has been around for what seems like forever and
Noised is an opportunity to experience some of their older material
re-mastered as well as several new tracks. The minimalistic keyboard sound
gives you a sense of 80's dance music, though much darker and less
energetic . There are also tons of repeated sound samples from mechanic /
industrial to spaced out. All instrumentation is programmed and although
it's not the sound they are going for, they could benefit from punchy real
drums to back up the artifical sound. You won't want to buy this for the
weakly translated lyrics. All but a few of the songs are in English and
the vocals are strongly German accented yet highly understandable, usually
sung in an almost spoken voice with few melodic notes. As one may expect
other songs have electronically altered vocals which is a better and more
befitting style for this project although the variation of style helps
differentiate the songs and maintain interest. The singing sometimes leans
towards angry and almost a growl being perhaps the heaviest element on the
album. The release sounds very underground though not very heavy. I prefer
the less song oriented instrumentals some of which are moody and have a
richer, deeper sound to accomidate for the lack of vocals. Noised is 18
songs of dark electronic dance music and what is an album collection
without some German EBM? - Lady Enslain, Enslain Magazine
This popular German dark-electro band was formed in 1989 by Clause Kruse
and Stephan Kalwa. They soon launched into the electro scene with such
albums as Transmission, Visage De Plastique and others in the early 90's.
These early albums defined the PNE sound and set the stage for their
future.The mid-nineties saw them go quiet for a while as they worked
through various obstacles. There were a few more N. American releases on
the Van Richter label as anthologies spanning earlier releases giving this
audience a taste of their music. Their last release as a duo was also
just released under this label as Noised again including remastered tracks
from their Rauschen album plus six extra unreleased tracks.
This ended one chapter in the history of this project and a new one is
begun. 2004 saw the reformation of the band into a solo project by Clause
Kruse as Stephan moves on to pursue other interests.
Anyone who has ever been a fan of electro-industrial or dark-electro music
will no doubt have heard something from this band. Hailing from Germany,
they are much more well known and popular there then in other areas, but
no doubt still known in one way or another.Their minimalistic style is
much like electro-clash, but was heavily used before it became the new
cliche in the alternative pop scene.The industrial edge mixed with
minimalistic style is something else that makes the musical style so
unique compared to so many other EBM and industrial bands. Fans can hear
selections on the Gothic Paradise club radio show, so check it out. - Jacob L. Bogedahl, Gothic Paradise
This is a domestic release of a CD from a coupla years
ago called 'Rauschen' with some extra songs on it,
including a Motorhead cover of 'Hellraiser' that
sounds nothing like the original. Germany's PNE don't
sound like any of the current industrial EBM trends if
that's what you're looking for. But that's alright,
cuz in ten years I'm sure today's 'modern' stuff will
sound dated and replaced by whatever comes next. The
good stuff lasts the ages, of which this is some.
This is fairly uncomplicated industrial music that
could be at home with some early stuff Cleopatra or
Fifth Colvmn used to do, but also has elements in
common with electronica stuff on Mute or even Warp
Records. So don't let the industrial association fool
you. Imagine talking to your kids in 2019: "Powernoise
electro, dad? Isn't that what old fogies in the early
21st century listened to?" - Tsanger Banger, Temple of Horror Webzine
Remember a time before elephant pants and glow sticks? When the term "rivet head" was used to
describe someone into hard electro music then referred to as "industrial music"? And
"oontz" was something that applied to "techno" clubs? This album
takes you back to those glorious times. This album is chalked full of
all of the vintage synth and textures you would want to hear from
back in the day. Actually the album is a remastered version of the
1997 release "Rauschen" (with 6 bonus tracks), it breaths new life
into the missing link between gritty Industrial and modern EBM. It
contains several instrumentals as well as the classic stomp of the
earlier less lit scene (you may feel more comfortable listening to
this album wearing a painted leather jacket and steel toe boots).
Plastic Noise Experience was a driving force in the early 90's hard
electronic scene, and continues to be so today. - Phee Stringer, Livid Looking Glass Magazine
This is a long awaited release from electronic purest German pioneers
Plastic Noise Experience. This is a revamped remastered CD that is
chalked full of what used to pull many leather wearing club goers out
of there offices and parents basements to be bathed in thick
aggressive synth music. Several juicey live tracks and remixes are
included in this sound bath. It is also worth noting that this CD was
released in large part because of the bands army of devoted fans and
their insistence on more of there favorite P.N.E. Think old school
minimalistic electro with modern production; a super industrial
certified CD, with a bootleg mood. - Veejay, Industrial Nation Magazine
Plastic Noise Experience has remained an important part of the EBM industrial scene, particularly in western europe as it seems Claus Kruse' reach has not quite extended to a large fan base in North America in his 18 years in the music scene. Plastic Noise Experience holds onto a heavier and darker sound than say, labelmates Girls on Glass, but still this style of EBM -industrial in general fosters aggression that its lyrics and imagery promotes. The band has more in common with its synthpop brothers soundwise than what they accomplish in the vain of dark music. If one could compare the industrial scene in general to the metal scene in general, this style would undoubtedly be the MTV-fueled lighter sound like that of Incubus. Even with the aggressive nature and inspiring rhythms, though, Plastic Noise Experience still somehow pulls off talented programming work. Where it lacks in complexity, it more than makes up for in diversity in sound and texture, with much attention being paid to the production and mastering of the sound used.
If the reason behind the minimal instrumentation on the album was to give the sound a cold edge, a more machine appeal, it passes with flying colors. If anything it sounds like an album full of thickness and rhythmic value. Though seemingly sounding like it wants to be dance floor material, I can envision many people feeling these songs enough to get out and actually moving their feet.Needless to say, this this album has something for everyone especially for die-hard fans of dance-oriented industrial electronics. In all honesty it sounds like this one was supposed to go somewhere fantastic and with the singles "Digital Noise" and "Hell raiser III" Motor head cover version their mission was completed. Highly recommended. - Sage, Heathen Harvest Webzine
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