Muslimgauze
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Muslimgauze | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bryn Jones |
| Also known as | E.g Oblique Graph |
| Born | June 17, 1961 |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Died | January 14, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Experimental, Ethnic Electronica, Ambient, Industrial |
| Years active | 1982 – 1999 |
| Label(s) | Staalplaat, Soleilmoon |
Muslimgauze was the one-man musical project of Bryn Jones (June 17, 1961 - January 14, 1999), a prolific British electronic music artist, strongly influenced by everything to do with the Middle East.
Contents |
[edit] Political beliefs
The name Muslimgauze was derived from the word "muslin," which is a type of gauze, and changed into an adjective describing the area in which he was interested. He was a staunch supporter of Hamas and the PLO[citation needed], and he believed Palestine should be "freed from the Zionists." Born in Manchester, England, United Kingdom, he never visited the Middle East, explaining, "I don't think you can visit an occupied land. It's the principle. Not until it's free again."[1]
[edit] Musical career
He first began making music in 1982, under the alias of E.g Oblique Graph, to protest the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. He released three cassettes and a 7" EP as E.g Oblique Graph: Extended Play (1982), Piano Room (1982), the 7" Triptych (1982), and Inhalt (1983). After he changed his name to Muslimgauze, he released a 7" EP (Hammer & Sickle), his first full-length LP (Kabul), and another cassette (Opaques) in 1983. In 1990, the Australian record label Extreme signed him, but he left in 1994 for Dutch label Staalplaat and its sister American label Soleilmoon because his albums were not being released as promptly as he had wanted, and he was also not receiving payment. Since he had put out seven releases since he signed, money was becoming a problem. His output was always very high. In 1995, he had six releases; in 1996, fifteen; in 1997, nine; in 1998, sixteen. After his death, the many record companies he had associated with released unreleased material and re-pressed older, out-of-print material. In 1999, the year of his death, twenty-two new (and old) albums and EPs on several media were released.
Strongly opposed to the use of computers and samplers in music, Jones always recorded his music with old analog equipment, but never equipment from the United States or Japan.[citation needed] He would record himself playing various Middle Eastern instruments and record voices of Middle Eastern people from old tapes. Jones's music was heavily percussive; a review of a rare live performance notes that Jones used a "backing DAT tape with pretty harsh, rhythmic textures, his sort of patented spiralling hypnotic beat, to which he played on two or three different drums with great skill."[2] He never looped his music; it was all recorded live, and edited/mixed afterwards. The end result was often loud and staticky, with sudden changes in volume. Jones was never concerned with how many copies of his record were sold, or even how much listeners enjoyed his music, but rather how original his music was.
The Muslimgauze discography is vast. He released over 90 original albums on 32 different record labels, creating nearly 2,000 original songs. Many of his pieces were inspired by political facts or events. Many of his releases have been re-pressed as, after 1994, most of his albums were released in limited editions of 200–1000. Including re-pressings, he has 180 releases at the time of this writing, but the number is rapidly increasing.
Jones disliked live shows and was rarely asked to do them, so Muslimgauze performances were very rare, though he did quite a few for Law & Auder. He always stated that he never had time to listen to other people's music, although in a 1992 interview with Impulse Magazine, he mentioned that he enjoyed traditional music of Japan, the Middle East, and India, as well as the works of artists such as Can, Throbbing Gristle, Wire, and Faust. However, despite a few collaborations, Jones didn't trust anyone when it came to remixing his music. Instead, he would usually take pieces of music that were sent to him and remix them to his own liking.
[edit] Death
On Wednesday, December 30, 1998, Bryn was rushed to the hospital in Manchester with a rare fungal infection in his bloodstream, for which he had to be heavily sedated. His body eventually shut down, and he died at 22:50 GMT on Thursday, January 14, 1999.[3] [4]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Live Performances
During his performances he would play a percussion instrument accompanied by pre-recorded loops or other musicians. On the occasion of his 1998 performance in Stockholm, the MS Stubnitz was shut down by authorities before he arrived, and so he performed outdoors. Since many ticket holders were not allowed inside the venue, Muslimgauze was the only act they were able to see. The recorded concert has been widely distributed over the internet.
| Date (Year-Month-Day) |
Country-Province-City | Venue | Event | Release status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-07-06 | UK-England-Manchester | Turkish Baths | Arabbox | |
| 1995-09-XX | UK-Scotland-Edinburgh | |||
| 1995-10-08 | UK-Yorkshire-Edinburgh | Cafe Mex | Sunday Service | |
| 1996-02-18 | UK-Yorkshire-Leeds | The Duchess | Sunday Service | |
| 1996-05-26 | UK-Yorkshire-Leeds | The Duchess | Sunday Service | |
| 1996-08-24 | Germany-Berlin | Staalplaat Sonderangebot Festival | ||
| 1996-10-17 | UK-Yorkshire-Leeds | Le Phono | Brainticket | |
| 1997-06-22[1] | Germany-Rostock | MS Stubnitz/Rostock Harbor | ||
| 1997-07-XX | Spain | 4 am in a Spanish bull ring | ||
| 1997-11-01 | UK-Yorkshire-Leeds | The Duchess | Tandoori Space | |
| 1998-01-27 | Japan-Shibuya | Club Shibuya On Air West | ||
| 1998-06-13[2] | Sweden-Stockholm | MS Stubnitz | Nursery Injection Festival | |
| 1998-09-XX | France-Normandy | The Monastery Of Sound | ||
| 1998-10-28 | UK-Yorkshire-Leeds | The Cockpit | Tandoori Space | |
| 1998-11-2X | Germany-Berlin | Volksbühne | Ballroom International |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Gehr, Richard (1994-10-28). Muslimgauze: Beyond The Veil. The Edge, s.v. "Muslimgauze"; originally appeared in The Village Voice, 28 October 1994. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ Sahlén, Mårten (1999-02-21). Muslimgauze in Stockholm. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
- ^ Strauss, Neil. "Bryn Jones, 38, Musician Known as Muslimgauze" (fee required), The New York Times, 1999-01-28. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
- ^ Strauss, Neil. "Bryn Jones, Pro-Palestinian Music Innovator, Dies at 38" (reprint), The New York Times. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
[edit] External links
- Muslimgauze, official site
- Staalplaat, European record label
- Soleilmoon, US record label
- Extreme, Australian record label
- The Label, Canadian recording label
- The 'Arabbox', fansite
- Muslimgauze at Last.fm
- Muslimgauze discography at MusicBrainz
- Muslimgauze at Allmusic
- Muslimgauze on Discogs
- Muslimgauze - Nomad War
- O'Connor, Michael. Muslimgauze, Disinformation, 18 October 2000. Accessed 4 February 2007.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jones, Bryn |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Muslimgauze |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | British electronic music artist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 17, 1961 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Manchester, England, United Kingdom |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 14, 1999 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Manchester, England, United Kingdom |
