BILL CONVERSE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Much is made of the love that Bill Converse from Austin, Texas, has for classic music making hardware (as opposed to the computer-based solutions most find convenient these days), but at the end of the day it's the results he gets rather than the means that have cemented his reputation as one of the most interesting names operating in the US today. This six track selection is no exception, suitably freed-up from convention or restriction and executed with a radioactive excitement that shines directly out of the grooves. Check the rapid fire snares of 'The Last Time', the eerie, horn-like screeches of 'Measurement (Of What?)' or 'Take Apart', with its ascending Detroit-style bassline, for further proof, or just dive in and enjoy the whole lot.

Review:  We are pleased to present 'Hallways' the third full length from Austin, Texas analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Derrick May were key early influences. Techno, noise, ambient and tape processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. 'Hallways' is an 80 minute journey spread across 12 tracks and 2 slabs of vinyl. All tracks were recorded directly to tape with no overdubs, made at Converse's home studio over the past 2 years. Bill says, "One idea for this album is 'through bardos', the gap or moment of transition between two things according to Buddhism. Like an experience in meditation and attempting to find realization/s on the way through the illusory and interdependent nature of good old fashioned REALITY." Built around crunchy synthesizers, harsh drum machines and jarring acid lines, the tracks share a darker tone than Bill's previous albums and one song features guest vocals by music gourmet Carlos Souffront, a true DJ's DJ from Detroit. All songs have been mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each 2xLP is housed in a jacket designed by Eloise Leigh with rich purple and smokey turquoise kaleidoscopic patterns.

Review: We are pleased to present a 4-track EP from Austin, Texas analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Derrick May were key early influences. Techno, noise, ambient and tape processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. His debut album 'Meditations/Industry' was released on cassette in 2013 and edited for a vinyl release on Dark Entries in 2016 followed by two 12" singles 'Warehouse Invocation' and '7 of 9' the same year. In 2017 Converse released his second album 'The Shape Of Things To Come' followed by the double EP 'Salt Of Mars'.

'Hulled' is a 25 minute journey spread across 4 tracks of glacial abandon. All tracks were recorded directly to tape with no overdubs, made at Converse's home studio. Bill says these tracks represent "ocean waves in stormy conditions, dark grey blue water, or more generally speaking something ominous and beautiful." The songs on this album reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, IDM, and Acid. Built around vintage synthesizer lines and gritty drum machine percussion, the tracks ebb and flow like the effect of sun shimmering on water, woozy, gauzy and ephemeral. All songs were mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each EP is housed in a die-cute jacket designed by Eloise Leigh with peachy pink patterns landing on an alien water planet and seeing mysterious playing forms under the turquoise water. and the. Each copy includes a postcard featuring photo of Bill with notes.

Review: Acidic powerhouse Bill Converse makes his debut on FIT SOUND. His sound is a refreshing perspective informed by the midwest warehouse parties of which he was schooled mutated into his own blend. Treading the line between melody and brutality, while never being heavy handed, Converse has proved himself once again to be a true original lurking in the underground today.

Review: Largely found bashing out bastardised machine jams on Dark Entries, Bill Converse makes a logical move to Tabernacle for this new double pack of devilishly decent burners for the adventurous end of the night. The nagging hisses and end-of-days bleeps on "Tinnitus" will get right under your skin, while "Permission" stomps out a broken down jack to get the waifs and strays shaking. "Borealis" takes star-gazing techno into a particularly noisy dimension, "Operation" channels the spirit of Jamal Moss-minded acid freakery and "Mutiny" depicts the unkempt groove left after the breakdown of the hardware. "Awakening" ends things on a brighter note, twisting out grubby acid lines through some beautiful but distant chords and a snaking set of blown out drums.

Review: Having plundered the cassette archives of Bill Converse for the psychedelically-charged album, Meditations/Industry, earlier this year, Dark Entries score another hit from the Texas-based hardware exponent for their latest 12". Three of the four tracks on this 12" originate from that same Obsolete Future cassette, with the fourth originating from studio sessions around the same time. Title track "Warehouse Invocation" sets the mood, with minor key synthesizer refrains and undulating acid lines weaving their way in and out of a druggy, off-kilter electronic groove. Converse moves further towards straight-up techno territory on the fizzing analogue funk of "Senys Magick", before fusing crystalline synthesizer riffs and a sludgy, distorted drum machine groove on the impressive "Riverbank".

Review: Despite their obsession with unearthing and reissuing obscure gems, Dark Entries do occasionally release new - or, at least, nearly new - music. Meditation/Industry is the debut vinyl release from Austin-based analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Made up, in part, from one-take tracks originally released on cassette, it's an album that emphasizes hissing drum machine percussion, wavering synthesizer lines, and the kind of evocative, entertaining material that sits somewhere between cold wave, EBM, experimental Chicago acid and the far-sighted shuffle of Detroit techno. As debuts go, it's pretty darn good, and well worth further exploration.