K2 "Souls Are Kontroled By Molekules" CS (1993)

It's difficult to really amass a decent collection of early-90s K2 albums because the prices just keep going up, so this one and the "Noise Tournament Vol. 2" 7" are the only mid-career ones I've invested in so far ("Noise Tournament Vol. 2," with De Fabriek, is going pretty cheap now at around $20). This is the 7th release on Kimihide's Kinky Musik Institute label, and it is what he calls a "recreation" of the 6th release, "Autopsy Soundtrakks," which is going for fairly cheap right now. I haven't picked up the 6th one yet, and I probably won't considering I know that the 6th and 7th are essentially one and the same, so I can't offer much insight, or any insight I guess, into the differences between them. From such a legend in the field there are always high expectations, and the early work of these legends will always be heralded as "the better stuff." If HN is judged by its degree of harshness, this tape isn't K2's high point, but if judged by quality alone regardless of how scathing or not scathing it is, it is a damn fine tape. This tape was among the first after Kimihide's hiatus, and was among the earlier to incorporate what would become his signature use of scrap. It still utilizes the delays so common is his 80s work, and has the familiar K2 "gears churning" repetition of that classic "sound like a steel mill in operation" sound. There are plenty of bleeps and bloops, too, as well as some deranged keyboard work. The form is dynamic and gets all over the place while retaining the centricality which is key to creating a cohesive song. Def dark and mean, but by no means harsh if compared to other music makers of that time, very introspective-sounding, typical of K2, but the music def gets in your face, it doesn't sit quietly in the mind. Quality quality quality.