Many netlabels have come and gone in the past few years. Some have just vanished without warning, others have announced their passing in advance (with some being gracious enough to keep their archived releases available for download) , and a few have just faded away - releasing fewer and fewer works until no more.
Fortunately for those of us who have enjoyed Nishi‘s remarkable contributions to netlabel music, when Kevin M. Krebs decided to depart as head of netlabel Nishi in late 2006, rather than let the label die, he made sure that Nishi would continue to thrive and expand its diverse discography by seeking out a highly qualified person to takeover his function as curator of Nishi and continue its mission.
On January 10, 2007, Christopher Benuzzi posted an announcement in the netlabel’s forum at the Internet Archive that he was assuming the role of curator of Nishi. In the post Christopher said that:
We are going through some changes right now... However, the focus of Nishi will not change. We will still operate in the same eclectic spirit we always have.
The promise of this statement was demonstrated on January 26, 2007, when three new Nishi releases saw the light of day. The moody and beat laden music of K.D. Expression’s “For the Broken Heart from Collapsed Dreams” [nsh111], the sultry vocals and electronic glitch of Samara’s “Robots Smile Too” [nsh112], and the ambient drones and experimental textures of “Abandoned Site” [nsh113] from Parataxis.
I emailed Chris seeking a little information about himself and his vision for Nishi. Here’s what he wrote:
I am currently enrolled in tech school studying computer subjects. I have my basics out of the way and am now studying programming, networking, and unix/linux. My goal is to continue my education at a university where I can study computer engineering and music composition. Some time next year I'm taking a few months to learn studio recording at a school which offers ProTools certification.
I have been following the netlabel scene off and on since the late '90s. Monotonik was one of my major influences back then, and still is. Also, I dug around on aminet and scene.org in those days looking for tunes, so music modules and trackers are also a big influence on my tastes. My musical tastes vary from punk rock to jazz to industrial to ambient to house to drum and bass to free tekno... well you get the idea. These days, netaudio and netlabels are everywhere, so I just stumble around the 'net listening to whatever I find.
At first my goals for Nishi were simple. My main concern was making sure I knew how to maintain the site, knew how to upload to archive.org, trying to get caught up on listening to submissions, etc. All worky stuff. I had no plans to radically change the site design or the focus of the label, and I still don't, really. In listening to submissions I have tended to favor artists already established on the label first, then I evaluate the new folks. I figure this is fair for now, but I have also begun to approach a few musicians with offers to be on the label. Some have responded, some have not.
We have a MySpace account . . . I find that it can be a useful tool for making contacts and spreading word of new releases. Also, I think it can be a useful way to build connections between creative people. I started sending friend requests out to visual artists lately as well as musicians so maybe this will spark some networking. I'd love to see collaborative efforts spring up between artists and musicians.
On a similar note, we have a release coming up in the next batch which is a collaborative effort between a pair of musicians from the US and France. I would really enjoy more releases like this in the future. We have artists from around the world in our line up, so one of my goals is to encourage them to begin collaborating with each other. Perhaps a compilation project to this effect will materialize over the next several moths.
So, that's a little about me and my goals for Nishi. It's a little early to say exactly what will happen with the label in the long run, but for now I'm basically going to build on what Kevin and Ed have already established. I'd also like to say that I'm very grateful to Kevin for the opportunity to run an already established netlabel. It's quite an honor, really.
To put his qualifications for running Nishi in perspective, Chris relayed the following information to me:
My first gig was a three hour time slot on radio.enoughrecords back in 2002, which lasted several months until they canceled streaming due to bandwidth concerns. More recently I've been streaming three hours weekly again, beginning in May 2006, and will begin podcasting soon. I listen to a wide variety of internet audio in order to keep things sounding fresh and diverse. I'm sure this experience played some part in Kevin's decision to pass the running of Nishi to me.
Nishi was initially an offshoot the earliest Canadian MP3 online lablel No Type. Nishi was brought into existence in 2002 by Kevin M. Krebs [833-45] with the purpose of broadening No Type’s “sphere of influence” to Canada’s West Coast. Under Krebs’s sole direction until 2005 at which time the UK's Ed Powley [Colophon] came on board to assist, Nishi’s influence has since expanded to encompass most of the world.
Pinning down Nishi to specific path or genre isn’t possible. At brief glance of the label’s catalog reveals a broad range of genres that branch in many directions, especially after 2002.
The first Nishi release titled “Landlines” [nsh001] came out on May 14, 2002. The improvisation duo calling themselves Foer (one-half which was K.M. Krebs) from Vancouver, Canada delivered five tracks of ambient/rhythmic noise full of borrowed sounds. The year 2002 realized twelve releases with a hefty dose of some Canadian talent composing under such names as Fasp, Dick Richards, Hinterland, John Tennant, Nuthre, and Jon Vaughn. The eclecticism of Nishi was evident even at this early stage as these initial releases touched a wide variety of genres. The Ukrainian Andrey Kiritchenko working as Nex (and founder of the Nexsound label ) brought the label a powerful example of experimentalism with his “Jacketed Music” [nsh009] in which the five tracks were derived from sounds associated with his jacket i.e. zippers and rubbing noises associated with friction. On the opposite extreme, Hinterland’s “Untitled” [nsh007]release gave us some alternative/post rock sounds using real bass, drums, guitar, and vocals, and Books on Tape dished out a single track of exotic, beat-driven electo on “This House is Not a Home” [nsh012].
By the end of 2003 twenty-one more releases had been put online. The genres of experimental and ambient/noise seemed to dominate, however, post-rock, minimal techno/house, and IDM made a showing. Herr Axelsson made one unforgettable appearance with an eight-track album of field recordings, ambient drones, and electric noise with “Rainy Night” [nsh017]. Colophon (Ed Powely) showed how to fuse post-rock and electronic music into his own personal musical hybrid with “Imprint/Tailpiece” [nsh024]. Omnid’s “Ceelek Curv” [nsh025] combined field recordings with digital processing to create two abstract tracks of fragmented electronics and scratchy textures, and Pino the Frog brought seven tracks of complex micro-ambience by way of his “Minatures” album [nsh029]. Sascha Muller contributed his own experimental vision of minimal house and techno with the “Flight Controller EP” [nsh032] . The Florida-based Line Noise brought 2003 to conclusion with a catchy mix of Drum & Bass and IDM influences via “Ancestral Oddity” [nsh033].
The first of seventeen releases in 2004, Pfft’s “Black Hole Acoutistics” [nsh034] provided two tracks of aggressive, cosmic-inspired noise and rhythms only to be followed by the hushed and spacious ambient drift of Introspective’s “Covert Set” [nsh035]. In the spirit of it‘s commitment to eclecticism, Nishi brought a taste of vocal electro-pop to its discography with Symphonic Stereo’s “Do You Need A Heart” [nsh036] which ended up being one of the label’s most popular releases. Mildly abrasive ambient, ghostly fragments, and skittering tones give a quick précis of Hackeronte’s “Frequencies” [nsh040] while synthesized, melancholic ambient reveals something about M.A.S. Productions’ “Twilight Night” [nsh041]. K. M. Krebs accurately described “Ambiguous Prophets” by Raemus [nsh045] as “four tracks of winding electronic ambience and tumult.” I can only add the adjective “haunting” to this description. A trio of strong releases brought 2004 to an end. Herotyc’s (Josep Llodrá) “Weapons of Mass Seduction” [nsh048] gave an album’s worth of explosive of electronic techno, Strinqulu’s (David Della Rossa) “Uncertainty” release [nsh049] threw discordant drones, broken percussion, cut-up samples, and electronic noise together creating a complicated mix of unsettling experimentalism, and “Nishi 50” gave a sampling of past, present, and future Nishi artists.
Somehow in 2005 Nishi managed to amass and release thirty-eight online albums. Introspective made a return visit with more solemn ambient drift on “Patient Reactions EP” [nsh051]. The UK-based Minus Pilots showcased an exotic experimental ambience/improvisation on “Boundless Walls” [nsh053]. Another Ukrainian artist known as Kotra (Dmytro Fedorenko) showed his expertise in twisted abstractness with four tracks of imposing experimental noise on “Stamina” [nsh055]. May 2005 brought forth a total of six virtual albums. Beginning with the German-based Rich.vom.Dorf‘, some interesting melodic techtronica came by way of “Misinterpret Yourself” [nsh057] with an interesting melding of electronica and techno. David (Strinqulu) Della Rossa made a return appearance with some experimental madness by way of “Ten Cases of Human Aberration” [nsh058] which was very succinctly described in the release notes as “an exhilarating cocktail of fragmented tones and obfuscated rhythms.” Hibiscus continued down the path of post rock, but with a more minimal approach, with the self-descriptive “Postrocking” [nsh059]. French Teen Idol’s self-titled release [nsh061] became one of the most downloaded Nishi with eight cinematic tracks of progressive electronic post-rock and beautiful harmonies.
The second half of 2005 saw the release of Samara’s “These Things” [nsh064] downtempo album of scratchy electronics, subtle glitch and sultry vocals make it one the label’s more unique releases. Fever Asym ‘s eight-track “First Soundscape Experiment” [nsh065] was a hard to classify semi-ambient foray into broken rhythms, abrasive textures, and bizarre melodies. Emmanuel Farley captured an audience with the overtly and evocatively titled “Awkward Sex” [nsh066] which brought with it twenty-eight minutes of varied experimental and melodious electronica. Inspired by the characters invented by French science fiction writer Jules Verne, Ambient Field’s composed five inspirational tracks of synthesized ambience and electronics for “Five Jules Verne Heroes” [nsh069]. The Belgian-based Phyle gave Nishi it’s first serious release of electronic drones with “Earth” [nsh070]. Moving with glacial slowness, three gently evolving drones carry with them a warm effervesce. Subpoint Disaster created some surprisingly darkish post-rock soundscapes with “Travels Across Gray Areas” [nsh073]. The German/Dutch duo Monokit gave the label seventeen electronic soundscapes touching on ambient, experimental, rhythmic, abstract, and drones on “Monolyth” [nsh076]. Zed’s “Collecting Dust EP” [nsh079] brought a another dose of ambient drones but this time with three tracks of dense improvised guitar-based textures. Thomas Park came aboard as Mystified with “Dark Lacunae” [nsh083] proving that dark soundscapes and twisted rhythms still had a popular following. Originally slated for No Type’s Sine Fiction series, John Kannenberg, the founder of netlabel Stasisfield, released his soundtrack of the same name to Walter M. Miller’s post-apocalyptic science fiction book “A Canticle for Leibowitz” [nsh087]. A long-player comprised of intricate percussive movements, electronics, drones, manipulated field recordings, and sampled instruments, this is Kannenberg’s most musical work.
From January 2006 through January 2007, twenty-five more virtual releases were made available. Cagey House (Dave Keifer) describes his music as “psychedelic pseudo-post-synth-rock-exotica” - his “Octopus Two” [nsh089] is a good example. I’d add the descriptors adventurous and eccentric. The Russian Oleg Semenovyh known from appearances on other netlabels as ILI gave his own vision of electronic glitch, complex rhythms and neo-IDM on the ten-track “Cronicles Hoa Sa” [nsh092]. Mystified made a return visit with “Mystical Steam” [nsh094] but this time utilizing his own field recordings and homemade sounds to create fifteen atmospheric tracks whose titles are suggestive of the source material. The Brazilian pair Bject gave listeners another taste of electro-pop and soft rock on “Truth Wounds” [nsh096] with nine uplifting tracks. Antanas Jasenka had an unusual dual release with “Zacheta” [nsh097a] and “Car Music” [nsh097b]. Both releases focused on taking abstract electronic sounds and molding them into some aesthetically pleasing minimal soundscapes. Celebrating its 100th release, a massive three-hour compilation of past, current, and future Nishi artists [nsh100] was released. All major genres/styles were represented in some form or another by an impressive roster of international artists. Mystified made a third appearance with his “Hunting Collection” [nsh101] featuring an array of manipulated local found sounds some of which were turned into rhythmic pieces and drones. Several other artists made return appearances. K.D. Expression’s brief three-tracker “Pleasures” [nsh103] let heavy beats and dark synths take the forefront while Sascha Müller explored experimental minimal house and some detailed percussive elements on the four-part “Funktionales Karma” [nsh104]. Ambient Field returned with some synthesized alien sounds on “Sci-Fi” [nsh106] and some playful, rhythmic toy-like electronica of found it’s way into Rich.vom.Dorf ’s five-track “Marsian Weekenders” [nsh110]. Several newcomers appeared, among them the Russian trio Modul. Modul’s “Globe Puzzle” [nsh108] gave a complex hybrid of electro, ambient, IDM, and techno, and the UK's Court of Hidden Faces's conjured some wonderful ambient drones based on electric guitar, amp crackle, and recordings of rain with “Snow” [nsh109].
Nishi has came a long way since K. M. Krebs’s initial vision of expanding No Type’s realm of influence within Canada. Under Krebs’s knowledgeable and insightful guidance, it became an international label representing dozens of artists and a multitude of genres reaching out to satisfy even the most discerning netlabel enthusiast. With the arrival of 2007 and following Krebs’s departure, Christopher Benuzzi has now assumed leadership of the label and has pledged to continue to operate Nishi with same spirit of eclecticism and plans to expand Nishi‘s scope even further.
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