The people at No Type are more than just The Freest of Radicals, they’re extremists as well. Their latest 36 song double cd compilation defies classification. Each time you think you’ve got them nailed they throw you a curve.

The tracks range from transparent micro-sound to V/vm style sonic molestation to toe-tapping minimal house to quirky video-game-tronica and straight ahead IDM. You never know what to expect as each shift can be extremely different or extremely similar. While there are differences from track to track there are also differences between the two CD’s which at first prompt you to re-examine the first one you listened to to see if there was an apparent sequence you missed but there isn’t one. There is an obvious intent in this bumpy ride which really makes it engaging. You’re not looking at a label that has a quota to fill or a manifesto which each artist most follow, the name No Type itself seems to be the manifesto and instruction booklet. Originally and concurrently an MP3 label, No Type provides an outlet for exploration, sometimes the tracks sound like quick sketches and other times they sound carefully orchestrated but always liberal and full of spirit for exploration and invention. The common thread that runs through all tracks is in the rawness of the sounds and the DIY bedroom producer ethic that comes across in the “piss off if you don’t like it” appraoch to structure. No Type definitely gets props for going off and loving it.

No Type is a so called “online label,” they mainly focus on releasing music through their website in the form of free downloadable mp3 files. They help unknown artists to achieve some exposure among adventurous listeners across the globe. By avoiding manufacturing and distribution costs, which make up a substantial part of the total cost of CD’s and Vinyl, a lot of productions that would otherwise never be released get a chance without jeopoardizing the label to go bankrupt. This is particularly positive for music that’s too difficult or too strange to be played on radio or isn’t available at record stores.

After almost 4 years, No Type decided the time was right to finally put out some of their tracks in a tangible form. The outcome called The Freest of Radicals, is a double CD that offers a showcase of what they have achieved up till now, featuring 35 tracks and just as many artists. As the name No Type implies, the genre is of no importance, but I would say they are aiming at the broad spectrum of experimental electronic music.

All tracks reside in their own musical universe, exploring the boundaries and possibilities of it. This leads to odd improvisations, toying around with the weirdest sounds and an extensive variety of abstract compositions. Sometimes it’s spacey drones, acoustic post-rock or dubby microgrooves. Sometimes it’s organic ambient, full of clicks ’n cuts or aesthetic electronica. Sometimes it’s harsh and irritating noises with heavy beats, building up layers of distortion.

But above all, it’s a nice collection of unusual music of all sorts and forms, going from lovely tracks to almost unlistenable experiments. Anyone with an open-minded view on music will definitely discover something they like on this compilation.

Il est intéressant de constater le progrès effectué à partir des quelques tourne-disques et consoles dont disposait Schaeffer pour les premiers «concerts de bruits» diffusés en 1948 sur une chaîne de la ORTF, en France. Les courbes d’intensité manipulées d’échantillons sonores naturels ainsi que les séquences de vibrations fragmentées étaient les premières substances utilisées dans ce genre de concerts, au début des années 1920. Fruits d’une technologie de plus en plus présente, ces substances ont joint le rang des avancées traduites par l’ouverture à de nouveaux matériaux sonores chez les plus curieux, qui fondèrent l’Institut international de musique électroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB) en 1970. Ce style d’expression, amplifié par le temps, fut grandement apprécié par Yves Daoust, qui fait entendre ici des œuvres où le Québec estival et festif est exposé dans un contraste étonnant: limbes parasitaires et truchements sonores environnent les éclats du Montréal urbain dans un effet de scène alterné avec Bruits. D’une réalisation telle que de La Gamme émane une fascination pour le corps de l’autre traité sous ses multiples facettes. L’Impromptu est une réalisation où plane la hantise romantique de Chopin. Ces tableaux aux sujets minutieusement développés saisissent par des couleurs et des sensations qui perdurent et forment une nouvelle imagerie à elles seules. Yves Daoust signe une floraison électroacoustique digne d’être écoutée avec attention et fait naître la réflexion. 5/5

Here we have a collection of experimental tunes from a variety of underground artists. Very suggestive and very minimal “art for the ear.” It is a two disc set of some of the most daring drones and audio atmospheres that you are likely to hear. Some of the “songs” go nowhere, but I think that may be in keeping with this “anti music” ethic. The track by Tomas Jirku almost borders on dance, but not quite. Meanwhile the track by Speech.Fake is much of nothing. There is a quirky track by Camp that utilizes fruityloops. Spook by 833-45 is a neatly dark track, and I liked the tracks by Oeuf Korreckt and Books on Tape. Waveporn by Alphacat is also pretty cool. Disc two of this set is more pedestrian, digestible and dancey than disc one.

Overall this is a weird and highly intellectual project (judging by the liner notes) and it is definitely not for everyone. Ultimately, the electronic overtones rule over the acoustic. This is daydream music for the day after a rave.

This is the work of Montréal native Beaupré, who has dedicated himself to harpsichord playing and construction for many years. He is a self-taught expert on frequency analysis and musical composition, and he delved in to the world of electroacoustic music quite some time ago. He has worked with Édouard Lock, as well as the dance troupe La La La Human Steps.

This is a fractured, buzzing, humming ode to deconstruction. It features a clever palette of heavily treated sounds. It is a whirling, non-sensical homage to vertigo. Very avant garde and masterfully executed. Beaupré compares working with sound to working with wood. He is a true craftsman.

This is a daring and important disc released by the empreintes DIGITALes label in Montréal. It features the electroacoustic sound art of Coulombe Saint-Marcoux, a genius conceptual artist who manipulated tape recordings to achieve a brilliant “sound as art” aesthetic. Sadly, she died at the tragically young age of 47. So it is of the utmost importance that this revolutionary art be documented on a compilation as critical as this. The work abounds with heavily treated sounds, voices engaging in non-singing and bizarre atmospherics. The liner notes are painstakingly done, and the digital forum serves Coulombe Saint-Marcoux’s work exquisitely. She once stated “electroacoustic music is a continuous fusion of doing and hearing, a permanent equilibrium between the composer’s intention (what is in his head) and the result (what is on the tape).” This is a very important document of a true artist.