Bleep

Continuing their mission to revisit the extended Coil catalogue, Dais Records dive ever deeper into the group’s sprawling world, digging up artefacts from their many releases, aliases, and side projects. SoiSong in particular is the brief but fruitful collaboration between Coil cofounder Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson and Russian artist Ivan Pavlov (who records under COH). Formed in Bangkok in the late 2000s, the duo saw two enigmatic releases during their tours: octagonal CDs in origami packaging, containing cryptic passwords and formless, extended compositions.

Their first release qXn948s is an ethereal collection of early material, drifting from atmospheric exhalations of winds and drones to harsh slams of mechanic percussion. SoiSong cultivate sparse soundscapes, mixing folk gamelan influences with beats of industrial power. Mystery lies deep in ‘Kabuki Chop’, its quivering drone oscillations and curiously pacing instrumental manipulations conveying a sense of otherworldliness in line with Pavlov’s description of the project as a “utopian, semi-alien platform… a message from elsewhere.”

Like stalactites, glistening pianos in ‘Soijin No Hi’ drip downwards, invoking to life groaning and hissing machines, their drilling rhythms tearing the track apart. ‘Koi Ru’ staggers from the aftermath with clips of reverb thrown around. A music box twirls to the shredded, guttural glitches of tesla coil synths, its seemingly innocent plucks dancing in between the lightning strikes. ‘Jam Talay Sai’ leaves with a moment of contemplation, a distant guitar plucked softly, before becoming irradiated as the beats return with surging, gravitational force.

SoiSong’s qXn948s is a hidden gem in the wealth of releases from Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson and Ivan Pavlov, deservedly getting its first wide release in 24 years.