Mort Aux Vaches
Encyclopedia
Mort aux Vaches is the name of a series of albums released by the Staalplaat
record label in collaboration with the Dutch radio station, VPRO
. The name translates literally from French
as “Death to Cows,” with “cows” being French slang for German cops - it is equivalent to “Death to Pigs” in English
. The slogan originates from the Franco-Prussian War
.
studios. The releases keep to the principles of Staalplaat
by being packaged in a peculiar and interesting way, including using sand paper and copper
. Each release is limited to around 1000 copies.
, with a particular bias towards experimental
and ambient
electronica. Other genres are also represented, such as metal
and noise music
. Artists who have released an album as part of the series include:
Staalplaat
Staalplaat is an independent record label that is located in Amsterdam with a separate store in Berlin. Created in 1982, the company's mission was created as a sound forum for sound artists, who write and perform new and experimental music...
record label in collaboration with the Dutch radio station, VPRO
VPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
. The name translates literally from French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as “Death to Cows,” with “cows” being French slang for German cops - it is equivalent to “Death to Pigs” in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The slogan originates from the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.
Format
Each album in the series is a live session by a particular artist, recorded in the VPROVPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
studios. The releases keep to the principles of Staalplaat
Staalplaat
Staalplaat is an independent record label that is located in Amsterdam with a separate store in Berlin. Created in 1982, the company's mission was created as a sound forum for sound artists, who write and perform new and experimental music...
by being packaged in a peculiar and interesting way, including using sand paper and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
. Each release is limited to around 1000 copies.
Artists
Most artists who contribute to the series make electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, with a particular bias towards experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
and ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
electronica. Other genres are also represented, such as metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and noise music
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
. Artists who have released an album as part of the series include:
- AU – 2004
- AubeAube (band)Aube is the name used by Japanese musician for his experimental noise records. He has released many CDs, LPs and cassettes since 1991, and is regarded as one of the most important noise musicians working today. He himself does not like to term his work "music," preferring the term "design": "I...
– 1998 - Beequeen – 1997
- CoHCoH (musician)CoH is the musical alias of Ivan Pavlov , a Russian-born sound artist and engineer. He has lived in Sweden since 1995. After Pavlov moved to Sweden, he adopted the alias CoH which can be read in Cyrillic as well as in Latin alphabet and means in Russian sleep or dream...
– 2002 - Colleen – Mort aux VachesMort Aux Vaches (Colleen album)Mort Aux Vaches is a full-length session recording from ambient music artist Colleen, released in 2006 as part of the Mort Aux Vaches music series. Keeping with the style of the series the album is packaged in a hardback case wrapped in textured wallpaper and fastened with a safety pin...
– 2006 - Contrastate – 1996
- David Shea – 1998
- Don Joyce – 1994
- Étant DonnésÉtant donnésÉtant donnés is Marcel Duchamp's last major art work which surprised most of the art world who believed he'd given up art for chess almost 25 years earlier...
– 1997 - Flying Saucer AttackFlying Saucer AttackFlying Saucer Attack was an experimental space rock band that formed in Bristol, England in 1992. David Pearce was the core member of the group, and Rachel Brook was a member for most of the band's lifetime....
/MainMain (band)Main were a British ambient band formed in 1991 by guitarists Robert Hampson and Scott Dowson, the former members of Loop. They combined ambient sound with layers of electric guitars and dark, foreboding emotional overtones. In 2006 Hampson announced that Main had been effectively disbanded in...
/White Winged Moth – 2003 - FM3FM3FM3 is the Beijing-based music duo of Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian. They are considered among the pioneers of electronic music in China.. Since 1999, Virant and Jian have been making meditative music by combining the sound of Chinese classical instruments with modern digital techniques.Their...
– 2005 - GoemGoemGoem is the electronic music project of Frans de Waard, Peter Duimelinks and Roel Meelkop. Active since 1996, it is one of the most internationally visible project hailing from the Netherlands. They have released about twenty CDs and vinyls on various labels from Europe and North...
– 1999 - GoodiepalGoodiepalGoodiepal or Gæoudjiparl van den Dobbelsteen, whose real name is Parl Kristian Bjørn Vester, is a controversial Danish/Faroese musician/composer wanted by the Danish police authorities for an unsolved theft from the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus...
– 2004 - Greg DavisGreg Davis (musician)Greg Davis is an American electronic musician who has recorded albums drawing from a wide variety of sources, including guitar, field recording, various world / ethnic / traditional instruments, percussion, and voice, all delicately processed through digital manipulation...
– 2003 - Illusion of Safety – 1996 & 1999
- In Slaughter NativesIn Slaughter NativesIn Slaughter Natives is a Swedish industrial, dark ambient act formed by Jouni Havukainen in 1985. They have releases on the Cold Meat Industry label.- Discography :# In Slaughter Natives # Enter Now the World...
/Deutsch NepalDeutsch NepalDeutsch Nepal is the solo industrial/dark ambient project of Swede Lina Der Baby Doll General .- Works :Under the name Deutsch Nepal, Lina has issued eight studio albums and a 7" as well as contributing to various compilations including a split CD with In Slaughter Nativesand another with The Moon...
– 1994 - Jazzkammer – 2005
- John DuncanJohn Duncan (artist)This page is about John Duncan the contemporary artist. For the Symbolist artist see John Duncan .John Duncan is an artist who has lived and worked in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Amsterdam, currently lives and works in Bologna...
– 1997 - Jorge ReyesJorge ReyesJorge Reyes is a Cuban-born, American author known for authoring books in several genres. He is an honor graduate of Barry University, from which he received a B.A...
– 1996 - Kapotte MuziekKapotte MuziekKapotte Muziek is the musical improvisation project of Frans de Waard, Peter Duimelinks and Roel Meelkop. Active since 1984, it is one of the most internationally visible improvisation and experimental project hailing from the Netherlands. The group began as the solo noise music project of Frans de...
– 1997 - Kevin DrummKevin Drumm-Biography:Emerging from the city's improvised music scene, in the 1990s he became one of the world's pre-eminent prepared guitar players. Since then his work has expanded to include electroacoustic compositions and live electronic music made with laptop computers and analog modular synthesizers...
/Dan BurkeDan BurkeDan Burke may refer to:*Dan Burke , MLB utility player*Dan Burke , NBA assistant coach...
– 2003 - Kreidler – 1999
- Kozo Inada – 2004
- L.Ø.S.D. – 1997
- Lionel Marchetti/Jérôme NoetingerJerome NoetingerJérôme Noetinger is an improviser and composer of electroacoustic music based in Grenoble, France.He also runs the record label and record distributor Metamkine and writes in the French magazine Revue Et Corrigee...
– 2000 - MachinefabriekMachinefabriekMachinefabriek is the musical nom de plume of Rutger Zuyderveldt from The Netherlands. As Machinefabriek, Zuyderveldt makes electronic music influenced by drone, classical ambient and noise, ranging from very silent work to loud, noisy soundscapes Machinefabriek is the musical nom de plume of...
– 2008 - Maeror TriMaeror TriMaeror Tri was an ambient noise and drone music band from Germany founded in the 1980s which consisted of Stefan "Baraka H" Knappe, Martin "GLIT[s]CH" Git and Helge Siehl....
– 1997 - MainMain (band)Main were a British ambient band formed in 1991 by guitarists Robert Hampson and Scott Dowson, the former members of Loop. They combined ambient sound with layers of electric guitars and dark, foreboding emotional overtones. In 2006 Hampson announced that Main had been effectively disbanded in...
– 2003 - Mainpal Inv./Gamers in Exile/Gæoudjiparl – 2005
- Massimo – 2001
- MerzbowMerzbowis the main recording name of the Japanese noise musician , born in 1956. Since 1979 he has released in excess of 350 recordings.The name "Merzbow" comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork, "Merzbau”. This was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic...
– 1995 - Mitchell Akiyama – 2005
- MuslimgauzeMuslimgauzeMuslimgauze was a music project of Bryn Jones , a prolific British ethnic electronica and experimental musician, influenced by conflicts in the Muslim world with an emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
– Mort Aux VachesMort Aux Vaches (Muslimgauze album)Mort Aux Vaches is a Muslimgauze album, which is part of the Mort Aux Vaches series. Recording commissioned by VPRO 'De Avonden' Berry Kamer & Jan Hiddink. Numbered limited edition of 1000. CD comes in a multi fold out paper sleeve, held together with a fastener....
– 1998 - Oren AmbarchiOren AmbarchiOren Ambarchi is a multi-instrumentalist who in major plays electric guitar and drums, with longstanding interests in transcending conventional instrumental approaches. He was born in Sydney, Australia in 1969 to a Jewish family originally from Iraq....
– 2002 - Origami vs. Manipura by:b9/Nocturnal EmissionsNocturnal EmissionsNocturnal Emissions is a sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrète, hybridised beats, sound collage, post-industrial music, ambient and noise music....
– 2000 - Pan SonicPan sonicPan Sonic was a Finnish experimental electronic music duo consisting of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen.-Music:...
/Charlemagne PalestineCharlemagne PalestineCharlemagne Palestine is an American minimalist composer, performer, and visual artist...
– 2000 - Philip Samartzis – 2003
- Piano MagicPiano MagicPiano Magic is a musical collective formed in the summer of 1996 by Glen Johnson, Dominic Chennell, and Dick Rance in London, England. Their sound has been described as ambient pop, post-rock, indietronica, coldwave, dark wave and ghostrock...
– 1998 - PimmonPimmonPimmon is the recording name of Australian musician Paul Gough. He has released records on labels such as Fat Cat Records, Fällt, Tigerbeat6, Staalplaat and Staubgold, and collaborated with Keith Rowe and Oren Ambarchi, among others....
– 2003 - Roger Rotor – 2001
- Ryoji IkedaRyoji IkedaRyoji Ikeda is a Japanese sound artist who lives and works in Paris. Ikeda's music is concerned primarily with sound in a variety of "raw" states, such as sine tones and noise, often using frequencies at the edges of the range of human hearing...
– 1998 - ScannerRobin RimbaudRobin Rimbaud is an electronic musician who works under the name Scanner due to his use of cell phone and police scanners in live performance...
– 1996 - Senssurround Orchestra – 2000
- Signal – 2002
- StilluppsteypaStilluppsteypaStilluppsteypa is an abstract/experimental electronic band founded at the start of the 1990s. Beginning as a punk band in the mould of Crass, The Ex et al., it soon evolved into an experimental outfit, consisting of Heimir Björgúlfsson, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson and Helgi Thorsson. Heimir left the...
– 1998 - Tape – 2005
- TarentelTarentel (band)Tarentel is a band based in San Francisco, California, which formed in 1995. Initially, the band consisted of Danny Grody and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma...
– 2002 - Tim HeckerTim HeckerTim Hecker is an electronic musician and sound artist based in Montreal, Canada. Hecker previously recorded under the moniker Jetone, but has become better known internationally for his ambient recordings released through Kranky, Mille Plateaux, Alien8, Force Inc, Staalplaat, and Fat Cat under his...
– Mort aux VachesMort aux vaches (Tim Hecker album)Mort Aux Vaches is Tim Hecker's fourth release. It is a part of Staalplaat's series of live releases from a wide range of artists of the same name. Hecker's recording is from a live set for Dutch national radio VPRO, recorded on 3 May 2004.-External links:*[ Allmusic's information page for Mort...
– 2005 - Tin Foil Star – 1999
- TroumTroumTroum is a German project of drone music, ambient music, noise music, and experimental music. It was founded in the late 1990s by Stefan Knappe and Martin Gitschel . It is sometimes considered to be the follow-up project to Maeror Tri...
– 2003 - TV Pow – 2000
- Ultra Milkmaids – 1998
- Yellow SwansYellow SwansYellow Swans were an American experimental electronic noise band from Portland, Oregon. The duo are renowned for their improvisional approach to music, creating a unique experience for each live performance. They describe their music as "a constantly evolving mass of psychedelic noise that is both...
– 2007 - Zeitkratzer – 2003
- Zoviet FranceZoviet FranceZoviet France is a prolific music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. While often dissonant and made of industrial textures, their music also falls into the ambient music category...
– 1998
External links
- Official label site on StaalplaatStaalplaatStaalplaat is an independent record label that is located in Amsterdam with a separate store in Berlin. Created in 1982, the company's mission was created as a sound forum for sound artists, who write and perform new and experimental music...
’s website. - Albums on the Mort aux Vaches label on DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
. - Origin of the expression mort-aux-vaches