************************** ***************************************** ******** ********* ******** M U N C H ********* ********* ********* ****************************************** ************************** "OLD VOLCANO COMES ALIVE!" **** QUICK INPUT **** MUNCH formed in Kristiansand, Norway, in 1986. They started up on a local record label T23, which is simply the street address: T23, Tordenskioldsgt. 23 4612 Kristiansand S Norway Whatever is left of MUNCH's back-catalog can be ordered from Panorama Records, which is the mailorder division of the label that reissued the first MUNCH album on CD: Tatra Records. The address to contact is: Panorama Records P.O.Box 96 1450 NESODDTANGEN NORWAY MUNCH split up after their concert on December 6 1991 at Rockefeller in Oslo. It had been made known in the press several weeks before the concert that it was going to be their last, so Rockefeller was pretty crowded that night. The concert was recorded and has later been released as the "Live" CD. Several of the members are today active in other groups. Ivar Mykland (vocals in MUNCH) is in charge of Kristiansand Kunst Kommando (aka KKK) and Rich Nordskog (drums in MUNCH) has turned to contemporary jazz-rock in BLAATT TOG. There exists approximately 15 hours of unreleased video-material, both studio and live, of MUNCH. Best known is the appearance on NRK TV (the national broadcasting in Norway) back in 1991, on the program "Puls i 200", where Ivar declared that MUNCH would split-up. They have also appeared on NRK TV's "Rock '89" where they played a stunning version of "Watching the lights change", with Ivar scaring the breath out of people with his zombie acting. The independent label/network dBUT had plans, a couple of years ago, to make a compilation video available for sale, but due to costs the project was unfortunately cancelled. Hopefully someone, someday can make a proper compilation out of this material. Their music is hard to describe: It's timeless, often very melodic, but can change abruptly into an inferno of unstructured noise before shifting to a completely new mode. In general the mood is very dark. Their lyrics are in english and often pretty 'far out': I want to ride an Astral Scooter, timeless through the Universe. Exploring space with the speed of thought, having gravity just as a bad ol' dream. ################################################################### # D I S C O G R A P H Y # ################################################################### **** OFFICIAL RELEASES **** -------------------------------------------------------------------- MUNCH (LP) T23 001 T23 1987 (CD) TAT 012 Tatra Records 1993 Tracks: 1. Golden gun 5. 100 Hz 2. Emptiness 6. War 3. Tiamotti 7. Fun 4. MS ** The original vinyl album was only released in Norway, in a very limited edition, it's impossible to get these days. The album was also released on CD, in January 1993, but the CD may be just as hard to find as the LP since it was limited to 500 copies!! The artwork on the sleeve was painted by Jan Philippe Laurent, a Norwegian multi-artist. ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- MUNCH (LP) DOSSIER ST 7560 Dossier Records 1988 Tracks: 1. Emptiness 6. 100 Hz 2. Fun 7. War 3. Tiamotti 8. MS 4. Golden gun 5. Mouse ** This is the international version of T23 001. It contains one new song, "Mouse", and new versions of "Tiamotti", and "MS". ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- MEGATAPE (MC) T23 ??? T23 1988 Tracks: ??? ** Tape. Released in 23 copies. Deleted ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- EXCESSIVE MOBILITY (LP) T23 006 T23 1990 (CD) TAT 013 Tatra Records 199? Tracks: 1. Watching 7. Old volcano 2. Thrill 8. Astral scooter 3. Movement 9. Strangle 4. Astral scooter I 10. Krux seven 5. Gnome three 6. Pebbles ** Released as a vinyl only album in the fall 1990. It was scheduled release on CD in January 1993, but according to Tomas Bertelsen it was never reissued in 1993. However, he writes, it is supposed to be reissued in the fall of 1995! At least Tatra Records have made a unique catalog number for the reissue. But things seem to go very slow there. The artwork on the sleeve was painted (originally in colour) by Jan Philippe Laurent. ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- TREE (CD) T23 008 T23 1991 Tracks: 1. Elegy 7. ? 2. Car 8. Red star 3. Guilt 9. ! 4. Addicted 10. Chaingang 5. Numb thoughts 11. ... 6. Strangle 12. Black star ** Tracks 3,5 and 7-12 were recorded live and tracks 1,2,4 and 6 are studio-recordings. The material was recorded between 1986 and 1991 and this was MUNCH's goodbye to their fans. CD only! ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- MOMENTS OF MOVEMENT (MC) #004 dBUT Recordings 1992 Tracks: A1. Mouse B1. Movement A2. Watching B2. Mega #1 A3. Golden gun B3. Kakakapoffi A4. Car B4. interview A5. Thrill B5. War A6. Tiamotti B6. Wicked A7. Emptiness B7. Danskeferja A8. Mega #2 C1. Circles D1. MS/Burn C2. Stranger D2. Strangle C3. interview D3. Astral scooter C4. Tiamotti D4. Addicted C5. Movement D5. Pebbles C6. Emptiness D6. Intro/ Golden Gun D7. Circles/ Fun ** This is a double-tape. The sound-quality is not perfect. Side C and D, "The third part of the history series"-tape, contains live-performances from Munch. But since most of the songs were recorded on a walk-man, only true Munch fans will enjoy this part. Tracks A8 and B2 are from the rare "Megatape" from 1988. Tracks A1-A7 were recorded by the national broadcasting in Norway during the music-program Rock'89. Tracks B1,B5 and B6 are from "Dreams & Dances" a private demo done by Runar Hodne at dBUT (Loop 23). ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- LIVE (CD) TAT 010 Tatra Records 1992 Tracks: 1. Stranger 9. Summer 2. Car 10. Emptiness 3. Guilt 11. Golden gun 4. Addicted 12. Kapoff 5. Numb thoughts 13. Mouse 6. Strangle 14. Tiamotti 7. Chaingang 15. Fun 8. Watching ** Recorded live during Munch's last concert: At Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway, on December 6 1991. Very good sound- quality. CD only ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- **** COMPILATIONS **** ==================================================================== DOSSIER II (LP) DLP 7546 Dossier Records 1989 Tracks: - SIDE A - 1. FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY "Resistance" [4:31] 2. COMPOUND "Decaying october" [4:03] 3. DELERIUM "Sieg of atrocity" [4:08] 4. COMPOUND "Mother savage" [4:36] 5. JEFF GREINKE "A growing wave" [3:30] - SIDE B - 1. CHROME "That's okay for me" [6:18] 2. CONTROLLED BLEEDING "Be silent" [7:11] 3. MUNCH "Astral scooter" [2:56] 4. THE WASP FACTORY "Dark is looking bright" [3:09] ** This sampler on the German label Dossier Records came in clear transparent vinyl. ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- SERIOUS STATEMENTS AND SILLY SYMPHONIES (MC) #003 dBUT Recordings 1991 Tracks: - SIDE A - 1. CCC CNC NCN (Italy) "Nel nome del N.O.M. pt.9" 2. MONIEK DARGE (Belgium) "Man-mo /exerpt/" 3. RORSCHACH (Norway) "Brainwave/Head" 4. ATMAN LMT (Poland) "#1" 5. KATHLEEN YEARWOOD (Canada) "Fiery heart" 6. ROLF VASELLARI (Swiss) "A liar" 7. HELGE STEN & EVA OEDEGAARD (Norway) "Farvel barnebiter" 8. MARIAS BAD (Norway) "Regina Rass /excerpt/" 9. IMAGINEERS (Canada) "8 points of light" - SIDE B - 1. ThB nett ARCHIVES: H.R.H. Haakon Magnus (Prince of Norway) 2. MUNCH (Norway) "Stranger" 3. HARALD SACK ZIEGLER (Germany) "Schneckenhaus /live/" 4. GODFRIED-WILLEM RAES (Belgium) "Shifts /computer version/" 5. MATT BURT (USA) "Hey tree tree" 6. JARBOE (USA) "The believers" 7. ThB nett ARCHIVES: Drumcheck stolen from Les Sales Combles 8. M.NOMIZED (France) "Sad death rap /voice mix/" 9. SADOMAOISTAN (Norway) "Der knoelhval des Nibelungen /excerpt/" 10. HARALD SACK ZIEGLER (Germany) "Fuer Tore" 11. TRBNGR (Norway) "/mutated by Stryke/" 12. P.PANHUYSEN/HET BRABANT ORKEST (Holland) "Crickets concert" 13. ThB nett ARCHIVES: LES PETITS FIERS (France) "/vocal mix/" WOLFGANG GOETTERLING (Brazil) "/shortrauma/" 14. ELVIS PRESLEY (Norway) "Are you lonesome tonight?" 15. ELF HETZER (Norway) "Fly" ** This tape is a compilation of various Norwegian and foreign artists with some sort of link to the dBUT network. ELVIS PRESLEY, on side B, is NOT the real thing and the version of "Are you lonesome tonight" are lightyears away from the original with very distorted guitars and vocal, and with a heavy synth rhythm. The coolest sample on this tape is from an interview with the Prince of Norway, Haakon Magnus, he claim to be a rock rebell !!! ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- T23 COMPILATION (LP) T23 004 T23 1988 Tracks: 1. AVE "A few acres of heaven" 2. AVE "Butterside down" 3. MUNCH "To tette" 4. Bang & Hempel "Going down" 5. WOODLANDS "Purpose of music (remix)" 6. WOODLANDS "When the rain comes" 7. THE PASSENGERS "Blinded puppets" 8. THE PASSENGERS "The last waltz" -------------------------------------------------------------------- A GOLDEN SHOWER FROM NORWAY (VIDEO) Bootleg TV 1993 Tracks: 1. VAMPIRE STATE BUILDING "Two tribes" 2. KRISTIANSAND KUNST KOMMANDO "Kasematten" 3. RAPTUS NORVEGICUS "Walk alone" 4. TUTTI CONTRO MAGGIE "Sotto" 5. ORAL CONSTITUTION "So many things" 6. HOLY TOY "Last act" 7. SUPERSKILL "Thank u God" 8. ORIGAMI "Tre (om trallen)" 9. MUNCH "Strangle" 10. SISTE RAVNEGAL "Boller" ** This video was produced and released by a Norwegian independent TV station called BOOTLEG TV. The video only exist in the European format and it only exist in a strictly limited number - probably 500. The video feature some of the most interesting artists from Norway the last couple of years. Ivar Mykland appear twice, in MUNCH and in KKK. The KKK-video was first screened on the Ultima festival in Oslo October 1993. For those of you with the European video-system, the video can be ordered from Panorama Records or directly from Bootleg: BOOTLEG, HOLSTGT.1, 0473 OSLO, NORWAY ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- **** RELATED PROJECTS **** KRISTIANSAND KUNST KOMMANDO / KKK ============================================= Only a year after the break up of MUNCH the former frontman Ivar Mykland had a new project ready for release: Kristiansand Kunst Kommando aka KKK. During the first year after MUNCH Ivar had started to explore ambient and various forms of techno. It's not unlikely that the name was inspired by the movement around LAIBACH: Neue Slovenschke Kunst; KKK means Kristiansand Art Commando (Kristiansand is the town south in Norway where MUNCH came from) and it have the same sound in my ears as NSK. In January 1993 the album "A Trip Outside" was released on Tatra records. But there are NO references to KKK on the sleeve so all shops and papers listed the group name as A TRIP OUTSIDE, even Tatra did. But with the exception of this release everything that Ivar Mykland has done after MUNCH, which includes everything from cutting up cars in the middle of a square to performances of various kinds, is known collectivly as KKK. KKK have done some powerful cyberpunk-inspired shows, especially the one at The Quart Festival, in Kristiansand, Norway, July 10 1993 will be remembered: Ivar and his two fellow KKK's were dressed in white body suits, and all of their bare skin was painted white. On stage they had some sort of a brain-scanner that converted electric brain-pulses into electronic noise. They combined this brain- scanning stuff with agressive industrial EBM (of the non-guitar type): Really weird stuff!! During the Quart Festival '94 KKK had a bizarre "performance" in a bunker, just outside Kristiansand. At 4AM in the morning, to match the early sunrise in Norway, they gathered an audience of several hundred people to witness their light show inside the bunker and the very special ambient music they played. According to one source that spoke to Mykland, shortly before this show, Mykland indicated that he wanted to end the project. But as of fall 1995 nothing has been stated officially about KKK. -------------------------------------------------------------------- A TRIP OUTSIDE (CD) TAT 014 TATRA 1993 Tracks: 1. Ascent 2. Blue world 3. Henrys grief 4. Cybercamels 5. Yondervoid 6. The whistler 7. Ix 8. Catworld 9. The dead musician ** This CD was relased in January 1993, the music is very low pitched and completely digital. It's very unlike the powerful music that KKK perform live, though the songs are the same! ** -------------------------------------------------------------------- BLAATT TOG ========== This is Rich Nordskog's new band. They play some sort of contemporary jazz. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SYDLIGE VIND (CDS) T23 009 T23 1993 Tracks: 1. Hun reiser, reiser 2. Enden av verden -------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************** Last revised: December 28 1995 Compiled by: Bernt Rostad (bor@fys.uio.no) http://www.fys.uio.no/~bor Thanx to: Tomas Bertelsen (tomas@ifi.unit.no) for reissue info Runar, Per and Tore at dBUT, Tormod at Tatra. This file is available from WWW at: http://www.fys.uio.no/~bor/diskog/ascii/munch And it is also available in html-format at this URL http://www.fys.uio.no/~bor/diskog/munch.html ********************************************************