Bad Groupy is the duo of Jeff Surak (Washington, D.C.) and Kris Kuldkepp (Hamburg, Germany) and 'The Last Piece of Graphite' is their debut album. The music is industrial drone/noise, and the duo employed analogue electronics, prepared objects, bass, double bass, guitar, and tapes" on this album and recorded in the studio, in the woods, and on river banks, which gives an interesting location perspective. Surak has lots of releases going back to 1983 and might best be remembered for his New Carrollton improvised post industrial soundscapes project, originally released on his Watergate Tapes label. The classically trained Kris Kuldkepp currently works with DIY audio techniques combined with cutting edge technologies to create a unique fusion of traditional music and sonic disturbance. She explores the rich traditions of the double bass to discover sonic experiences featuring rich harmonic textures, noise music as well as elements from pop and doom ambient.

The album consists of four pieces - "Elevator Talk" (3:02); "Archive of Generic Legs" (6:22); "History Does Not Repeat Its Stuck" (10.34) and "Black Magic of Auditive Seduction" (20:00). Bad Groupy's sonic manipulations are not what you might expect. Industrial noise usually ends up being harsh, more often than not, but that's not typical of 'The Last Piece of Graphite'. In fact, it's much closer to ambient soundscapes mixed with electronic experimental. "Elevator Talk" begins with a segment that sounds typically IDM (with a fairly conventional but minimal rhythm track) but morphs into other, stranger, noisier fare. "Archive of Generic Legs" takes a less whimsical, more industrial approach with event-filled electronics, samples, loops, etc., combined into a variety of segments strung together. "History Does Not Repeat Its Stuck" starts out with a rather calm and minimal ambience but over time turns into the electronic acid trip from hell... and then some. If you're looking for something even more daunting, "Black Magic of Auditive Seduction" will not disappoint, although it's a far cry from most power-electronics projects, it does have its moments, interspersed with periods of calm and relative quiet. (Never could understand why anyone would want to listen to non-stop brutal noise over a lengthy period of time.) There's a combination of the familiar and the strange, as Kuldkepp and Surak seem to throw everything they've got at you, then retreat back into the shadows. In the middle of the whole thing there's something akin to the clatter of a parade, as well as other sampled mania; some being rhythmic, and some not. Over all, the atmosphere is generally trepidatious with an aura of chaos, confusion and destruction. You might not feel the same way coming out of 'The Last Piece of Graphite' as you did coming in, and that's likely exactly what Bad Groupy want you to feel.