I had not heard of MCHK, but the description notes that “MCHK is a collaborative project between Manuel Carbone & Hendekagon. Manuel Carbone is an Italian sound artist and electroacoustic enthusiast, currently based in Berlin, with an abstract approach to composition through manipulation of field recording and found-objects, as well as synthesized sounds and tape loops, resulting in works that often range from musique-concréte to ambient and noise. Hendekagon (also known as Signalstoerung) is an interdisciplinary artist from Leipzig. In his works he often explores the relativeness of beauty. He is co-founder of the artist groups Global Noise Movement and Adventurous Music.” I was familiar with Hendekagon and Signalstoerung and had reviewed releases on Inner Demons and Oxidation, so I was interested to see how Carbone would alter the balance. Let’s dive in and see.

This release consists of one twenty minute track, “Shrouded in Silence,” which kicks off with the sounds of a windswept plain as you hear mournful horns playing a repetitive refrain in the background. There is a thin layer of static that permeates the track. Halfway through, the roles reverse, and the noisy elements come to the forefront, as the horns remain to keep a kind of continuity. About 16 minutes in, we have completely given way to the noise, but this is not harsh at all. In fact, it is almost soothing. As it slowly fades out, we have static and what sounds like a dot matrix printer running quietly, with the last minute fading out so quietly that you have to crank up the volume to maximum to hear anything. And when you do, there are the horns, almost imperceptibly still playing their mournful tune (I was grateful that they were kind to my ears by not throwing in a massive, eardrum blowing noise blast at the end).

Overall, this was a nice composition that shifts over time and is just long enough to settle in and enjoy the ride. Well done. This is limited to 42 copies, so get while you can.