by Jason Coffman [Anaphylaxis]
D-503: "D-503" (Lucha Libre Recordings)
   There are many different schools of experimental and noise arts. From the pummeling, screeching power electronics all the way to barely-there, minimalist ambience. Andrew Johnson, recording under the name D-503, covers much of this ground on this self-titled cassette. But Johnson does not simply retread the work of those who have gone before him; there are moments on this tape that rival the most accomplished noise acts out there.
   The only shortcoming of "D-503" is that the first few tracks ("reflection coil," "coeliac drain," and "elevator music") seem to run together if you're not listening closely; they're not identical, but they have a similar feel to them. This is not necessarily bad, since the sounds here are eerie and disturbing. I was reminded somewhat of horror-film sound design, and the excellent sound design for the Playstation game "Silent Hill."
   Things take a radical departure with "industrial park," a lengthy track that does not feel nearly as long as it actually is. Here, a manipulated sample of what may be short wave radio static sounds like a free-jazz saxophonist skronk caught in an eternal loop. The track progresses, building in volume and menace. This is truly an excellent piece.
   It is followed by "I'm Feeling Puffy (version 3)." Both "industrial park" and "puffy" are characterized by an underlying rhythm that help keep things interesting; however, "puffy" lacks the ominous overtones of the earlier track. Built from samples taken from a recording of a skipping Puff Daddy cd, this track is often sparse-- sparse enough, in fact, to feel quite a bit longer than its four-minute running time. It is not boring, but it is a tribute to Johnson's talents that he is able to build tracks that stretch or compact time in the listener's mind. It is also worth noting that there is no possible way to recognize the sample source without liner notes!
   The first side ends with the brief "grenade" and the genuinely unsettling "audio construction (humanities class mix)." The almost-subliminal human voice effect returns for this track, leaving the listener shaken and anticipating more horrors on side two.
   As it turns out, "auto" (the first track on side two) is actually calming. Built from what sound like the sounds of automobile repair (twisting ratchets, dripping oil), the track is strongly reminiscent of early-mid '80s Einsturzende Neubauten's more ambient works. Again, Johnson has given the track a sense of (somewhat irregular) rhythm that keeps it from feeling too cumbersome. Any reassurance that things are going to be all right are done away with by the second track.
   "meat-covered skeleton" is a 16-minute beast of a track that truly feels like the soundtrack that would accompany the unbearably tense climax to a horror film. The track begins with seemingly random sounds and slowly builds until the track explodes with what appears to be synth chords mixed with the noise, creating an atmosphere that is anything but pleasant.
   "her solemn face" draws the album to a close with a much more subdued approach. The "random pops" start the track out with a strange, percolating feel and eventually a seemingly random melody slides under the pops. It feels much like being carefully brought down after a terribly traumatic experience, but the atmosphere is still somewhat unsettling.
   Overall, "D-503" is an excellent effort. And at $2, this full-length cassette is more than worth your money as well as your time. There are hints that seem to suggest the project moving in a more musical (or at least more rhythmic) direction, leaving the listener curious as to what Johnson might do next. Personally, I am definitely anticipating hearing more from Johnson and D-503 in the future.
   (It is worth noting that D-503 has also released a single for "reflection coil" constituted of a 3.5" floppy disk with a few tracks in .mp3 format, a .jpg artwork file, and a text file explaining what's on the single-- if you order the tape, request the disk!)  -Jason Coffman
   [note: the track listing on this copy may not be the same as the one you get until i get all my tracks on cd, as my computer has a tendency to muck up while its playing certain songs, which gets annoying after a while, ending up with varied tracks, get it? -andrew]


by Mark [Rainbow of Goodness, Odd Productions]
d:503-60 minute cassette ...room after square shaped room is empty, he knows this, and presses forward. Machinery, metal and robotics all create echo including motionless puddles of water and rusty debris. Yes. There are small rodents. Yes. We are in the future. There is high pitched blasts of electricity... creatures are in the walls. And then silence... this tape is minimalist sound... not at all very irritating, using computer manipulation and relaxed feeling. Cover is very interesting: hand made using eraser stamps and blueish ink. And3y @ hotmail.com mp3.com/d503 $2/trade


by Phil Kretschman [the Fantastics, Eggshell and Four Dead, etc etc etc]
d503 s/t (lucha libre recordings)
i don't know much about andrew johnson, aka d503. we got in touch after seeing each other posting about ourselves and our projects on various noise-related messageboards and guestbooks. so we assembled a little tape trade, and i must say i'm quite pleased. d503 work somewhere in between electronic glitchcore, floating ambient, and flat out noise. the majority of the sounds seem to be either computer-generated or -effected, but unlike most others hunched over their pc's, you can sense a definite human interaction going on here. the 60 minute cassette features 13 tracks ranging from very short to rather long pieces of feedback manipulations, chilling tones of unknown origin, some sick and heavily effected patch-cord destruction, and tons of other inscrutable sounds. not too far separated from the stuff vok has been doing, but definitely more "active." if that makes sense. the best tracks on this cassette, although i haven't made up my mind as to which those are yet, would make an excellent 7", esp. since a number of them are the right length. as a 60-minute tape this doesn't have the cohesiveness i'd like to hear, but i gather this is simply a sampler-pack of d503ness made for people like me to check out his different styles. so in that regard, it works well as a series of isolated styles and shows this kid won't be content plodding away in one specific mood or genre. i hope labels catch up to this, so we can see some more official releases coming from our new friend in minnesota. check out his web page for more info.

D-503  - Self Titled
This may be the first D-503 release, but I'm dead impressed. The first two tracks are brief vignettes which nicely introduce the listener to 'Elevator Music' - one of the stand-out tracks which is spacious and atmospheric. 'Atomic Weight' has a weird pitch-shifted voice speaking into a constantly buzzing, cracking microphone which dominates most of the track, accented at times by radar blips - it's enjoyable but perhaps just a little long. The track which follows it, namely "Zombie" is one of my favourites, being a nice drone that would make a perfectly weird backing to a living-dead type movie - definitely dark and otherworldly. Excellent. The weird atmosphere continues on the beginning of 'O-90' but suddenly turns into a loud screaming noise-fest which sounds like a dustbin full of fireworks exploding in the hull of a Giger-esque alien ship, a great track that possesses the area between your ears (your brain?) and won't let it go for it's eight minute duration. "Auto" provides a pleasant relief from the intensity of the last track and is seemingly a cut-up of mechanical noises. Following that is a something which sounds like someone electrocuting a small monkey, which is the sort of thing I enjoy listening to on Sunday afternoons anyway so that's good. There's also something distorted and semi-musical going on in the background. The first three minutes of 'Meat Covered Skeleton' bordered on the silent before synthesised chirps rose to the surface and take control of the stereo channels. Electronic glitches, drips, drones and groans accent the high-pitched bat-like synthesised sounds which eventually lead the listener deep within the earth. Damn good and at around twenty minutes it's
certainly epic in length - I like its trance-like, fear-filled atmosphere, but feel that, like 'Soup' on Can's 'Tago Mago', it would perhaps be better
suited to being the final track. "December 22"s humming ambience is cut short by "Grenade"s weird granulated electronic sound-stream with D-503s trademark glitchy noises attacking the ears. "Transmission" seems to he a heavily granulated sweep through the airwaves and is perhaps a tad long, but nice enough. The excellent closing track, "Her Solemn Face" has a mangled drum-loop that initially sounds like popcorn in a microwave or cats spitting. This is accompanied by some one-fingered organ playing - it's very mellow and goes nowhere with style.
All in all, a cool, very varied selection of sounds from minimalism to noise - good recording quality and a neat printed case. A damn good debut!