Tandoor Dog by Muslimgauze

"In 1998 Staalplaat and Muslimgauze were on a conquering spirit. Bryn Jones (1961-1999), the man behind Muslimgauze delivered new works, almost on a weekly basis and was more than happy to see them released straight away. Unlike others, Staalplaat was never shy to release larger works, lumping various works together, such as the 9CD “Box Of Silk & Dogs”. Allowing free reign in editing, the 4LP box set ‘Tandoori Dog”, contained the LP of the same name, which saw only eight out of the ten original pieces. Now released as a sole CD, the complete, ten track “Tandoori Dog” is released on a limited CD, spanning in total sixty minutes of music. Muslimgauze didn’t fail in this highly productive period. Peaking as never before, his music here carries all that makes Muslimgauze the unique artist he is. Taking his influences from what can be loosely called the Middle East, but extending that to as far as Pakistan, Jones samples freely percussion, instruments and voices and adds these to his own sequences and instruments, such as the tabla. The melting pot that is the studio blends this together, in hypnotic pieces of music. Captivating, minimal, groovy, but rather than being slick and commercial, this is the roughly shaped electronic world of Bryn Jones. All of this motivated and inspired by events in the Middle East, as reflected through the titles Jones picked for his work. A strong pre-occupation with the fate of the occupied people in the Palestinian lands and an unashamed love for such controversial groups as Hezbollah. With the re-issue of “Tandoori Dog” another keystone work by Jones is finally being available again."

"If Drugsherpa features Muslimgauze at its most introspective, then Tandoor Dog must be its extroverted and intricately groove-oriented counterpart. Don't expect any slickness here; this is probably some of the most distorted groovemaking you will ever come across. Opening track "Aurum Franc Insense Ul Myrrh" sets the tone with a funky, distortion-flavored breakbeat that constantly shifts in and out of the aural spectrum, as layers of deconstructed Middle Eastern samples and patterns override it. The great news is that everything that follows sounds equally ill and deliciously fucked up! Originally released in 1997 and now extended with three bonus tracks, this is vintage Muslimgauze at its most memorable, an unstoppable, ever-agitating groove machine, at all times ready to bombard its listeners with an abundance of focused stimuli that even today doesn't know its equal in absorbed yet adventurous music-making.

As the story behind Muslimgauze remains largely unwritten, Bryn Jones will continue to exist as one of the most elusive figures of the electronic music and noise underground. With this recently re-invigorated archive series, of which these two releases are perhaps the most immediately striking ones, you can do yourself a huge favor and start uncovering some of that mystery.

Muslimgauze occupied a strange place in the musical world. He was a powerful, prolific innovator, releasing albums that were alternately beautiful and visceral, full of ambient electronics, polyrhythmic drumming and all kinds of voices and sound effects. The recordings earned him a devoted following in underground, experimental and industrial music circles worldwide.

The New York Times 1999