Kühe In 1/2 Trauer / P16.D4
I first learned of P16.D4 through an article in the magazine Fools Mate.
I was captivated by the mysteriousness of the band name and album title, as well as the contemporary art-like beauty of the album cover.
However, like other classic noise albums, this album was difficult to obtain when it was first released, fetching high prices, and I was never able to listen to it.
Finally, in 1994, it was reissued on CD by the French label ODD SIDE, and became available.
The album title is in German, but does it translate correctly to “Half-Mourning Cows"?
I only recently learned that the band name is an abbreviation of the words “Progressive Disco," and that the numbers 16 and 4 represent the alphabetical order of P and D, starting with A. (I learned this from noise musician K2’s blog.)
Masami Akita(a.k.a. Merzbow)’s classic book “Noise War," which is a compilation of writings from Fools Mate, Silver Star Club, and other publications, devotes many pages to P16.D4.
In particular, P.16D4’s attempts at exchanging sounds through exchanged music, as well as destruction and reconstruction, are explained in line with postmodernist ideas.
This work exists as an extension of experimental music, setting P.16D4 apart from commercial music and the world explored by Throbbing Gristle.
Music, through media such as CDs and records, takes on the appearance of a comprehensive art form through the sound, jacket art, and live performances, including musical instruments, but it could also be said that the process of sound creation has been incorporated into the art.
Although this work was created nearly 40 years ago, the development of sound, based on lofty ideas, remains impressive even today.