I’ve been a writer here for six years, almost to the date. During that time I’ve learnt, amongst other things, that the thirst for musical discoveries can’t be quenched, and that it’s good to surround yourself with people who aren’t complete fucking idiots. During my tenure I’ve also perhaps written more Weekly Featured Artist articles than anyone else here, and pretty much annually, one such feature falls right around my birthday. This year’s no different, as later this week I’ll surpass a certain even numerical threshold that causes crisis for many, so what’s better than to celebrate it by writing about something timeless and grating, not entirely unlike myself.
It’s almost a (rather unfunny) gag by now that today’s artist is the third in a row I’ve lifted from Opal Tapes‘ discography playlist (first one being S Olbricht and second Huerco S.), which just goes to show that you really need to keep tabs on that label. Today, however, were far from the warm and fuzzy eclectic electronica those previous artists are known for, and take a proper plunge into the other deep end.
SELM is a project between the brothers Nicolas and Tomas Giets, based in Belgium, and focusing on producing an extremely visceral type of rhythmic noise and droning industrial. The light here is very scarce, as the duo mainly lurk at the deepest, most shadowed out corner of electronic music. It isn’t all horror and dismal mien however, as the pair’s produce is meticulously well crafted and albeit can be grating at the ears when undergone for a longer period of time, it’s filled to the brim with pervasive hooks and clever details, coming together under a wider umbrella of absolutely haunting ambiance.
Having worked together and on various projects since the mid-00’s, as SELM, the brothers have put out two albums and EP since 2019, with their newest album dehNUNG scheduled to come out via Aesthetical – a subsidiary of Cyclic Law – on June 20. I actually didn’t know of the new one until I had already starting to write this piece, and while the focus is mainly on charting the project’s explored terrains thus far, it’s nice to for once leave you off with a ‘remember to check this out‘ note rather than the regular ‘I wish they did something again someday‘, which is always a bit painful, but so standard.
SELM‘s debut full-length Kreise came out via Opal Tapes in early 2019. The effort was an unbelievably dreadful – and magnificent as such – catalyst for the project, which spans over twelve songs sculpted out of seething agony portrayed into existence by a very limited amount of tools and means. The emphasis might be on minimalism as far as instrumentalism is considered, but tonally Kreise could be characterised as massive thanks to its cacophonous nature. It’s the kind of stuff you put on and suddenly notice odd shapes in the shadows that aren’t there, random jump-scare-ish movements in the corner of your eye, and the overwhelming feeling of not being alone where you are, even though you by all accounts should be. So you know, the good stuff.
The opening track “Blood” wastes no time in exemplifying the above, as we’re immediately met with a brooding and ratcheting, droning noise and a steady low-end boomy kick, capable of conjuring up visions of a desolated environment and a silhouette of a city turned into but a pile of wreckage. These sentiments echo throughout Kreise, especially on the mentioned track as well as on “Sand”, “Vishnu”, and “Kirsche”. Midway into the album, the perverted type of industrial techno also takes the forefront on songs like “Esche” and “Selfsub”, where the noisescapes weave in and out in tandem with the buzzing percussions, forming a very lively unison between the two.
The interplay between these two parallel aspects is rather essential when SELM is considered as an entity, and whereas Kreise heavily relied on innuendo, the duo’s second album, the 2020’s TiiiER / Post-Adrenaline leans into them more heavily right off the bat. Initially conceived as two five-track EPs that then got melt together into one bigger entirety, the album made up of halves divided between the industrial drive and the noisy textural execution was the first I heard from them, and despite its dualistic nature, a very holistic and full listening experience.
If I were to introduce someone to SELM‘s doings, I’d start here, and giddily watch as the first time listener’s face melt into a puddle of goo. There’s rarely been as blunt and down-to-the-point opening as here with the song “Sin”, that just begins to stomp on you the very second it starts, and doesn’t relent until it’s over. While the first half TiiiER mainly explores the pounding kind of electronics and does so in a rather enjoyable fashion (the fifth song “Laus” being even a wee bit tribalistic, and dare I say danceable, in appearance), the Post-Adrenaline portion of the record slows things down to areas calling back to Kreise. The instrumentation is more nuanced and full-fledged this time around though, and overall the vibe is the very definition of the word churning.
Tracks like “Brett” and “Sommeil” are just atrocious and vile breaths of acrid air, while “Nineteen Voices” and “Regen” add steadier rhythmic elements into the caustic swathes of noise. The overall atmosphere isn’t perhaps as distressing as on the debut, but you certainly shouldn’t mistake this for easy listening either. The term ‘well-produced’ can be a swear word for some when it comes to noise, but personally I find ruckus of this caliber quite a bit more gripping and pleasant to listen to than your run-of-the-mill 40-minute washing-machine-through-a-HM2 endeavour. There is a time and a place for that too, and to each their own of course, I just generally like spices in my food and something meant for human ingestion on my glass.
This brings us to mid-2024 and the release of SELM‘s newest (as of today) effort Shores – a seven-track EP sculpted out of old and new material picked up from the cutting room floor and brought to life as individual pieces of music. With the exception of the closing track “Bliss”, which is considered a bonus track and is entirely made out of a sullen piano passage and tape hiss, Shores is some of the best sounding noise drone I’ve ever heard. The rhythmic elements are surprisingly sparse, though not entirely missing, and the majority of the EP proceeds in a constantly shifting, exhilarating mass of sound that makes you appreciate silence after its over. Up until you feel the incessant need to replay it for the tenth time, that is.
Goes without saying that SELM‘s output up until this date has been nothing short of adventurous and multilateral, and the two recently released singles from the upcoming new album promise a lot of that is ahead in the not too distant future as well. I’m luckily in a position where I can pull a thread or two to get my callous hands on the record prior to its release to review it, but a month isn’t a long wait at this day and age anyway. In fact, a month is just about the right amount of time you should take to revise these previous lessons in aural excellence in preparation of the new one, and remember to follow SELM on Facebook and Instagram, and pre-order the new one while you’re at it.
