Coaxial is the latest in a series of projects by musician and academic Benjamin J. Heal. His works stand in an obscure space marked by binary oppositions: truth and lies, methodical calculation and random chance, space and time, change and repetition; that lie on the vanguard of contemporary sound exploration and art eperimentation. Since the initiation of the band birdbath in 1994, whose initial pure noise improvisation experiments morphed into twitchy, controlled and composed math-rock, Heal’s solo and collaborative work in various guises has crafted unique combinations of audio vérité, musique concrete, noise, punk, industrial, and folk, building a highly personal body of work. His prolific COWMAN project (2005-present) continues to plumb the depths of puerile noise-punk and a lo-fi trash aesthetic, following the footsteps of a more composed Hanatarash and early Boredoms. 2014's acclaimed “Tosokurui-no”, under the pseudo-Japanese guise of 'Hitobashira-ni', illuminated the artistic potential found in exploring the limits of control and chaos in a band environment utilizing guitar, drums, synthesizer, sampler and gong. 2016’s 'The Brightness on Dead Water' (as morimori) showcased contrasts between digital and analog, electric and acoustic, songs and sounds; nudging the chaotic themes of its predecessor into fields of more organic abstraction.
'Reductio ad Absurdum' brings Heal to a space that on the surface is pure sound, and pure noise. Yet again, under the surface there are bubbling tensions as these apparent tape loops fold in on themselves in echoing shimmers of familiarity. This is about memory, authenticity and nostalgia; a journey of introspection.
'Reductio Ad Absurdum' presents a monolithic reappraisal of heritage, particularly focused on the individual, and re-evaluates the cultural influences inherent in formative memory through philosophical tropes, endless abstraction and magnification, creating a trompe l'oreille effect. Recorded in Taipei and London, 'Reductio Ad Absurdum' invites the listener to journey through a mathematical landscape of pure paradox, locations of memory and sites of loss and despair. 'Reductio Ad Absurdum' welcomes the listener into a realm of clarity of sound that is at once clean and dirty, choking the listener in waves before opening out onto vistas of nothingness.