Iranian Female Olympic Female Table Tennis Team Theme

Release date: March,1999

Already recorded in 1996, this is a rather odd ball for Muslimgauze. One epic piece (33:15 minutes) of lo-fi droning sound (kinda like Azzazin), and with an added rhythm. Just one long flowing piece, without the harsh textures of the Arabic beats.

With a title like this, it is obvious that it should be packed with a ping pong paddle. These were hand manufactured and silkscreened by U.S. artist Jennifer Friedrich and is even before the release a much rumoured item.

The edition is split in 2, one half will arrive at Staalplaat and the other half will remain in the U.S.A. with Soleilmoon. All our subscribers are served first, the remainder will be open for sale to our dear distributors and wholesalers.

Press release from Staalplaat.

out now: April 13, 1999

Another hit by the mysterious Bryn Jones, the man behind the even more mysterious project Muslimgauze. You might wonder why the effective tablas were left out on this album, where the wonderful breaks in rhythm are what made each Muslimgauze release so strange and unexpected. Now, it is the time to see the hidden talents in Bryn Jones' work!

We have the rare chance to listen to one 32-minute track that has the capability to stretch endlessly (if you push the right button at your CD
player) without ever becoming boring. The analogue bubble bath you find yourself confronted with is similar to his now deleted "Azzazin" album
that was released on Staalplaat several years ago. Although "Azzazin" has nothing lost of his dramatic powerfulness "Iranian Female Olympic Table
Tennis Team Theme" definitely knows how to overcome the high expectations we have of a successor of "Azzazin" and, of course, it will boom everybody's mind who still thinks Muslimgauze keep on doing the same for ages. No doubt, this is ffrrressh!

Press release Staalplaat-Berlin/Musique Korrekt

The following appeared in The Wire.

Now Here's an under-exposed side of the late Bryn Jones character - a sense of humour. The splendid title is born out by the eschewal of his usual Palestinian kickdrum electro for a couple of loosely phased drone loops that loopily circle and eclipse each other for 33 minutes in a style similar to Faust's 'Party Tapes'.

review by: Biba Kopf
This text originally appeared in The Wire magazine (issue # 184).
Reproduced by permission.
The Wire on-line index.

The following is an exclusive review.

I often wonder why some artists release material under pseudonyms: usually it seems more related to worries about flooding the market rather than different musical styles. And then sometimes you wonder why people don't. This is one of those cases.

The IFOTTTA is really unlike any recent Muslimgauze release that I have heard - the most similar I've come across is the minimal techno of 'Hammer and Sickle'. Here we have a single, 33 minute track that revels in its static nature: rather like some of his longer rhythmic pieces where very little seems to happen. Underlying it is a drone loop over which are some layers of banging (not percussive) and clicking loops. Occasional dubby washes sweep the sound, but overall it sounds like Bryn has set a machine in motion and let it go, providing some tweaks here and there.

But don't get me wrong, it is not a throwaway - rather it is a mesmerising sonic encounter: I could imagine putting it on repeat play and letting it wash away. The closest Muslimgauze artefact it comes to is the Species of Fishes disk which also doesn't sound like Muslimgauze: it also sits very easily besides Ikeda and other microwave artists.

Another question it raises is the relationship between Muslimgauze music, titles and images. There may be some ironic gesture in the juxtaposition of an unlikely table tennis team with an electronic track (perhaps also between ping pong and the electro bleeps). And is the image of fully covered women (the team?) a feminist statement concerning the role of women in strict countries? Would Iran allow a female table tennis team to compete?

Which came first: the idea for the package, the title or the music?

The bat is lovingly created, the layers of lacquer giving it a golden glow.

review by: Jeremy Keens
The Messenger Official Reviewer.Erectile Dysfunction

The following appeared on Mark Weddles' CD & Live Show Reviews page .

Overall impression: music - good, packaging - excellent. Yes, another CD from Muslimgauze. I think this is the 6th new release I've picked up so far this year, but this one is rather unique. "Iranian.." is a single 33+ minute track CD (limited to 500 copies) that comes "packaged" on a tennis table paddle. One side of the paddle has the normal black rubber grip plus a black foam button holder for the CD. The other side has a hand screened image of three woman in head to toe white robes with a city scene as background, the CD title and artist name. Really a very striking piece of work. Is it going to fit into your CD storage system?  No, probably not ... but who cares? This is a piece of art worthy of permanent display, like the majority of the Muslimgauze covers/inserts. As for the music it is essentially one repetitious ambient drone:  a continuous hum layered with shimmering pulses, electrical buzzes and cracklings, a meandering and somewhat random melody, very minimal percussive tapping and the occasional surges of a bass tone. It's soothing, but changes little throughout the duration of the CD. This is a bit of an atypical, electro-ambient beat-less departure for Muslimgauze ... good stuff but I won't be spinning it as often as other recent releases. "Iranian.." is a bit pricey, it's more for the rabid collector than the casual fan. The care and effort that Staalplaat and Soleilmoon continue to afford new Muslimgauze releases even after Bryn Jones' death this past January is impressive. And, there's many more to come ...

review by: Mark Weddle
CD & Live Show Reviews

see also Fakir Sind, Hand Of Fatima, Box Of Silk And Dogs & Iranian Female Olympic Table Tennis Team Theme

November 20, 2006