Brutaż-15 presents Isabella Koen’s new release “Cracked, serving assorted sweets make heaven.”
Experience a novel sonic realm crafted by Isabella Koen, an uninhibited live performer and a solo entertainer creating a whimsical atmosphere. Her sound is polished, cacophonous, unrefined, avant-garde, seductive, lighthearted, mysterious, eccentric, leisurely, and brisk—all tailored for larger sound systems. The compositions on Cracked, a collection of diverse musical confections, deploy pounding yet irregular kick drums, exhibiting a fluctuating tempo.
A1. Exit Appeal (6:01)
A2. Gooof (7:00)
B1. Liquibliss (5:22)
B2. Joy Drive (5:37)
Releases February 12, 2024
PRE-ORDER: https://brutaz.bandcamp.com/album/cracked-serving-assorted-sweets-make-heaven
Side A turns risky breaks into an oddly enjoyable experience while the tracks on B flip trance motifs into rather serious, darker futuristic ride.
Isabella’s work also happens to be a link between Providence’s noise scene & pranksters from Börft Records, Herrensauna’s dancefloors and halls of Berklee College of Music where she preaches.
Isabella Koen is a sound artist, DJ, and composer investigating the intersections of sound art and club music. Best known for her hard-driving, all-hardware live sets and off-kilter releases, her practice developed in the belly of underground art and performance spaces, and incorporates the dual role of artist and researcher.
Her sound is rooted in broad-ranging experimentation while simultaneously extracting known sonic signifiers from classic rave, hard techno, trance, and drum ‘n’ bass.
What is Brutaż [bruitage]? An ephemeral entity setting up parties, screenings, workshops, lectures & protests around Poland from 2012 to 2019, now just a label. Currently operated by rrrkrta who also works at Hard Wax record store.
The goal of Brutaż nights was to allow expression that’s beyond commodified happiness and/or rush to reach out for all shades of repressed emotions, be them good or bad.
The label is built around rrrkrta’s encounters in the clubs, trying to force people to start making music or come out into the light, hence it’s mostly releasing debuts & involves a lot of artists from Eastern Europe.
“I met Isabella Koen when I invited her to play live on Brutaż in 2017. Her live act was full of fun and improvisation that I remembered from free improv gigs, yet full of groove , overshadowing the other live-act we had that night (that artist is currently too famous & spiteful to be named though). I felt that sort of light-hearted yet ecstatic vibe from other Providence-related artists I regularly worked with, including DJ Richard and James K… it feels important, as there’s annot a lot of promoters/diggers/ravers I can easily connect in that carefree, empathetic regard.“
That said, the record Isabella made now, is a step forward, a different, less analogue-driven sound, this time suited for bigger rooms and calibrated to confront the corrupted audiences of today. It’s glossy, it’s relentless & doesn’t wait for anyone’s snarky comment.
SOCIALS TO FOLLOW:
Isabella Koen
Brutaż
CREDIT:
Mastered by Tim Xavier @timxavier at Manmade Mastering @manmademastering
Cover design by Aleksandra Grünhoöz / We Will Fail @wewillfail
Artwork by Sam Clarke @3sam3clarke3
Physical distribution @oneyewitness (Amsterdam’s One Eye Witness)
