Released
1996 & 1997

Label
Polywave

Reviewed by
Matt Simpson

Contact
Polywave

Visit
Polywave

Visit
The Haters

Last Edit/Update
29 June, 1999

Blank Banner & Cutivating Clamity

  Track Listing

Blank Banner
1996
1. Noise as the Blank Banner of an Untitled Ideology
2. The Facts On Polywave
3. Strength Through Emptyness

Cultivating Calamity
1997
1) Predetermined By Accident 8
2) Predetermined By Acident 12
3) Drop Ascending One
4) Drop Ascending Two
5) Drop Ascending Three
6) Drop Ascending Four
7) Cultivating Calamities
8) Cultivation Calamities Again

    The Haters were formed in 1979 by GX Jupitter-Larsen who got tired of being booted from punk bands for refusing to learn how to play his instrument. Since 19'79 The Haters have performed over 260 times in 12 countries. The Haters have 15 CDs and 25 singles out. They also appear on over 300 compilation releases. (Taken from a history of The Haters sent by GX Jupitter-Larsen, current Chief Sound Engineer for Survival Research Labs)
    Ahh. I love good noise. This, friends, is good noise in mass quantities. The Haters have been around for 20 years performing their brand of, well, disturbing and ear-bleeding goodness in countless ways and with
interesting techniques.
    I really wish I could go see The Haters live. I had never previously heard of The Haters until someone suggested that Last Sigh include their material. I was contacted by GX Jupitter-Larsen and recieved a bulk of material, including an insanely cool newsletter, 2 CDs, a discography, and a poster. While reading through the history and newsletter for The Haters,
I became intrigued.
    From what I gather, Larsen has quite a presence in the San Fransisco area. With incredible amounts of shows, Larsen has perfected the noise technique. Larsen is, in a pure sense of the word, an artist. Beyond the ear-bleeding goodness of his noise work, GX Jupitter-Larsen includes prose and insight with the newsletter entitled "Scraps of Paper". Needless to say, this is quite entertaining and incredibly cool.
    On the to the aural aspects. Utilizing such techniques as grinding a microphone with two spinning grinders, leaving the mic in a stub and punching hundreds of little holes with amplified hand-held hole punchers amid a sea of distortion and feedback, The Haters master their artistry of sonic terrorism. Larsen is outspoken through his philosophy and it shows through the onslaught of noise in the CDs I received. This is, if really possible, organic noise; not accomplished through synthesis; rather, it reaches its peak through human innovation and statements of purpose.
    The live shows are equally important forms of art. At one show in 1993, The Haters used a suspended ion-gun to charge the entire audience to 5000 volts. As the grinding esctasy unfolded on stage, 160 audience members scrambled to shock each other. Nuts cool.
    I deeply regret not being aware of The Haters prior to this year. I guess it's a blessing in disguise, since I wasn't really a fan of noise until recently, but this should please fans of noise and art through aural onslaught. I truly pray I can witness this 'carnage' in person and will look forward to any future releases by The Haters. I wholeheartedly promote The Haters and urge fans of noise (who haven't already heard of them) to search out anything you can find!