Geography of Hell – 19 September 1985 Mexico City / 19 September 2017 Central Mexico MC Hospital Productions 2019
The mysterious collective Geography of Hell have built up quite a reputation since 2008 despite little promotion and difficulty in getting their releases. The six cassettes and one 2xLP have mostly been issued on Hospital Productions (except for one tape on Lust Vessel), all of which have quickly sold out and are extremely difficult to track down given few people seem interested in on-selling them. In fact this new cassette is the first physical release from the project I have managed to obtain.
With the concept revolving around focusing on particular global disaster events, this new two track, 30-minute tape focuses on two major earthquake events in Mexico that occurred on the same date but 32 years apart. The first track features thick and laborious industrial noise which borders on being muted instrumental heavy electronics. Heavy waves of shuddering bass are blended with sustained mid-toned atonal noise textures. The overall mood is one of barren, windswept soundscapes of ebbing and flowing textures, which gradually builds in intensity over the 15-minute duration. The second track mines similar sonic territory to the first, with a controlled slow crawling pace. The inclusion of a rolling looped beat provides added forward movement and pacing. Again the thick low-end bass and full breadth of sound in the balance of the mix makes for an engaging result.
Overall this tape is far more sedate than other material I have heard from the project, and certainly leaning towards the ambient side of things. But the attention to detail and layering of material is evident and makes for very engaging listening. Packaging-wise, the black shell cassette is housed in a poly-bag with fold-out poster sleeve providing further visuals around the tape’s theme.
noise receptor 