(Vital Weekly) A few years ago I reviewed a CD by guitarist Terrie Ex and voice artist Jaap Blonk (Vital Weekly 1116). Both are heavyweights when it comes to playing improvised music, anywhere and with anyone. I enjoyed their CD quite a bit, having heard both of these musicians for a very long time, but not together (although Blonk was once part of the 'orchestra' that celebrated 25 years of The Ex). As I don't look that often at what's playing, I have no idea if these two men followed up their joint release with a tour, but, as this cassette shows, there have been some concerts. On July 27, 2020, they played at OZOLand in Hunsel (The Netherlands) and on March 13, 2020, they were in St. Helena in Bonn (Germany). That explains the title of this cassette. Besides using his voice, Blonk has electronics at his disposal (for several years now). As I am listening to these recordings, which are split into various 'songs' or 'pieces', rather than being one long recording, I am thinking about the whole nature of improvisation and releases containing these improvisations. Their CD was, as far as I know, a studio recording, but there is very little difference in approaching the 'studio' and the 'stage' I would think. I am sure musicians have an off-day but they would not find their way onto a record or such, but maybe all the rest can be released as well? Surely, I can likewise think there are other factors in play (for instance a not so great recording), but it would be interesting to compare recordings and approaches to the instruments on a microscopic level. I am writing all of this to express that I think these are great recordings and capture the exceptional qualities of these musicians very well. Upon closer inspection, they do play songs, with a start and stop and explore within the space of a song (be it long or short), a set of sounds, ideas and approaches, continuing the listener to surprise. - Frans de Waard

(Wire) Recorded live in Germany in 2020, this tape documents a well bonkered set for Terrie Ex’s guitar and Blonk’s verbal explosions. It’s like listening to a beautiful tone battle between one drunken maniac vomiting sounds out his mouth, and other doing the same via his amp. A wonderful collision of sounds. What bold dodgers! - Byron Coley

(Chain DLK) Jaap Blonk has been a fixture in the experimental scene for quite some time and Terrie Ex has likewise been involved in multiple projects since the early 1980s, most notably as part of The Ex. This tape consists of two live recordings from 2020, with side A being from OZOLand, Hunsel, Netherlands and side B from Bonn, Germany (hence, the name of the tape). With the background established, let’s get into the music itself. This is some interesting guitar and electronics improvisation mixed with vocals straight out of a Looney Tunes cartoon, as Blonk sings, scat sings, makes crazy noises, breathes, groans, croons, screams, growls, and speaks throughout the performances. This is a noble attempt at using the full range of sounds available to the human voice, as Ex does his best to keep up as he plays, scrapes, pounds, and plucks the guitar. What keeps this interesting is the judicious use of silence and the occasional noise blast. The tracks are somewhat sparse, but it is this sense of tension that keeps it all engaging. The overall effect was much more enjoyable than I expected. If you like improvisational music, this is certainly well worth checking out. - Eskaton

(Kathodik) Due live, uno registrato in Olanda e uno in Germania (entrambe del 2020), che metton insieme la chitarra di Terrie Ex (non serve che vi dica con chi si affacenda da decenni vero?), e la voce e l’elettronica dell’altro esperto guastatore olandese, Jaap Blonk. Tra atto performativo, istintivo ciao ciao al linguaggio e una bella, infantile, carambola senza rete che di sbatter la testa te ne freghi. Abbastanza estenuante ma il coraggio non si discute. - Marco Carcasi

(Raised by Cassettes) This cassette begins like an alarm going off, as if to wake us up. It drops down in tone and then other sounds can be heard coming through as well- some which sound like guitar notes. Whirrs come whooshing through and sonic blasts take us through space and time. Vocal sounds come through now but not quite as words. One part definitely sounds like Donald Duck. The vocals can tell a story and then string scratches come through with banging. It has a bit of an R2D2 feel to it here. Everything now drops off into distorted electronics and then those vocal patterns return. Squeaking like mice now. The guitar seems to tune higher and higher. A more traditional singing sound comes in now and it feels like we're in an Italian restaurant. Fast-speaking frustration comes out now and the music becomes frantic with it. This shifts to a sound of either explosions or horses. Some heavy growling now. Once again, the guitars and vocals descend into chaos. The sounds of saws now take us into a nice groove which slowly fades out. It sounds now as if "grunge" is being said and there is a definite "grr" sound to it. Right now it feels both like rain and Donald Duck as the sound then fades out. Electronics come back in sparingly. A horse is galloping now and someone is gagging. Quieter strings now come through one at a time and then the sound shifts to magic glass. Not quite words come through fast now, like an auctioneer, as the strings are slowly plucked. The vocals and guitar sound really begin working together, as if they are morphing into the same sound. Percussion electronics shoot in some beats now. On the flip side, guitars slowly start things off before it sounds as if glass bottles are breaking. It can be rather quiet, but then get quite loud and fast. It sounds like a swarm of insects now. Computer electronics, somewhat like a modem, but still that guitar sound as well. It grows a bit intense but then you can hear the speaking in the background of it all. The guitar chords come through and the vocals reflect that. The notes do their thing as the scratches make their way across the sound as well. A more traditional singing sound returns now as the notes come through like Smashing Pumpkins. It's fairly dreamy, and then it goes quiet. Saws and other sounds once again make it louder and more chaotic. The singing is in this almost crooner way now as the glass is being scraped. The vocals begin to whisper but then the guitar just pierces through violently. Growling now like a rabid dog. Knocking on the door and those robotic sounds return once again, as the guitar chords start and stop. Vocals come through now as if they are being barked and the music itself is getting hollow and ominous. A loud zapping sound comes through as the guitars slide and feel like they've won at a pinball game. Quieter now and it feels like everything is trying to go to sleep. The singing has almost turned to screaming and the guitar notes come through louder to accommodate that sound. These sounds are buzzing through and yet somehow mellow. One tone blasts like an alarm on a submarine. The vocals appear to be both speaking and laughing as the robotics return. This all breaks down with the guitar and voice as you'd expect it to finish. - Joshua Macala