CONDUIT CREATIONS RECORDS

Reviews of GNAW “this face”: for a bunch of reviews by Julian Cope, the Wire, German Vice, etc. look at the bottom half of the Conspiracy website. 

Review of Enos Slaughter "on sunday" from The Wire Magazine

[An]expression of something intrinsically American . . . Enos Slaughter as a group rematerialize the kind of elemental shapes first carved out by Doc Boggs and his like, only according to a resolutely post-Derek Bailey logic. Unlike many other NNCK-related workouts, they dispense with a frenzied "everyone playing at once" feel for more open spaces that allow the group to indulge in some startling shadowplay every bit as damaged as early Royal Trux. - David Keenan

Review of ZASHIKI-WARASHI “floor/child” from Blasititude Magazine

In between being in avant pluckers Enos Slaughter and leading the free jass ensemble Izititiz, Carter Thornton likes to lie and say he's a duo by the name of Zashiki-Warashi. He enjoys perpetuating this myth so much, he did up a two CD set of his abstract fibbery and titled it 'Floor Child'. He had some friends help him. Some you've heard of, some you haven't. I sure do wish I had heard of Z-W contributor/helper Fudge Bridges before getting this set. With such a kick ass name as that, he'd be more than welcomed at any of my cheese wizz parties. But anyway, these discs are a bold attempt at filling space with the most demented and personal sounds possible. Live and drugged guitar stumbling, weirdo snippets of vinyl being slowed, speeded up and stalled, horns wailing against flailing drums, police sirens speeding by open wondows, crude field recordings...you get alotta confusion for your buck. And it comes off like a ragged photo album full of fractured moments, reminding me of the Vitamin B12 boxset or something.
-Tony Rettman

Review of IZITITIZ “with our with jazz” from The Wire Magazine

With our with jazz is a rock/jazz bastard with all the scratchy lo-fi hysteria and ‘live in a room feel of a prime Saturn cut. The opening “Conduit” explodes with the kind of teeth grinding sound that NY No Wavers Mars used to mainline, propped up by an Arkestral sounding rhythm section. When the squeal of the amp dies down guitarist Carter Thornton tears cascades of speed blurred notes from his six strings that sound like Ascension’s Stefan Jaworzn goring one of John Coletrane’s doe eyed ballads. Little eloquent spits of trumpet and flute make Untitled Peace sound like one of Bill Dixon’s front room sketches, while Naked Man is a lot more percussive, with oscillating keyboard noise, walls of chant, backwards vocals and some totally squealing saxophone very much in the vein of Arthur Doyle. The second side is one long screaming improvisation with everything turned full on. A winner.
-David Keenan

Review of Enos Slaughter "on sunday" from Blastitude Magazine

NO I HAVEN'T HEARD THE NEW DEAD C. BUT THIS STUFF WILL MOST LIKELY KICK ITS ASS... Enos Slaughter are a loose limbed improv unit from NYC who seem to change their aural plan of attack everytime I witness them live. From foggy trips into the mountains of the moon and mind to full-blown Psych Rock overload, the trio of Dave Shuford, Marc Orleans and Carter Thornton are into traveling a long, endless road of sound. Their pursuit isn't to necessarily find a place to set up camp, but rather to see the sights and make their presence felt with the pulse they emit. Their first commitment to vinyl, entitled 'On Sunday' (Conduit Creations/Sound @ One) catches them in mid-wander. Between the gray shafts of dense abstraction lies a tiny little hole where mandolin and banjo strings braid together to create an Appalachian trial that leads directly towards a massive swamp of cough syrup. Check out 'Side Beast' and tell me it doesn't sound like Biff Rose and Wall Matthews on a higher grade of pot. Go ahead. Tell me. Hopefully their more 'rock' creations will find their way to vinyl or tin foil soon. For now, this'll do. Guest appearence by Keith Connolly noted and accounted for.
-Tony Rettman