Domaine Poétique

New Forces is proud to present the Domaine Poétique discography boxset. Domaine Poétique was the mail collaboration between Jeph Jerman (Hands To) and John Hudak, two of the most prominent artist to emerge from the 1980's "cassette culture" underground. Alongside artist like The Haters and Merzbow, they helped carved out a space for experimental sound while constructing the networks through which those sounds would circulate. Domaine Poétique released seven cassettes from 1987-1989, most of which are nearly impossible to find today.

The sounds they contain predict much of what has followed in the past 30+ years of experimental/noise: saturated tapes, field recordings, harsh noise, industrial clatter, minimalist drones, haunting loops, and more. These recordings are like an archeological dig into the emergence of sounds we now take for granted, before micro-genres, before rigid formulas, before ready-made templates. Jerman and Hudak were masters of the cassette tape, and their collaboration seamlessly blended their unique approaches into something that was more than the sum of its parts. An absolutely mandatory collection for anyone interested in the worlds of noise, industrial, and experimental sound.

This box compiles their entire discography, with more than seven hours of sound: Great Many (Sound of Pig), Hilarious Picture (S.J. Organisation), Exhale Slowly (Sound of Pig), Need Not Be (Big Body Parts), Tenant Farmer (Big Body Parts), They Are Sent (Big Body Parts), and There & Then (Sound of Pig). Each disc is housed in an individual slip-case that reproduces the original artwork. The collection is contained in a hard clamshell case, and includes a large two-side poster insert that displays the letters, postcards, artwork, and other mail artifacts that Jerman and Hudak sent back and forth throughout their collaboration, a fascinating visual document of their artistic process. The recordings were remastered for CD from Jeph Jerman’s archival tapes by Grant Richardson, and the boxset was designed by John Wiese.