The sounds of Roto Visage seep into the celluloid and flicker with the moving images of what has been argued as being the first surrealist film, Antonin Artaud and Germaine Dulac’s “La Coquille et le Clergyman” (The Seashell and the Clergyman, 1928). Implementing a phantasmagorical approach towards construction, a boundless number of sound sources and arrangement techniques were fused together to create this soundtrack. Roto Visage and Kikapu would like to thank Transflux Films for providing the film footage.

“The film is so cryptic as to be almost meaningless. If there is a meaning, it is doubtless objectionable.” – British Board of Film Censors

In the most simplistic terms, The Seashell and the Clergyman concerns a clergyman who is obsessed with a general’s woman; he has strange visions of death and lust, struggling against his own eroticism. To be sure, there are established characters and a general storyline, but these are quickly forgotten by the audience as the film casts its strangely hypnotic spell.

Although accounts differ, it seems that Artaud disapproved of Dulac’s treatment of his scenario. The version of the film presented here, for lack of a better choice of words, is the “director’s cut.” When the film was originally distributed in the States, the film canisters were mixed up and the resulting sequence was not what was intended by Dulac. Most commercial versions of this film, including those found on YouTube, are of improper sequence.

Transflux Films originally commissioned Roto Visage to create the soundtrack for a version of the film that was edited in accordance to Artuad’s screenplay, though that version never materialized. Roto Visage ultimately wrote material to two different versions of the film, one of which is presented here.

Further reading

The Lost Prophet of Cinema: The Film Theory of Antonin Artaud – Senses of Cinema
La Coquille et le Clergyman – Forgotten Classics of Yesteryear
Kikapu
Transflux Films

Video

La coquille et le clergyman – 720p mp4 (mirror)
La coquille et le clergyman – 480p mp4 (mirror)

Audio

La coquille et le clergyman – 320kbps mp3 (mirror)
La coquille et le clergyman – VBR mp3 (mirror)
La coquille et le clergyman – FLAC (mirror)
download .zip archive

stream audio

Reviews & Coverage

disquiet

Limited physical copies available for purchase: Roto Visage Store & Autumn Wind Productions.
Digital copies available for purchase: Bandcamp & iTunes.

The sounds of Roto Visage can be found on the remastered documentation of Tatsumi Hijikata’s final performance entitled “Summer Storm.” This DVD is available for purchase through Microcinema.

Ankoku Butoh (Dance of Darkness) is the avant-garde dance form born out of the devastation of post WWII Japan but also influenced by Dadaism, Surrealism and Antonin Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty. Its legendary founder, Hijikata Tatsumi, is the supreme figure in the last half-century of Japan’s experimental culture, a seminal and inspirational presence there for artists, choreographers, filmmakers, musicians and writers.

His final performance with his dancers, Summer Storm, took place in 1973 at the Westside Auditorium of Kyoto University. Three cameramen with small 8mm cameras filmed the entire performance in color, one close-up to the dancers’ faces and bodies, the second from the middle of the auditorium, and the third from the back of the hall. As with the other performances, the ghostly images of Hijikata and his dancers were outlined against a deep, engulfing darkness. The following year, Hijikata would choose to live in seclusion until his death in 1986. The celluloid images were restored in 2003 and are presented on this DVD—a first for American audiences.

Boundless Oblivion.

A new Roto Visage remix appears on Inner Vision Laboratory / Hoarfrost bonus CD. Both Hoarfrost and Inner Vision Laboratory are young projects, but it would be an understatement to call them ‘newcomers.’ They both have already released debut albums alongside numerous split releases, collaborations, web extended plays and compilation tracks. Thanks to their work, they have gathered a substantial following among experimental music listeners. It was just a question of time when the men behind the projects would collaborate on a release. The result is ‘Decline’ – a tale of descending into the pits of madness in 8 parts. Inspired by two poems, ‘Madman’ and ‘Modern Icarus,’ takes you on a journey into the realms of dark thoughts. With such a clear concept, it’s no wonder that the music is cinematic, thus slowly building images in the listener’s head. Face the stillness, but remember: something is lingering in the corner. For fans of cinematic ambient like Land, Moljebka Pvlse, Inade, Lambwool, Tho-So-Aa.

Those who ordered the album before the release received the limited edition version including a bonus disc containing 6 unreleased tracks (one collaboration, 2 tracks recorded separately by each project and 3 remixes, one of which is by Roto Visage), video trailer and wallpaper.

Released on: Zoharum Records

The Serpents That Lick The Dust.

A Roto Visage remix appears on the bonus disc for The Angels of Prostitution. Worms of the Earth, the latest discovery of degenerate industrial label bugs crawling out of people, plants itself firmly in the sparse forest of the new generation of industrial-noise music; merging the organic with the technological, and the orthodox with the profane to create epic and mysterious compositions that stimulate the listener both in body as well as in mind. The angels of prostitution is an ancient hulking mechanical apparatus gone haywire with demonic fervor.. sounds buried deep within the earth in time immemorial.. forbidden sounds of latent human evil that had been erased from our collective memory.. until now. inscribed with the language of the ancients, it demolishes any in its cursed path, leaving only sorrow in its wake.

It features condemning text vocalized by wordcore artist it-clings along with five interpretations by prominent up-and-coming industrial acts who were cursed with the task of remixing these forbidden works: dead man’s hill, dym, embodi, to mega therion, and vicious alliance.

The first 50 copies come with “the whores of carcosa” bonus disc containing 4 previously unreleased tracks showcasing the dark esoteric ambient side of worms of the earth and 5 additional remixes by autovoice, ghosts in the clocktower, re: dux tion, roto visage, and vicious alliance.

Released on: Bugs Crawling Out Of People.

“Where the Mandrakes Grow” is conceptualized around autoerotic asphyxiation, forming an abstract narrative into a singular autoerotic experience. A singular moment in flux within the body. The sound compositions consist of consciousness cut ups – flashes of memory and anomalies of the moment interweaving. Dark drone and experimental ambience. Mastered by the legendary Robert Rich. Beautiful 6-panal digi-CD designed by Anastasia Sarandou limited to 1,000 copies. 64 minutes. Released on: Autumn Wind Productions now Bondage Culture Distribution.

Currently available for purchase directly from the artist through the Roto Visage Webstore.
Or purchase a digital copy on iTunes.

Tracklist:
1. Uproot, A Noose of Silk
2. Willows Deep
3. Visceral Monologue
4. Interlude: The Death of Kotzwara
5. Sickly Sweet Fertilizer
6. A Breath, Then It Comes
7. Aural Cavity Obstruction
8. Light Rejection, The Return

Reviews:
Forbidden Magazine
JudasKiss
Heathen Harvest
Plague Haus
Crucial Blast 5/5
Wounds of the Earth 9/10

her final breath.

From the label: Time has come for a fresh collaborative album, released by No Angels Prod. and Beast Of Prey. We would like to present a unique opus, which appears as a co-operation of Inner Vision Laboratory (Poland) and Roto Visage (USA) projects, symbolically entitled “Cinema Stain”. Here, the listener is forced to wale in pathological and “impure” visualizations of human pain, fears and suffering, which are surprisingly seducing with subtle beauty. Some of the soundforms are painted heavily with a brush of rhythm while others flow like the spools of film spinning through a mechanical projector. The aim of both of the composers was to write an original soundtrack to a non-existent horror film – the result is excellent, and by taking vocal samples from other movies, they created also an auditory record of tension and melancholic darkness. For layout of this release, we used modified photographs from the very talented photographer – Karolina Kosowicz.

Packaging is non-typical: professionally printed and professionally duplicated CDR with additional graphical insert are placed in a plastic box (slim dvd box type). Inserts and covers are professionally printed on gloss paper. Edition is limited to 200 hand numbered copies.

More…

Released on: No Angels Prod. & Beast of Prey.

Available for purchase for 6 € sold out!: No Angels Prod. or Beast of Prey.

Samvartakalpa.

“Celestial Malaise” is a split between Roto Visage and Worms of the Earth. They have come together to capture the sounds of planets moving, stars being born and dying, galaxies swirling, nebulas whispering and the communication between all celestial bodies. Each track consists of a single abstract long-form glacial drone piece embodying the essence of Samvartakalpa and Vivartakalpa. Pro-printed 4 panel digipak with amazing artwork. Limited to 50 copies | 67 min.

Released on: Disease Foundry Recordings

Available for purchase. $6 usd + shipping sold out!:
Disease Foundry Recordings

Tracklist:
1. Roto Visage – Samvartakalpa
2. Worms of the Earth – Vivartakalpa
3. Worms of the Earth + Roto Visage – Celestial Malaise

Reviews:
Connexion Bizarre 8.5/10

subliminal distortion organ.

From the label: After a long break Kaos Ex Machina comes back, to present you with our 100th release, titled ‘Strange Attractor’. The album is a compilation of work created especially for this occasion by artists from around the world. None of the tracks were previously published. We would like to invite you to discover how different artists approached the theme of the chaos theory, and the extraordinary sounds they created. Carefully selected and mastered full length cds, available to download completely free.

Released on: Kaos Ex Machina

Available for free download.
Download the entire album.

Compilation includes work by:
Darkness And Silence, New Risen Throne, Deadhorsemort, Subinterior, Inner Vision Laboratory, Stereocaine, Svart1, Krzysztof Stanisławski, Roto Visage, Wach, CrepusculaR, TSIMDZ, Dream Of Nothing, Pharmakustik, Luciftias, In Cognitus, Lord Kula, Aurea Hora, Experimental Subjekt.

Memories for your consumption. 

Well it’s official. I am absolutely terrible at promoting myself and others. Here’s a nice free compilation that was released whilst I was in the midst of traveling. I’m sure some of my listeners were able to catch its release despite my minimal efforts to get the word out. Nonetheless, if you don’t have this compilation, you should. 

From the label: To celebrate one year of Twilight Luggage, and wrap it up in a seasonably fitting package we are now releasing our first compilation album, “Winter Solstice”. 9 artists from this years releases, and 3 gifted composers we hope to work more with shortly, contributed exclusive tracks to what ended up as a quite varied and highly engaging album of experimental wonderfulness!

And the best thing about it: It’s totally free! Happy Winter Solstice!

Released on: Twilight Luggage

Available for free download.
Download the entire album.