HNW
Harsh noise wall (HNW) is quite possibly the most extreme sub-genre of noise music. HNW is characterized by an unflinching and unwavering wall of sound, as the name suggests. Often comprised of samples taken from various sources HNW utilizes those samples and makes them completely unidentifiable amidst the cacophony of static and crunching grime. Some of the most well known purveyors of HNW are Vomir (pictured in the header of this page), The Rita, and Werewolf Jerusalem.
Sampling is integral to many HNW artists but none more so than The Rita. The Rita is the wall noise project of Sam McKinlay based out of Canada. The project is notable due to it's deeply thematic use of sampling, something that is uncommon in the wall noise sub-genre (it is important to note most noise is very ideologically/thematic, noise wall is often not besides an overwhelming sense of nihilism). McKinlay has sampled everything from skateboards grinding on rails, snorkel noises, the sound of ballerinas feet hitting the stage, and motorbikes among others to create his crumbling walls of static noise. Below is a video of McKinlay performing live utilizing a motorbike as his sample.
Sampling is integral to many HNW artists but none more so than The Rita. The Rita is the wall noise project of Sam McKinlay based out of Canada. The project is notable due to it's deeply thematic use of sampling, something that is uncommon in the wall noise sub-genre (it is important to note most noise is very ideologically/thematic, noise wall is often not besides an overwhelming sense of nihilism). McKinlay has sampled everything from skateboards grinding on rails, snorkel noises, the sound of ballerinas feet hitting the stage, and motorbikes among others to create his crumbling walls of static noise. Below is a video of McKinlay performing live utilizing a motorbike as his sample.
As the video above demonstrates, wall noise is completely devoid of structure and is often improvised. There are no dynamics, all that exists is a wall of noise. The emphasis obviously lies in the texture created by the noise wall. At it's core wall noise is merely static, however, within the static wall exists nihilism in it's purest form, a complete disregard for any listener or observer. In an interview conducted by Roger Batty with Romain Perrot, the mastermind behind wall noise purveyor Vomir, Perrot explains the foundational idea behind wall noise. He says when asked what's next for Vomir, "...no ideas, no change, no development, no entertainment, no remorse." This harsh and seemingly blunt attitude stands as what I see to be the entire point of wall noise. Wall noise does not exist to entertain, it does not exists to reach out to casual listeners, all it exists to do is immerse one in static.
Header image courtesy of harsh noise walls Tumblr and originally Matthieu Saladin
