MASSIMO: Hello Dirty; CD (Mego) 2002
$24.00
Noise, Harsh, Experimental, Electronic, Abstract; CD (Mego) – Ex Used condition
Massimo’s 2002 release Hello Dirty is a relentless mess of clumpy noise, Hello Dirty is destined to be sold or permanently shelved by almost all who own it. That’s fine with Massimo, though, because the rest are going to crank it and throw a TV out the window at some old man walking down the street. That makes Massimo giggle. Hello Dirty can be taken one of two ways. For most listeners, it will be an awful experience. It offers little in the way of immersion, analysis or plain old bop-along enjoyment. There are no hidden textures, complex arrangements, striking ideas or catchy hooks; Massimo simply takes a dozen generic tracks and butchers them. Conventional structures pop up fairly often (one segment introduces a four to the floor house beat, another could be a riff from an eighties cock-rock band and most of the tracks have some sort of rhythmic foundation), but the abrasive digital garbage that those structures are built upon ruins any enjoyment. And that’s the point. Everything here is a big “fuck you.” From the taboo imagery to the sandpaper in your ear distortion and clipping to his pornographic live shows, Massimo aims to make the listener uncomfortable. For most, this will be a huge turn-off and make everything he touches (well, almost everything – his releases for the Mego-related Fals.ch label are more welcoming but accordingly lose the power of his harsher work) unlistenable. For those who aren’t intimidated, though, Massimo is a hero and Hello Dirty is an
exhilarating treasure.
