The MNEMONISTS are a legendary group of composers and artists from Fort Collins Colorado, who create drifting hypnotic sound collages out of pre industrial loops, processed ambient sound, rock 'n' roll guitar, and fragments of half forgotten memory. Their work is highly visual, and is always accompanied by beautiful line drawings and painted art works; the total meaning is forged from the combination of sonic and visual information. Starting out as the MNEMONIST ORCHESTRA in 1979 they recorded cult LP's of unbelievable density and complexity, the best known of these being the extraordinary HORDE, originally released on their own DYS label in 1981, and re released by ReR as RRC21 in 1985.

HORDE stands as a classic early noise album, somewhere between the work of AMM, Faust and Brian Eno. What marks it out is the subtlety of the work. The process begins with the recording of played acoustic and electric instruments, the basic drums and guitar joined by remaindered early synthesisers, one off electric organs and bizarre mediaeval horns. The tapes are then put through a mangle, reprocessed and electrically altered, leading to a spiralling process of re-playing, re-composition and re-structuring. The parts are then woven organically into the fabric of a large scale work.

MNEMONIST spokesperson Bill Sharp says:

"It's definitely a romantic way of composition. It is intentionally elusive, but is designed to give as many clues for the listener as possible. It can start with an idea that is purely visual. We are very interested in what film makers are doing with the amplification of location sounds, for example David Lynch in The Elephant Man."

Horde starts with imperceptible noise loops, builds with wild fuzz guitar improvisation, grooves with Kraut Rock obsessive drum patterns, diverts into free jazz saxophone and mediaeval folk tunes, and occasionally stops dead in its tracks. The listening experience is rather like that of an unseen observer inside an insect nest, with tiny sounds amplified beyond recognition into an epic symphony.

The Mnemonists went on to call themselves Biota, and released a series of four CD's on ReR (Tumble, Bellowing Room, Almost Never & Object Holder). The MNEMONIST name was retained by the visual part of the group, and they continue to collaborate.

HORDE is a great place to start - compulsive, elusive, dangerous and strangely calming, this is a tight rope walk along the boundaries of the possible.

"Not even remotely like any other group I can think of - no less than astonishing" CMJ

"Aswim with ideas, somewhere between ambient void and Dead-Head jamming" TIME OUT

"An epic sound track, no less" MUSIC WEEK

"Truly modern music never sounded so evocative or emotional" ADVOCATE PAPERS