Labels we love: Hospital Productions
In the annals of American experimental music, few labels could claim to be anywhere close to as prolific as Hospital Productions. Founded by Dominick Fernow in 1997, the mind responsible for projects including Prurient, Vatican Shadow and (literally) dozens more, Hospital takes a firehose-like approach to their releases. New drops and batches are frequent, the artists often anonymous (though those who regularly tune in can hazard some guesses about who’s behind the controls.)
The label has seen a lot of different movements, trends and ideas rise in popularity and fall by the wayside over the years, but its presence remains formidable and totemic. Like RRRecords before it, it’s a steward of some of the best this world has to offer.
The “Labels We Love” feature was initially conceived as a way to highlight our favorite albums from a label’s catalog. But with Hospital’s 1000+ releases, we thought it might be more useful to highlight recent offerings. So, with that in mind, here are a few recommendations to get you exploring.
DSM-III - Cluster B
New York’s own DSM-III are disciples of the Tesco style of power electronics — seething anger and nauseous paranoia. The label’s description rightly checks Propergol as a reference point, and there are plenty of disgusting bass swells to go around on Cluster B, the duo’s first LP. But there are much harsher intrusions boiling just beneath the surface. That all comes to a head on track 4, “Narcissistic”, a miasma of harsh stabbing and upsetting vocal samples. Indeed, the samples are a big highlight here; too often snatches of dialogue are used to brute force meaning into the work. Here, they are just another piece of the histrionic puzzle. Resolutely for crazies by crazies.
DETERGENT - BORAX FIVE FAMILIES
Hospital is often thought of as a label hellbent on doom, gloom and little else. But to my mind, its most underappreciated asset is its very particular sense of humor. There are plenty of funny releases to explore in their catalog, but Detergent’s Borax Five Families is emblematic of the style. Detergent is in fact Deterge, the primary project of Pennsylvania’s Jim Haras, who also runs the excellent label Fusty. Here he creates a bizarre world where laundry detergent holds insane value and organized crime is centered around its sale. It’s also some of the strongest Deterge material to date, with some great melodic elements and influences from dance music mixed with some truly surreal vocal stylings.
KADEF/STAR - Wer Seinen Spaß Hat, Vermißt Die Träne Im Augenwinkel Nicht
A fascianting but utterly logical pairing. Kadef is a long-running European noise project that’s collaborated with many of the big names you’re liable to think of, while NYC’s Star has been pumping out some truly singular tape-forward strangeness since 2019. It’s an intriguing pairing, but one that immediately feels lived-in. The tracks alternate between longer Kadef compositions and smaller clusters of Star tracks, and each artist brings the heat. These are resolutely lo-fi explorations of oddball sounds; you’ll hear sirens, squeaks, and plenty of crumbling saturated bass sounds, calling to mind the best of the late 80s home tapers. A great entry point to the work of both artists.
FLUTTER - WAR GAMES 95-99
Hospital excels at archival reissues. They’re responsible for keeping many seminal releases in circulation, as well as highlighting some less-celebrated material with lavish box set treatments. Flutter is one such act; a trio of Michigan teenagers who used a full desktop computer in their live setup well before the laptop noise boom. The box includes all their recordings, and while the noise itself is frequently inspired, there is something equally edifying about just hearing the snatches of conversations and goofing around between the young masters. It’s a wonderful world to get lost in for a few hours, simpler and freer than the one we inhabit now.
YELLOW GAS FLAMES - SATANIC HAIR DYE
Tara and Mike Connelly are institutions. The married duo, together with Chonditic Sound’s Greh Holger, produce the excellent Noisextra podcast. On their own, they run Initiation Services, a label that traffics in seedy, sexual noise and power electronics. And, of course, they are Yellow Gas Flames, a murder-obsessed project that is consistently worth your attention. Power electronics and serial murder have long gone hand-in-hand, and it’s easy to get fatigued. YGF subvert the monotony with a big dose of fun. They recognize the inherent seediness of their interest and fully embrace it, with no apologies and the freedom to relish in the gruesome details. Satanic Hair Dye explores Ricky Kasso’s murder of Gary Lauwers and the ensuing satanic panic in his town of Northport, NY. Check your morals at the door and stew in a bad event.
