Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by Guy Debord as the "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals." A more straightforward definition is "a slightly stuffy term that's been applied to a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for exploring cities. Psychogeography includes just about anything that takes pedestrians off their predictable paths and jolts them into a new awareness of the urban landscape.
The Psychogeographical Commission was formed at the start of 2008 to explore the many interfaces between the built environment and the people who inhabit it through dérive, magick and sonic experimentation. After a great deal of time wandering the back streets of London and other large cities looking for the spirits which now dwell within them, we came to the conclusion that the psychological make-up of cities is now at odds with the populations inherent rural based mythology. People aren't evolving to cope with cities fast enough to keep up with the constantly shifting cityscape. To start approaching a remedy for this we set about creating music which blurs the line between the real and imagined landscapes in order to allow individuals to revaluate their own mythologies and provide new ideas to bring them closer to harmony with their urban surroundings. Band members are S.: (Real Instruments), Hokano (Unreal Instruments).
"Genius Loci" is I think the only release of this project. Named after the Roman mythological 'Spirit of the Place' the Psychogeographical Commission's debut album attempts to explore further the Psychogeographical nature of our built environment and is therefore written to be played whilst interacting with a city, but it sounds equally great on a stereo. Total time 53 minutes.
Some reviews
This wholly English gem marries old Current 93/DIJ to Guy Debord successfully and hypnotically
- Terrorizer
"Fans of Coil and Nurse with Wound may stumble upon a familiar brilliance here and would do well to pick this one up if you can find it"
- Zero Tolerance Magazine
"Hats off to Holkano and Mrsix, from the packaging to the music Genius Loci is a mesmerizing piece of work, one that consistently entertains, intrigues and inspires. So get out there. Snag a copy of Iain Sinclair's Lights Out For The Territory, drop this into your iPod as you pound the cities streets. Genius Loci is for those who walk with the Gods. Don't miss out on the map pack edition, it's limited to a mere 250 copies. Recommended."
- Compulsion Online
"Ethereal, somewhat hazy soundscapes based on gentle and very hypnotic guitar melodies, distant drones and field recordings, loops, and fluttering frequencies with spoken vocals that come off as a cross between Current 93 and Contrastate.Quite mellow, but active enough to really keep you interested."
- Malignant Records
"After nearly one hour of experimental folk and deranged sound collages, the disc stops spinning. I’m pretty sure it will start all over again soon enough though! This is a fine release from far down the underground and it screams for you to go look for it "
- The Shadows Commence
"Every now and then, a record takes you by surprise. This duo just released a flawless album of what is commonly described as apocalyptic folk in regards of Death In June and Coil influences. Actually, this is more than just that : There's a shakespearian quality to the music, reminding us there is something rotten in the Albion kingdom, that the streets of london were paved on blood and set to put Alan Moore From Hell. The packaging of the CD also enhences that in a clever way. Highly recommended!"
- Helter Skelter Radio Show, Aligre FM 93.1, Paris
Sources:
The Psychogeographical Commission Official Website
The Psychogeographical Commission @ Myspace
The Psychogeographical Commission
