Illusion Of Safety
Fifteen - Finite Material Context CD
Functional

Available through the Helen Scarsdale Agency: $14.00

This is now a very rare document from Illusion Of Safety, the Chicago-based ensemble dedicated to harboring an electro-acoustic terror in parallel with a glimpse into the sublime. There are actually two distinct bodies of work comprised on this disc, but both work suprisingly well as an extended listen. The first collection - Fifteen - was originally released as a cassette 1988 documenting the band's live recordings, with two studio tracks thrown in for good measure. For a live album, the sound quality is surprisingly good, with huge drones and industrial-site field recordings. The "Temple Set" is the Illusion Of Safety take on urban gamelan with a rhythmic clamor across tuned pipes and distant swells of psychedelic drones. It's quite a lovely and unexpected turn for the ensemble. However, the next track with it's garbage truck plod of machined rhythms recalls the more demonstrative tracks from TG or SPK, two of the key influences upon Illusion Of Safety. The second collection found on this disc - Fiinite Material Context - was also released only on casette, as something of an selection of solo work from many of the members at that time. Dan Burke is certainly here, as are Thymme Jones, Chris Block, Mitch Enderle, Spark Lunch, and Douglas Klein. While the original cassette did feature a Jim O'Rourke track, his work is not included on this disc. Dark, hypnotic collages that occasionally splinter like early Nurse With Wound make up the bulk of this set. Toxic.

These were the last copies available from Illusion Of Safety.