Katarrhaktes profile picture

Katarrhaktes

Ethereal Harsh Ambience

About Me


Katarrhaktes [abbr. KTRKTS] is a solo project of London-based visual and sonic artist Malcolm James McLean, aka mjmclean . The initial aims in terms of sound were to create a confusion of destructive sonic anarchy and to corrode the sensibilities of normative auditory arrangements. However, these may change as Katarrhaktes evolves.
Guest artists include Joey Levenson of So Young and dream/gospel/noisecore 'nu gaze' group SPC ECO , and Lee Simpson of the experimental, visual concept that is Citizen Tank .
A cataract is a dulling of the vision – a physical blockage that deteriorates the way the brain perceives the world, and therefore, left untreated, it can collapse our sense of reality. Notions both of physical and metaphorical ‘blindness’ are being explored.
The word is derived from the Latin ‘cataracta’, referring to obstructions from above such as waterfalls or portcullises, and, more importantly, from the Greek ‘katarassein’, ‘kataraktes’, ‘katarrhaktes’, meaning ‘to strike/dash down’. Echoing this concept, the sound crafted for Katarrhaktes is dense, noisy, and glitched – a blend of harsh noise and industrial percussion with wavering moments of beauty in the form of orchestral elements and mellow ambience.
New tracks are currently being written and mixed. Check back soon for more!
Copy and paste either of [or both of!] the above codes into your website, myspace profile, or other web-based media in order to spread the infection and bring more listeners in to support us!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 8/21/2007
Band Website: katarrhaktes.com
Band Members: M J McLean

Influences: Amish Rake Fight, Aphex Twin, Azam Ali, Belong, Blam! Honey, Collide, Combichrist, Curve, David Bowie, Dean Garcia, Dir en grey, Error, ESP, EVP, KGC, KMFDM, Malice Mizer, Massive Attack, Merzbow, My Bloody Valentine, nearLY, Nine Inch Nails, Nintendo, Pain Receptor, Panzer AG, Peter Gabriel, Portishead, Saul Williams, Skinny Puppy, Sneaker Pimps, SPC ECO, Squarepusher, Teargas & Plateglass, Telefon Tel Aviv, The Black Holes, The Chrono Logic, The Edible Ceiling Tiles, The Europeans, The Secret Meeting, tweaker, 65 Days of Static
Sounds Like: The introversion of rushing underground rivers just prior to taking the plunge over the cataract at world's end.

Discography

The Sharpened Sword [2007]

Features remixes by M J McLean of songs from Nine Inch Nails' 2007 album Year Zero.

Unreleasable due to the use of copyrighted samples.

01 M337 Y0UR M4573R [UL7R4V10L37 V1R4L PWN4G3 M1X]
02 The Warning [pellucid psychogenic squall mix]
03 Survivalism [swamp mix]
04 Me, I'm Not [clandestine indigo expirism mix]
05 Hypercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
06 Another Version of the Truth [silence mix]
07 My Violent Heart [at the end of everything mix]

__________ ________ __________

The Secret Garden [2007]

Features remixes of Collide and The Secret Meeting by M J McLean.

Unreleasable due to the use of copyrighted samples.

01 Shooting Laser Beams [hypersilent kryptonite bullets mix]
02 Shiver X [steam-driven violence mix]
03 Shooting Laser Beams [power ring recharge mix]
04 Son of a Preacher Man [screeching mix]
05 Shooting Laser Beams [hypersilent kryptonite bullets mix instrumental]
06 Shiver X [steam-driven violence mix instrumental]
07 Shooting Laser Beams [power ring recharge mix instrumental]
08 Son of a Preacher Man [screeching mix instrumental]

__________ ________ __________

CRASH & BURN [2006]

Unreleasable due to the use of copyrighted samples.

01 NOITAREMEDNIA
02 CHASM
03 RIONA
04 CRASH
05 EMERALD
06 FINALLY
07 16 seconds
08 demo
Record Label: N/A
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Retellings

So the other day, I was thinking about new directions I could take my music in. As a rule, every two or so tracks, I rethink the direction that Katarrhaktes is going in.This time, I decided to hand th...
Posted by Katarrhaktes on Sun, 25 May 2008 02:36:00 PST

The Reticulation of Narcolepsy

The way this track came about was me being approached by experimental guitarist Joey Levenson. Joey's involved in several music projects, including the 'nu gaze' dream/gospel/noisecore band SPC ECO wi...
Posted by Katarrhaktes on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:27:00 PST

SILENTIUM IN CAELUM

I've finished work on something I'm really excited about - a new KATARRHAKTES track. SILENTIUM IN CAELUM. Silence In The Sky. It's a re-interpretation of THIRTEENninetySIX's 'End This Now', which I ha...
Posted by Katarrhaktes on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:02:00 PST