The [Law-Rah] Collective – Strange Attraction – Ambientblog

THE [LAW-RAH] COLLECTIVE – STRANGE ATTRACTION

The musicians behind The [Law-Rah] Collective – operating since 2000 – can be different members. Bauke van der Wal is the constant, but often Martijn Pieck is also involved. But for this recent cassette-release, Van der Wal is the only performing member.
Though he/they (not pronouns) usually operate in the ambient/drone/noise genre, you never really know what to expect in a new release: it’s important that none of their releases sound the same.

This cassette (also available digitally of course) presents two 15-minute pieces, Phase 1 and Phase 2, that are not easy to categorise. Both tracks are ‘the result of experiments with chaos and order in their relation to the signature analog sounds the collective is known for’.

It’s clearly not ambient, but it’s not harsh noise either. It’s a bit of both, so perhaps simply call it ‘noisebient’? Or ‘power ambient’, as it is sometimes called? Anyway, it works best to play on a significant volume, it’s not exactly intended to be played softly in the background.

Especially Phase 1 is a bit unnerving (intended), although near the end it calms down with a voice loop that slowly becomes understandable and tells us to ‘experience the silence’. It’s the voice of the Grandmaster of Silence: John Cage.

Phase 2 is somewhat less intrusive than the A-side, but it still creates ‘strong immersion, tension, and physical pressure while listening’.

Note:
Starting July 12, 2026, Bauke van der Wal hosts a new weekly radio show on Concertzender Nederland, called ‘Tussen je oren’ (‘Between your ears’): every Sunday evening at 22:00 CET, which can also be enjoyed on-demand afterwards.
I assume that what is true for The [Law-Rah] Collective will also be true for the radio show: “Expect the unexpected, and even then you’re way off …”