Savage Aural Hotbed

Savage Aural Hotbed (abbreviated as SAH) is a Minneapolis, MN based "found object" band. Formed in 1988, SAH is a four-member band that performs instrumental percussive and ambient music. They are heavily influenced by Japanese "Taiko" drumming, but also features usage of oil-drums, saw-blades, power-tools, concrete culverts, and other hardware, both in the albums and in the live shows. They have released five albums.

The band has been embraced by industrial, techno, and contemporary classical music enthusiasts. They have also worked with many different dance troupes including Ballet of the Dolls and the Flying Foot Forum. Savage Aural Hotbed has also been featured in an article on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition; they have won four Minnesota Music Awards.

Etymology

From the band's homepage:

savage, adj.
2.wild; untamed; fierce
aural, adj.
1.relating to the ear
hotbed, n.
1.a bed of earth heated artificially...for growing plants in a cool or temperate environment...in a figurative sense, any place that fosters rapid growth or development
Savage Aural Hotbed, grp.
1. a place where wild sounds grow
2. four people who can't seem to use containers, auto parts or power tools in the intended manner

Genre

SAH tends to fit into industrial music, both in the literal sense, as they use industrial hardware, and in the figurative sense.Japanese Taiko drumming with its big arm movements and disciplined musical tightness is a major inspiration. Another influence is modern minimalist music, with frequent exploration of mathematical rhythm generating ideas. Each of the members toss ingredients from their backgrounds into the musical stew that is their collaborative composing style.

Discography

*Gomi Daiko (1992)
*Cold is the Absence of Heat (1995)
*Pressure of Silence (1997)
*The Strain and Force Handbook (2001)
*The Unified Pounding Theory (2006) Review from "new music box" from American Music CenterNew Music Box- American Music Center"I admit that I approached Savage Aural Hotbed's new disc with caution. Though this album was released on the Innova label, The Unified Pounding Theory seemed to intimate dudes and aggression and pin-up calendars in the auto shop. That caution morphed into intrigue, however, when a quick peek at their website admitted that they are a group made up of "four people who can't seem to use containers, auto parts or power tools in the intended manner." Their ten-track disc actually reveals an ear-opening tour through the sonic possibilities of selected non-traditional percussion instruments. The performers themselves are not a crew of Teamsters, but more likely their artistically-inclined children at play in the garage. Though there's plenty of testosterone-laced rocking going in, there are some surprisingly sensitive moments as well, and a good bit of amusing exploration from an adventurous crew: The disc was recorded live, "except the part where Bill drove his truck on I-94 while Mark held 3 different lengths of sump pump hose out the window, recording the whistling on a portable studio." Mothers, lock up your kitchen appliances."

External links

* [http://www.savageauralhotbed.com/ Homepage]
* [http://www.myspace.com/savageauralhotbed Band's Myspace Homepage]

review of new CD:
* http://www.newmusicbox.org/eartrack.nmbx?id=3187