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- The
Ghost Orchid
Reviews of The Ghost Orchid (PARC CD1):
Special feature in The Anomalist (web)
The Wire (UK): Compiled, edited and produced by Justin Chatburn
and Ash International's Mike Harding, this massive tape archive,
property of an organisation called the Parapsychic Acoustic Research
Cooperative, is designed to bring the curious up to speed on the
weird and vexing issue of ghost voices, disembodied speech and
alien verbal communication. Using a high frequency radio receiver,
some simple recording equipment and enough patient determination,
it is possible to get in touch with a plethora of mysterious entities
who, in time, will not only speak directly to you but also offer
oblique, sometimes threatening comments about your current circumstances.
Whether benign or just plain evil, these beings have exercised
the minds and patience of several researchers over the years,
most notably Constantine (sic) Raudive, whose 7" vinyl recording
of spirit messages from the likes of Spanishphilosopher Ortega
Y Gasset and Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky was originally released
in 1971 and is now available for the first time here in digital
form. Most of this amazing collection, however, is derived from
the painstaking efforts of Raymond Cass, who has managed, over
the years, to coax from the ether such dense spectral patter as
"Put it on ice and I'll mend your feet" and "Elvis" and "Not enough
there to copy". The polyglot wordplay as the mysterious voices
switch from English to German, Latvian and Russian during a single
utterance has a raw phonetic appeal, however puzzling their origins
might be. Are they speaking from beyond the grave, the far reaches
of the galaxy or some cosmic dimension as yet undiscovered on
this fleshly plain? Who can say? But it sure is fun to listen
to. (Ken Hollings)
Aquarius (USA): THE GHOST ORCHID "An Introduction to EVP" (Ash
International R.I.P.) 14.98 Essentially, The Conet Project From
Beyond The Grave!! Huh? Peter Becker, who used to work for Asphodel
(R.I.P.), has presented an interesting theory that The Conet Project
(the awesome 4 cd documentation of shortwave radio "numbers stations")
was nothing more than an elaborate hoax. While we think that he's
mistaken and that plenty of evidence points to the validity of
The Conet Project, here is a far more questionable recording,
because you've got to believe in ghosts rather than a more corporeal
conspiracy... The Ghost Orchid documents instances of something
called "Electronic Voice Phenomenon", the paranormal appearance
of strange voices (which at times sing and speak in multiple languages)
on magnetic tape when there shouldn't be any voices there at all...
Respected parapsychologists have postulated that these voices
are those of dead people (i.e. ghosts) or possibly of extraterrestrial
origin! Unlike The Conet Project, which cross referenced the audio
tracks with written information, The Ghost Orchid presents these
recordings with the audio commentary of one of several researchers
(Nadia Fowler, Raymond Cass, and Lief Elggren - the Swedish performance/audio
artist and a part time collaborator with the Hafler Trio), explaining
the findings. These recordings are the findings of a number of
parapsychologists including Dr. Konstantine Raudive, Friedrich
Jürgenson, and Raymond Cass. While there is something wholly
terrifying about these recordings, there is an absurd question
about these ghostly voices that we have to ask...Why are the majority
of these recordings in Latvian? Our resident Latvian, Byram, is
unable to answer this question...but perhaps we will hear from
him in the afterlife...at any rate, The Ghost Orchid manages to
be both spooky and silly, and is definitely a fascinating listen
from a pure sound perspective regardless of how disturbing and/or
amusing you might find the alleged sound source itself...you might
laugh at the voice of "Winston Churchill", for instance, spouting
nonsense from the netherworld, but it's still a gripping, dark
sound document. A word of caution, Jim's copy of this cd disappeared
from its case on the Aquarius counter-top at 6:35PM on 5/8/99
and reappeared in puddle of ectoplasmic goo at 3:20 PM on 5/9/99.
Haunting. The Fortean Times (UK): A comprehensive collection of
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) recordings, as detailed by Jürgen
Heinzerling in FT 104. It features over 70 recordings, including
the rare disc given away with Dr. Konstantin Raudive's seminal
1971 book, Breakthrough. With detailed liner notes explaining
the theory and practice of EVP recording, this is a fantastic
piece of work, guaranteed to give even the most sceptical listeners
the shivers. and EVP - stray radio transmissions, unconscious
telepathic signals from the experimenters' own minds, CB messages
from the dead or, as J Banks names it in the accompanying booklet,
Rorschach Audio? This is the first ever CD of EVP recordings,
and, together with a booklet outlining its research history, some
theories of explanation, personal experiences and recent developments
in the field, it's an impressive package. Most of the material
was recorded by Raymond Cass, who combined his interests in psychic
research and audio technology to produce some extremely clear
examples, including polyglot and singing voices, and what he considers
to be communications from an alien intelligence. Also included
is the complete recording of the rare 7" given away with Konsantin
Raudive's 1971 book, Breakthrough. This well-produced, almost
too comprehensive collection won't necessarily make your mind
up for you, but you're unlikely to find a better documentation
of one of the more peculiar fields of fortean research. 3/4 A
must for EVP buffs, great for sampling too. (Mark Pilkington)
Bizarre (UK): Ash International continues its important mission
to give the world unique audio recordings with this fascinating
co-operation with PARC - the Parapsychic Acoustic Research Cooperative.
EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomena and refers to voices
of unknown origin which are heard through electrical media such
as TVs and telephones. The CD provides detailed introductions
which describe the work of leading researchers in the early days
of EVP, Swede Friedrich Jurgenson, who made the first recordings
and presents research conducted by Raymond Cass, who is perhaps
the most experienced and prolific recordist alive. In the reliable
hands of Ash International, the subject is presented with all
possible interpretations of the phenomena represented and many
different types of voice archived. (Mark Blacklock)
and EVP is a strange one. That researchers and recordists have
captured on tape strange voices emanating from electronic media
is indisputable. The point is, where do they come from? The brainchild
of two members of PARC, Justin Chatburn and Sam Ayres, and produced
in association with Ash International [R.I.P.], The Ghost Orchid
represents the first digitally remastered collection of EVP recordings
and a 24 page booklet containing articles discussing various possible
sources for the voices. The voices, the voices!
VITAL (The Netherlands): The recordings on this CD concern a subject
I first heard about more than several years ago, but which I paid
little attention to. Examples of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP)
recordings have been included in recordings by (apparently) The
Corpsefucker, (possibly) The Hafler Trio and (maybe) Z iggy Karkowski,
amongst others. This release is the first digital audio document
of the strange phenomenon which interestingly enough was predicted
by Thomas Edison, who once suggested that the spirit world would
respond to the discovery of radio by using it as a means to communicate
with the living. Electronic Voice Phenomena are weird and mysterious,
apparently paranormal events of unknown origin which can often
be heard on various types of electronic apparati and which are
frequently assumed to be simple forms of radio interference. Intensive
research and investigation which began in the fifties (when assumptions
that they were enemy propaganda were nullified by the Allied victory)
has revealed that this is quite possibly an actual, recurring
system of interdimensional communication. Comprehensive cataloging
was started in the Sixties by a Dr. Konstantin Raudive, who also
made some of these recordings available on a 7" record together
with a book titled 'Breakthrough' in 1971. (These tracks are included
on this CD, by the way.) Indeed, Dr. Raudive was so absorbed by
the phenomena that he started to communicate with investigators
after his own death. Some suggest that the voices have a satanic
or demonic origin (like my current fave rave Britney Spears, I
suppose!), others postulate that they are extraterrestrial attempts
at communication, or that they may in fact be projections from
within the researcher hermself. Additional information may be
gleaned from the website produced by the Spiricom organisation
which can be checked out @ http://www.metascience.com. The voices
take on diverse forms; they may appear to be speaking in tongues
(polyglot), singing or making public service announcements, they
interrupt standard (human) radio broadcasts, can call on by name,
and speak directly to, researchers (and most likely people to
busy to notice they are being addressed by the voice of weirdness).
They may make themselves heard over telephones, probably during
television broadcasts and as anomalous interference on tape recordings.
Some of them seem to enjoy engaging in dialogue, answering questions
or willingly supply secret, or very specific personal information,
no doubt as an indication of their greater sight. Of course, as
with all paranormal 'sciences' there are those investigators (or
'investigators'), who are so keen on finding evidence to support
the validity of their chosen field that they will impose meaning
on what might otherwise be a mere cloud, albeit oddly shaped.
Some of the interpretations of the recordings here do seem to
probe a little too deeply into the bowels of FAR to my liking,
but the fact that they are included makes this a more balanced
document. Joe Banks, AKA Disinformation, who contributed one of
the several excellent expositions included in the CD booklet,
notes this human inclination to 'project' meaning onto otherwise
innocent phenomena, in an attempt to either simplify them even
further, or to make them appear (more) mysterious than they may
already (appear to) be. The human imagination will try to impose
meaning on configurations of sounds, in this case, and of course
each individual will usually use his/her own language as the basis
for interpretation. If no sense can be made of what we perceive,
then some form of auxiliary hypothesis will be (invented and/or)
introduced to support the eventual conclusion. The wilder the
territory that unfolds before us, the stranger the language that
we use to attempt to describe it becomes. Even conventional, stuffy
science has been reduced to poetic terminology to articulate the
infinitesimal and abstract worlds within worlds that it seems
to unearth. Undoubtedly, the hero of this release is Raymond Cass,
who has devoted a great deal of his time to researching this phenomena.
He first became interested in EVP when a male voice suddenly called
his name over a primitive radio which was switched off at the
time. An investigation of his genealogy revealed that he had psychic
ancestors, one of whom was persecuted for her paranormal abilities
in 1773, and another who could levitate a table with three men
sitting on top it. Raymond Cass seems to favour the ET scenario,
suggesting that fragmented communications might be being directed
at selected individuals over a long period of time, possibly from
extraterrestrial monitoring and relay stations positioned somewhere
in our solar system. The fragmented nature of these messages keep
the recipients finely tuned and simultaneously ensure that they
conduct their own research in order to corroborate their observations
and conclusions. He also suggests, however, that 'the voices may
be a mutant development of the subconscious mind, or a transient
byproduct of the electromagnetic pollution which now rings our
planet'. Cass was one of the first to record examples of the disputed
polyglot voices, which construct phrases and sentences from several
different languages, examples and interpretations of which occur
on this CD. One of the problems pointed out by Joe Banks with
regard to this particular aspect of the phenomenon of EVP is that
'we are asked to accept that the entities have the intellect to
acquire a grasp of many languages, while having lost the ability
to speak grammatically or confine themselves to proper words'.
Additionally, he observes that it is conventional when compiling
EVP demonstration tapes to reinforce the process of projection
by first having the narrator announce the meanings before playing
the examples. The human mind HAS to fill in the blanks, or else
it would, to put it plainly, go completely bonkers and the mysterious
voices which we might hear through our radios or telephones will
start to resound inside our own craniums, and there are quite
simply not enough lamp posts around for us all to have one to
talk to. It remains to be said that the phenomenon has been considered
serious enough to have not only been assessed by various paranormal
groups, but also to have come under scrutiny by Defense Ministeries
on both sides of the Atlantic and no doubt by their counterparts
in the (former) East bloc too. I welcome the release of this CD,
it is amazingly informative, containing 79 tracks in all (with
ringmaster Leif Elggren unravelling the thread as we proceed)
plus, as I mentioned earlier some highly intelligent essays on
the subject. It is most certainly a valuable addition to this
field of research, and, dare I say it without appearing to be
flippant, a source of some of the most beautiful textural samples
I have heard for a long time. I cannot make up my own mind about
the phenomenon of EVP itself, but I know that this audio document
will be a thing to treasure and listen to from time to time, just
to tantalize and encourage my human desire for the all-too sweet,
and eternally uncharted terra incognita which may possibly be
waiting just beyond the gate. (Mark Poysden)
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Motion (UK):
EVP is Electronic Voice Phenomena, a curious, somewhat disturbing
audio occurrence observed as early as the '30s by military radiomen
and later investigated and catalogued by Swedish film-maker/spiritualist
Friedrich Jürgensen (in the '50s) and by Latvian parapsychologist
Dr. Konstantin Raudive. The Ghost Orchid completes (in digital
form) the documentary efforts of Raymond Cass, an English paranormal
hobbyist who devoted himself to a study of the EVP mysteries detailed
in Raudive's definitive 1971 volume, Breakthrough. EVP describes
unidentifiable but coherent speech-like sounds of unknown origin
that "break through" during radio transmissions. The
numerous classic examples presented on this necessarily narration-heavy
disc (courtesy of Cass' home-recordings and The Ghost Orchid compiler
Leif Elggren) tend to be garbled, unintelligible bursts of interference
and singsong or pan-lingual nonsense. But there are enough chillingly
clear pronouncements ("We Originate On A Planet"), cryptic
fragments ("So Strange I Remember You"), and ominously
prophetic warnings ("Carefully With Nerve Gas") to silence
the skeptics. Elggren has previously dabbled with paranormal sound,
most notably in his intriguing "Speaking To A Dead Queen"
and Experimenting With Dreams/Zzz· investigations. Like those
projects, The Ghost Orchid maintains a scientific distance, drawing
no conclusions but simply offering samples of EVP for the listeners'
consideration÷each repeated thrice, as per the traditional presentation.
Are these the voices of the dead, as some of the more eerily subjective
examples might suggest? Are they proof of alien intelligence or
of covert military activity akin to the infamous "numbers
stations" chronicled by Irdial's CONET discs? Are they nothing
more exotic than stray wireless transmissions? Or is EVP merely
a freely interpretable fluke, another vagary eagerly seized upon
by those desperate to believe? There is something going on here;
that much is undeniable. The samples proffered by Raudive on Breakthrough's
accompanying seven-inch, both sides of which are included here,
are especially cogent. The crude, unearthly, but definitely human
voices heard on these tracks, often responding directly to the
investigators' questions in words and idiomatic expressions typical
of deceased colleagues, make the strongest case for EVP's supernatural
origins. The Ghost Orchid's selective sampling leaves too many
questions÷most notably the Euro-centric linguistic leanings of
the EVP voices÷but is, as its subtitle claims, a satisfying "introduction"
to the phenomenon. Frustratingly, EVP remains unexplained, despite
the advances in audio technology and scientific understanding.
And, as a document, The Ghost Orchid adds little to the sum of
EVP knowledge. But Ash International (surely the most active "dead"
label ever, no?) does a fine job of keeping this little-discussed
20th Century mystery alive. (ggg)
The Philadelphia Weekly (USA): Various Poltergeists and Scientists
The Ghost Orchid: An Introduction to EVP ASH INTERNATIONAL RIP
A ghost is essentially an unknown influence on behavior -- or
rather, a recognized object whose influence isn't recognized.
Television sets are ghosts, and so is your belief that the girl
sitting next to you would sleep with you if she could ever really
get to know you. The Ghost Orchid claims to be real live recordings
of poltergeists, originating out of a 7-inch released in the early-'70s.
It sounds like tape loops of shortwave radio -- DJs will be all
over this one. Are these really ghosts? No! Ghosts do not exist,
silly rabbit. But what unseen force made you buy this disc? Was
it my words? You're haunted, all right.
Exclaim (Canada): Here's one for your weird science collection
- the first CD collecting examples of EVP (electronic voice phenomena)
or recordings of voices of unknown origin that occupy radio frequencies.
These poltergeist-type transmissions have been noticed since the
1930s, puzzling researchers with their "polyglot" messages
that use unusual sentence structures, mixtures of languages and
made up words (neologisms). It gets really weird when the voices
seem to communicate directly to the researchers. When tape recorders
were more readily available after WWII the voices were documented,
and in 1959 a Swedish researcher, Friedrich Jurgenson, was the
first to report their existence. The CD features examples recorded
by a leading English EVP researcher, Raymond Cass, who also provides
commentary. And the collection reproduces the seven-inch record
accompanying a Russian researcher, Dr Konstantin Raudive's important
book, Breakthrough, from 1971. Sceptics have decided the short
fragments of low quality recordings are ham radio hoaxes or the
by-product of electro-magnetic pollution. Certainly in the era
of the sound byte we are wiser to the short edits used as examples
- especially when you are told in advance what to listen for.
Still many researchers believe these are voices from alternate
dimensions or the spirit world, which had been previously investigated
by Marconi and Edison, who believed radio waves could be used
to contact the dead. As an audio experience, The Ghost Orchid
will appeal to listeners of projects like the Hafler Trio, for
its mix of spoken word, electronic tones and short wave radio-type
random noises. Deepening the mystery is the 24-page booklet with
articles by Ash International's Michael Harding, Joe Banks (aka
Disformation) and others, as the search continues for the source
of this "Holy Grail of acoustic phenomena." (Chris Twomey)
SideLine (Belgium): This
CD collection of Electronic Voice Phenomena is nothing less than
compelling, cataloging an abundance of strange, obscure recordings
of'voices from the other side. I am at once deeply fascinated
by the sound bytes, clips of recordings that are so brief as to
demand the listener's full attention, and slightly skeptical as
to authenticity and then a voice caught in what sounds like radio
static shifts from one language to another in the span of a sentence
and the fluidity furrows my brow even more. The disc is constructed
with much care, as information is a constant, and includes many
scientific interpretations of the voices (as 'polygot,' 'alien,'
'instant response,' etc.); along with that, the CD also includes
EVP pioneer Dr. Konstantin Raudive's surreal "Breakthrough"
7" from 1971 (which includes recordings of Raudive himself,
communicating after his death). With bands such as Schloss Tegal
and Crepuscule incorporating EVP recordings into their own work,
the interest, now, has risen substantially, especially for one
who finds the work of both of these bands quite engrossing, making
a release of this nature a mandatory acquisition. If that was
not enough, the thick booklet is brimming with information (overload),
my interest stoked even further. Seems this is the first in a
series of CDs that will explore the paranormal-acoustic world.
I anxiously await the next installment. (John C Smith)
New York Press (USA): This disc is a collection of Electronic
Voice Phenomena, known to followers as EVP. EVP are voices which
interrupt electronic transmissions--radio, telephone, television,
etc. in order to give the listener a message. Catching these fleeting
occurrences takes not only constant monitoring of media, but also
takes a good pair of dog ears to recognize them (they're usually
about 2 seconds long). A British guy named Raymond Cass is the
"expert" of this genre and this disc is made up of his
private tapes, many of which appeared previously only on cassette.
He's got a proper British accent and gives long introductions
which weave conspiracy theories together with occult phenomenon.
These alien voices are smothered in radio static and are each
repeated three times, due to their brevity. As WFMU's Brian Turner
has so eloquently put it, the result is Ghostbusters meets the
Conet Project. I smell a hoax; it's a very good hoax, but it still
smells like a hoax. The disc sounds like someone's really good
radio art. And it makes sense--the conceptual artist Leif Elggren
who created make-believe countries complete with their own virtual
anthems, flags and consulates all over the world, gives the spoken
introduction on the disc and provides commentary throughout. Elggren
presented his fake countries in galleries around the world and
released a CD of the anthems. It was a great project; well thought
out and meticulously followed through. If indeed this is one of
Elggren's art pieces, he's outdone himself this time. If you can
suspend your disbelief, file this one under crackpots and visionaries.
Cass and his wife Edith hang out all day listening to media, hoping
to catch messages from these aliens. At one time they tape a voice
saying "We can see Edith by radio. We can see Edith by radio.
We can see Edith by radio." Another time, the voices tell
Cass that he is ready to be a hero because he's the one who's
going to make these mysterious voices known to humankind. There's
a good dose of psychology and self-aggrandizement going on in
Elggren's fiction. Cass tells us that recently, he's lost his
ability to communicate with these voices and likens it to a bad
case of writer's block. He expresses a sense of impotence and
on this recording, relives the glory days of the 70s when he was
really connecting with the spirits. In fact, much of this disc
is Cass giving us a guided tour of his greatest hits. Most of
the translations of these muddy voices take a vivid imagination
in order to make sense of them. The voices come across as sheer
short-wave static and are so open ended that a listener could
turn the words into any number of phrases. Cass introduces an
alien voice that he's caught on tape. He claims that "an
entity unused to these atmospheric conditions tells us 'Who should
ever be in this pressure? Who should ever be in this pressure?
Who should ever be in this pressure?' " The voices sound
like sheer gobbledygook--it takes a great deal of poetic license
to get Cass's interpretation out of these garbled words. The voices
come in all shapes and sizes; some are in polyglot languages,
others sing to Cass and there's even a section where we hear Cass
asking the voices questions and receiving muddled responses. The
medium is the real message here. Mike Harding, co-founder of Touch
/ Ash / Or record labels put this discs he releases, EVP explores
the darker side of electronics where technology backfires, resulting
in thick static or fried transmissions. The simple idea of interrupted
radio transmissions viewed not as disturbances, but as opaque
aesthetic statements unto themselves fits Harding's agenda perfectly
(a few years back Harding released "Runaway Train",
an unedited tape of a conversation between the engineer of a runaway
train and a dispatcher, which was as much about the staticy quality
of the tape as it was about the narrative). Even if this disc
isn't a hoax, it's overarching message is that its formal qualities
uphold an esthetic of contemporary electronica. (Kenneth Goldsmith)
The Rocket (USA): Those voices - strange and disarming interruptions
from the ether during phone conversations, blurted out during
a radio or television broadcast. Sometimes, they even talk to
us. We're quick to blame it on crowded airwaves and frequencies,
sunspots and satellite interference. But perhaps it's something
else. What if someone - or something - was trying to communicate
with us, by the most obvious and effective means it had: our electronic
media. EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomena, is presumably recorded
evidence of after-life communication with the spirit realm, and
its alien counterparts outside our material world. There are no
screaming ghouls from the horror house here: The Ghost Orchid
compiles decades of EVP material from British, German and Swiss
researchers, breaking it down into clean academic categories that
despite their detached composure, make the hairs stand on your
neck. Samplers dig in, and listen for the "You Are Sleeping"
bite the Smiths lifted years ago. (Stewart A. Williams)
Gonzo Circus (Belgium): Twee cd's die de menselijke stem als onderwerp
hebben. Sub Rosa presenteert het eerste deel in de Sonor Lunapark
archiefreeks, een concept van publicist Marc Dachy. De documentaire
cd bestrijkt een gamma aan gesproken uittreksels van belangrijke
avantgardeschrijvers van het begin tot het einde van deze eeuw.
De cd begint in het jaar 1912 - de prehistorie van de geluidsopnames
- met een gedicht voorgedragen door Guillaume Apollinaire en eindigt
met een aantal fragmenten van Augusto de Campos, vertegenwoordiger
van de Braziliaanse avantgarde in de jaren zeventig. Daartussenin
gepropt staan stemfragmenten van Maïakovsky, Huelsenbeck,
Schwitters, Joyce, Stein, Artaud, Tzara, Gysin (het hilarische
'Pistol Poem') en vele, vele anderen. Vooral de heel vroege geluidsopnames
(vb. James Joyce of Apollinaire's stem die de tijd overleefde
temidden het magnetische geruis en gekraak van de originele opname)
maken indruk en lijken uit een andere wereld te komen. De rest
heeft vrijwel alleen documentaire waarde. Aardse en onaardse stemmen
ook op 'The Ghost Orchid - An Introduction To EVP', een project
van PARC (ParaPsychic Acoustic Research Cooperative) in samenwerking
met Mike Harding's Ash International [R.I.P.]. EVP's of Electronic
Voice Phenomena zijn vreemde en mysterieuze stemmen die op een
onverklaarbare manier op magnetische banden of in radiouitzendingen
opduiken. De verklaringen voor deze stemmen verschillen van onderzoeker
tot onderzoeker. Sommigen zien er buitenaardse wezens in die zich
aan ons kenbaar willen maken. Anderen menen dat onze dode geliefden
op die manier met ons proberen in contact te komen. Nog anderen
denken dat EVP's telepathische verschijnselen zijn die door ons
eigen onbewuste voortgebracht worden. Die verschillende meningen
van de onderzoekers die zich met het fenomeen bezighouden, o.a.
van pionier Raymond Cass, zijn nu overzichtelijk met fragmenten
en commentaar voor het eerst samengebracht op een cd. Het beluisteren
van het aangeboden materiaal op de twee cd's (Sub Rosa en Parc)
is geen sinecure en alleen maar interessant voor wie iets meer
verwacht van een cd dan een brok muziek. Voor wie echter geïnteresseerd
is in dooie schrijvers en paranormale fenomenen is dit zeker boeiend
geluidsmateriaal.(pw)
Electronic Voice Phenomena: Unidentified Voice Objects! De ParaPsychic
Acoustic Research Cooperative bracht in samenwerking met Ash International
[R.I.P.] de cd 'The Ghost Orchid - An Introduction to EVP' uit.
EVP is de afkorting van Electronic Voice Phenomena, een serie
vreemde en mysterieuze stemmen die op onverklaarbare wijze op
de magnetische banden van onderzoekers terechtkomen. EVP valt
onder de categorie occulte en paranormale fenomenen in de trant
van ufo's, klopgeesten en leven na de dood. De cd probeert zonder
zelf een oordeel te vellen bewijsmateriaal aan te dragen en argumenten
voor en tegen EVP af te wegen. Komen de stemmen vanuit de ruimte?
Bewijzen ze onze telepathische vermogens? Of worden ze doelbewust
op ons afgestuurd door verborgen machten die de onderzoekers willen
afleiden van hun ware doelstellingen? WAT? Electronic Voice Phenomena
is het ontvangen van abnormale en onverklaarbare stemmen via elektronische
opnameapparatuur, onder meer bandopnemers, computerprogramma's,
videorecorders en televisies, alsook telefoons en antwoordapparaten.
De stemmen worden niet gehoord tijdens de opnames maar alleen
na het terugspoelen en het opnieuw beluisteren van de bandjes.
De meeste opnames bestaan uit korte zinnen of uitspraken die nauwelijks
meer dan vier of vijf woorden tellen maar er zijn ook meer en
meer onderzoekers die langere boodschappen ontvingen. In principe
kan iedereen boodschappen ontvangen via EVP. Er zijn geen paranormale
gaven voor nodig. Door onderzoek is echter aangetoond dat je eigen
ingesteldheid en gemoedsstemming wel een belangrijke rol speelt
bij het ontvangen van EVP-boodschappen. EVP werd voor het eerst
opgemerkt en ontdekt in de jaren vijftig toen de verspreiding
van audiovisuele apparatuur een ware boom beleefde. Sindsdien
zijn er heel wat testen en experimenten gebeurd door onderzoekers
van over de ganse wereld. Alle onderzoeken, die grotendeels onafhankelijk
van elkaar gebeurden, kwamen tot dezelfde conclusie: er werden
inderdaad opnames gemaakt van mysterieuze stemmen. Maar geen enkele
van de onderzoeken verkreeg een definitief uitsluitsel over de
aard en de herkomst van die stemmen. Wel staat volgens de onderzoekers
vast dat 'wij als menselijke wezens kunnen wel degelijk bewijzen
dat de geesten van de doden kunnen communiceren met de levenden.
We kunnen geesten fotograferen, we kunnen ze zien en voelen. Via
EVP kunnen we ze ook horen en ermee in contact komen.' MOEDER!?....
De grens tussen wetenschap en bijgeloof is flinterdun. EVP is
even oud zoniet ouder dan het fenomeen 'elektronische opname'.
Uitvinder Thomas Edison maakte er op het einde van de vorige eeuw
reeds gewag van dat hij contact zou kunnen leggen met de doden
via zijn primitieve, elektronische apparatuur. De eerste onverklaarbare
stemmen werden in de jaren '30 ontdekt door Scandinavische militairen.
Zij schreven het fenomeen toe aan nazispionnen. Vreemd genoeg
spraken de stemmen hen toe in een onbekende taal. Sinds het begin
van de jaren '40, toen elektronische opnameapparatuur wijdverbreid
raakte, deden verhalen de ronde van onverklaarbare stemmen die
opdoken tijdens telefoongesprekken en televisieuitzendingen. De
eerste echte EVP-opnamen werden in '51 gemaakt door de Zweedse
filmmaker Friedrich Jürgenson, die onderzoek deed naar paranormale
fenomenen en als bij toeval stemmen aantrof op een bandje waarmee
hij buiten vogels aan het opnemen was. Jürgenson bemerkte
dat de stemmen antwoorden gaven op zijn bemerkingen en voortdurend
zijn naam riepen. Hij verrichtte gedurende 25 jaar onderzoek naar
het fenomeen en maakte duizenden tapes. De fanatiekste onderzoeker
én een overtuigd aanhanger van Electronic Voice Phenomena
is de nog steeds erg actieve Raymond Cass, geboren in Hull in
1921. Cass groeide op in het Engeland van net na de Eerste Wereldoorlog,
een gebeurtenis die een diepe indruk op hem naliet. Op jonge leeftijd
stelde hij zich al vragen over de zin van het leven en de betekenis
van die massale slachting van medemensen. Op zevenjarige leeftijd
raakte Cass geïnteresseerd in paranormale fenomenen. Toen
hij op een dag, verdiept in een geschiedenis van de Eerste Wereldoorlog,
aangesproken werd door een vreemde stem die uit de hoornvormige
luidspreker van een primitieve, uitgeschakelde radio kwam, stond
zijn besluit vast. Die enigmatische ervaring in het strandhuis
van zijn grootvader zou hem nadien niet meer loslaten en hij wijdde
zich voor de rest van zijn leven aan de studie van paranormale
verschijnselen. IK BEN... De echte doorbraak kwam er in '71, toen
Dr. Konstantin Raudive's naslagwerk 'Breakthrough' verscheen en
een ware schokgolf veroorzaakte. De oorspronkelijke vermoedens
dat EVP effectief bestond, werden eindelijk bevestigd. Maar de
wetenschappelijke wereld huldigde zich in scepsis en verdeelde
zich in twee kampen: zij die de stemmen afdeden als nep en zij
die fanatiek bleven geloven dat de stemmen afkomstig waren uit
het hiernamaals of van buitenaardse wezens die met ons in contact
wensten te komen. De mysterieuze Let Raudive was de eerste die
structureel onderzoek deed naar de Electronic Voice Phenomena
en die zijn opnames op een systematische manier catalogiseerde.
Raudive maakte honderdduizend tapes met zijn bevindingen. De beste
resultaten werden op een grammofoonplaat geperst die bij zijn
boek 'Breakthrough' uitgegeven werd. Na zijn dood in '80 hielp
hij nog steeds mee aan het onderzoek door boodschappen te sturen
naar andere onderzoekers. Raymond Cass, die tot dan toe op een
muur van onbegrip stootte en al jaren met primitieve middelen
onderzoek probeerde te doen naar EVP, greep de toegenomen interesse
aan om met een eigen gefundeerde research te beginnen en overklaste
al gauw de andere Britse onderzoekers met opnames die zo duidelijk
en luid waren dat ze leidden tot een wereldwijde interesse voor
het fenomeen. Cass produceerde onder meer de zeer omstreden 'Polyglot
Voices', zinnen die woorden bevatten uit verschillende talen.
Raymond Cass bereikte de beste resultaten in zijn onderzoeksbureau
in Hull. Het bleek een tijd lang een uitgelezen plek om EVP op
te nemen, een zogenaamde 'window area' nabij een sterk elektromagnetisch
veld, waar de stemmen leken te drijven op een erg levendige magnetische
flux. YOU ARE SLEEPING! Aan de andere kant van de oceaan werd
ongeveer gelijktijdig met Cass onderzoek verricht door de Amerikaan
George W. Meek. Meek onderzocht EVP om een langdurige, interactieve
communicatie tot stand te brengen in plaats van de korte zinnen
die men tot dan toe opgenomen had. Samen met de paranormaal begaafde
William O'Neil ontwikkelde hij de Spiricom. Via de Spiricom kregen
ze contact met een zekere Dr. George Jeffries Mueller, een elektronicaspecialist
en universiteitsprofessor die enkele jaren voordien gestorven
was. O'Neil nam de urenlange, humoristische en verhelderende gesprekken
met Dr. Mueller op. Tijdens de conversaties gaf Mueller aanwijzingen
aan O'Neil om de Spiricom nog te verbeteren. Ook O'Neil kreeg
aanvankelijk alleen maar tegenkanting en sceptische reacties van
pers en publiek maar aangespoord door zijn resultaten werden talloze
onderzoeksprojecten opgestart in de VS, Brazilië, Rusland
en Europa. Geesten werden gecontacteerd via tape, telefoon, computer,
radio en zelfs televisie... In '85 ontving het Duits medium Klaus
Schreiber beelden van overleden familieleden, acteurs, en anderen
op zijn beeldscherm. Eerst werden enkel stemmen doorgestuurd maar
na enig afstemmen, ontving hij volledige beelden. Een sessie begon
met een beeldscherm vol sneeuw. Dan verschenen plots kleine ovalen,
die snel groeiden tot ze van het scherm verdwenen. Minuten later
verschenen tot grote verbazing van Schreiber en zijn bezoekers
naast de stemmen ook gezichten op het scherm. Niet lang nadat
hij zelf stierf, dook Schreiber zelf op op de beeldbuis van andere
Europese onderzoekers. Ook EVP pioniers Raudive en Jürgenson
maakten zichzelf na hun dood kenbaar aan andere onderzoekers.
In april '90 stierf Meek's vrouw Jeannette na een slepende ziekte.
Voor ze heenging, had Meek haar gevraagd om de namen TimeStream
(een Luxemburgs onderzoekslaboratorium) en Swejen Salter (medium
en onderzoeker) in het geheugen te griften. Hij hoopte dat die
twee namen haar geest zouden leiden nadat ze gestorven was. Het
lukte blijkbaar. Drie maand na haar begrafenis werd Jeannette
gelokaliseerd door TimeStream. George ontving een klare en duidelijke
boodschap via de Luxemburgse computer. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BELIEVE!
Eén van de recentste en merkwaardigste onderzoeken naar
EVP werd gedaan door Maggy Harsh-Fischbach. In juni '85 begon
ze te experimenteren met bandopnemers. Enkele weken later ontving
ze haar eerste boodschappen. Haar echtgenoot Jules suggereerde
de experimenten voort te zetten op het platteland om de kansen
dat stemmen overgenomen werden van telefoonlijnen, radio of tv-uitzendingen
of naburige gesprekken zo klein mogelijk te houden. Eind '85 begon
het echtpaar sessies te organiseren in het bijzijn van anderen.
De publieke opnamesessies werden al snel een wekelijkse gebeurtenis.
Maggy richtte zich speciaal op de geest van Konstantin Raudive
omdat hij tijdens zijn leven beloofd had zeker zijn stem te laten
horen uit het hiernamaals indien hij er de kans toe kreeg. Ze
namen talloze toevallige stemmen op tot ze op een dag de diepe
stem van Raudive ontdekten tussen de andere zwakkere stemmen.
Naarmate de tijd vorderde, slaagde de groep erin om een contactveld
uit te bouwen met Raudive. Nadat ze in het voorjaar van '86 een
tv, twee radio's, een elektriciteitsgenerator en twee ultraviolette
lampen toegevoegd hadden aan hun apparatuur, kwam de stem van
Raudive opnieuw luid en duidelijk door en hoorden ze ook andere
stemmen van overleden familieleden en vrienden. BESLUIT De controverse
en de verdeeldheid over de aard van de stemmen blijft na al die
jaren nog steeds voortduren. Zelfs de aanhangers delen zich op
in twee kampen. Er zijn er die geloven in de 'objectiviteit' van
de stemmen: zij menen dat de stemmen pogingen zijn van overledenen
om met ons te communiceren of mogelijk van buitenaardse wezens
die zich aan ons kenbaar wensen te maken. Anderen trekken de objectiviteit
van de stemmen sterk in twijfel en geloven dat de bron van de
stemmen 'subjectief' is, m.a.w. de onderzoeker projecteert de
stemmen zelf op tape, mogelijks door telepathie. De stemmen zijn
dus paranormaal maar komen niet van 'de andere kant'. Of is EVP
gewoon een uit de hand gelopen grap en worden we allemaal in het
ootje genomen? Maggy Harsh-Fishbach verwoordt haar geloof in EVP
als volgt: 'De wezens die zich tot ons richten via onze apparatuur,
identificeren zichzelf als wezens die in de geesteswereld opgenomen
zijn. We nemen dit aan voor waar tot het tegendeel bewezen is.
Tot op vandaag is nog niemand met een aanvaardbare uitleg voor
de stemmen voor de dag gekomen. Alle tegenargumenten die tot nu
toe geformuleerd werden, zijn een uiting van angst, frustratie,
onwetendheid en jaloezie. Naarmate de contacten tussen de verschillende
dimensies sterker worden, worden de argumenten die wijzen op trucage
en manipulatie zwakker...' De cd 'The Ghost Orchid - An Introduction
to EVP' is een samenwerking tussen het ParaPsychic Acoustic Research
Cooperative (PARC) en Ash International [R.I.P.]. Ash International
[R.I.P.] wordt in België verdeeld door (K-RAA-K)". Tekst:
Peter Wullen/Illustraties: PARC
DREAM Magazine (Net): After a series of introductions we're treated
to a series of recordings of "voices of unknown origin"
occuring during radio broadcasts, they are mostly snippets, fuzzy
and fragmented, each example repeats three times. There are further
introductions and sets of these "ghost voices". I could
imagine taking bits of this to build something out of, to use
in a mix or something, as a listening experience; it's like watching
a weird antiquated slide show. The voices are seldom very reception
stuff. Another theory hopefully espoused here is the origin of
the voices being extraterrestrial, I guess if you can‚t be
dead, you might as well be from outer space. Am I convinced? Over
the course of the 79 tracks here, there are some intriguing bits,
but it all sounds quite earthly to me. A guy once showed me an
expensive full color hardcover art-book full of "authentic
photographs of UFOs". They were all nice looking, well composed,
mysterious and quite obviously fakes. The shadows of the UFO's
didn‚t match the ground details, etc. I‚d love to believe
in all the mysteries, I‚d like to live in a more magical/possible
world of realities, but this ultimately seems more wishful than
"real", like seeing the Virgin Mary in a peach pit,
or my pal‚s big expensive book. [George Parsons DREAM Magazine
www.geo@main.gv.net]
-
- Friedrich
Jürgenson - from the Studio for Audioscopic Research
-
Incursion
(Web): This album is a follow-up to The Ghost Orchid, released
last year on Ash International in association with PARC. In addition
to presenting a series of original recordings by Konstantine Raudive,
The Ghost Orchid also came packaged with a lengthy booklet of
essays and an extensive bibliography on the subject of Electronic
Voice Phenomena (EVP). EVP consists of mysterious and inexplicable
voices appearing on tapes, with messages in either known languages
or in polyglot (a combination of known languages). These voices,
often thought to be those of the dead, are often barely perceptible
in the recordings, and when and if they can be understood, the
messages themselves are often cryptic and enigmatic, requiring
further interpretation and investigation. For this second release,
PARC (the Parapsychic Acoustic Research Cooperative) in association
with Ash turn their attention to Friedrich Jürgenson, one
of the earliest pioneers of EVP research. Jürgenson, trained
as a painter, singer and musician, bought a tape recorder in 1957
to record his own singing. According to the liner notes, he started
to notice "some strange phenomena: inexplicable fade-ins
and fade-outs on the tapes; abstract visions and telepathic messages".
Attempting to record birdsong in his garden, Jürgenson found
more voices and messages, including a message from his mother,
and it was at this point when Jürgenson abandoned all other
pursuits in order to investigate this audio phenomenon. He continued
to use the tape recorder as his medium, but later switched to
using a radio, after one of the voices told him to do so (this
is were the whole thing gets a bit dubious for me). Jürgenson,
who died in 1987, has left several hundred tapes of recorded material.
The recordings on this CD are just a selection. On the CD itself
we hear Jürgenson's own voice introducing the recording,
followed by his evidence of the phenomena. Music, voices and sounds
are buried beneath thick layers of static and hiss, often addressing
Jürgenson directly. For what it's worth, I am not one of
the devotees of the theories behind this research, and am naturally
skeptical of this so-called "phenomenon". Very often
these sounds are barely audible, and if I wanted I could read
any number of words into them. So it's no wonder the person doing
the recording hears languages of which he is familiar, and voices
addressing him by his own name, etc. And yet this is still an
intriguing field of research, worthy of at least some attention.
These sounds may not be voices from the beyond, but they still
exist, true or not. If you are looking for an introduction to
the world of EVP, I suggest you go to The Ghost Orchid first,
which is more of an introductory publication. Audioscopic Research
is more for the EVP enthusiast. Nicely packaged in a plastic wallet
with large cards and a booklet of biographical information and
detailed descriptions of the recordings.
[Richard di Santo]
-
- Gonzo
Circus (Belgium): In de Zweedse hoofdstad Stockholm loopt momenteel
een overzichtstentoonstelling rond de persoon Friedrich Jürgenson
(1903-1987). Het evenement valt samen met de oprichting van een
Friedrich Jürgenson Foundation en de release van de tweede
cd-productie van The Parapsychic Acoustic Research Cooperative
(kortweg PARC) in samenwerking met Ash International [RIP]. Halfweg
vorig jaar brachten Ash en Parc een eerste EVP-cd uit. We berichtten
toen al uitgebreid over 'The Ghost Orchid - An Introduction To
EVP' (zie Gonzo 40). Electronic Voice Phenomena of EVP zijn mysterieuze
stemmen die op onverklaarbare manier opduiken op magnetische banden
of in radiouitzendingen. De interesse voor dit unieke document
- het was de eerste maal dat EVP-audiodocumenten op cd vastgelegd
werden - was zeer groot. Een bewijs dat mensen in deze ultrarationele
tijd nog steeds geboeid worden door onverklaarbare fenomenen.
Tussendoor werden de geluidsarchieven van EVP-onderzoeker Raymond
Cass uitgebracht op MPEG-formaat. 'Friedrich Jürgenson -
from the Studio of Audioscopic Research' is de tweede echte Parc-cd,
luxueus uitgegeven met bijbehorend boekje vol uitleg en tal van
illustraties. De centrale figuur van de cd Friedrich Jürgenson
is op zijn zachtst gezegd omstreden te noemen. Hij begon zijn
loopbaan als operazanger tot zijn stem het deels begaf. Daarna
was hij tegelijk papenvreter als hofschilder van paus Pius XII,
pseudowetenschapper, amateurarcheoloog in Pompeï en filmmaker.
Jürgenson was ook één van de eerste pioniers
die gericht onderzoek uitvoerde naar EVP. De man kreeg zelfs een
frequentie toegemeten die nog steeds zijn naam draagt: 1485.0
kHz is de zogenaamde Jürgenson Frequency. In '57 kocht hij
zich een bandopnemer om zijn eigen gezangen op te nemen. Tussen
de opnamen door meende hij vreemde stemmen te ontwaren. Vanaf
dan begon hij te experimenteren met geluidsapparatuur. Een deel
van zijn bevindingen zijn nu dus op cd gebundeld. De 57 (!) overzichtelijk
gerangschikte korte stukjes van de cd worden telkens koeltjes
ingeleid door de stem van Jürgenson zelf. Soms is het bijzonder
moeilijk om tussen het achtergrondgeruis de stemmen te onderscheiden.
Ze blijken ook multi-interpretabel te zijn. Beklijvend zijn de
twee fragmenten waarin een zachte vrouwenstem 'Bambina, arriva,
arriva' fluistert. Jürgenson beperkte zich echter niet tot
de opname van individuele stemmen maar sleepte er af en toe zelfs
volledige hemelse koren en orkesten bij (cf. fragmenten 39, 40
of 45) of het hilarische fragment 54 waar een hond uit het hiernamaals
aan te pas komt. Op andere plaatsen meenden we een omgekeerd gespeelde
Adamo te ontwaren of een compleet nazi-koor. Het moet gezegd:
onze Friedl had behoorlijk wat verbeelding. Zonder afbreuk te
doen aan het onderzoek naar EVP hebben we wat afgelachen tijdens
de beluistering van de cd... Maar goed, het vormt nog maar eens
een bewijs dat wie te veel ineens wil bewijzen, riskeert om zijn
eigen onderzoeksresultaten te ondermijnen. We vermoeden dan ook
dat Jürgenson een verborgen agenda onderhield en dat hij
zijn broodheren in het Vaticaan absoluut iets op de mouw wou spelden.
'Friedrich Jürgenson - from the Studio for Audioscopic Research'
is koren op de molen voor de sceptici. Dergelijke toestanden doen
het vermoeden rijzen dat Jürgenson een charlatan was die
zijn pseudowetenschappelijke experimenten met de zegen van de
clerus uitvoerde. Hij blijft een enigmatisch personnage waar het
laatste woord nog niet over gevallen is. Wie een kritische analyse
over EVP wil lezen, moet er maar eens het artikel op naslaan dat
Joe Banks schreef in het begeleidend boekje van de cd 'The Ghost
Orchid'. Niettemin opnieuw een fascinerend geluidsdocument.(PiT)
Bizarre (UK): More Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) recordings
from PARC and Ash International, this time in association with
Swedish gallery Fargfabriken, home to the Jurgenson archives.
Pop by http://parc.web.fm to get the full story and check out
Ray Cass's recordings on MP3. Suffice it to say there's enough
here to spook even the most cynical listener.
The Wire (UK): Ultimately all recordings are made by the dead,
each one a preserved fragment of a once living fragment of a once
living presence. Friedrich Jurgenson, along with Konstantin Raudive,
was an early pioneer of Electronic Voice Phenomenon research,
documenting the unexplained appearance over the airwaves of mysterious
voices bearing cryptic messages from beyond. Assembled from his
original Uher tapes, this collection of gently skewed polyglot
poetry may not share the banal splendours of those recorded by
Ray Cass, from the recent Ghost Orchid collection, but the package
does include a photograph of Jurgenson's spectral visage appearing
on a TV screen on the day of his funeral. [Ken Hollings]
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