Lou Reed Metal Machine Trio to Tour

"A night of deep noise" for European audiences; plus, the original album gets remastered and reissued on high-end audio.

By Blurt Staff

Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio will embark on a UK and European tour on April 17th, when they perform what is described as "A Night of Deep Noise."

Featuring Lou Reed (processed & unprocessed guitars & mini continuum), Ulrich Krieger (tenor sax & live-electronics), and Sarth Calhoun (live processing & continuum fingerboard), the Metal Machine Trio concerts, although influenced and inspired by Reed's 1975 album Metal Machine Music, won't duplicate the original album, but will instead opt for entirely new unique music, noise and soundscapes.

The band initially debuted in October 2008 at the Redcat Theatre in Los Angeles, and they perform with "no songs and no vocals" - instead, they use their instruments and electronics "to venture into deep acoustic space... new music, free jazz, avant-rock, noise and ambient in a set of intense conceptual pieces and intuitive improvisations."

To coincide with the tour, Reed will release a newly re-mastered edition of Metal Machine Music on 180 gram double gatefold vinyl, Audio DVD & Blu-ray. Each format features a stereo reproduction of the original quadraphonic master, playable on home theatre systems. The album was previously reissued as a remastered CD in 2000 as a specially-packaged edition, and before that on regular CD in 1998; and 2007 brought the re-creation of MMM (or at least three parts of it), by Zeitkratzer. Reed subsequently performed with Zeitkratzer live in Berlin. But this will represent Reed's newly tinkering with the material for vinyl and high-end audio.

Lou Reed on the re-mastered edition of Metal Machine Music:

"The original. The one that started it all. Noise Rock. Industrial Road. Underground for years, it survived on the power of the idea. No key. No Vocals. No set rhythm. Feedback forever. Supervised by Lou Reed and faithfully re-mastered to the last squeal. The out of print "Quad" has been replicated for all formats including a perfect vinyl version playable on your stereo turntable with the original rear sections moved to the centre of the front left speakers. It's worth getting a turntable to hear this. I myself bought a Linn to celebrate the great sound and am playing it through Wilson Watts and Puppies. Here it as we did on Scott Hull's Duntechs. Straight from the original Bob Ludwig tapes. An act of love for an act of sound."

The MM3 European tour dates:

 Cambridge Junction (April 17)

Oxford O2 Academy (April 18),

Ether Festival - Royal Festival Hall, London (April 19),

La Cigale, Paris (April 21),

Domino Festival - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels (April 22),

DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen (April 24),

Sentrum Scene, Oslo (April 26),

Ole Bull Scene, Bergen (April 27),

Festival Alternatilla - Teatre Principal de Palma, Mallorca (April 30).

[Photo credit: copyright Amy-Beth McNeely; courtesy Noble PR]