Listening Diary

 

gintas k

gintas k - Sugar Noizy (2026) & Merzmania (2026)

Downloads

After quite some Noise listening recently I returned to a less harsh style of experimental music in the form of the works of Lithuanian sound artist and experimental musician gintas k. A DIY experimenter in the purest form, gintas creates much of his music digitally using his computer on which he utilises custom built instruments and records performances of himself manipulating these instruments using VST effects controlled through MIDI keyboard and controller which form the tracks on both Sugar Noizy and Merzmania. 

Both albums therefore have in common the approach gintas k uses in recording but the results in terms of sound vary between both releases. Sugar Noizy is a 54 minute record which sounds quite literally as its title. It’s a collection of 17 relatively short sound sculptures built out of common material which is used in most of its 17 tracks, physical clattering and a liquid like edge mixed with more hissy digital noise elements. These sonic elements are varied in various ways on the 17 tracks creating different configurations, rhythms and progressions but never radically differing in their base sonic nature. This makes for a consistent and pleasant listen but in the case of using common sonic textures and then recording various performances using these next record Merzmania is more successful in its approach. 

With a somewhat harder hitting edge to the textures used on Merzmania which include stuttered and granular drum loops, bursts of quite harsh Noise and twinkly chaotic piano and synth tones the album’s 13 tracks and rather longer 75 minute playing time are nevertheless resulting in more varied and exciting results. The dynamic, playful and inspired manners in which barrages of granular loop manipulations, irregular rhythmic tonal clusters and screechy noise are combined are quite enjoyable in both their intensity and challenging abstract nature. Unlike on Sugar Noizy the 13 pieces feature at times more surprising progressions and dynamics and the manipulations in the textures seem to open up more different textures than on Sugar Noizy. As the description suggests it does feel a bit more similar to recent (digital infused) Merzbow works but then Glitch based and it increases the effect of the music more. Nonetheless I do find that gintas k makes really interesting, challenging music that if you let a full release play out and don’t try to “understand” what is happening but just let yourself go with the flow of these works is very rewarding and consistent in approach.

You can purchase the download of Sugar Noizy on Bandcamp here: https://gintask.bandcamp.com/album/sugar-noizy-zeromoon-2026

Merzmania is available to order as a CD and as a download here: https://gintask.bandcamp.com/album/merzmania-gk-rec-2026