【コラム】ノイズの砂漠地帯：2000年代テキサス・シーンから現在まで

Column en 00s Experimental Noise

10 Oct 2025

Prologue: Between Silence and Roar — Grammar of Noise in the South

Text: mmr｜Theme: From Charalambides to Black Leather Jesus, tracing the genealogy of southern experimental sound—Texas noise in the 2000s and its current state

It was from the late 1990s to the early 2000s that noise music took root in the vast landscape of the American South. While New York and Los Angeles were ``art cities’’ that developed noise music in art galleries and underground clubs, Texas developed its grammar as a place of geographic isolation and personal experimentation.

Houston, Austin, and San Antonio—these cities may be the ``homelands of country and blues’’ on the surface, but behind the scenes tape collage, non-music, and drone were quietly being cultivated.

Chapter 1: Solitary Sound Experiments — Charalambides and the Expansion of Southern Consciousness

In the early 2000s, Charalambides (Christina and Tom Carter) were a mainstay of the Texas noise scene. Their sound wasn’t so much noise as it was an experimental ritual that explored the ``junior edge’’ of folk and drone.

Infinitely stretched guitar reverberation
Vocal phrase repeated like a prayer
Harmonic structure that can only be achieved by passing through the dry Texas air

“It’s like recording the scenery itself, not the music.” — Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)

Charalambides’ activities spread through the Kranky and Wholly Other labels, and had a great influence on later Texas noise artists.

Chapter 2: Noise of Iron and Flesh — Black Leather Jesus and the Genealogy of Physicality

Black Leather Jesus (BLJ), which has been active since the 1990s, is a Houston-based noise group led by Richard Ramirez. BLJ continued to be active in the 2000s and beyond as the ``extreme of harsh noise’’, along with Japan’s Hijikaido, MERZBOW, and America’s The Haters.

BLJ is characterized by its fusion of noise, flesh, and homosexual aesthetics. Their stages feature restraints, leather, and religious rituals, accompanied by physical explosions of noise. It was more than a sonic experiment, it was a body-mediated resistance and celebration.

Offshoot units such as Werewolf Jerusalem and The Rita also sprang up around BLJ, turning Texas noise culture into an underground empire.

Chapter 3: From drones to ambient sounds — the connection between Austin and art noise

Austin is the city in Texas where noise has taken on new directions, especially as a hotbed of college culture and DIY art. In the late 2000s, artists like Iron Lung, Pure Ground, and Digital Leather shifted their focus from harshness to minimalism.

The recording environment has also changed.Cassette labels were on the rise, and exchanges with countries such as Edition Mego and Hospital Productions were also progressing. A characteristic of this period was the redefinition of noise as art. In particular, the “No Idea Festival” was held in small galleries and warehouses in Austin. Recognized Texas noise culture as part of an international avant-garde music network.

Chapter 4: Noise after Noise — Developments after the 2010s

In the 2010s, noise changed from “extreme acoustic expression” to “structural thinking.” Artists from Texas are breaking new ground by mixing ambient, electroacoustic, field recording, and more.

As a typical example:

Tom Carter’s solo work “Long Time Underground” (2015)
Rick Reed’s tape works (core of the Austin electronic sound scene)
Poetics of Memory and Noise using loop cassettes by Amulets (Randall Taylor)

These movements no longer consider noise as “destructive music” but as the noise of time and existence.

Chapter 5: Current Location and Future of Modern Texas Noise

The Texas noise scene of the 2020s lies between the network and the land. While young artists from Houston and Dallas are active as a digital collective through Bandcamp, YouTube, Discord, etc. Older artists continue to work with analog equipment.

“Noise is a matter of attitude, not technology.” — Richard Ramirez (Black Leather Jesus)

Texas noise continues to oscillate between wild and urban. It could be called “Southern literature through sound”.

Chronology

flowchart TD A2000["2000: Charalambides reissues 'Unknown Spin' (Kranky)"] A2002["2002: No Idea Festival to be held for the first time in Austin"] A2005["2005: Black Leather Jesus' "Yes, I Am That Fucking Desperate" released"] A2010["2010: Amulets starts its activities"] A2015["2015: Tom Carter's "Long Time Underground" released"] A2020["2020: Texas noise netlabel group becomes active (Bandcamp)"] A2024["2024: Black Leather Jesus re-evaluation movement, European tour realized"] A2000 --> A2002 --> A2005 --> A2010 --> A2015 --> A2020 --> A2024

Discography

Artist	Title	Year	Link
Charalambides	Unknown Spin	2000	Amazon
Tom Carter	Long Time Underground	2015	Amazon
Amulets	Between Distant and Remote	2018	Amazon
Black Leather Jesus	Bible of Burnt Skin	2020	Amazon

Conclusion: Noise in the desert — sound as a celebration of solitude

Texas noise is horizon noise, not city noise. It wasn’t a scream or resistance, but a slight vibration to confirm its existence. Noise artists here are not only working through technology, but also Rather, he continues to update his ``ethics of sound’’ in solitude and nature.