Leng Tch'e is the fourth release from John Zorn's band Naked City. It consists of a single track, running at just over half an hour. It was first released on the Japanese Toys Factory label in 1992. Unlike Naked City's previous material, which was known for its fast tempo and rapid transitions between a variety of heterogeneous styles, Leng Tch'e is a more avant-garde take on sludge metal. It was issued along with Torture Garden, a collection of grindcore pieces, in the double-disc collection Black Box. The single song was written in five bars; and then stretched out and played Read Full BioLeng Tch'e is the fourth release from John Zorn's band Naked City. It consists of a single track, running at just over half an hour. It was first released on the Japanese Toys Factory label in 1992. Unlike Naked City's previous material, which was known for its fast tempo and rapid transitions between a variety of heterogeneous styles, Leng Tch'e is a more avant-garde take on sludge metal. It was issued along with Torture Garden, a collection of grindcore pieces, in the double-disc collection Black Box. The single song was written in five bars; and then stretched out and played as a 32 minute dirge.
The cover photograph features a "death by a thousand cuts" (i.e. leng tch'e) victim, and this is also the theme of the piece.
From the liner notes:
"Research into the relationship between violence and the sacred led Zorn to the writings of Georges Bataille. The historical photographs used in Leng Tch'e (found in Tears of Eros) were taken circa 1905 in Beijing to document the last public execution utilizing leng tch'e (hundred pieces) which dates from the Manchu dynasty. Given opium to extend the victim's life during the arduous process, the look of ecstasy on the man's face haunted Bataille:
"This photograph had a decisive role in my life. I have never stopped being obsessed by this image of pain, at once ecstatic and intolerable. I wonder what the Marquis de Sade would have thought of this image, Sade who dreamed of torture, (which was inaccessible to him) but who never witnessed an actual torture session. In one way or another this image was incessantly before his eyes. But Sade would have wanted to see it in solitude, at least in relative solitude, without which the ecstatic and voluptuous effect is inconceivable. What I suddenly saw, and what imprisoned me in anguish — but which at the same time delivered me from it — was the identity of these perfect contraries, divine ecstasy and its opposite, extreme horror. And this is my inevitable conclusion to a history of eroticism." — Georges Bataille
The liner notes present an abridgment of Bataille's remarks on p. 206-207 of Tears of Eros.
Bataille also wrote about the photograph in Inner Experience: "In particular, I would gaze at the photographic image -- or sometimes the memory which I have of it -- of a Chinese man who must have been tortured in my lifetime. Of this torture, I had had in the past a series of successive representations. In the end, the patient writhed, his chest flayed, arms and legs cut off at the elbows and at the knees. His hair standing on end, hideous, hagard, striped with blood, beautiful as a wasp."
The cover photograph features a "death by a thousand cuts" (i.e. leng tch'e) victim, and this is also the theme of the piece.
From the liner notes:
"Research into the relationship between violence and the sacred led Zorn to the writings of Georges Bataille. The historical photographs used in Leng Tch'e (found in Tears of Eros) were taken circa 1905 in Beijing to document the last public execution utilizing leng tch'e (hundred pieces) which dates from the Manchu dynasty. Given opium to extend the victim's life during the arduous process, the look of ecstasy on the man's face haunted Bataille:
"This photograph had a decisive role in my life. I have never stopped being obsessed by this image of pain, at once ecstatic and intolerable. I wonder what the Marquis de Sade would have thought of this image, Sade who dreamed of torture, (which was inaccessible to him) but who never witnessed an actual torture session. In one way or another this image was incessantly before his eyes. But Sade would have wanted to see it in solitude, at least in relative solitude, without which the ecstatic and voluptuous effect is inconceivable. What I suddenly saw, and what imprisoned me in anguish — but which at the same time delivered me from it — was the identity of these perfect contraries, divine ecstasy and its opposite, extreme horror. And this is my inevitable conclusion to a history of eroticism." — Georges Bataille
The liner notes present an abridgment of Bataille's remarks on p. 206-207 of Tears of Eros.
Bataille also wrote about the photograph in Inner Experience: "In particular, I would gaze at the photographic image -- or sometimes the memory which I have of it -- of a Chinese man who must have been tortured in my lifetime. Of this torture, I had had in the past a series of successive representations. In the end, the patient writhed, his chest flayed, arms and legs cut off at the elbows and at the knees. His hair standing on end, hideous, hagard, striped with blood, beautiful as a wasp."
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Leng Tch'e
Naked City Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Naked City:
Blood Duster We are at the summit of the highest mountain We are…
Bonehead Rooaaaaaarr yieeeahh aaaaahhh yoohhh heeeaay Roooooarrrr…
The lyrics can frequently be found in the comments below or by filtering for lyric videos.
Terrible Crayon
Such a great piece. I LOVE this SO much.
Cyrus
The whole thing is awesome, but from the time the vocals kick in to the end is pure fucking psychotic gold. So good.
Dee Patrick
love this band, John Zorn's a monster on the sax
jeff anderson
In frustrating gridlock traffic jams, I turn to this track at full volume, and it always redefines the mood and makes boring FUN 😆😼
turtles_O
This is it! This is the sound! ‘92... so ahead of its time. Fuck this is spectacular. Zorn is a genius.
Luis
The first time that i heard John Zorn was in the album of Napalm Death, Utilitarian(one of my favorites), maybe the first violent saxophone solo that i hear, and now i hear this, was dificult in the beginning, i start to enjoyed around the minute: 20:00 was a lot interesting, it's like they try to transmite the pain of the front picture of the album, i will keep an eye in this band, thanks for sharing the music, i think is a nice discover for me.
Rendi Case
Great stuff, thank you. I got to see this performed in NYC mid 90's. I think it was the Knitting Factory. Great performance.
Bobby Turkalino
Looked up old Leng Tch'e (the band) and came across this masterpiece.
loop based zero
sure this is fucking disturbing, but that is the whole point, art is meant to be taken as far as it can go, and still say something of relevance to the human condition.
Дрезден
@Andy Truss right? those who would complain usually don´t end up here