TONE REC – PHOLCUS (CD by Sub Rosa)
Their first CD, also for Sub Rosa, was very enjoyable, I thought. It takes
rock music, if the term doesn’t shock you, into the electronic domain.
Quite a pleasure, so their second CD is received with some eagerness. It
seems to me that this Tone Rec is more electronic than last time. The third
piece, ‘Voice Onset Time’, starts out with an almost Panasonic like intro
(minus the harsh texture) and dark moody drones (I suspect a saxophone)
take over the work. The rhythms (crackles that have been sampled, take
over) are lighter towards the end. The whole rock format is gone in these
fine 11 minutes. ‘Looming’, the next track, pokes fun at drum + bass, a
stuttery break beat with high pitched, yet far away tone. When the drum
pattern disappears tinkling tones remain. This might be still post-rock,
but it is one step ahead. In ‘Koh’s Eye Reflex’ the studio is used entirely
to re-create what could be a rock song. A no-no is ‘Failure Of Theories’:
putting a loop through various effects but doing nothing at all is just too
simple. But luckily this is only 32 seconds. Only the second track,
‘Grasping With The Whole Hand’ can be regarded as a real rocking song, with
real drums and drones. Tone Rec might still not be as ‘big’ as their US
companions, but, in my humble opinion should be. They carry on, were others
quit. (FdW)
Address: Sub Rosa – P.O.Box 808 – CM 1000 Brussels – Belgium
ONES, TWOS AND THREES (CD by Old Gold)
More improv music from a lo-fi label from Atlanta. These is a registration
of events held each Tuesdays, where people play solo, in pairs or in
trio’s, exploring free improvisation, free jazz or free noise. None of the
names meant much to me, so I won’t repeat them here (that’s arrogant…),
but the result is actually quite nice. From really down right free noise
ramblings on ‘artifacts’ to pretty structured pieces, like the one from
Davis, Piper and Young. Also the solo by Marshall Avett for
tapes/radios/alarm made a good impression. Admirers of AMM and the like,
should not miss this.
In similar lo-fi package comes also ‘I Scream’ (not to be confused with the
synth band on Insane Music from the mid 80’s, or the band that played Gary
Numan on guitars), which is a complation with 6 bands that played on the
Ice Cream Festival, July 1997. Opened by Shaking Ray Levis (a duo of which
no member is called Ray Levis) who toy around with samples of jazz snippets
and a free percussionist. The Gold Sparkle Band is more “classic” free jazz
with lots of solo’s on reeds and trumpets. LaDonna Smith & Davey Williams
improv their way out on an electric guitar, voice and violin, which are
times noisy and at others tuny (with the balance to the latter). Charlie
Parker is a band (see Vital Weekly of a couple of weeks back) and their
live cut is on the same lines as their record. Insect & Western Party even
carry a real star, Eugene Chadbourne on banjo and voice. Accompagnied by an
oboe and acoustic bass, this is free c&w music – with lots of fun). William
Carlos Williams is the noisiest thing here, heavy free metal noise with
lots of energy. Nice selection throughout, no dull moment here. (FdW)
Address: <oldagolda@aol.com>
ASMUS TIETCHENS – SEUCHENGEBIETE (CD by Artware Audio)
The waterdripping in the Audiplex studio continues. What started as an
annoying sound in the back of the studio, has generated a whole series of
compositions. The first one, a long deleted LP, is one of the most sought
after items by herr Tietchens (and should be coming on CD, goddammit). This
third one explores the metallic dripping further. The single sound is
captured in the mixing board and treated into a beatiful layered piece of
sound. At times one is reminded of say Hafler Trio, but carries of course
Asmus’ trademark all over. Slighty reverberated, echoey, it the kind of
unsettling ambient sound that will never be popular in chill out areas.
There is a certain sense of coldness in this music, but a beautiful
coldness also. One thing I simply don’t get, is the downright silly stars
on the inside of the booklet. Otherwise, this is another pleasure to hear.
(FdW)
Address: <Artware.prod@t-online.de>
ZOVIET FRANCE – MORT AUX VACHES: FEEDBACK (CD by Staalplaat)
This is yet another in the mostly brilliant series of concerts recorded by
Berry Kamer and Jan Hiddink at the VPRO Radio Studios in Holland and
released in conjunction with Staalplaat in limited editions only.
Typical of much of the output from Zoviet*France, the music on this CD
remains timeless. It was recorded in 1996, for those of you who need to
know. As usual it’s embraced in a gatefold cover with silver spike.
Individual tracks are indexed and titled, but I found this an unnecessary
editing process. This gentle work is perhaps best considered in terms of a
symphony (shriek not anti-anti’s). It starts gracefully with warm analogue
synthesiser set to random – soft wings flutter close stirring motes of
settled dust, sweeping across the space in slow arcs. Subtle effects swoop
in filling the corners with a low, dark pastel drone. Quiet protestations
and trickling flutes flit by. Gradual slopes are ascended, but it seems as
if our progress is halted before reaching the summit.
A carefully constructed hint of a great mystery and one to listen to
forever. (MP)
Address: <staal@euronet.nl>
SAVVAS YSATIS & TAYLOR DUPREE – TOWER OF WINDS (CD by Caipirinha Music)
Here’s one that I selected because of my familiarity witth earlier works by
both of these composers, most especially their releases on Instinct USA
(eventually Europe). This CD is the first in a series of compositions which
‘explore the synergy between the man-made worlds of architecture and
electronic music’. I’ve always been interested in interfacing intelligent
buildings to sound generators, so took this home for a listen.
The booklet administers gushing praise on a Japanese architect, Toyo Ito,
whose ‘Tower Of Winds’, a structure in Yokohama provided the inspiration
for the pieces on this CD, yet no technical details are provided about the
way in which the music was generated, except to say that the composers
developed ‘a production technique that enabled them to compose a body of
music by manipulating sound without the use of keyboards or other
traditional input devices’. So my curiosity is not satisfied.
(I seem to recall some beautiful pieces by Peter Appleton on Extreme,
Australia, which were created by environmentally sensitive devices linked
to sound machines.)
Toyo Ito’s ‘Tower of Winds’ is a 21 metre tower on a roundabout near the
Yokahama train station. During the day it is a simple, geometrical
aluminium cylinder. At night it becomes a kaleidescope of colour; an
elaborate light show is created inside the structure which is controlled by
a computer which translates elements like wind speed, direction, ambient
noises and the time of day into a symphony of light.
Sounds fucking beautiful.
Unlike the CD, which is a forced, mechanical exercise in sound design.
Save yer yen for a ticket to see Yokohama by night. (MP)
Address: <www.caipirinha.com>
JESS FRANCO – THE MANACOA EXPERIENCE
VARIOUS ARTISTS – CRIPPLED CHAMPIONS
(both CD’s on Crippled Dick Hot Wax)
Despised by the many, adored by the perverted few, this label has done more to generate interest in B-movie soundtracks that any other – their release of the Vampyros Lesbos soundtrack was even hailed by many of the unmelodic as an unusual addition to the harvest. Since then, of course, we’ve seen a
plethora of other soft-core soundtracks slither seditiously into the
stores, with their unabashed covers featuring some fine and delicate
mammalian protruberances from the worst of what 70s celluloid had to offer.
No problem, tho’.
Jess Franco, as main composer for the Vampyros Lesbos soundtrack (and
indeed creator of the film) must have been pleasantly surprised by this
resurge in interest in his work. So much so, in fact, that he set to, and
disregarding all the frightening little tools science has since made
availible, composed a bumch of tunes for real instruments, all inspired by
some of his previous films. Jess was a busy man, a definitive figure in
B-movie history, so afficianados can certainly use the notes to this CD as
a good reference in their quest for more bosomy irregularities.
The music, before I digress too far into the fields of flesh, has little to
do with anything else we have yet heard released by Crippled Dick by Jess
Franco. It’s cool, swinging jazz with a definite Spanish flavour, secreting
more than a casual nod to and quote from jazz history. Not really for fans
of the film series, but one for listening to while the Alka Seltzer kicks
in.
Crippled Champions is a low-price sampler of some of the stuff the DickWax
crew have been releasing lately. The first 13 tracks are of the genre
referred to above, including a few unreleased pieces by Jerry Van Rooyen
and only one from a limited series of 7 inches titled ‘Crippled Masters’.
The remaining 9 tracks are selected from some of their newer bands, most
are appalling, with the exception of the piece by Plainfield, whose long CD
Single, ‘She’s Not My Daughter’ was one of the most excellently perverse
items to eventually grace my collection last year. Swampthrashmetalgrunge
wrapped around lyrics of confused parentage, odes to David Letterman, baby
munching and moose skinning. (MP)