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VITAL WEEKLY
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number 497
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week 42
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GAUDI/TESTA - CONTINUUM (CD by Em:t Records)
ADAM PACIONE - SISYPHUS (CD by Elevator Bath)
RICK REED - DARK SKIES AT NOON (CD by Elevator Bath)
O - NUMERO 0 (CD by Antenna Records)
ESTHER VENROOY/FREDERIK CROENE - HOUT (CD by Odradek/Robo Records)
ESTHER VENROOY - TO SHAPE VOLUMES, REPEAT (CD by Odradek/Robo
Records)
TOMAS KORBER - EFFACEMENT (CD by Cut Records)
OLIVIA BLOCK - CHANGE RINGING (CD by Cut Records)
JASON KAHN - SIHL (CD by Sirr-ecords)
RUE MORGUE - NIGHTMARE PICTURE THEATRE (CD by Rue Morgue Records)
TOKYO MASK - BACKBONE (CDEP by Low Impedance Recordings)
PRIDON - NEW STEINE (CDEP by Low Impedance Recordings)
KAMOTEK - LOFTWAY (CD by Low Impedance Recordings)
BIRGIT ULHER/GINO ROBAIR - SPUTTER (CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
DOUG THERIAULT/BRYAN EUBANKS - BIG CLOUDS IN THE SKY TODAY (CD
by Creative Sources Recordings)
PETER BAUMGARTNER/CHRISTOPH SCHILLER - SAVAGNIERES (CD by Creative
Sources Recordings)
AEREA - I TRENI INERTI (CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
AXEL DÖRNER/LEONEL KAPLAN/DIEGO CHAMY - ABSENCE (CD by Creative
Sources Recordings)
BARRY WEISBLAT/ALFREDO COSTA MONTEIRO/ERNESTO RODRIGUES - DIAFON
(CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
BIRGIT ULHER/LOU MALLOZI/MICHEAL ZERANG - LANDSCAPE: POSSIBLE
(CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
BIRGIT ULHER/LARS SCHERZENBERG/MICHEAL MAIERHOF - NORDZUCKER (CD
by Creative Sources Recordings)
NUSH WERCHOWSKA/MATHIAS PONTEVIA/HEDDY BOUBAKER - GLOTOSIFRES
(CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
GÜNTER MÜLLER/JASON KAHN/CHRISTIAN WOLFARTH - DRUMMING
(CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
CYRIL EPINAT/MATHIAS FORGE/JEROME BERTHOLON - DUO... (CD by Creative
Sources Recordings)
TISHA MUKARJI - D IS FOR DIN (CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
ANDREW CHADWICK - THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGE (CDR by Hymns)
IRONING - LET'S FUCKING GO (CDR by Hymns)
IRONING - GROW MY BEARD LIKE A WIZARD (CDR by Hymns)
IRONING VS. BIGGA BAPHOMET - ULTIMATE SOUND CLATTER (CDR by Hymns)
DJ GODDAMN - NEVER MIND THE STATIC... THIS IS MIAMI! (CDR by Hymns)
TARKATAK - ESCHL HEL (3"CDR by Taalem)
CRIA CUERVOS - DES TEMPES QUI SE VITRIFIENT OU SE MARBRENT (3"CDR
by Taalem)
SECHRES MOUND - D2 740M440 (CDR by Kokeshidisk)
CADUCEUS - INFL 01 (MP3 by Caduceus Music)
GAUDI/TESTA - CONTINUUM (CD by Em:t Records)
Of course I don't know if the guy is really called Gaudi, or that
he just got his inspiration from the other Gaudi, but this London
based artist and producer teams up with sound therapist Antonio
Testa. He plays a wide range of ethnic, homemade and recycled
instruments and percussion (stones, drones, textures, bone flutes,
Mbira, Kalabash and Stalagmites as it's called on the cover),
alongside Gaudi's blend of electronica. Seeing this on Em:t Records,
it's very difficult not to think of ambient (with the big A) and
dub (with the big D), even when there are also traces of techno
here and there. Deep washes of synths, laid-back, dubby rhythms
and the sampled ethnic percussion all blend together in a really
nice way. Of course all the eleven tracks are blended together
to form one large continuous track of seventy-four minutes, like
a sonic trip in which drugs are not required: the music itself
is spacious enough to carry the listener away to higher planes.
Chill out music part how many? That's perhaps the only negative
thing about this record: it would fit nicely along any of the
old Em:t Records of a decade ago and as such nothing new under
the sun. But a bright star at the known firmament it is. (FdW)
Address: http://www.emitrecords.com
ADAM PACIONE - SISYPHUS (CD by Elevator
Bath)
RICK REED - DARK SKIES AT NOON (CD by Elevator Bath)
My first encounter with Adam Pacione was with his CDREP 'Heat'
on Primary Records, a subdivision of Elevator Bath, who are now
releasing 'Sisyphus', which works along similar lines of ambient
music. Whereas 'Heat' was recorded using field recordings, found
sounds, samples and keyboards, this new work, with eleven pieces
in total, seems to be dwelling on just samples and keyboards.
Slowly moving music, with pastoral sounding keyboards. Still along
the lines of William Basinski, but it seems to me that Pacione
has been a keen listener to Brian Eno too here. By using loops
of varying length, the material shifts back and forth, without
ever seeming to repeat itself. This highly ambient work could
have easily be released by the likes of Hypnos or some such label,
as it wouldn't have been out of place there.
Rick Reed is perhaps more known, for his various releases on Ecstatic
Peace, Beta-lactam Ring, Pale Disc as-well as Elevator Bath. In
much of his work Rick Reed shows us that he is a true minimalist.
He plays sine wave generators, field recordings, short-wave radio
and moog synthesizer on all of three lengthy tracks on 'Dark Skies
At Noon'. The title track was used by Ken Jacobs as a soundtracks
to one of his recent films and is a highly minimal drone piece.
On the next track, the two part piece 'Ceremony', he gets help
from Keith Rowe on guitar and radio (and remember: Keith Rowe
was of AMM when they released 'Before Driving To The Chapel We
Took Coffee With Rick And Jennifer Reed' - so there is your link).
It's a live piece of a less drone related work, but still on the
minimalist edges, with what seems to be insect-like sounds, but
in the second half the drones drop back in. In the final piece,
'Ghosts Of Energy' everything comes together: the drones become
somewhat lighter, field recordings are clearer and the element
of improvisation remains a steady feature. Very nice work throughout
indeed, perhaps his strongest until now. (FdW)
Address: http://www.elevatorbath.com
O - NUMERO 0 (CD by Antenna Records)
I think it's 'ooh' rather than 'zero', but the CD is called 'Numero
0' (as in zero). I never heard of O, but apparently they are from
the french 'no audience underground' and they call themselves
'orchestra non orchestra', inspired by 'archaeology, plastic arts
and poetry'. It's a duo, playing flutes, acoustic guitars, bells
but also 'concrete, numeric noises' - but their instruments are
deliberately out of tune, in order to maintain a naive/child-like/outsider
approach to music (fill in whatever is appropriate). Very free
music, but for once not in the realms of loud noise, but rather
intimate playing, despite the very occasional use of distortion.
It's not the wall of sound approach of outsider music, such as
is done by Wolf Eyes, c.s. but more in even more free folky manner
(like some of the recent Finnish bands), but with a healthy doses
of noise still inside. Quite nice indeed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.antennarecords.com
ESTHER VENROOY/FREDERIK CROENE - HOUT (CD
by Odradek/Robo Records)
ESTHER VENROOY - TO SHAPE VOLUMES, REPEAT (CD by Odradek/Robo
Records)
The Dutch born but now Belgium residing composer Esther Venrooy
has produced a new work, together with Frederik Croene. Venrooy
loves to manipulate sound of whatever kind, and she composes that
to pieces of music. Croene is a piano-player. 'Hout' means 'wood'
and the piano is made of wood, so the piano is the main source
here. Croene plays the piano is conventional as-well as non-conventional
ways, such as the prepared piano. These recordings are then treated
by electronic/computer means. This is done in a very nice, structured
way. Original piano work along the computerized treatments, working
on more or less an equal basis. Not unlike Asmus Tietchens' 'Notturno'
LP from years ago, this walks a fine line between being serious
composed by people with a non-academic background. It includes
loops and other forms of repetition, which is quite unusual in
the academic world, but it works quite well here. A very nice
CD.
An older release by Esther Venrooy, which escaped the attention
of Vital Weekly, is 'To Shape Volume, Repeat'. Here she plays
around with similar notions as on 'Hout', but here her sources
are unknown, except for the use of voices, which may or may not
be derived from films. Maybe it has to do with shortness of the
tracks, but it's a bit of scattered CD. Not because it goes in
many different directions, but because the tracks are short it's
hard to form any sort of solid opinion about them. Most of the
tracks are built around just a few sounds, which are treated with
a rather minimalist result. When a track is longer, such as the
seven minutes of 'Derbyshire', one notes that there isn't too
much happening. Somewhere between half-academic composition and
glitch, this is however something that deserves to be heard. Ideas
are there, but in the result stage something more could be done.
Clearly a work from before, compared to the much better 'Hout'
release. (FdW)
Address: http://www.freaksendfuture.com http://www.odradek.net
TOMAS KORBER - EFFACEMENT (CD by Cut Records)
OLIVIA BLOCK - CHANGE RINGING (CD by Cut Records)
JASON KAHN - SIHL (CD by Sirr-ecords)
Three new releases that are related to each-other, due to the
involvement of Jason Kahn, who is the label-boss of Cut Records
and has just released a new solo CD on Sirr-ecords. The first
new release on Cut Records is by Tomas Korber (and not Thomas
Körber, which I think I wrote in the past), who has played
with Jason Kahn, Norbert Möslang, Dieb13, Dropp Ensemble,
Keith Rowe and many more, aside his solo work (on such labels
as w.m.o/r and Kissy Records. Korber plays guitar, electronics,
field recordings and computer. 'Effacement' is his latest work,
composed over the last two years and has six tracks. In 'Thermo',
the opening track, he starts out with crackles of what could be
the guitar, but the piece ends with what could be the heavily
processed sound of rain, presented with an ear piercing volume.
All of which happen in the course of some fifteen minutes. Korber's
music is one that deals with extreme dynamics. Things can be quiet
for some minutes and then slowly work it's way to a loud crescendo.
One should be warned not to start the CD at a too loud volume:
your neighbors will not like this. Guitar sounds that sound like
a guitar can't be found on this release - everything moves in
a highly electronic way, except in 'Fred Austere', in which the
guitar acts as percussion instrument. Not exactly easy listening
music here, and perhaps a bit long, but quite nice indeed.
With the release of 'Change Ringing' by Olivia Block, she completes
her trilogy that started with 'Pure Gaze' (see Vital Weekly 167)
and 'Mobius Fuse' (see Vital Weekly 285), both on Sedimental Records.
There are similarities to be drawn now: all the three works are
around thirty minutes, and all three use extensively sound material
Block composed, played by others and used in the compositions.
Here no less than fifteen musicians play trombone, oboe, percussion,
clarinet, voice, saxophone, trumpet, bells and viola. All of these
sounds, as-well as field recordings and electronics, make up a
minimal sound - strangely enough, despite the unearthly rumble
somewhere half way through. Instruments and sounds alike work
here closely together to such an extent that it is hard to tell
the difference. The instruments play sustained lines at times,
and there is the addition of sustained field recordings. Everything
moves in a slow way; slow but moving. Together with the previous
parts, this is a more than excellent work, and a pity they didn't
fit all on continuous CD.
Jason Kahn solo on 'Sihl' playing percussion and analogue synthesizer.
Studio recordings made in 2004 and 2005. The most striking thing
is that Kahn has twelve tracks here, in forty-six minutes, so
that is somewhere between three and four minutes per track, which
may seem odd for someone who is known for his somewhat longer,
improvised pieces. In each of the twelve tracks, Kahn explores
one or two tones of his analogue synth (sometimes high pitched
frequencies, some more mid range), which stick right into your
ear, and to that extent he uses the somewhat more softer rumble
of his percussion - although it's hard to tell what this percussion
is all about. Maybe small amplified objects or gadgets? Maybe
parts of a drum-kit? It really doesn't matter. The pieces are
most delicate, even when some of the tonal qualities go right
into your brain, of static and minimalist music. One point of
objection, perhaps: two tracks too long for my taste. (FdW)
Address: http://www.cut.fm
RUE MORGUE - NIGHTMARE PICTURE THEATRE (CD
by Rue Morgue Records)
The horror genre in film (or books) is in general not very well
spend on me, perhaps it has to do with my lack of believe, lack
of religion and therefor superstition. Occasionally I'd like a
film, or a book, but it's not a genre I need to investigate a
lot deeper. So the release by Rue Morgue Records by one James
Fischer, called 'Nightmare Picture Theatre'. Which is a stage
show of 'instrumental audio horror, tailored for Halloween events,
haunted attractions and uneasy listening'. It 'tells the story
- through music - of a child who is tormented by a sinister Bedside
Presence into having nightmares of his future life'. No matter
what the story would be (when set aside from the theatre, it can
be virtually any kind of soundtrack to any kind of horror film),
I am looking outside, see the sun, some people across the street
working in their garden, and I'm inside listening to this 'gruesome'
music. Somehow it doesn't work. Somehow it doesn't match. Fischer
on his darkest setting, piano tunes of suspense coming aside to
samples of chain rattling and doors squeaking, performs a smooth
(!) job - everything seems to be conceived by digital means, which
makes this into a good but standard soundtrack. Maybe I could
suggest a remix project? Why not let people make their own horror
films to this music (meaning everybody would use the same music),
and see how they would match? (FdW)
Address: http://www.rue-morgue.com
TOKYO MASK - BACKBONE (CDEP by Low Impedance
Recordings)
PRIDON - NEW STEINE (CDEP by Low Impedance Recordings)
KAMOTEK - LOFTWAY (CD by Low Impedance Recordings)
Low Impedance Recordings is a new label from Greece, who start
in a big way: professional digipacks, printed promotional copies
and three releases to start with. The problem is a bit that I
don't know who is behind any of these bands and that the press
information isn't that clear, nor are the CD covers. So Tokyo
Mask, you may ask? Mastered by John Sellekaars, so perhaps there
is some involvement from him? Tokyo Mask deals with heavy dubdustrial
(that's industrial dub) and trip hop beats, but embedded in massive
wall of sound. Top heavy and bass-loaded with a big role for distorted
guitars, also presented as another wall of sound. Hardcore tip
hop stuff that makes the inside crumble. Good stuff indeed.
Behind Pridon is one Petros Voudouris, I assume from Greece. One
his CDEP six tracks, of which one is the remix of the previous
track, by one Peekay Tayloh). He likes the music to be analogue,
the retro style of the future - or the futurist style of retro?
Who knows. In the opening piece he has electrified tubelar bells
going on, along with nice up-tempo rhythms. The other tracks are
nice humming techno pieces, with quite fat bass line running along.
Groovy bass and sometimes a somewhat darker tone on the synths.
Perhaps not the most engaging new music for the new millennium,
but executed with love and care.
On his lengthy release 'Loftway', Kamotek moves along side many
different styles of dance music. Starting out with some kind of
almost 'reggae' tune, Kamotek moves along break-beat, dub, techno,
crossing bridges and gaps in between. Overall, the music is touched
a bit of darkness as the keys are in minor most of the times and
it doesn't breath much fun, but also it's not the usual doom or
gloom either. Although Kamotek plays his tunes with great skill,
the album is too varied to be strongly coherent, and with clocking
in just under one hour, it's also a bit long. A big long showcase
of what Kamotek can do, but we are already convinced after three-quarters
of the album.
So three times a varying bunch of dance related music and with
a forthcoming two CD set Francisco Lopez/Scott Arford, certainly
a new electronic label with an expanding horizon. (FdW)
Address: http://www.loz-recordings.net
BIRGIT ULHER/GINO ROBAIR - SPUTTER (CD by
Creative Sources Recordings)
DOUG THERIAULT/BRYAN EUBANKS - BIG CLOUDS IN THE SKY TODAY (CD
by Creative Sources Recordings)
PETER BAUMGARTNER/CHRISTOPH SCHILLER - SAVAGNIERES (CD by Creative
Sources Recordings)
AEREA - I TRENI INERTI (CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
AXEL DÖRNER/LEONEL KAPLAN/DIEGO CHAMY - ABSENCE (CD by Creative
Sources Recordings)
BARRY WEISBLAT/ALFREDO COSTA MONTEIRO/ERNESTO RODRIGUES - DIAFON
(CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
BIRGIT ULHER/LOU MALLOZI/MICHEAL ZERANG - LANDSCAPE: POSSIBLE
(CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
BIRGIT ULHER/LARS SCHERZENBERG/MICHEAL MAIERHOF - NORDZUCKER (CD
by Creative Sources Recordings)
NUSH WERCHOWSKA/MATHIAS PONTEVIA/HEDDY BOUBAKER - GLOTOSIFRES
(CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
GÜNTER MÜLLER/JASON KAHN/CHRISTIAN WOLFARTH - DRUMMING
(CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
CYRIL EPINAT/MATHIAS FORGE/JEROME BERTHOLON - DUO... (CD by Creative
Sources Recordings)
TISHA MUKARJI - D IS FOR DIN (CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
This is no even funny... no less than twelve new releases on Creative
Sources, the artists co-funded label from Portugal. As before
we start we the duos and work our way up to the bigger groups,
and end with the solo releases.
The first one is by Birgit ulher on trumpet and one Gino Robair
on what sounds mysteriously as 'energized surfaces, voltage made
audible' - what it is, I don't know, but assume it has something
to do with contact microphones scratching surfaces and some sort
of synthesizer. It was recorded on November 1st, so one can assume
it was recorded during a day of improvising together. This is,
right from the start, demanding improvisational music. ulher plays
here trumpet in true modern fashion, although it can sometimes
be recognized as such, and Robair has a true love of synthesized
sounds and overtones ringing from playing a bow on surfaces, adding
sometimes a bit too much reverb to the party. But it's demanding
music that requires full attention. Nice work, but at just under
one hour, a bit too long.
The next two are both unknown to me: Doug Theriault plays 'sensor
guitar controlling and live electronics' and Bryan Eubanks 'open
circuit electronics'. The two tracks on their 'Big Clouds In The
Sky Today' were recorded live in Portland, Oregon on the April
16 and 23rd 2005. Their music is by and large electronic, and
although it has some improvisational elements, like abrupt cuts
and changes, it's much more electronic than the usual releases
on Creative Sources. At times the music is pretty noisy and disorganized,
and it seems as if there is no goal or perhaps no idea behind
it. It's sort of half-half ok, not great and way too long.
Also Peter Baumgartner (powerbook) and Christoph Schiller (spinet)
are new names to me. If I remember well, a spinet is a sort of
harpsichord, but I forgot what the exact difference is. In a Swiss
place called Savagnieres, they recorded together. It's hard to
tell wether this is a laptop transforming the sound of the spinet,
or the two playing together. I assume the latter. The spinet,
an instrument with strings, is played like a prepared guitar with
ebows, objects, fans, but also loose objects. The laptop provides
a nice backdrop of likewise continuous sounds. This brings quite
an intense release, a combination of drone related sounds and
the more free improvisation music, which could appeal to fans
of micro-sound and improvisation alike. The first highlight so
far.
If improvising musicians choose a name to work under, it probably
means that this is something to last for a longer time. Behind
Aerea is Ruth Barberan on trumpet and Alfredo Costa Monteiro on
accordion. Their interest lies in playing sustained sounds, of
course with the accordion that is a thing to expect. Barberan
plays sustained tones on her trumpet, which works really well
alongside the accordion. In 'Ici' they almost play an electro-acoustic
work, with working the surface of both instruments. In the final
piece things return towards sustaining sounds in a nice, shrieking
substance. Very nice stuff.
Then onto the trios, of which the first one has the well-known
Axel Dörner (trumpet), Leonel Kaplan (trumpet) and Diego
Chamy (percussion). As this was recorded (in 2003) in Buenos Aires,
Argentinia, I have reasons to believe that Kaplan and Chamy are
from Argentina. This is top of new improvisation. Dörner
continues to explore his techniques of trumpet playing, which
has nothing to do with the trumpet as such, but everything with
the instrument as an object and Leonel Kaplan proofs to be a good
student (assuming of course it's not Dörner who nicked the
technique!) and the percussion of Chamy can be anything that has
a surface to hit. Very intense playing by all three players on
board and an even more demanding release that the previous highlight
of this bunch.
Labelboss Erneste Rodrigues (violin, pick-ups and objects) is
less active as a musician compared to the early days of the label,
but on 'Diafon' he turns up again with Alfredo Costa Monteiro
(pick-ups on turntable) and Barry Weisblat (electronics) - the
latter being a new name for me. Their almost thirty-six minute
work was recorded in a studio and is a fine work of electro-acoustic
music/improvisation. Very tight and intense playing here, not
really soft or something that, but the music remains audible throughout.
Another highlight.
Birgit Ulher plays trumpet again on 'Landscape: Possible' along
with Lou Mallozi (turntables, cd's, microphones, organ pipes and
amplified voice) and Micheal Zerang (friction drum, wind whistle,
xylophone bars/snare drum, bird calls and metal/snare drum). This
work was recorded in Chicago in 2004. This is quite a nice, but
sort of average release of improvised music with both ties into
the 'modern improvisation' and the other being a bit more traditional.
Alright, without leaving a too big impression.
Another trio involving Birgit Ulher is, here together with Lars
Scherzberg on saxophone and Micheal Maierhof on cello. Much along
similar lines as the two other releases mentioned here with Ulher,
this is pretty free music playing, but also it stays very much
on the traditional side of improvisation. Nice for sure, but no
highlight.
The for me unknown Nush Werchowska (piano), Mathias Pontevia (drums)
and Heddy Boubaker (alto saxophone) have three pieces, both from
concerts from 2004 and they operate on similar lines as the previous
release by Ulher c.s.: much regular free playing on their instruments,
which is alright for what it is, but not really outstanding.
More along the lines of Vital Weekly is the trio of the ever so
active Günter Müller (ipod, electronics), Jason Kahn
(laptop) and Christian Wolfarth (percussion). I am not sure wether
they try to produce a cover of Steve Reich's piece of the same
name, but my best guess it's not. In their session recorded on
October 29th, 2004, they play percussive music, as opposed to
rhythmic music, which sound so much more electronic. I realize
that this a contradiction, seeing the use of 'electronics' and
'laptop', but in an odd way this is highly percussive music. Careful
and delicate, just as we would expect from people like Kahn and
Müller. Slowly evolving but with always with a touch of percussive
elements. Next highlight.
Oddly enough the disc of the final trio is called 'Duo...'. Here
we find Cyril Epinat (acoustic guitar, objects), Mathias Forge
(trombone, objects) and Jerome Bertholon (recording, electric
lighter, quartz clock). This is the longest CD of the lot (clocking
over seventy minutes) and at times also the most silent CD. One
has to crank up the volume quite a lot to grasp some of the music.
In true onkyo style they produce very careful and delicate music,
in which the various instruments function as objects. If I understand
well, the music was recorded outside, in a grove, in a leafy forest
and a big field pond-side, which makes this incorporate fields,
rather than field recordings. Another highlight.
The only solo CD here this time is by Tisha Mukarji, who plays
'square piano frame' - that is the inside of the piano where all
the wires are. He (she?) rubs, scratches, hits, uses bows etc
to play the four pieces presented on this CD. It's nice enough
sound material, but it's mostly material for further use (for
instance by Esther Venrooy, see elsewhere, or Asmus Tietchens).
Perhaps to see all of this being made in a concert situation would
be thrilling, but on disc it sounds rather ok, but not too great.
Nice enough, and plenty of raw material to be used. (FdW)
Address: http://www.creativesources.com
ANDREW CHADWICK - THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGE
(CDR by Hymns)
IRONING - LET'S FUCKING GO (CDR by Hymns)
IRONING - GROW MY BEARD LIKE A WIZARD (CDR by Hymns)
IRONING VS. BIGGA BAPHOMET - ULTIMATE SOUND CLATTER (CDR by Hymns)
DJ GODDAMN - NEVER MIND THE STATIC... THIS IS MIAMI! (CDR by Hymns)
These five CDRs all have the involvement of one Andrew Chadwick
from Florida. He works as Ironing as-well as DJ Goddamn. He works
on four of the releases with cassettes, old, slowed down reel-to-reel
machines and micro-cassettes - one could say a bit like Howard
Stelzer does, but then not as refined (yet). I believe the oldest
one is the one by Andrew Chadwick, before he called himself Ironing.
The sounds used here are from 'German homework assignments' as
the only sound source. Some of these pieces are simply too straightforward
in noise that they didn't do much for me, but the quieter pieces
were alright. Silence, an occasional bump or outburst, but in
general 'silent'. After this release he started to work as Ironing
and 'Let's Fucking Go! is a thirty minute excursion of noise and
cut-ups of various sources, including hip-hop and punk songs being
ruined to death. Something similar is going on on 'Grow My Beard
Like A Wizard', with the exception that this lasts over sixty
minutes. Sources are obscured here, with lots of slowed down tapes.
Lots of alienation going on, but a little bit too lengthy and
therefore unidirectional for my taste.
Even a little bit longer is his collaboration with Bigga Baphomet,
who plays laptop. This work was, just as the previous two, recorded
live in concert. Here Ironing plays also records. Although this
is pretty much noisy, the music gains more depth from the addition
of the laptop. In terms of noise this is the loudest release of
the lot. Not great, but quite alright for the noise thing it is.
As DJ Goddamn he plays around with more clear samples of CDs,
vinyl and radio, messing them around in a giant mega mix - nice,
but this clocking at just under seventy minutes, is perhaps a
bit too long. (FdW)
http://www.myspace.com/ironing
TARKATAK - ESCHL HEL (3"CDR by Taalem)
CRIA CUERVOS - DES TEMPES QUI SE VITRIFIENT OU SE MARBRENT (3"CDR
by Taalem)
SECHRES MOUND - D2 740M440 (CDR by Kokeshidisk)
Germany's Tarkatak is, unfortunately, the lesser known drone meister,
compared to Troum, but by now Tarkatak has some following and
previous releases on Drone Records, Prion, Bake Records and Blade
Records, but sadly all of them on 7" (which doesn't justify
the music too well, because of it's shortness) and CDRs, which
are probably sold out. Here on Taalem, it's also a CDR, a 3"
with just one piece 'Eschgl Hel' of field recordings and drone
music, most likely played on guitars. Slowly moving and evolving
in a pastoral way, this comes closer to Mirror or Ora than Troum's
more psychedelic ambient sound. Nice. It's about time for a real
CD.
Cria Cuervos is from Italy and has had a couple of releases on
Thisco and Mystery Sea. For reasons I don't know, I think Cria
Cuervos works entirely with computer generated drone music. In
the first half this is rather light of tone, in the higher regions
of the frequency spectrum, but in the second half the dark, deeper
side shows up, bringing a new edge to the music. A more violent
edge. Nice stuff indeed.
On Taalem's side label Kokeshidisk there is Sechres Mound, which
was the collaboration between Cedric Peyronnet (aka Toy Bizarre)
and Cyril Henry (aka Lecanora, Ninth Desert, Exotoendo). In 1995
they discovered unused and monumental tanks, in which they recorded
by using metal, wood, pipes, wires and nails to play around one
particular tank, 'no D2 740mm440', using the natural reverberation.
They play the material with care, even when it's all improvised.
One gets a pretty clear picture of the size of the tank. No further
sound treatments have been made. It lacks the aggressiveness of
say Einsturzende Neubauten, but it reminded me of some of the
ABGS stuff from years ago, while it maintains a strong beauty
of its own. Maybe the sound as such sounds a bit outdated or too
industrial for the current standards, I'm sure there are fans
out there who dig this. (FdW)
Address: http://www.taalem.com
CADUCEUS - INFL 01 (MP3 by Caduceus Music)
Everybody who deals with music (or art in general) is influenced
by someone else. Sometimes the influences are hidden, and sometimes
they are clear. That the duo Caduceus was influenced by Rehberg
and Bauer is a surprise to me. Caduceus offer on their website
six interpretations of the Rehberg and Bauer CD 'Passt'; it's
their first in a new monthly series of free MP3, created new music
out of their influences. Not remixes, as the original merely serves
as a template. So it's the digi-terror of Rehberg/Bauer, originally
released by Touch Music in 2001 (see Vital Weekly 297). The first
two tracks take the glitch of back then a bit further, but in
'Infl 0103', the minimal techno of Caduceus comes back again.
Highly digital due to the nature of sampling whatever digital
material, the material gets clinical and cold. In some of the
other tracks, they use repetition, but in a more collage like
manner. It's a nice tribute to one of their influences. I wonder
whose next? (FdW)
Address: http://www.caduceusmusic.net
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