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VITAL WEEKLY
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number 607
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week 52
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Vital Weekly, the webcast: we offering a
weekly webcast, freely to download. This can be regarded as the
audio-supplement to Vital Weekly. Presented as a radioprogramm
with excerpts of just some of the CDs (no vinyl or MP3) reviewed.
It will remain on the site for a limited period (most likely 2-4
weeks). Download the file to your MP3 player and enjoy!
complete tracklist here: http://www.vitalweekly.net/podcast.html
there are some problems with the feed, so go here to get the podcast: http://www.vitalweekly.net/podcast.html
* noted are in this week's podcast
AUTISTICI - VOLUME OBJECTS (CD by 12K) *
ASMUS TIETCHENS - ETA-MENGE (CD by Line)
MICHEL F. CÔTÉ - (JUSTE) CLAUDETTE (CD by Ambiances
Magnetiques)
GUIDO DEL FABBRO - AGREGATS (CD by Ambiances Magnetiques)
LUMINOUS - LINKS (CD by Tara Records) *
SNOLEOPARDEN (CD by Rump Recordings) *
DOF - RED PINE PASTURE (CD by Abandon Building Records) *
KADAVER - THIS TIME...IT'S CANCER (CD by Topeth Prophet)
BERSARIN QUARTETT (CD by Lidar Productions) *
MIRKO UHLIG/DRONAEMENT - FAREWELL FIELDS (CD by Nextera) *
ANDREA MARUTTI - THE SUBLIMINAL RELATION BETWEEN PLANETS (CD by
Nextera)
MATHIAS JOSEFSON - SUIHKULAHDE (LP by Isoramara Records)
AIDAN BAKER (CDR by Gears Of Sand) *
JOHANN WLIGHT - ONEIRONAUTIC RECRUDESCENCE (CDR/MP3 by Sijis)
*
HOLLY AND IVY (CDR by Zaftig Research)
A.M.A.R.Y.L.L.I.S (CDR by Absurd) *
TWODEADSLUTS - ONEGOODFUCK (CDR, private release)
TAPE RAPE - RAPE THOSE EARS! (CDr by Tape Rape) *
KIDSOK NUIT - LO SPAZIO DELLE FASI (CDR by Dotnumdunton)
MORGEN MITTAG - DIGIWATT LYDT (CDR by Dotnumdunton) *
ERIC BOROS & KIKO C. ESSEIVA - IMPROVISATIONS/BRICOLAGES I-IV
(CDR by Tilt Recordings)
ERIC BOROS & CITIES OF DESOLATION - OF TRAINS AND FUNKY SHIT
(CDR by Tilt Recordings) *
EMISSIONS OF NEGATIVITY (CDR by Tilt Recordings)
N.STRAHL.N - WAHRNEHMUNGSHYGIENE (Cdr by TOSOM )
LICHT-UNG - GIEB FAHRT! (3"Cdr by TOSOM)
NO JOHN - PARASITE (3" CDR by Industrial Culture records)
THE SLEEP SESSIONS - HEATWAVES & SNOWDRIFTS (3" CDR by
Industrial Culture
records)
PRAEW JIK - WU WEI (3" CDR by Industrial Culture records)
*
AUTISTICI - VOLUME OBJECTS (CD by 12K)
ASMUS TIETCHENS - ETA-MENGE (CD by Line)
In Vital Weekly 550 we reviewed 'Blueprints' a compilation by
12K, introducing a fine bunch of musicians, who all were supposed
to have forthcoming releases on 12K. Several have been done already
and here is Autistici from the UK. He has released before on Audiobulb,
Hippocamp, Kikapu and Wandering Ear (the latter three are completely
new to me). I described his pieces in 'Blueprints' as 'spacious
ambient sounds', but nothing else, so probably I didn't noted
it more than just that. For 'Volume Objects' he creates music
with objects, I think. These are hand held, touched, scraped,
smashed and loved: I am not entirely sure. But it deems to me
that the sounds are sampled and treated on the computer to create
this warm, glitchy music. Nice stuff I think, but also quite normal.
Too poppy to be serious musique concrete, because of the brevity
of the pieces and the looped character of the sounds, and also
in the areas of microsound this is hardly unheard stuff. Taken
that not all the pieces could bother me that much, and the result
is a pretty average release. Not good, and certainly not bad,
but not one that easily remembers for its quality.
My education is historical but not very classical - so don't ask
me to translate any latin nor to tell you how many letters the
Greek alphabet has. Tietchens released a whole series of works
called 'Menge' with a Greek letter before: alpha, beta, delta,
gamma, epsilon, zeta and now the final one eta (meaning that he
won't complete the alphabet, as there is of course omega - that
much I do know). In many of his works, Tietchens explores something,
say the sound of paper or voice or here sine tones and white noise,
until things are fully explored. It gives us a whole body of works,
like his 'Hydrophonien' or his 'Teilmenge', going here from number
43 to number 50. Tietchens feeds his sine waves and white noise
through bunches of ring modulators and sound effects, scrapes
off the sound of the tape and amplifies the silence. That is at
least how I imagine this. 'Eta-Menge' is a beautiful, silent work
that works great, again. Perhaps perhaps perhaps there is a bit
of fatigue in this series, and we know what it is all about. It's
good, it's great but it's also good that this comes to a conclusion.
Those who are superficially interested in Tietchens may not need
any other portion of 'Menge' (pun intended), but the die hard
Tietchens inside this reviewer loves it of course immensely. (FdW)
Address: http://www.12k.com
MICHEL F. CÔTÉ - (JUSTE) CLAUDETTE
(CD by Ambiances Magnetiques)
New great stuff from Michel F.Côté (Klaxon Gueule,
Bruire, Flat Fourgonnette)!
Although the compositions are teamwork, the music carries a clear
stamp from mister Coté who did the mixing and montage.
Côté (drums, pocket trumpet, arrangements) is in
the company here of Bernard Falaise (electric guitar), Alexandre
St.-Onge (doublebass) and Jesse Levine on electric organ. Levine
is the new element on this CD. A young jazzmusician from Boston,
who plays some very demented and weird organ. He played in the
klezmer band Black Ox Orchestar, and also with noise-rock artists
Fly Pan Am and live Hip-Hop ensemble Kalmunity. With the impro-sextet
Balai Mécanique he recorded an album released on No Type
in 2003. Listening to '(juste) Claudette' what strikes me first
is that again the music has a certain slowness and primitiveness
that characterizes also earlier work of Côté. Strange
instrumental rock, that moves ahead with a slow but steady groove.
Within and in contrast with the simple beat or groove played by
Côte and St.-Onge, we hear some very free and distorted
playing from above all the guitarist and organ player. Very amusing.
But from time to time I wish the drummer would also take part
in the madness of Levine and Falaise, who play very aggressive,
edgy and far out. One has the feeling this music has its roots
in rock and blues but is never sounds like that. In the track
'Descente Central' they take a break and they show themselves
from a more serious side with a rendition of Morton Feldman's
'String Quartet'(II). The CD closes with a composition of Vincent
Gallo. (DM)
Address: http://www.actuellecd.com
GUIDO DEL FABBRO - AGREGATS (CD by Ambiances
Magnetiques)
A new cd by Guido Del Fabbro (1980, Montréal). He is a
core member of Fanfare Pourpour, who did a fantastic program with
Lars Hollmer recently. Also he takes part in Rouge Ciel and Concorde
Crash. In 2003 he recorded his first solo album ('Carré
de sable') for Ambiances Magnétiques. With 'Aggrégats'
his second solo effort sees the light. For this one Fabbro composed
and arranged a new set of 13 compositions composed between 1999
and 2007. Although they do not make up an suite, the pieces make
up very naturally an organic whole. The pieces are played by an
ensemble of 10 musicians playing accordion, clarinets, violin,
flutes, trombone, cello, drums, percussion and some electronics
and bird calls. He recruited musicians from very diverse backgrounds
for this project. Postmodern or deconstructionist strategies have
no grip on Fabbro. His compositions are mainly folk-influenced,
with classical touches resulting in a romantic and melodramatic
music with nice harmonies and melodies. Being avant garde is not
what Fabbro is aiming at. Points or reference maybe be early Conventum
or a belgian group like Julverne from the late 70s and early 80s.
'Moissine' is the exception, being an collective improvised interlude
that is very much NOW. I wish the album had more of these moments.
But Fabbro succeeds in evoking the 'old' music he is dreaming
of and knows how to revive it without sounding nostalgic and without
using cliches. On the other hand I must say that I hope the Fabbro's
next cd will contain more daring compositions. (DM)
Address: http://www.actuellecd.com/
LUMINOUS - LINKS (CD by Tara Records)
Despite being active in music for a decade, Tim Chaplin dabbles
mainly in other music than the experimental. Go to his myspace
site and you will psychedelic sixties music. As I never heard
of Chaplin, or his music, I double checked the link to see if
this was the same guy that released 'Links' under the guise of
Luminous. Yes, it is. Very much to surprise I must add, as it
sounds entirely different. He tells us that 'fans of drone, dark
ambience and experimentalism' should like this. Two long, almost
thirty minute pieces can be found here. Things start out in both
pieces indeed in a soft drone mood, but both tracks work rather
in a linear fashion towards more, much experimental areas. Half
way through the first track it sounded like early MB, but things
go off the rails when the track nears its conclusion. Quite noisy
and harsh, and didn't appeal very much. The second piece is more
based around rhythmic blocks that are fed through some analogue
synth or computer program. It has a rather improvised character
this piece, and also grows in shape and volume, again not for
the good. Both pieces could have been more decent when cut around
the twenty minute mark, say before things started to 'explode'.
A not so convincing start, but certainly with potential for the
future. (FdW)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/timchaplinluminous
SNOLEOPARDEN (CD by Rump Recordings)
The snowleopard is a rare animal living in the mountains of central
Asia. In Danish, Snöleoparden, it is the name chosen by Jonas
Stampe, who likes to travel, especially India, Pakistan and Morocco.
He studied with Ravi Shankar, played guitar with indietronic band
Mofus and was a guest sitarplayer with various bands. The self-titled
CD is his debut. Stampe uses mainly children instruments, reel
to reel tape recordings and guitar pedals, I gather one of those
pedals which give easy ways to loop things. Simple as that, but
Stampe has made a highly varied album and it's the mixture of
styles that make this album very nice. A street boy singing, xylophones
playing minimal music, children singing songs, electronic bits
and even a rock song in 'Water Puppet Theatre'. Stampe plays it
all, and with considerable ease. You could all too easily think
that the wide variety of styles and recording methods stand the
homogeneity of this album in its way, but luckily it doesn't.
A bit of world music, a bit alternative folk, a bit of electronics:
it's all there and it makes sense, simply because it's played
with a great sense of naivety. The only track that seemed out
of place is 'Trance', a loop of drums with quasi ritual wind instruments
playing on top - a bit of early 23 Skidoo in a demo studio, with
a muffled recording. Otherwise: great album. (FdW)
Address: http://www.rump.nu
DOF - RED PINE PASTURE (CD by Abandon Building
Records)
If I have been doing my maths correctly this is the third album
by DoF, also known to mankind as Brian Hulick. It's not really
an album, but more an EP of new tracks and something similar in
length of remixes, so packed on a single CD which lasts around
forty-five minutes: that is an album to my ears. The music, especially
those by DoF himself, moved vastly forward from the previous 'Sun,
Strength and Shield' (see Vital Weekly 547), simply because of
the addition of vocals. It's Brian himself who does the singing
and I wonder why he didn't do this before. He has a nice voice,
that reminds the listener of sixties psychedelic music and the
music, still, like before with a fair amount of guitars, makes
it much more folktronic than IDM, which was the prime sound of
DoF so far. It makes a particular strong bunch these pieces, with
a sunny atmosphere. Not perhaps for a cold winter day like this,
and it's probably best to shelve this album until springtime is
there and walk around in sunshine with this happy music on your
headphones. Of the remixes I have nothing much to add really.
They are very much in the 'older' DoF style, but throughout they
don't break with the overall character of the music. The balance
with the vocal tracks and the instrumental ones is quite fine,
and makes this a great album. The vocals pieces prevail here in
my personal play list, but overall it's a very fine album.
Address: http://www.abandonbuilding.com
KADAVER - THIS TIME...IT'S CANCER (CD by
Topeth Prophet)
AKA Michael Zolotov who only hates 99% of everyone - he has a
myspace site
and 826 friends - so 'doing the math 'having then 67 odd million
he's
nonplused about- and advises those who do better to destroy themselves
(he's
not familiar then with the first law of thermodynamics~) Track
1 is a
mother talking about her son who was sexually attacked - there
is also a
little background noise - which I fail to see the point of - the
Cd
continues "shockingly" with tracks like "Poisoned
Vaginal Doorway",
"Ejaculation from beyond the grave"...this "Israeli
death industrial
prodigy" (yep that's his blurb!) is just fucking clueless
- (look mom I
used the f word!)The misguided idea that any idea has content
or force - the
Chapman brothers tableau depict fictional atrocities badly, putting
red
noses on a Goya etching of the horrors of war and claiming it
improves the
work - count the ironies.* I've attempted to explain elsewhere
but I'm
talking to the hand - all this angst is just passé - like
the music here-
sound effects from a cheap funfair ghost train that even the average
8 year
old would find only vaguely amusing. Actually- if he is being
ironic he's
*very* good. (jliat) *Answer = 4
Address http://www.topheth.org/
BERSARIN QUARTETT (CD by Lidar Productions)
Its the time of the year of excess. Too much food, too much to
drink and too much cosines. Why did I have to think of this when
I heard the Bersarin Quartett? Are they a quartett? Probably not,
but clever me (?), in classical music a string quartett has four
people and strings. This is where the Bersarin Quartett comes
in. They have strings, lots and loads of them, more than eight
hands can play. Their strings are in a box, the computer (garage
band? sampled?) or sampler - but a box. They played heavy sustaining
sounds on those (artificial) strings and the whole sample box
of orchestral sounds is opened to spice things up a bit. Then,
as an extra, there is also some electronic sounds and even a whole
sampled drum kit to go along these. Introvert music, most of the
times, but when things explode is all big time: orchestral, jazz
or even techno. Marsen Jules' influence is never far away, and
Arvo Part also, when he knows how to switch on a computer. Now
what about the excess? When things get kitsch in here they really
get kitsch. Not a little bit, but the whole dramatic, pathetic
and melancholic cupboard is open, and EMOTIONS should be felt.
That can be too much, I think. The Bersarin Quartett saves the
thing but throwing in the right amount of strange sounds, an off
beat or a weird ending to a track at exactly the right time. Just
when you think the cliche on cliche is too much, something happens
which just makes it nice again. That makes it that I give this
release the benefit of the doubt. The future will tell, I guess.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.lidar-productions.net
Address: http://www.myspace.com/bersarinquartett
MIRKO UHLIG/DRONAEMENT - FAREWELL FIELDS
(CD by Nextera)
ANDREA MARUTTI - THE SUBLIMINAL RELATION BETWEEN PLANETS (CD by
Nextera)
A brave move here from Nextera. None of these three artists have
a big name yet, and in this day and age to release them on a real
CD is a brave move, me thinks. All three artists have some reputation
in the field of ambient and drone, mostly due to limited releases
on CDR, tape or vinyl. All three are always 'promising' in my
book, especially Mirko Uhlig. He has made some great, much overlooked
releases, and here returns with a piece that is great. Much reverb
is used on the piano, and below deck there is a synthesizer or
two lurking and the voices could be the announcement of a train
station, but reminds the listener of Bryars 'Sinking Of The Titanic'.
Uhlig seems to be heavily inspired - more than before - by Brian
Eno's ambient music, especially the first one 'Music For Films'
springs to mind. Maybe a bit too much in the direction of new
age but still on the right side of ambient music. Dronaement is
Marcus Obst from Germany, who offers a live piece here, called
'Fields'. It's not, as the title may suggest, a pure field recording
piece, but at the foundation of it, there is some highly obscured
field recording, which sounds like a boat or so and on top Obst
plays organ/drone sounds, not unlike Palestine (which lead me
to think these boys know their classics), but as the piece evolves
arpeggio keyboards come in and things land in cosmic land - with
soft noise underneath. Quite a nice piece, both of them.
Also live but of a somewhat different kind is the release by Andrea
Marutti, whom we sometimes know as Amon and Never Known and also
as the labelboss of Afe Records, releasing many Italian artists.
He too operates in the area that we could loosely identify as
drone music, or ambient, but unlike his German counterparts on
the other CD this is of a much darker nature altogether. It's
hard to tell what it is that he does; be it synthesizers, samplers,
computer processing or just tons of sound effects, in the end
the effect is a seventy-minute opus of dark, utter dark electronic
music. The planets mentioned in the title may give away some of
some of the darkness, and perhaps its all too easy to say that
its pitch black as the stars by night, but on christmas eve, with
stars bright and almost full moon, these sort of references may
count. Think Lustmord meeting Mirror, the darkest fantasy of Klaus
Schulze or such cosmic hero from yesteryear, and Andrea Marutti
is your man. The ambient/drone posse might be a dead end, and
as such none of these three offer any real innovation of the genre,
but they all do a great job, producing some excellent music, the
best you can get these days. That alone justifies the release
of their music on CD and before you know, we have our own new
stars. (FdW)
Address: http://www.nextera.eu
MATHIAS JOSEFSON - SUIHKULAHDE (LP by Isoramara
Records)
Who, you may ask? Mathias Josefson is however not an unknown person
in the realms of Vital Weekly, as he unleashed a whole bunch of
recordings under the guise of Moljebka Pvlse, but for this new
release he chooses to use his own name. Not an uncommon trend
in the land of serious music. Perhaps it has also do with the
nature of this record. One side has a found sound, the other is
a reworking thereof. The found sound is not explained but it sounds
to me like a fridge. I once tried to sleep somewhere next to a
fridge, but the sound of it kept it me awake all night. Not a
big problem, since I liked it quite a lot. Josefson's found sound
side reminded me of this night. The drone of a machine, with all
it's subtle varieties, the way it switches of in the end it is
still a great listening experience. The 'processed' version of
the track eludes me a bit I must say. Whatever there is that has
been processed, I may have a trouble hearing it (and no, I am
not listening on computer speakers, as a disappointed artist once
suggested). The processing are done probably very subtle, but
they don't seem to be adding much to the other side. Now if I
had two copies and a DJ set up I could perhaps check it out, now
it's a bit more of the, albeit nice, same. The work of Josefson
moves away from the ambient industrial park and this piece of
sound art is a most promising start. (FdW)
Address: http://www.isoramara.com
AIDAN BAKER (CDR by Gears Of Sand)
This is the first release in the series called 'Suchness' by the
Gears Of Sand label. It deals with 'improvisational energies of
'just doing it', that is such a beautiful and energizing part
of live atmospheric performances', and who else than Aidan Baker,
a master of all things atmospheric and improvisation, should open
such a series? We are offered a recording from February 16, 2007
in Philadelphia, with Baker on the guitar and a whole bunch of
sound effects. From the very ambient and drone based opening piece
(the recordings is served in four portions for better and easy
digest, but best heard uninterrupted), Baker takes the listener
of a trip of over clouds, over land, over sea, or perhaps on a
closed head trip until it ends in the fourth piece of psychedelic
haze. Since we are dealing here with a live recording, things
are bit more roughly shaped, but I think that adds to the fun
of it all. Just like a concert should be, not too polished, not
too clean, but roughly edged and Baker plays a strong set here.
Dark ambient, with krautrock elements, this is an excellent example
of his work. Comes in a likewise nice package. (FdW)
Address: http://www.gearsofsand.net
JOHANN WLIGHT - ONEIRONAUTIC RECRUDESCENCE
(CDR/MP3 by Sijis)
The mysterious Johann Wlight had a 'mysterious bodily disappearance',
which was the reason for the long gap between 'Dauswkm' (see Vital
Weekly 415) and this new release 'Oneironautic Recrudescence'.
Mysterious, as nothing is known about this man, and what he writes
about his work, doesn't shed much light either on this work; he
is called one of the leading lights of 'narco-acoustic scene'
- I like that. All deliberate mystification aside, this is another
fine work where ambient meets drone in computerland. It's a pretty
strong work, which displays his work quite well, ranging from
softer shaped drones to more louder passages, which reminded me
easily of the best of Hafler Trio work, era of 'How To Reform
Mankind' and 'Mastery Of Money'. Sound sources unknown (long string
installation? field recording?) and we couldn't care less, as
this works quite fine. A great work. The second piece on the same
release, a remix of the previous piece by Cheapmachines, who captures
the mood perfectly and creates a likewise fine piece of music.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.sijis.com/
HOLLY AND IVY (CDR by Zaftig Research)
A.M.A.R.Y.L.L.I.S (CDR by Absurd)
It seems that more and more the underground cranks out christmas
releases, Meeuw Muzak with his long series of 7"s, Tietchens
recent 7" and now Zaftig Research, who also have a small
tradition themselves and a release by Absurd.
I believe for the third time in a row, Zaftig Research releases
a christmas compilation, although they use an extended meaning
of the word 'christmas'. It's the cover and the title that give
that christmas look, but in some of the music it's hard to recognize.
The Gorgonized Dorks may call their piece 'Santa's Impaled On
My Theremin Antenna' but in the amorphous noise blast there is
hardly anything santa to be detected. DJs 'Winter Breath' may
come closer with a nice frosty piece with chimes or the demented
christmas tune of Ctephin. A track may start with 'hohoho', but
goes straight into noise, by Stolen Light. Anything to do a good
piece of noise can be done, so why not rape Santa? I must admit
I like the somewhat more quieter pieces here, and less the noisy
ones. Perhaps the fact that it is less christmas inclined does
the trick for me, as I'm not a particular great fan of the whole
event. Spending it with music like this is just fine enough.
The Absurd release is recorded by Valerio Tricoli, recorded on
the third birthday of Amaryllis in 2006 and now released as christmas
card. Amaryllis herself is also present in this release by playing
toys and such like, while her even younger brother Orion can be
heard on drums and uncle Nicolas on electronics. It's hard to
say, since I wasn't there, but it seems to me that this is an
impromptu jamming of laptops and real time sound processing of
children running and jumping about, which Tricoli later edited
into this release. It's a very nice mixture of children's instruments,
singing but also laptop doodling, microsound and echo effects
to numb the effect of things becoming too clear. Spontaneous music
created in a loose manner, but somehow it works quite well. Very
nice one this, and hardly season related. (FdW)
Address: http://www.inhell.com/eskaton/
Address: http://www.void.gr/absurd
TWODEADSLUTS - ONEGOODFUCK (CDR, private
release)
Shane Broderick Ted Sweeney Joshua Hydeman - all electronics and
vocals. Experimental / Live Electronics / Industrial and very
much from visiting myspace - http://www.myspace.com/tdsogf - performance
artists, so perhaps this should be a DVD- at times harsh it is
at others strangely musical - almost Jazz like - and perhaps critically-
*is* going somewhere. They do - the myspace videos- capture the
naïve vigor of young men wanting to take off their clothes
in public, and though they do fight and tussle ones not sure of
where they want to go - towards eventual catastrophe of Rudolf
Schwarzkogler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Schwarzkogler
- or steady girl/boy friends and respectable day-jobs?? - but
there is a definite teleology present here I think and I'm interested
to see just where it finishes- as finish it will. The CD is nicely
packed with a full size CD only part silvered so you get a 3inch
CDR in effect and under 12 minutes. I could say that they are
doing something very well, they might be - but I'm a little overpowered
by the seeming sincerity of it all. - but we now are in the age
of 'talking to the hand' so its all a little nostalgic. (Jliat)
Address: http://www.twodeadsluts.com
TAPE RAPE - RAPE THOSE EARS! (CDr by Tape
Rape)
Artist Kenji Siratori - The first release on a label run by Torstein
Wjiik (experimental music/artwork project of Kjetil Hanssen),
which is predicated on using cassette tape as sound sources -
Rape Those Ears parts 1 through 7 were recoded live using poorly
working equipment - here runs discernible (pop) music cassettes
through effects which simulate listening to the music on a short
wave radio - at times - at others just the noise of someone fiddling
with a mike &tc. I wanted to respond positively to this but
I can't - why (the fault is mine?) I think the idea might be good
if we are not in a post conceptual age - and so who cares what
it sounds like? - we see and hear far worse - we have access to
the actuality of a live be-heading, concept becomes amusement,
ironic avoidance of what once was the truth.. However on uploading
to analyze the recording its noticeable what a very low level
the recording is- so it might be in this case insufficient mastering
which castrates the attempted rape - increasing the volume by
40db made all the difference, removing the chances of thought
and breaking open the concept with shear sensation. (jliat)
Addrress: http://www.ambolthue.com/taperaperecords/
KIDSOK NUIT - LO SPAZIO DELLE FASI (CDR
by Dotnumdunton)
MORGEN MITTAG - DIGIWATT LYDT (CDR by Dotnumdunton)
On his website we can read some interesting stuff about Giuseppe
Mileti, the guy behind Kidsok Nuit. He works with soft- and hardware,
does installations, studied in Zurich and New York, does live
sets, DJ sets, improvisations. Am I listening to the right release
then? The six pieces on his 'Lo Spazio Delle Fasi' couldn't interest
me one bit, to be frank. Circuit bending sounds, noisy manipulations,
distortions, CD skipping all recorded rather weak. The feedback
sounds like being picked up with the cheapest microphone, but
doesn't become anything even remotely lo-fi. Scrapings, scratchings,
hiss and noise. It's hard to balance this music with all the supposed
activity that he mentions on his website. I don't see why this
should be released.
Less pretentious is the release by Morgen Mittag; at least there
is no website to show off. The eleven tracks are short, in total
twenty-seven minutes, and although it is along similar lines as
Kidsok Nuit - noise, glitch, circuit bending - the whole thing
sounds better recorded and because of the brevity of the tracks,
things are much more enjoyable. At times reminding the listener
of game-boy music, the pieces, concise as they are, are conducted
with humor. Collage like sometimes, handmade and hand-bend circuits,
this is a very funny little release. (FdW)
Address: http://www.dotnumdunton.com/
ERIC BOROS & KIKO C. ESSEIVA - IMPROVISATIONS/BRICOLAGES
I-IV (CDR by Tilt Recordings)
ERIC BOROS & CITIES OF DESOLATION - OF TRAINS AND FUNKY SHIT
(CDR by Tilt Recordings)
EMISSIONS OF NEGATIVITY (CDR by Tilt Recordings)
The end of the year brings three new releases on Greece's Tilt
Recordings, and two of them involve Eric Boros, whom we best know
as the man behind noise outfit Hermit. On 'Improvisations/Bricolages
I-IV' he teams up with the for me unknown Kiko C. Esseiva who
plays piano, while Boros get the credit for electronics. It's
a bit of what you expect with a title like that: piano and electronics
improvising - sometimes together, sometimes alone, which certainly
delivers great moments, but sometimes also moments of searching
for the right mood and atmosphere. Perhaps in a harsh, but so
be it: what would be residue of the great moments, how much great
music would have been left? I dare do not say, but probably it's
less than a third of the release. That is a bit of a problem with
most CDR releases these days, certainly when they contain something
that is improvised: in an attempt to be complete, they want us
to experience the whole thing, the good and the bad moments. I
prefer the hear the great moments, gents.
In 2007 Boros toured a bit with Cities In Desolation, the duo
behind the Tilt Recordings label. 'Of Trains And Funky Shit' is
the tour report of that. They went to Turkey, Serbia, Macedonia,
Croatia, Bulgaria and Italy. The CDR opens with a strong noise/drone
piece by Cities In Desolation, the way they do this sort of thing
best. A concentrated blast working in a strict linear fashion
of layered of noise electronics (guitar probably and lots of effects)
and loosely played bass. Boros's solo piece is taken from various
recordings melted together into a composition. Guitar improvisations,
vocal excursions and a bit of noise thrown in - but albeit not
very loud. It's all a pretty interesting affair this decollage
of live recordings. The three of them played together in Udine,
and if I understand this correctly, in front of an audience of
two people. Here the improvised mood works well, they play together
and make a great piece of noise drone music, not unlike the sort
of thing Cities In Desolation do, but perhaps with a more feedback,
that however sounds lovely around here. The final new release
is by Emissions Of Negativity, a duo of Iason on petals, laptop,
strings) and Yiorgis on electronic drums and life (?, I can't
read the cover very well). Iason is one half of Cities In Desolation
and provides some interesting drones here, while Yiorgis plays
around on his drumcomputer. I think it works best when he controls
the affair, which is something he doesn't always do, like in the
third track (titles are in Greek) - the two collide together and
don't make a good pair. The lengthy second and fourth track is
much better in that respect, the drones fly over like airplanes
which you can almost touch and have lots of tension among them
even when Yiorgis speeds up his drums. Angry music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.tiltrecordings.com
N.STRAHL.N - WAHRNEHMUNGSHYGIENE (Cdr by
TOSOM )
LICHT-UNG - GIEB FAHRT! (3"Cdr by TOSOM)
Despite what others have recently said I do not want to be negative
in any criticism so the first release proves difficult. Its an
eclectic mix which space prevents a full description, field recordings,
drone works, atmospheres both industrial and not, shards of pure
white noise and at one point what sounded like a Mexican brass
band- and evidently "acoustic instruments (like flute and
melodica)" and though this is "sounds for a head cinema"
even if it could match the eclecticism of blade runner I think
cinema music without images is like Christmas without Brussels
sprouts (an English joke!) If the pieces overloaded themselves
more it might work, or if it just mined a single musical vein
it might prevent N.Strahl.N from occupying a dangerous (from their
point of view) middle of the road . Licht-ung - gieb fahrt! real
name - Johannes Elbert and I think titled "mind your step"
but I've no german- also goes under the names Hikari No Oka (The
Hill Of Lights), Milan Sandbleistift and has collaborated with
it seems most
of the significant figures/groups in contemporary music - Government
Alpha,
Stilluppsteypa/BJNilsen, Aube, Killer, Zbigniew Karkowski, Merzbow,
Kapotte
Muziek.. And he also appears to write poetry - though again I
can't read it
and google's translations are a joke. So Johannes is to contemporary
noise
what Da Vinci was to the renaissance? The 3inch has a strange
short video
of 6 seconds and a 12 or so minute harsh noise work which mixes
harsh rumble with high pitched feedback. The noise piece is competent
to the point of a total refinement of what harsh noise should
be, and that's praise not criticism, it winds and weaves through
a sonic landscape at times quixotically so much so that the piece
IMO could have been longer - but it pays to leave your audience
wanting more - which I do (though not sprouts!). (Jliat)
Address http://www.tosom.de/
NO JOHN - PARASITE (3" CDR by Industrial
Culture records)
THE SLEEP SESSIONS - HEATWAVES & SNOWDRIFTS (3" CDR by
Industrial Culture
records)
PRAEW JIK - WU WEI (3" CDR by Industrial Culture records)
Occasionally and even ignoring any pretenses at some spirituality
or justification or explanation someone breaks through the detritus
and produces noise - like the Rita who's only valid intellectual
justification is a sexist remark - itself then turns in on its
politics - the police remember are the peoples thought- these
three Cdrs do the same - they are brave works ensuing anything
human or intellectual or anti intellectual - the "just critic's"
response is just that - their response and no apologies here to
those who are bemused by their own work- heat and kitchens my
friends- Noise is the obscenity of music, (here in shed loads)
its body uncovered and exposed for what it is in a pornographic
display - everywhere else is the dis-interest of the actuality
of what lies behind the aesthetic so carefully hidden- and called
culture- and is culture. And as all pornography it is essentially
the same and essentially insatiable - though hidden these works
repeat themselves in their excellence of exposure. Art masks what
noise reveals unless it's the truly great that annihilates itself
and so brings not a synthesis but a new age and new forms- the
spirit of Prometheus is here contemptuous of even our interested
gaze it simply reveals itself - intellectually and physically
from the bride stripped bare to etantdonnes & lhooq. (Or better
in these days after the end of time-realdoll.com.) (jliat)
Address: http://www.Industrialculture.org