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