LAURENT PERRIER – AS FAR AS (CD by Sound On Probation) *
PYLONE – GROUNDED HOUSE (CD by Sound On Probation)
ZEITKRATZER – VOLKSMUSIK (CD by Zeitkratzer Records)
REINHOLD FRIEDL – SCHÖNBERG PIERROT LUNAIRE – CHEAP IMITATION (CD by Zeitkratzer Records)
NOAH CRESHEVSKY & IF, BWANA – FAVORITE ENCORES (CD by Pogus)
UNIVERS ZERO – UNIVERS ZERO (CD by Cuneiform)
BLINDEAD – AUTOSCOPIA: MURDER IN PHAZES (CD by Foreshadow)
MENACE RUINE – THE DIE IS CAST (CD by Alien8 Recordings)
SYN- – MANOLO ON JULIET (CD by Prasca)
ZÈBRA – THE BLACK AND WHITE ALBUM (CD from Symbolic Interaction) *
OTOMO YOSHIHIDE & XAVIER CHARLES – DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO CLOCKS (CD by Textile Records) *
LEMUR – IIIIIII (CD by +3DB) *
REHAB – MAN UNDER TRAIN SITUATION (CD by +3DB)
OFFICE-R(6) – RECORDING THE GRAIN (CD by +3DB)
ARG – ANIMALI (CD by Creative Sources Recordings) *
E (CD by Zelphabet)
WENDT – UNRELEASED MUSIC FOR VISUALIZERS (CD by Miatera) *
DOUGLAS BENFORD – IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE PRINCESS (CDR by 12×50 Recordings)
THU20 – TILBURG (LP by Korm plastics) *
BLINDHAED – WHETHER THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE WANT TO BECOME ARCHAELOGISTS, WE’LL HAVE TO SEE (LP by Ini Itu)
WRANGLER/SCANNER – 1968 MOOG MODULAR/1978 FORMANT MODULAR (7″ by Static Caravan)
COMBO RECIFE DE IMPROVISO – UNTITLED #3 (CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
ELECTRIC MONO RIVER – NO SUNLIGHT DOWN HERE (CDR by Dead Sea Liner) *
KIKLOP – GALLOPARDO (CDR by Kiklop)
BAS VAN HUIZEN – NYLONRYP (CDR by Etherkreet) *
NILS ROSTAD – GUITAR (GREY) (CDR, private)
NILS ROSTAD – GUITAR (CDR, private) *
ALESSANDRO COLBUCCI & MATTEO UGGERI – THE DISTANCE (CDR by Why Not Ltd) *
TIM BLECHMANN – REPLUGGED (CDR by Why Not Ltd)
MARC SPRUIT – #2 (3″CDR, private)
STEINBRÜCHEL – SUSTAIN (3″CDR by Koyuki Sound) *
SILENT SPRING (3″CDR by CLaudia) *
BEARSES – THE PRETTIEST GIRL I EVER SAW (3″CDR by Hymns)
IRONING – THE END OF THE JACKSON PARTY (3″CDR by Hymns)
RAN SLAVIN – NOCTURNALRAINBOW RISING (MP3 by Cronica Electronica)
TU M’ – IS THAT YOU? (MP3 by Cronica Electronica)
MOSAIQUE – FILARE (MP3 by Cronica Electronica)
LAURENT PERRIER – AS FAR AS (CD by Sound On Probation)
PYLONE – GROUNDED HOUSE (CD by Sound On Probation)
The man behind Laurent Perrier is of course Laurent Perrier, but he is also behind Pylône, as well as Zonk’t. Here he releases two albums on his own Sound On Probation label, with some differences. The album under his own name, ‘As Far As’, is a work composed for a choreography by Alban Richard and uses solely samples of classical music. Starting off with an organ like sound but throughout moving through various stages of orchestra, with a strong emphasizes on violin sounds. Sometimes these samples are bit grainy and not pure clean copies of the orchestra. Perrier doesn’t have the intention to re-create the real orchestra, but rather to play music that uses the sounds of the orchestra to create his own sound world. No percussive strikes (think early Laibach), but rather introspective with occasional outbursts and some swift changes. Not a work that I thought was really good or outstanding, but throughout quite enjoyable. That was nice enough.
‘Grounded House’ is Pylone second album and is not made for anything, other than the music itself. As Zonk’t Perrier plays techno inspired music, and Pylône is his work in microsound. Five lengthy pieces here and I must admit I thought it was a bit much, these sixty-seven minutes of beeps, high end sine waves, crackles, a bit of hiss and all such like. Just half of it, say the first three tracks (thirty seven minutes) would be long enough – and the other two tracks for the next Cd next year. Music like this requires lots of attention and concentration and over the course of such a long CD this gets lots, well, at least on me. What Perrier does as Pylône neatly fits the tradition of microsound, but it doesn’t however change the views on this genre. Good, sturdy computer work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.soundonprobation.com
ZEITKRATZER – VOLKSMUSIK (CD by Zeitkratzer Records)
REINHOLD FRIEDL – SCHÖNBERG PIERROT LUNAIRE – CHEAP IMITATION (CD by Zeitkratzer Records)
Perhaps you recognize this: at first hearing you are totally flabbergasted. What is this! At second hearing the opposite is the case. What was impressive first, sounds disappointing now. And after repeated listening you end up somewhere in between, slowly moving towards the shock of the first listening experience, knowing that you will never have this experience again. This is how I went with these two often hilarious releases of Zeitkratzer. The Zeitkratzer ensemble of nine european musicians was founded by Reinhold Friedl in 1999. They did projects on music of Stockhausen, Lou Reed, John Cage, Keiji Haino, etc. Not very predictable if you ask me. With the new ‘Pierrot Lunaire’ – CD Arnold Schönberg is the victim. It is an excellent parody and because of this also a statement. ‘Pierrot Lunaire’ was a famous work by Arnold Schönberg. The idea for this parody – ‘cheap imitation’ – arose from the following anecdote: “during rehearsals for the piece’s premiere in Berlin in 1912, the clarinettist, as a joke, played this part on a B-flat clarinet instead of the A clarinet prescribed in the score. Schönberg, who was conducting the piece, was reported not to have noticed the difference.” This story inspired Friedl reducing and simplifying the piece, leaving the main characteristics in tact. But put the other way around, simplifying and reducing a composition is not by definition the same thing as making a parody. So there is more to it. This has certainly to do with his infectious sense of humor that invoked his ‘cheap imitation’, especially in the over the top performance of the singer. It is hilarious also for those who don’t know this original work of ‘sprechgesang’. Parodying here is a way for stating that ‘Pierrot Lunaire’ is an over estimated composition, justified by the anecdote.
Parody is also the keyword for the ‘Volksmusik’ – CD. But Friedls intentions may be different here. For this recording Friedl reworked a diversity of folkmusic from countries in the Danube area in collaboration with drummer Maurice de Martin. Reworking means several things here. In most cases it implies an apparent simplifying of the rhythmical complexity of the original. His reworking give the music a certain plumpness. Combined with the loud performance and a prominent role for the drum-work by Maurice de Martin this music is irresistible charming.
Melodies and harmonies however are often misleadingly complex. The over all feeling is that you are listening to very deranged adaptations of folk music. It is played with the freshness and energy of a punkgroup resulting in tumultuous and noisy renditions of folkmusic. The originals are broken up in many fragments and reassembled along unconventional musical decisions, resulting in very pleasantly distorted music. With respect to the originals Friedl opens them up in a very different direction, one that could not come from the world of folkmusic itself. Parody or not, reducing complexity and vice versa, Friedl is successful in creating some very unusual and entertaining music (DM)
Address: http://www.zeitkratzer.de/
NOAH CRESHEVSKY & IF, BWANA – FAVORITE ENCORES (CD by Pogus)
After Mutable (‘Hyperrealism’) and Tzadik (‘To know and not to know’) it is now the turn for Pogus releasing work by Noah Creshevsky. On the split-cd Favorite Encores’ four compositions of Creshevsky are alternated by three works by If, Bwana. According to Pogus the pieces “comment on and highlight each other”.
Creshevsky is trained in composition by Nadia Boulanger and Luciano Berio. Currently he is Professor Emeritus at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. Creshevsy choose the term ‘hyperrealis’ for the typical electro-acoustical music he developed. In three compositions on this cd (‘Mari Kimura Redux’, ‘Intrada’ and ‘Favorite Encores’) Creshevsky “uses the sounds of traditional instruments that are pushed beyond the limitations of individual performance capabilities”. Creshevsky is a master in the field of audio-collage and plunderphonic-like procedures and leaves us with many questions. For example we often hear violins in his work, playing in a style that we are used from normal classical music. But I’m not sure whether he takes samples from already existing (violin)works by others, or whether he composes pieces for violin first to be used consequently by him in his collage work. Comparable to how Biota works.
His compositions make the impression of staying close to classical musical structures, but transcended to unknown heights through his virtuoso manipulation work. The music has an enormous speed and drive, combined with an enormous flexibility and maneuverability. In each piece we are constantly exposed to an intensity and complexity that we don’t often find in music. His works open dazzling dimensions and perspectives.
On the other hand the music remains fluent and accessible, very lively and of an appealing dramatic. Great work! ‘Intrada’ is of special interest because of the use of (samples of) the fantastic voicework by Chris Mann.
If, Bwana is the pseudonym Al Margolis uses already since 1984 for his musical output. As a guest he was present on Creshevsky’s ‘To know and not to know’. Between the highly informed and complex music of Creshvesky, the works of If Bwana offers us some rest. His pieces develop in a slower pace and are built from a smaller set of soundmaterial. In ‘Xyloxings’ and ‘Cicada # 4; Version Barnard’, the voice of Lisa Bernard plays a prominent role. For ‘Scraping Scrafide’ If, Bwana makes uses of the piano playing of Tony Scafide, taking from an earlier composition by If, Bwana. In comparison to maximalistic efforts of Creshesky, the works If Bwana are more of a minimalistic approach. (DM)
Address: http://www.pogus.com
UNIVERS ZERO – UNIVERS ZERO (CD by Cuneiform)
Let us return to 1977 for a while. What was happening then? Punk and new wave started to emerge at this time, ready to wash away the prefab popmusic, boring progressive bands, etc. that dominated the radio. But departing from the boring 70s music with its jazz rock, etc. young musicians were also inspired for taking a completely different route. For example, it is also the year of a very remarkable debut that remained almost unnoticed then, namely the first album by the belgian group Univers Zero. After its first private release, this record was soon discovered by the very small french Atem-label who took care for a second release. Over the years this record received several rereleases on Cryonic Inc and Cuneiform Records. Now Cuneiform makes once more available this remarkable work from some 30 years ago. Recording and mixing was originally done by Eric Faes. For this rerelease Didier de Roos did a good job in remixing this work. It has a more transparent sound now, making each instrument more pronounced and distinct from the others. De Roos did mixing and producing work for Univers Zero regularly since the ‘Uzed’-album in 1984. To make this rerelease attractive a bonustrack is added. Namely ‘La Faulx’ from the second album ‘Heresie’ is added in a good live recording from 1979. Very worthwhile is also the included article by Renato Moraes and Aymeric Leroy with a very detailed story of the early days of Univers Zero. Great work. But what is most important this music is still very relevant and up to date. If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t guess that this music was born in 1977. Originally they were a Soft Machine-inspired band, but they successfully created their very own music of which their their first album is an impressive proof. Call it chamber rock with a strong european flavor that remains far from anglo-american experiments. A very own personal and distinct soul is incarnated in this music. Among others, we hear Michel Berckmans (bassoon) and Daniel Denis (drums) who are still both playing in Univers Zero. Also Roger Trigaux (guitar) who started later his own band Présent was part of the band in these days. Not only interesting for historical of nostalgic reasons. This music still talks to us. (DM)
Address: http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/
BLINDEAD – AUTOSCOPIA: MURDER IN PHAZES (CD by Foreshadow)
The first that will occur to you when listening to latest opus from Polish metal project is what such expressive style of music is doing in an e-zine that focus on electronic based experimental music as is the case with Vital Weekly. The answer is simply the subtle electronic ambient spheres that discreetly add its very own atmosphere to this brutal beast. And yes, this is certainly brutal. Not the traditional over-the-top thing like the sounds of uncompromising black metal, death metal or goregrind. What makes the album special is its mixture of raw brutalism of grinding combined with the emotional, sometimes dreamlike expression created by the weeping guitar riffs and the almost crying sound of the desperate vocalist that in his deep felt vocal style reminds me of the glory days of progressive industrial/thrash-band Meshuggah with the mini-masterpiece “None”. As was the case with Meshuggah, the Blindead has an industrial edge to their music, though the metal part of the show is less thrash metal-based and more directed towards the doom metal and Industrial-based avantgarde metal of projects like Neurosis and Cult of Luna. Never the less “Autoscopia: Murder in phazes” is a strong effort that might first of all appeal to metalheads, though openminded listeners of progressive music should give this album a chance. Highly recommended! (NM)
Address: http://www.foreshadow.pl
MENACE RUINE – THE DIE IS CAST (CD by Alien8 Recordings)
From the realms of extreme expressions, Canadian
Menace Ruine makes a movement towards more listen-friendly sound layers on this second full-length released in 2008. While the debut album “Cult of ruins”, took its starting point in a brutal cocktail of fast Black Metal and ear-shattering Harsh Noise the follow-up titled “The die is cast” stays true to the metal scene though it doesn’t aim for the sonic extremities. The tempo has been slowed down to heavy down-tempo rhythms of doom metal. The music consists of great female vocals and grandiose gothic atmosphere reminiscent of goth metal bands like The Gathering and Moonspell. Though despite the gentle almost folkish feelings on the album there is still something sinister and harsh in the guitar sounds reminiscent of early Industrial metal i.e. Godflesh at period of “Street cleaner” (Earache, 1988). The domination of Harsh Noise from the debut has been suppressed and the weight is put on the metal-style. Where “Cult ruins” dealt with extreme aggression, “The die is cast” more focus on musically gentle atmospheres. Thus a new and quite directions from the probably most metal-based project released on the as always interesting Alien8 label. (NM)
Address: http://www.alien8recordings.com
SYN- – MANOLO ON JULIET (CD by Prasca)
Syn- is the name of a French project that had its debut release “Une histoire comme une autre” back in 2004, followed by the critically acclaimed and prize nominated album at the Qwartz Electronic Music Awards in 2005, “Matieres premieres”. An excellent ambient album consisting of two length pieces of drone-based ambient. Fourth and latest album titled “Manolo on Juliet” from Syn- show the project in a more harsh and post-industrial approach to electronic music. Being a collaboration between Syn- and compatriot writer E. 5131, present album separates from earlier works of Syn- with the vocal-based sound pieces. The French spoken voice of E. 5131 has been weaved into an expression from Syn- that more focuses on acoustic instrumental sounds than was the case with earlier works. The music is dark and creepy with gloomy atmospheres and with the dramatic spoken words, that combined with the screeching sounds and threatening noise drones sometimes associates with Blixa Bargeld and his post-industrial project Einstürzende Neubauten. Another interesting effort by Syn-.
Address: http://www.prasca.org
ZÈBRA – THE BLACK AND WHITE ALBUM (CD from Symbolic Interaction)
As I started listening to present CD from the project calling itself Zebra, I was immediately caught by the sonic expression that I won’t hesitate to categorize as some of the most interesting crossover-based music heard this year. Behind Zebra, you find Roel Meelkop and Frans De Waard that some of us might recognize as the brains behind sound art projects Goem and Kapotte Muziek. Zebra continues the explorations into abstract electronics with seven riveting pieces of sound art that floats from one scale to the other throughout 51 minutes of adventurous playtime. Apart from registration the quite hypnotic feeling thanks to its repetitive nature it is not an easy task to pigeonhole this album. Thanks to the repetitive manner there are associations towards Zoviet France, meanwhile the spontaneous hyperjump from avantgarde to mainstream electropop reminds me of British electronic legends 808 State. Other times the works moves into moments of extreme minimalist low frequency techno not far away from Pan(a)Sonic, spiced by a psychedelic touch of early krautrockers in Faust. Another great moment comes as the Dutch collaborators transforms Indeep’s cool club-classic “Last night a DJ saved my life” into electronic avantgarde. Final track beautifully balances between sampled guitar funk-rock and minimalist techno with looped female vocals. An album that in its awesome extrovert quality, proves that sound art not only necessarily appeals to the brain but might as well speak to your physical body. A great piece of electronic avantgarde music from two of Hollands most prolific sound artists. (NM)
Address: http://www.symbolicinteraction.net
OTOMO YOSHIHIDE & XAVIER CHARLES – DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO CLOCKS (CD by Textile Records)
Two improvisation giants teamed up in Japan when Xavier Charles made his first tour in Japan and when he played a concert at the Kid Ailack Art Hall, together with Otomo Yoshihide plus a meeting in a studio. Guitar and clarinet are the sources at hand. Its a beautiful release, but perhaps everything you would expect from such a meeting: silent blocks of sound, feedback, sustaining sounds, more silence and occasionally a bit of louder noise based sounds. I must say there is nothing on this record that I haven’t heard before, or nothing that is better, but sometimes such things are beside the point. Sometimes the quality of the music is all that matters. The players here have mastered their instruments well, they make them sound both acoustic and electronic, with some intense playing going and some beautifully textured music. Mostly sustaining and drone like, this is a great CD. But nothing new under this improvised sun. Not that it matters one bit. (FdW)
Address: http://www.textilerecords.com
LEMUR – IIIIIII (CD by +3DB)
REHAB – MAN UNDER TRAIN SITUATION (CD by +3DB)
OFFICE-R(6) – RECORDING THE GRAIN (CD by +3DB)
A new label, whose website is still under construction, so I have not much idea what they want, but judging by these three first releases, they operate on the cross road where improvisation meets electronics, not entirely focussing on the Norway scene, but they have a strong say in these initial releases. The first release is by Lemur, a quartet of Bjørnar Habbestad (flutes), Hild Sofie Tafjord (french horn), Lene Grenager (cello), Micheal Duch (double bass). No electronics around here, although one could too easily think there are. They exist since 2006 and have toured Europe a lot and their work was released by Rune Grammofon, Sofa, Asphodel and X-OR. They play seven pieces here and what they do is of great beauty. Their music is unmistakably improvised, in a traditional sense of the word – the instruments they play sound as the instruments they play – and occasionally it seems that they sound like a small chamber orchestra and that they are all playing a bunch of notes scribbled on a paper. A great curious mix of orchestral passages, hectic improvised playing and four members drifting apart, but always returning home.
For the second release we meet Bjørnar Habbestad (flutes and electronics) again, here as Rehab, his collaboration with John Hegre (guitar and electronics). Hegre of course is best known as one half of Jazzkammer and collaborator with many other, whilst Habbestad is a member of Pho, Lemur an N-Collective. Here they play their instruments while all along they trap the recordings in real time into a web of electronics. If you know Pho or Jazzkammer then it might hardly be surprise that things can get rough around here, but in the skilled hands of these two there is not just the over the top noise approach, but in stead a fine balance, a thin thread between ‘loud’ and ‘soft’, between ‘noise’ and ‘onkyo’. When things explode – and they certainly do here – then they do it well, but if they hold back they really hold back. Sometimes there is no flute sound to be recognized, sometimes there is just a flute sound – and then the same thing gets repeated for the guitar.
Office-R(6) is a sort of big band, in which North meets South and West meets East. Morten Olsen on percussion, Koen Nutters on bass and structure, Robert van Heumen on laptop (running LiSa), Jeff Carey on laptop (with Super Collider), Sakir Oguz on Buyukberber and bass clarinet and Dirk Bruinsma on soprano and baritone sax. These people work together in various combinations under the big banner of N-Collective. From what I gather from the information they operate in strict improvisation mood. It seems without any post editing. Acoustic and electronic meet up in a great way. A great way that needs a lot of concentration to fully grasp what they are doing, as this is certainly not easy listening music. Hectic, nervous, intense. Sometimes its hard to tell what is what around and that is something that is a great quality of this. Highly demanding and highly rewarding music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.plus3db.net/
ARG – ANIMALI (CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
Its entirely my fault that we haven’t seen any Creative Sources reviews. The over production of the label led to sending sometimes ten CDs at a time which is a true nightmare to review. To do that I would be spending at least two full days for one label – now, if it was a paid job, but alas. So since maybe two years the review copies are send by the musicians and that is much better. Having said that I don’t know if the label is still focussed on improvised music or that they expanded into other kinds of music. Listening to Arg’s ‘Animali’ I would think it is so. This is an “acousmatic work from the musical theatre opera Animali. Gestures and voices from Julio Cortozar’s ‘Rayuela'” it says on the cover, which holds no other information. I don’t even know what language it is in – Italian? Spanish? So likewise I have no clue what is about. That is a pity, but in stead I can focus on the music itself. This is indeed a true acousmatic work – acoustic sources (doors, field recordings, street sounds) are mixed with electronic processed versions thereof which in return are mixed instruments (wind, strings etc.). This makes a highly cinematic piece of music, divided in nine parts. Its hard to tell what this cinema is about, but is surely is a fine work of hallucination. Not knowing what it is about leaves much room to guess. Which I think good music should be about. (FdW)
Address: http://www.creativesourcesrec.com
E (CD by Zelphabet)
We have landed with the letter ‘E’ from Zelphabet, which is a twenty-seven CD set, compiled by G.X. Jupitter-Larsen. Like before we have arrived names and one new, which is Ed Osborn, who opens the proceedings. A strange percussive piece of music made with contact microphones to provide that direct in your face approach and maybe some electronics. A strangely simple but captivating piece of music. Elliot Sharp’s career spans various decades by now, but unfortunately I must admit I didn’t follow his entire career, occasionally picking up on things. I must admit again that is a great shame on my behalf, since ‘Return Ground’ is a great piece for solo guitar. Minimalist but played in hectic, nerving manner. Slow on changes to get the full minimalist effect. Emil Beaulieau, still not the next president of the USA (what a shame), also has a long career, in noise. Sometimes his music is a total miss, always great on the live performance however, and here he has a piece that is great. Machine like sounds – think Vivenza – are played along with a long line of piano sounds. Maybe Emil discovered the computer, and through endless layering of sounds he achieves easily one of the best pieces I ever heard from him. Sounds pop in and out of the mix. Almost Xenakis like. Evil Moisture close ‘E’ (all pieces last around fifteen to twenty minutes) with a true noise piece of sustained distortion over which they play some crude loose sounds.
A blast to end ‘E’, can’t wait ‘F’! (FdW)
Address: http://www.zelphabet.com
WENDT – UNRELEASED MUSIC FOR VISUALIZERS (CD by Miatera)
DOUGLAS BENFORD – IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE PRINCESS (CDR by 12×50 Recordings)
Since a lot of music passes the desk of Vital Weekly, and almost all is subjected to a critical ear, the notion of ‘copy’ has been dealt with before. There is the original, a rarity, but not a necessity. When a specific ‘sound idiom’ is discovered, others will follow and sometimes with a result that is simply better. More worked out, more extended, more of the original. This happens with all music. But there are also instances where its simply too hard to see or hear what is ‘different’ about the work on offer. That is the case with the music of Alexander Wendt. Three pieces, divided in various pieces, connect ambient music with ‘todays communicational default devices’, but it sounds, unfortunately, too much like a previously unreleased recording of Alva Noto meeting Ryoji Ikeda, produced by Mika Vainio. Rhtythmic pulses, generated by processed sine waves and sine waves processed into longer blocks of sounds. Yes, its ambient (glitch) in the traditional Eno sense, and yes, it sounds like ‘modern technology’. But throughout this hour or so, I didn’t hear a single bit that sounded, or tried to sound at least different than what the three mentioned also do (let alone all those in their foot steps). The design looked like 12K, so nothing new in that department either. I thought it was not a bad CD actually, and played it with some pleasure, but a bit more of his own would be nice.
Miatera is part of 12×50 Recordings, or vice versa, and there is a series on this sub-division called ‘Carbon Series’. Volume Six is the latest addition to this series and its by Douglas Benford, whom we mostly know as Si-Cut.db and his activities with Sprawl. Since this music here is a bit different than his work as Si-Cut.db, less rhythmic and more dealing with ambient glitch, processed field recordings and empty spacious sounds. This is rhythmic in as far as it works repeated blocks of sound, which collide over and under each other, moving in irregular patterns. That gives the music a strangely fascinating sound. The clicks and hums, generated from sea waves and street ends (all rendered unrecognizable of course), traffic lights and cash registers (I am merely guessing here), aren’t the newest around: its not that Benford does something utterly new or strange. Its music that fits the big ambient tradition, and the smaller alley called ambient glitch. Other than Wendt he knows how to spin this tradition to his own end and not be just a plain carbon copy. (FdW)
Address: http://www.12X50.com
THU20 – TILBURG (LP by Korm plastics)
Practicing priests . for once information is to hand – (A rare live work from THU20- Jos Smolders and Roel Meelkop (computer) Peter Duimelinks and Frans de Waard, acoustic objects and the analogue electronics of Jacques van Bussel.) and if not then this multilayered work might suggest some studio piece – which would account for its un-noise structuring of abstract “shapes” of sound, more sound collage, sectioned to short to evolve into something which once called itself industrial, with almost nostalgic references to the Abstract of the previous century, charming rather than American brashness or lost in translation Japanese renderings, I’m reminded of that strange and interesting Abstract Expressionist movement in Northern Europe of Wols et al. – an intellectualism which was overwhelmed by first the size and then the brash confrontationality of US Nimitz sized and culture art. Which was a pity, no longer the intellectuals smoke in street cafes Gauloises, but if at all Malbro lites, indicative of the refusal to live and denial of the truth, SMOKING KILLS, and here in Tilburg some smoking clearly takes place, a careful and thought out improvisation that is just like the eddy of Gauloises smoke and thickened with the taste of real, not instant coffee and real not instant improvisations of sound – not noise then- something that might speak from the past and say here is something to talk about. (jliat)
Address: http://www.kormplastics.nl
BLINDHAED – WHETHER THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE WANT TO BECOME ARCHAELOGISTS, WE’LL HAVE TO SEE (LP by Ini Itu)
My keyboard is limited, so the presstext allows me to write Blindhaed, but in Vital Weekly 621, when I reviewed a MP3 release on Ruidemos, I wrote Blindheao. Its Icelandic, for what its worth, and it means something like Blind Spot. Their second release is an one-sided LP, why not two I immediately think, with again a lovely long title. “The piece is based on an accumulation of layers of sounds which were reworked during quite long periods of time”, it says, and makes references to Tietchens, Xenakis and Steve Roden. I’d like to add Werkbund to these references. The slight metallic rumble, the same subaquatic sound processing, the debris of contactmicrophone rumble. It seems to be dealing less with field recordings, and more with the electronic layering of various concrete actions and sounds, which shift along eachother in quite an intelligent way. One can sense that there is quite some time and effort in this piece, since it flows subtle and moves into various different textures. A pity there is just one side. I could have easily digested another side of this. (FdW)
Address: http://www.iniitu.net
WRANGLER/SCANNER – 1968 MOOG MODULAR/1978 FORMANT MODULAR (7″ by Static Caravan)
From the place where old synthesizers look like
old the telephone central comes a lovely heavy picture disc 7″ by Wrangler and Scanner. They use a Moog Modular System 3C and a Formant Modular Synthesizer to create two lovely tunes that appeals to me as a lover of all things electronic. They more or less update the Forbidden Planet soundtrack to bouncy rhythms and arpeggio’s. Its hard to tell which side is by which artist, and the differences between the tracks aren’t that big. If you love that old sound, the real fat sound, then this is one true gem. Lovely. I’m glad they still do things like this: the right equipment, the right format. (FdW)
Address: http://www.staticcaravan.org
COMBO RECIFE DE IMPROVISO – UNTITLED #3 (CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
ELECTRIC MONO RIVER – NO SUNLIGHT DOWN HERE (CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
Although these two releases by Dead Sea Liner share one strong similarity – music played through methods of improvisation – it’s only the one by Electric Mono River that I can be happy about. Combo Recife De Improviso is Thelmo Christovam on acoustic guitar, objects, E-Melody sax, Tulio Falcao on synthesizer, CD player and violin and Arthur Lacerda on guitar, objects and devices. No doubt this is their third release, and they decided to offer value for money here. The six tracks fill the entire length of the CDR, but the questions are: is it good and is it necessary? Both questions I can’t answer with a full and loud ‘yes’. The idea here seems to be: press the ‘record’ button and record whatever we are doing and afterwards everything finds its way to a release. Without editing, just the straight forward recorded session. Times six. Maybe it’s because this is four years old and maybe its their earliest beginnings, but these pieces were way too long and stretched out for my taste. Very free improvisation, even going towards free jazz at times, but nothing formal.
Also a trio is Electric Mono River of Martin Powell on theremin, Per Gisle Galaen on guitar and Sindre Bjerga on tape recorder and contact mics. They recorded their piece in improvisation at Stavanger’s Tou Center earlier this year and its much more a solid work. I have no idea wether this one is edited or not, or that they are more skilled players, but what is pressed here in twenty-one minutes makes more sense. Low rumbling sounds playing repeating patterns, while all sorts of electronic components fly over this. It slowly builds up until it reaches its peak half way through and then slowly things start to disintegrate and distorted low humming guitar from the non-drone shelf remains. Very nice, solid improvisation that holds the attention of the listener throughout the length of this piece. Sturdy Norwegian improvisation. (FdW)
Address: http://www.deadsealiner.co.uk
KIKLOP – GALLOPARDO (CDR by Kiklop)
I should do a credit list to the crazed workout of this what can only be another bizarre rendering of the past, though this time the un-cerebral (to me and what do I know) crazy far out drumming, vocals sax, trumpet, bass ..etc of maniac stuff – stuff that was once called jazz. 11 terrific (in every sense) live sets, a raging ravenous series of full on playing. and a monstrous treat, and so a tip of the hat then to..(from myspace) ***Cho-mi “GiantMidget” = drums + additional treatments ***DeBrilleaux “MidgetGiant” = bass/constructor-deconstructor, electro devices/perpetuum sonore device 1 >>>>>>>>>SECRET APPEARANCES: Danny “VibroHead” O’Really = guitar*** Kafka = alto sax*** Sjunko “RealMidget” Pumilus = vocal cords ‘out of space’*** VOBanda = trumpet +perpetuum sonore device 2***.. Whew! As Austin Powers would say – groovy baby!!!!!!!!! (jliat)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/kiklopgrozni
BAS VAN HUIZEN – NYLONRYP (CDR by Etherkreet)
All music reviewed here arrives through the mailbox, in an envelope, delivered by Mister Postman. Very seldom something is dropped off with no stamps, by someone living perhaps around the corner. Bas van Huizen is such a person. He is from Nijmegen, where he is active in the Lomechanik scene but his music is a bit different from what is common in that scene (all sorts of rhythmic inspired music) and ‘Nylonrijp’ is released by Etherkreet, who seem to be dealing with some more ‘difficult’ music. Here he uses an acoustic guitar (spanish), electric guitar, chinese flute and various objects. He has an interest in dissonance and consonance, but the seven tracks here are short and to the point and have nothing to techno music. The pieces here deal with carefully processed sound and fit the idea of ambient glitch and microsound perfectly. Sometimes even classical in approach with sounds that carefully bounce on and off – the dissonance part I gather. The real instruments aren’t processed to that extent that we no longer recognize them, but they seem to play an equal role in whatever electronic is going on. Great fine short release – even with the extra bonus tracks that aren’t on the real ‘Nylonryp’ release. Nice one again. (FdW)
Address: http://www.etherkreet.com
NILS ROSTAD – GUITAR (GREY) (CDR, private)
NILS ROSTAD – GUITAR (CDR, private)
Apparently these releases by Norway’s guitarist Nils Rostad are all ‘recent’ releases, and they are all limited to twenty or thirty copies. ‘Guitar (Grey)’ has a hand written cover and Nils plays acoustic and electric guitar. He improvises in these five pieces in various ways. Hectic playing, on the street, calm, detuned. Quite direct and in your face.
On ‘Guitar’ he plays a 12 string EKO from the early 70s, while adding small metal pieces to some of the strings. Here he has sixteen tracks which are all quite sort – the release lasts just under forty minutes. This is much nicer than the ‘Guitar (Grey)’ release, which wasn’t bad either. The short pieces are nicer, Nils seems to be more on top of things and the whole thing sounds like John Cage’s prepared piano, but then played on a 12 string guitar. Minimalist in approach, Nils plays mostly chords and strums away. Nice one.
Address: http://www.looop.no/
ALESSANDRO COLBUCCI & MATTEO UGGERI – THE DISTANCE (CDR by Why Not Ltd)
TIM BLECHMANN – REPLUGGED (CDR by Why Not Ltd)
I heard of Matteo Uggeri (field recordings, objects, mixing) but Alessandro Colbucci (guitar, loops, mixing) seems to be a new name for me. They recommend headphone listening, but I’m afraid that’s something I hardly do. The have four pieces here of drone related music. A swirling mass of electronics, processed guitar sounds, the scratching of the surface with contact microphones and street and rain sounds make up a very decent ambient drone releases. Atmospheric, dark, doomy and perhaps as such not a real innovative musical thing, but also as such quite some nice music. Which is of course good enough.
Tim Blechmann we heard before through some highly experimental and conceptual releases dealing with electronics and turntables. That is what he does here as well. Lots of hiss from the turntable are fed through the computer where it receives a minimal treatment. There is something happening for sure, but it takes Blechmann a lot of time. Too much time if you’d ask me. The release that lasts over an hour could have been easily be twenty minutes and been a nice 3″ CDR release. (FdW)
Address: http://www.geocities.com/whynotltd/
MARC SPRUIT – #2 (3″CDR, private)
The second release by Marc Spruit is even shorter than his previous release. Again he culls his sources from anything he can get: voice, bass, found percussion, various sounds from the internet, guitar, field recordings and such like. Thanks to the use of the computer it is possible to slice these sounds up into really split second small particles. Knowing that Spruit has a degree from the art academy its hardly a surprise that he treats the music like a collage of sound. A dadaistic approach. His eleven tracks in as many minutes can be seen as eleven tracks, but I see this rather as one work. Spruit moves around in great hectic, with rapid changes but sometimes, curious enough, knows how to build peace and tranquility in a piece. Just as before: why not release a 7″ of this? It would offer the listener possibilities to switch the speed of the turntable and add some mayhem of their own. (FdW)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/spruit
STEINBRÜCHEL – SUSTAIN (3″CDR by Koyuki Sound)
A very appt title, this ‘Sustain’ by Swiss microsound hero Steinbrüchel. If I understood well, this is a sort of remix of his recent CDs ‘Basis’ and ‘Stage’ (sustain there as well), and the twenty-one minute piece of music is a slowly, but endlessly humming weightless space piece. Ambient with the big A (and there for nothing new under the sun) but oh so delicate and nice. Its very difficult to write a lot about this piece, other than I think its a great piece. Nothing beyond the ordinary for Steinbrüchel, whose body of work doesn’t show many new elements (which in itself is a pity I think), but what he does, he does with great style and care. (FdW)
Address: http://www.koyuki-sound.org
SILENT SPRING (3″CDR by CLaudia)
No instruments are mentioned on the cover of the Silent Spring release. The untitled piece lasts almost thirteen minutes and is played by Joshua Rutter, Shannon O’Brien and Tim Coster. It seems to me that this is a work created through improvisation, a meditative improvised piece. Much like Stockhausen’s ‘Stimmung’ (which I never liked actually), there is a multitude of low humming voices around, but other than the Stockie piece, there is also electronics (feedback perhaps) and something that could be called ‘percussion’. Its a relaxing piece with some deep bass end that perhaps was more relaxing to play and a bit less to hear. Some more EQ-ing could have been in place I think to reach that relaxing point, but perhaps in its more rough state its more experimental. Very nice improvised atmospherics. (FdW)
Address: http://wwwhalftheory.com/claudia
BEARSES – THE PRETTIEST GIRL I EVER SAW (3″CDR by Hymns)
IRONING – THE END OF THE JACKSON PARTY (3″CDR by Hymns)
“Live collaboration between Ironing and Pairs recorded June 17, 2005 in Tampa, FL. to digital and split into five seamless thematic tracks. Andrew Chadwick , Troy Turriate- ++ Blistery harshness with woven pop culture sounds. A live performance from June 11, 2005 in Orlando, FL using microcassettes, records, cassettes and keyboard straight to digital and split into six seamless thematic tracks.” = Andrew Chadwick.- of electro noise-?, after theory, the non-debate, briefly the internet brought communication of theory – how? = In the form of use groups, the ” use” of latter Wittgenstein (don’t ask for meaning ask for use) or the Derridian ever open difference. Once knowledge was power and now its free , the Use groups are dead, post-modernity is over only the baudrillian echoes ring true are of the virtual and hyper real facebook communicates, the signals of equality, not of psycho linguistics. Here we have elements of a pan-handle collective or anagrammatising of lost souls it seems from a board, which in turn becomes binary chatter? Genre, style, content, prospective manifestos and suggestions collapse, we have style, and what was once harsh. Rumble & hiss ~ rattle & hum. The inconsequentiality of noise is present, and reverberated – only its everywhere else, the Janet Jackson clip is not out of place- nothing is. The seeming financial war is scripted like everything. Rhythmic elements like the syntax of words are only noted, No difference. (jliat)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/hymnslabel
RAN SLAVIN – NOCTURNALRAINBOW RISING (MP3 by Cronica Electronica)
TU M’ – IS THAT YOU? (MP3 by Cronica Electronica)
MOSAIQUE – FILARE (MP3 by Cronica Electronica)
From these three recent releases by Cronica
Electronica’s digital imprint, only Ran Slavin released before on this label. His first release was sort of alright but nothing spectacular, whereas ‘The Wayward Regional Transmissions’ (see Vital Weekly 577) was a great work combining middle eastern music and microsound. In that respect ‘Nocturnal Rainbow Rising’ is a step back. No middle eastern influences here, but ten pieces of solid ambient glitch. Moving slowly about, sounds drifting in and out the mix, occasionally a bit louder and then a bit softer again, but nothing more than ordinary. Maybe a filler, an in between release? Maybe that’s why it was released as a MP3.
Its been a while since I last heard music by Tu M’, the duo of Rossano Polidoro and Emiliano Romanelli. In fact: I can’t remember. But its good to see them around still after all these years and the work presented here consists of three tracks, which all seem to be made with the recordings of orchestra and brass sections, but then taken apart from their original intentions and stretched out into lengthy and moody pieces of music. The brass and orchestras shimmer through the laptop processing that have taken on the task to hide the origins. Also not the prize winning ‘originals in microsound’ award, but throughout quite nice indeed.
Jan Ferreira is Mosaique, of whom I may not have heard before. He has, in MP3 terms, a pretty long release, almost seventy-five minutes. It’s music that is highly ambient and fits either the moment of getting up and listening to the thing right away at breakfast, or chill out right before you go bed. But its hardly something I would put on during the day. The icy fields of sounds, slowly and minimal moving about, in the best Eno tradition but then entirely created in the digital domain, is very nice, but also very dated. Think Paul Bradley in a more lighter mood. Very nice indeed, but hardly a big surprise. (FdW)
Address: http://www.cronicaelectronica.org