Editorial news: we have decided to stop reviewing MP3 releases. Please do not send any discs with MP3 releases. Just send me an e-mail with a link and a short description, so people can download it. The amount of releases pile up every week and I can no longer devote time to MP3s. Whatever you see coming in the next few weeks are the last ones. Please do not send anymore. Also: releases that do not contain the original artwork will most likely be no longer reviewed. The real thing is necessary for a real judgment. If you wish to send us not the real thing, please contact us first. <vital@vitalweekly.net>
MARK MCGUIRE – A YOUNG PERSONS GUIDE (2CD by Editions Mego) *
HUNTSVILLE – FOR FLOWERS, CARS AND MERRY WARS (CD by Hubro Music) *
SIGBJORN APELAND – GLOSSOLALIA (CD by Hubro Music) *
GAGARIN – BIOPHILIA (CD by Geo Records) *
MALIK AMEER & LORIN BENEDICT – HOME IS WHERE THE HOUSE IS (CD by Edgetone)
JOSH ALLEN & RANDY HUNT & TIMOTHY ORR – DRUDGERY IS (CD by Edgetone)
JOHN M.BENNETT & BEN BENNETT BOB MARSH & JACK WRIGHT – OHIO GRIMES AND MISTED MEANIES IS (CD by Edgetone)
AUDREY CHEN – THE GRATITUDE OF SEDIMENT (CD by Collection Pied Nu)
KAMAMA (CDR by Brs)
SOPHIE ANGEL & BETRAND GAUGUET & ANDREA NEUMANN – SPIRAL INPUTS (CD by Another Timbre) *
TIZIANA BERTONCINI & THOMAS LEHN – HORSKY PARK (CD by Another Timbre) *
LUCIO CAPECE & BIRGIT ULHER – CHOICES (CD by Another Timbre) *
MICHEL DONEDA & JONAS KOCHER & CHROSTOPH SCHILLER (CD by Another Timbre) *
URPF LANZE/EDGAR WAPPENHALTER/HELLVETE (CD by Morc Records)
ELODIE – ECHOES PASTORAUX (LP by La Scie Doree)
FORMA (LP by Spectrum Spools)
DIKOLSON – THE BEAR IS SLEEPING NOW (LP by Minority Records)
TECHNICAL DRAWINGS – THE RUINED MAP (LP by Gagarin Records)
MAX GOLDT – L’EGLISE DES CROCODILES (LP by Gagarin Records)
KOMMISSAR HJULER & MAMA BAER/NINNI MORGIA & SILVIA KASTEL – TWO COUPLES (LP by Ultramarine Records)
VAN KAYE & IGNIT – ANTHOLOGY 80-85 (5LP/10″ by Vinyl On Demand)
TRAPPED IN A LOOP – ECHO/JOINUS (10″ by Surplus Recordings)
SURPLUS PEOPLE/SORK – SPLIT (LP by Surplus Recordings)
BT.HN & SISTRENATUS – EXPOSING THE RIBCAGE (CDR by Existence Establishment)
LOOPOOL & ONEIROTHOPTER – NOTATION IMPROVISATIONS 3 (CDR by Hipster Death Records)
HIPSTER DEATH – SAMPLER # 1 2011 (CD-R by Hipster Death Records)
COOLOOLA MONSTER & FEVER SPOOR – KIRIGAMINE HIGHLAND (CD-R by AnimaMalNata)
DAVID VELEZ – BAY RIDGE (2CDR by Mystery Sea) *
GHOST VOLCANO TARKOUSKY (3″CDR by Rainbow Bridge Records)
GNAWED – PURGE (cassette by Maniacal Hatred)
EN NIHIL – PYRES (cassette by Maniacal Hatred)
MARK MCGUIRE – A YOUNG PERSONS GUIDE (2CD by Editions Mego)
Benjamin Britten’s piece ‘A Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra’ has been used a lot and here serves as an introduction to one Mark McGuire. Perhaps The Mark McGuire. I guess it must be that. The. He is a member of Emeralds, an early cosmic music revivalist band. McGuire plays guitar in that band, and despite being 24, he released a whole bunch of solo CDRs and cassettes, so this also serves as a young persons guide to small US labels. I don’t think any of these releases was ever reviewed in Vital Weekly, since labels like Wagon, Pizza Night, Cylindrical Habitat Modules and High Spirits don’t ring a bell. Twenty pieces from those years of looped guitar playing, with lots of melody. Once the wheel of piece is set in motion McGuire adds melodic lines in strumming mode on top and then spaces out. Although there are a bunch of short pieces, ranging between two and four minutes, the majority of the pieces is quite long, say easily between ten and twenty minutes. Like his work with Emeralds, McGuire likes to space out in his music. Composition wise however he doesn’t change his modus operandi very much and also his use of effects is pretty much the same throughout. That makes that without the necessary consumption of stimuli these twenty pieces are quite similar and perhaps not easy to be enjoyed, unless you are a devotee of McGuire’s music. But then, you may have all those releases already? I guess its all fine. I’ll try again later on when sipping on a beer. (FdW)
Address: http://www.editionsmego.com
HUNTSVILLE – FOR FLOWERS, CARS AND MERRY WARS (CD by Hubro Music)
SIGBJORN APELAND – GLOSSOLALIA (CD by Hubro Music)
From Norway two discs of improvised music. The
Huntsville CD you will get for free if you buy the LP that is the main attraction. It has the same music. This trio consists of Ivar Grydeland, Tony Kluften and Ingar Zach. Bass, guitar and drums, and one the first piece (which spans the entire a-side of the vinyl version), vocalist Hanne Hukkelberg. I don’t know their previous work nor other work by Grydeland and Kluften, but this is not like other work I heard by Zach. It has a certain krautrock like feeling to it, combined with an electronic vibe, that is created with real instruments and perhaps (no doubt) a bunch of sound effects. It creates a mechanical drive to the music, but somehow it never gets any static. These three players know how to add small variations in the way they are playing. By altering the way they strum or add small tricks that I am not aware of. It makes this music very vibrant and speedy, highly energetic. The best option, I guess, is to hear this played loud in concert; the second best option is to play this at home really loud. Drone like LaMonte Young, Velvet Underground and Black Dice. An excellent manifestation of drone rock meets improvised music.
After this, the release by Sigbjorn Apeland sounds rather small. He plays the harmonium. Mostly an instrument used in religious music and with limited musical possibilities, but perhaps that’s the reason that some improvisers like it. It has that dream-like quality of drone music, and also to play it in very loose manner that almost always sounds good. Apeland plays folk music, jazz and church music, also as an organist. Five pieces of improvised harmonium playing of what he calls himself ‘acoustic ambient music’. The harmonium, besides producing the sound as intended, also has extra sounds like noisy keys, the feet operated bellow and such like and all of these are used in this recording, although not all on an equal level. In about thirty minutes Apeland plays some rather beautiful, solitary music on his harmonium. It could have easily lasted a bit longer, as far as I am concerned. Quite relaxing, early morning (sundays are preferred, and one can have their own religious tinkering at home) waking up music, or perhaps the last thing to play during the day. Excellent acoustic ambient indeed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.hubromusic.com
GAGARIN – BIOPHILIA (CD by Geo Records)
By now Graham ‘Dids’ Dowdall has established himself firmly as a musician under the alias of Gagarin, and his past history lies far away (Ludus, playing with Nico, John Cale and David Thomas). He has produced a number of CDs as Gagarin (see Vital Weekly 544 and 666 for instance) where he works with today’s technology: synthesizers, drum machines and rhythm. Now celebrating the man who gave the name to his project, the first man in space in 1961, with a new album of music. It sees him continuing where he left of with ‘Adaptogen’ (see Vital Weekly 666): melodic, techno inspired music (although perhaps one expects him to play cosmic music, given the name he uses: he doesn’t) that is not really for dance floors. Throughout the twelve tracks on this the mood is rather ‘atmospheric’ and ‘ambient’. The rhythm lies usually not on top of things, but supports the mellow ambience of the pieces. Sometimes light in approach, but more usually a bit darker in the shades. Like Gagarin’s solitary orbit experience, Dowdall’s music has a similar solitary quality to it. Rather than playing this loud in clubs, I can imagine this more for the home environment. Much like its predecessor, this is an album that fits labels as Expanding Records, Boltfish and Highpoint Lowlife. It doesn’t shed a new light on what we know already, and not necessarily a major step forward, but a fine work throughout. (FdW)
Address: http://www.gagarin.org.uk
MALIK AMEER & LORIN BENEDICT – HOME IS WHERE THE HOUSE IS (CD by Edgetone)
JOSH ALLEN & RANDY HUNT & TIMOTHY ORR – DRUDGERY IS (CD by Edgetone)
JOHN M.BENNETT & BEN BENNETT BOB MARSH & JACK WRIGHT – OHIO GRIMES AND MISTED MEANIES IS (CD by Edgetone)
A new bunch of Edgetone releases: a duo, trio and a quartet. To start with the duo of Amir and Benedict, for sure the most bizarre of these three releases. Malik Ameer is an experimental improvisational rapper, writer and producer in the field of alternative Music. Lorin Benedict is also a vocalist, essentially a scat singer, living in San Francisco. Most of his work is connected loosely in the jazz idiom. On this album they explore “their combined interests in improvisation, groove, story-telling, and general sonic emanation.” The music is computer-generated, sounding orchestral ( in the closing piece ‘Enclosures’), or ethnic like in ‘Footsie Schmootsie’, gospel-like in ‘Might as well do the get up’, funky at other other moments, etc.. All pieces are in one way or another built along hip hop principles. In most pieces there is a beat. Their voice acrobatics are often treated, speeded up, etc. beyond what is humanly possible, without losing all characteristics of the human voice. A very fresh and funny record.
Timothy Orr and Josh Allen first met in 1997 in a project called Sax vs Guitar. >From this experience they decided to continue as a trio with Randy Hunt (doublebass) playing free-bop and standards. They broke up however rather quickly. In 2008 they met again on stage and decided for a second start. Listening to ‘Drudgery’ I conclude this was the right decision. The album contains a session recorded in 2010 at oakland’s New Improved Recording Studio. 10 concentrated improvisations that are close to what we expect free jazz to be but, combined with original and convincing aspects added to it. And that’s what makes the difference. Although the sax playing by Allen is prominent, the drummer and bass player are of equal importance. Their commitment and communication is impressive, resulting in engaging improvisations. In their exercises they work from different angles, so that there are no dull moments in this vibrantly performed session.
‘Ohio Grimes and Misted Meanies’ is the work of four gentlemen, two of them needing no further introduction, namely Marsh and Wright. John and Ben Bennett – father and son- may be new to you. John Bennett is responsible for voice, words and things. Ben plays with invented devices. John Bennett has long been the curator of the Avant Garde Literature Collection of Ohio State University. He plays a central role on this disc by speaking words and short sentences, that are twisted and bended into various shapes. Some kind of concrete poetry is the result. Ben Bennett improvises by manipulating all kind of objects and instruments. Together with Wright and Marsh they create open and abstract environments for the words spoken by John Bennett. I felt in contact with what is happening here, but please do not ask what exactly is going on here. (DM)
Address: http://www.edgetonerecords.com
AUDREY CHEN – THE GRATITUDE OF SEDIMENT (CD by COLLECTION PIED NU)
KAMAMA (CDR by Brs)
Kamama is a duo by Audry Chen (voice, cello, electronics) and Luca Marini (drums, percussion), recorded during concert in 2010. 2010 is also the year they first encountered. So this cd documents one of their first steps in developing their music. Luca Marini grew in France and works nowadays in New York. He studied jazz and improvised music on various conservatories in Europe and America, and played with wide range of musicians since. American Chen plays cello and voice from a very early age. In her classical training she moved towards the new Music repertoire. Since 2003 she choose another direction. As a vocal artist she works in the line of Diamanda Galas and Shelley Hirsch, etc. Her cello playing did it for me. Nice duets with Luca Marini, who is an accomplished percussionist. They really built on something in their focused improvisations. No wonder there are strong moments in their playing. Good communicative interplay on this mini-cd that offers one 23-minute long improvisation. ‘The Gratitude of Sediment’ is a solo effort by Chen, using electronics, cello and her voice. In eight improvisations she shows many sides of her possibilities as an improvisor. Some of them are very quiet and subtle exercises, others however are on the other side of the spectrum and loud and noisy. All pieces demonstrate a very well going together of cello, electronics and her voice. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between electronics and voice, or cello and electronics. (DM)
Address: http://www.metamkine.com / http://www.myspce.com/audreychen
SOPHIE ANGEL & BETRAND GAUGUET & ANDREA NEUMANN – SPIRAL INPUTS (CD by Another Timbre)
TIZIANA BERTONCINI & THOMAS LEHN – HORSKY PARK (CD by Another Timbre)
LUCIO CAPECE & BIRGIT ULHER – CHOICES (CD by Another Timbre)
MICHEL DONEDA & JONAS KOCHER & CHROSTOPH SCHILLER (CD by Another Timbre)
Four discs of improvised music, twice a duo and twice a trio. The first trio is Sophie Angel (piano), Betrand Gauguet (alto & soprano saxophone) and Andrea Neumann (piano frame, electronic devices). An important role during the concerts was Benjamin Maumus, who devised a spatial soundsystem of fifteen loudspeakers. That is obviously lost on the CD, but it would be interesting to know how the music was recorded. Either with a stereo microphone capturing all fifteen speakers, and thus making the space an important player in the music, or with separate microphones close to the instruments. This trio says that some of the pieces here were recorded without any previous discussion (isn’t that what improvisation is all about?) while some where the result of ‘a process of research into our different ways of playing, the different materials we use and into the ways in which we listen and react to each other’. Although I thought this was a very nice CD of very good improvised music, I must also admit I was a bit disappointed with it. The careful research into materials and techniques is something I heard before and this trio doesn’t do something that I haven’t heard before. Decent stuff, but not more than that.
The other trio is announced as the first ever trio for soprano saxophone and radio (Michel Doneda), accordion and objects (Jonas Kocher) and spinet and preparations (Christoph Schiller). I think any combination that includes a spinet would easily be a first, since its not an instrument we come across a lot in improvised music. Two pieces recorded live in a church in Ligerz, overlooking Lake Biel, Switzerland. This trio also thinks ‘spatial’, but not by using various speakers, but using the acoustics of the church, but also by allowing sounds from outside to come in. Birds, boats and trains can be heard and the three musicians respond to that, at given times of course. Like the one, and so many on the Another Timbre label, the modern version of improvised music here, careful, patient, concentrated, and exploring the instrument as object. But all of this is done with a lot of concentration and tension. The manage at times to make their instruments sound like sine waves, or leap into near silence, forcing the listener to deliver the same amount of concentration to fully enjoy the music. Most rewarding microtonal stuff.
I wonder if Tiziana Bertoncini (violin) is the daughter of Mario Bertonincini, the pianist who plays modern classical music. Here she teams up with Thomas Lehn (analogue synthesizer), in two recordings. The first is from 2006 and the second is from 2010. The latter has some complex linking together of the violin output to the synthesizer. It lasts thirteen minutes, while the ‘unprocessed’ one is about thirty minutes. Two entirely different instruments of course, with totally different techniques to play them, tonal qualities and it is curious to hear them together. I must admit this really works well. Especially in the long piece ‘Galaverna’ there is some great tension going on between the bursting electronic/electric connections of Lehn and the intense playing of Bertonincini. Bouncing in all directions, soft versus loud, noise versus traditional classical approach, its all passing with seemingly great ease. In the second piece they seem to loose focus. I am not sure where that comes from, but somehow this worked not so well. But throughout a pretty strong work.
Two instruments more closely together is the bass clarinet, soprano saxophone and preparations of Lucio Capece and the trumpet, radio and speaker of Birgit Ulher. Three pieces, two captured in Capece’s studio and one in concert, all in 2010. These two players use extensively their instruments as objects. Its not always easy to believe that these sounds are produced by these instruments, but its in the capable hands of Capece and Ulher that it works well. An excellent combination of improvised music and electro-acoustic sounds. Minimal, but never soft, or rather, much more noise based than I thought it would, anticipating their reputation. Much of that is duo to the use of feedback/sine wave like sounds which are a main feature on this release. A highly vibrant release, bursting with energy. Of these four new releases on Another Timbre its the two duo releases that have the greatest impact. (FdW)
Address: http://www.anothertimbre.com
URPF LANZE/EDGAR WAPPENHALTER/HELLVETE (CD by Morc Records)
This three way compilation was released for a tour these bands did in April 2011. All three are Belgium and their background in what we can roughly distinguish as ‘guitar music’. Urpf Lanze (also known as Wouter Vanhaelemeesch) has a most curious piece of music using a detuned acoustic guitar, which he plays nervously in a free-folk manner. A bit like Bill Orcutt recently did on his Mego CD. Very upfront and very nice. Edgar Wappenhalter (no doubt not his real name) has also something folk like, but simply strums his guitar and sings with an unhealthy amount of reverb on his voice. Shoegazing like, but perhaps also sounding a bit too much like a cliche, but the tape-loops at the end make up for the bit that I didn’t particularly care for. I can imagine him however to be headlining this tour. Hellvete is a member of Sylvester Anfang II and runs the Funeral Folk label. He too plays folk like music, also with perhaps a bit too much reverb (maybe to generate that necessary atmosphere), but works quite nicely in a minimalist/drone like manner. A beautiful solitary howl. The tour is over, but a very nice artifact remains, and this time not on a home burned CDR. (FdW)
Address: http://www.clear-spot.nl
ELODIE – ECHOES PASTORAUX (LP by La Scie Doree)
Since splitting up with Christoph Heeman as Mirror, I haven’t followed the recent work of Andrew Chalk. It simply seems to be moving outside my view. Heeman started a collaboration as In Camera with Timo van Luijk and now its the turn of Chalk to also work with Van Luijk as Elodie. This might be their first record together and what is odd, knowing the work of either of them, is that this is not one of those ‘one drone per side’ kind of LPs. This LP has no less than thirteen tracks, which perhaps sees them moving into something which is less drone oriented and something that is altogether more acoustic in approach. Van Luijk’s curious collection of small acoustic objects and wind instruments and Chalk’s sparse guitar playing. The record opens with a layered piece of various wind instruments and as such may count as a drone piece, but other pieces are more of an open spaced improvised nature of rattling bells, small metallic sounds, and Chalk’s watery electric guitar, along with charming field recordings. The pieces are more like open ended sketches then fully realized compositions, which adds the charm of the record. Throughout a fine record of shimmering, small melodies, rusty percussion, bird calls and a gentle mood. The perfect early spring record: open your windows, let outdoor sounds in and simply enjoy the good life. (FdW)
Address: http://www.lasciedoree.be/
FORMA (LP by Spectrum Spools)
Because they have a ‘singular vision of cosmic Krautrock for a new age’, Forma was formed by Mark Dwinell, Sophie Kam and George Bennett in 2010. They got themselves a whole bunch apparatus like a Roland RS 09, Sh-1000, Re-101, Yamaha CS15, Crumar DS2, Oberheim SEM, DSI Morpho, Moog LP, Farfisa Compact Combo, Roland TR 707 and Alesis HR-16B. Since I recently read a book on Hans Joachim Roedelius, I know he used in the early Cluster a farfisa organ, but the other equipment doesn’t mean much to me. Of course I could hang on the internet and watch pictures of these machines, but then I probably don’t know much more. This album, their first, has a great flowing rhythm, lots of arpeggio’s and bouncing rhythms. Unlike the tangerine dreams of yesteryear, Forma doesn’t fill up their record with side long pieces, but instead have eleven shorter pieces with each a sequencer, motorik beat and synthesized melodies on top. A template of this kind of music, and that’s perhaps the ‘problem’ I have with it. I really loved playing this on this beautiful sunny morning but I also realized there is essentially not much difference between say indeed Cluster in 1974 and this. Like there has been no musical progression at all (think ambient house for instance). It makes it all a bit retro. Now, that might very well be the point of it all, and when looking a band name like Forma, it might very well be the case they think exactly the same, and as said, I quite enjoyed this record, but its all a bit outdated. Perhaps in a good sense of the word, I thought. If you are entirely new to cosmic music, and never download any of the old stuff, then try this for a start. (FdW)
Address: http://www.spectrumspools.com
DIKOLSON – THE BEAR IS SLEEPING NOW (LP by Minority Records)
Filip Misek is Dikolson and ‘The Bear Is Sleeping Now’ is his debut album. Misek is founder member of Khoiba, an indie electronic outfit of whom I never heard. Misek plays a whole bunch of instruments, such as guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, autoharp, xylophone, voice, programming and receives help from a whole bunch of people on trombone, french horn, trumpet, tenor saxophone and mostly female voices. Ten tracks, or rather: ten songs here, which are not easy to pin down to a certain style. Up front rhythm, rock like, trip/hop like, with an orchestral backing (which made me think that a whole bunch of this is sampled together, rather than played, but then I was wrong obviously). So that makes it… just exactly what? Not a kind of music that I would have name for. Sometimes it reminded me of Bjork, but that might very well, because of some of the voices. Cinematic at other times, big jazz band like at again other times and very occasionally introspective. Maybe the whole big band/big beat thing is just not so much my cup of tea, although I thought the whole thing was very well produced and quite well made. (FdW)
Address: http://www.minorityrecords.com
TECHNICAL DRAWINGS – THE RUINED MAP (LP by Gagarin Records)
MAX GOLDT – L’EGLISE DES CROCODILES (LP by Gagarin Records)
‘Dub Concrete’ is the term coined by Technical Drawings, a duo of Melissa St. Pierre and Jesse Stiles. St. Pierre plays the prepared piano as ‘invented’ by John Cage. The inside of the piano is filled with coins, screws, bolts and sounds like a piece of gamelan. She uses an electric piano, and just how that works with prepared strings is a bit unclear to me. Stiles uses ‘livid Ohm 64, jazzmutant lemur, Mas/msp and computer). A strange but great record. Seven of the eight pieces are instrumentals, and one uses the voice of Todd Jones. That wasn’t necessary, as far as I would say, as the instrumental pieces are strong enough. A highly rhythmic record, that is hard to pin down. Certainly not techno, nor house, but mechanical world music like, gamelan like, hip hop like, but then as straight forward minimal beats, and no backbeat. Maybe the closest I could think of is it bears some resemblance with Konono No.1, less any singing. Very energetic music, pulsating and throughout honestly weird. Excellent.
The name Max Goldt vaguely rings a bell, but I am not sure of the whenwhyhow of it. He’s been playing music since the late 70s and these days is best known, in Germany, for his writing. On this album, you’ll find a 10″ record from 1983 on side A and on Side B more pieces from that period. Goldt uses “prepared acoustic guitar, pitched voice, zither, some effect pedals and a multi-track recorder. The rhythmic patterns are played by hand using his self-invented ‘rubbermind method'”. I don’t recall hearing his music back in the day. I was thinking whether one could say if this sounds ‘old’ or ‘retro’. My conclusion would be more ‘retro’ than ‘old’. Quite rhythmic music, with primitive delay/hold pedals and those very germanic neue deutsche welle like vocals and instrumentation. A bit Der Plan, Andreas Dorau and Frieder Butzmann. It has that great radioplay like quality that Germans simply have a trademark on. A bit of radioplay, a bit of (alternative) popmusic, a fair amount of weirdness. These relative simple elements make up some very nice music. It could have as easily made ‘now’ as thirty years ago. I have no idea what these lyrics are about, but it sounds all quite sunny. A record to bring a jolly good mood. (FdW)
Address: http://www.gagarinrecords.com
KOMMISSAR HJULER & MAMA BAER/NINNI MORGIA & SILVIA KASTEL – TWO COUPLES (LP by Ultramarine Records)
The two couples mentioned in the title are Kommissar Hjuler and Mama Baer (who by now have gained some serious underground recognition) and Ninni Morgia and Silvia Kastel. The latter two are from Italy and play guitar and synth/voice. Both live in New York where they are actively involved in the world of improvised music. These two couples toured together and now there is this split LP. Two couples, one approach: weirdness. A curious mixture of free jazz/improvisation, tape manipulation and voice treatments (singing, moaning, crying, screaming), all lauded with a bunch of synths. There are however differences. Whereas Hjuler & Baer play like they do they always, which sounds like they their instruments for the first time: with complete freedom and without any control. Its probably exactly that trademark which makes that people love what they do. Morgia and Kastel use the same free-play in their work, but through experience of playing they became skilled improvisers, which is something that is shown in their four pieces. These are free yet more coherent than with the other couple. Its perhaps the side of the record that I like more, but that’s no doubt personal taste. That is not to say I don’t like the other side. It has that consistent charm that is part of the work of Hjuler and Baer, which I like when I hear it, but wouldn’t actively seek out every release. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ultramarinerecords.com
VAN KAYE & IGNIT – ANTHOLOGY 80-85 (5LP/10″ by Vinyl On Demand)
First I have a small confession to make: for many years I tried locating the two musicians known as Van Kaye & Ignit. Once a married couple playing electronic music and operating their own Ding Dong Disk label, but in the second half the 80s they seemed to have disappeared. I wanted to do what Vinyl On Demand now did: release all their work. For me on CD, but Vinyl On Demand now on 5 LPs and a 10″ record. So when the lovely Frank Maier of Vinyl On Demand asked me for their whereabouts I couldn’t help him either, but almost instantly Van Kaye & Ignit popped up on facebook. Vinyl On Demand got in contact and swiftly released this most over-due set. It documents their entire career which started when Van Kaye (known as Ed van Kasteren) left his rock band The Monomen and started playing with synthesizers and rhythm machines, with his wife Ignit on vocals. They produced a thirty minute demo and a 7″, now a most sought after collectors item. The demo was then properly re-released a sixty minute tape and Ding Dong Disk became one of the best known cassette labels in The Netherlands (the fact that Ignit had a national radio show for weird music on sunday afternoon no doubt helped). With third member Willem Wisselink they produced a second tape, along with the help of Edward Ka-spel, Bene Gesserit and Portion Control, delivered a whole bunch of compilation tracks and then they disappeared. What happened is not clear, there is a card with a bit of history, but it doesn’t shed any light on the ending. In all those years their music wasn’t forgotten: it was even bootlegged on a LP, their first cassette only, but the impact of their music has been great. ‘Minimal synth’ is a tag that many people use for bands like Van Kaye & Ignit. A synthesizer, a sequencer, a drum machine and someone singing who is not always the best singer. That may count for the early work of Van Kaye & Ignit, say their first cassette and first 7″, but the later work was much more complex, with the addition of guitars, building more complex songs. I can’t be very objective about this release: I love it. Even when I realize that not all songs were equally great. C’est la vie, I guess. It shows the many highs and some lows in their electronic pop music, for that is what it is: pop music. Sentimental like ballads, up-tempo songs, sequencer driven ditties, and the excellent music in progress of ‘Into Plan A’ (which is perhaps the most experimental piece they did); and Van Kaye’s youth hero Danny Kaye is annoyingly present too. God, to see all of this collected into one box is simply great. Surely I raved about another re-issue being the highlight of 2011: its now officially replaced by this one. (FdW)
Address: http://www.vinyl-on-demand.com/
TRAPPED IN A LOOP – ECHO/JOINUS (10″ by Surplus Recordings)
SURPLUS PEOPLE/SORK – SPLIT (LP by Surplus Recordings)
Surplus Recordings started in december 2010 in Gothenburg in Sweden. I am not for sure, but I think Magdalena Agren is one of the people behind this new label. She makes music in all bands above mentioned. Anyway, I was highly surprised by these two releases. Since my youth I have been a great lover of music like The Ex, Dog Faced Hermans and so on. Trapped in a Loop is a band which refers a lot to these bands. The band exists of Magdalena Agren and Richard Widerberg. The duo uses guitar, drumcomputer, trombone, field recordings and trombone and the two songs are really uptempo and the use of loops makes the music hypnotic and two times the duo creates a climax. Great music, nevertheless just two songs. A admirable release.
Surplus People is a Swedish and Finnish trio and the members are Petra Kiiskinen who plays old organs, Helena Engaras on bass and ? Magdalena Agren who sings, screams and creates sounds by megaphone, trumpet and trombone. The trio has played many concerts if funny clothes, I guess the concerts will be a nice mixture of fun, chaos, theatre and good music. The split-part of this album seems like a mix between Arbeid Adelt, De Kift, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Doors. I love this eighties music, with distorted organ sounds, simple melodies, brass-compositions and bossanova drum patterns. Sork is more or less a follow-up of Surplus People, after Pontus Torstensson joined the band. The style of the band is based in post-punk traditions and the band does it in a nice way. The bass is pulsing and the drums steams like a rolling train. The voice of Magdalena and her interactions on the synthesizer, stylophone and trombone take care of the experimental part of the music. (JKH)
Address: http://www.surplusrecordings.se
BT.HN & SISTRENATUS – EXPOSING THE RIBCAGE (CDR by Existence Establishment)
Swathes of synth washes soaked in reverb, modulated oscillators fall and rise is gentle arpeggios of gently pulsing drones, rhythms emerge and sink from the miasma…. at places the textures gently thin, wisps of sound drift… great lumps of processed sound float in a sea of synthesizers… an extravaganza of full Hi Fi stereos echo and reverb washes of huge menacing bass pads…. this is rubbish- is it, is it crass enough to be amusing, is it a sci-fi film track…. it might be true that those who play WOW should get out more…. that there aren’t intergalactic cruisers and virgin princesses to quest for…. and continuing to believe in them after the age of 16 isn’t psychologically good…. but then whole industries thrive on virtualities – economies and families… who am I or who is anyone to know better…. the total musicality of this work might be one huge ironic joke, it might not, it might be a modern space ballet.. Or a subtle move from the radical militant austerity of HNW, the move is towards Las Vegas and Disney interpretations of sound as pop soundscapes… it’s a predictable enough move, eschews the bourgeoisie appropriation of militancy in pop phenomenon and explores Dadaist territory. To take the banal serious, been done before – sure – but to represent rather than repeat might steer the project away from intellectualism, a kind of KFC cultural revolution in HNW. (jliat)
Address: http://existest.org/
LOOPOOL & ONEIROTHOPTER – NOTATION IMPROVISATIONS 3 (CDR by Hipster Death Records)
HIPSTER DEATH – SAMPLER # 1 2011 (CD-R by Hipster Death Records)
Most work I know of the label Hipster Death is raw, theatrical and/or noisy but the fine release of the collaboration between Loopool and Oneirothopter is a nice exception of the rule. The music is meant on the idea that the human mind can be removed from the process of making music. Different processes have been used throughout the series to achieve this ideal. In this third improvisation they used and ancient method of recording music, the music box. The musicians create their own improvisations on paper and turn this paper through the musicbox. The music is meditative, repetitive and simple in a pleasant manner. The ongoing tones take care for a experimental ambient mood. It sounds much better than all these music boxes with well-known tunes, because the tones come and go and doesn’t stick anywhere. Music without pretensions but with a great impact. Maybe the album is too long, but that depends of you mood and attention.
Unlike this quiet album is the Hipster Death Sampler # 1 of this year. One of the founders of this label is Joy von Spain, a classical trained singer, who combines opera voice with raw metal-music of synthesizer music. The sampler shows us a wide variety of the bands or individuals who (will) release at Hipster Death or cooperate with one of the founders of the label. We will go to heavy beats and percussion in combination with Electronics by Masaki Satsu to dark esoteric music of Loopool, to dirty screams and noises of In the Age of Terminal State to rock metal of Stabbings with a voice like David Bowie. From harsh noise of Dried Up Corpse & Nervous Corps to melodic synthesizer harmonies of 100 Pieces. The problem of compilations like this is a lack of content. And that is a pity, because some tracks are really nice, but they are overwhelmed by the high diversity in styles. (JKH)
Address: http://www.hipsterdeath.com/
COOLOOLA MONSTER & FEVER SPOOR – KIRIGAMINE HIGHLAND (CD-R by AnimaMalNata)
And the story goes on? After 100 editions Marcel Herms continues his well-tried idea of split CD-Rs. For this time he gives space to the trio Cooloola Monster from Spain. Estanis Comella, Miguel A. Garcia and Jorge Nunez are responsibe for a dose of free-minded experimental music. The recordings of the improvisations are just as they are, raw and unpolished. A combination of distorted noise sounds and freely played tones on organ or synthesizer. The music is like a playground, take your instruments, do your things and let’s go for it. Sometimes I hear some intensity in harmony or disharmony, but for me it is hard listening to music with a lack of idea, direction or structure. Fever Spoor, the noisy project of Marcel Herms creates his harsh basic noise with contact-microphones, effects, synths and I do not know what else. Three of the four tracks are composed by his well-known scheme. The track “Onder Schuimrandbaren” is one of the most quiet tracks I have heard of Fever Spoor. Indeed some covered sounds will be alternating by clear bells of scratching on metal. Lovely intriguing music. Would like to hear more of these? (JKH)
Address: http://myspace.com/animamalnata
DAVID VELEZ – BAY RIDGE (2CDR by Mystery Sea)
Quite active by now, Colombian David Velez, with releases on Ripples Recordings, SIRIdisc, Test Tube, Audio Gourmet, Rain Music and Impulsive Habitat. Here he is responsible for the first double CDR on Mystery Sea. During his stay in Brooklyn he recorded a whole bunch of sounds related to ‘his interaction with water in all its forms (steam, fog, rain, sea, river, snow)’. Two pieces on these CDs, one that’s almost an hour and one that is almost forty minutes. Its a dark work of water sounds, both below and above the surface. Sometimes it seems like the motor of ships passing under the Brooklyn Bridge, captured at the same time from water level, below and high upon the bridge. No doubt that is not what happened, but like all fine audio-illusions that is the case. Quite an abstract trip, with what seems to be events that are stuck together, rather than a fixed composition. Somewhere in between a piece of ambient music (but rather dark), pure field recordings (which I guess it is not) and drone music (but entirely build from field recordings). Quite nice, but I wonder why it had to be spread out over hundred minutes. The second part is an extension of the first, and doesn’t seem to be adding too much difference to it. Why not stick them together and put out a DVD-R with 24-bit audio only and make a long environmental work? That wasn’t clear. I felt that the second part was now a bit redundant, or perhaps could have been released elsewhere. A bit much all of this. (FdW)
Address: http://mysterysea.net
GHOST VOLCANO TARKOUSKY (3″CDR by Rainbow Bridge Records)
What at first seems like a broken washing machine becomes more human obvious
vocalizations, humans attempting to be chimpanzees, set against lo fi music, piano or keyboard of some kind and drum set. I’ve said before that this kind of material reminds me of detritus, and that this was an interesting portrait of modernity, though my critique was taken badly. I can’t say I like this kind of thing, but I can appreciate it, or to be an absolute snob, I know what art is and this is art, but I don’t like it. IOW not I don’t know anything about art but I know what I like, however this is a problem, one that will throw out words like “elitist” and “ironic”, to be refuted by the artist’s claims of simple sincerity.. cant help thinking I’m writing myself into a lose lose situation. OK I’ll say something meaningful then finish, as good as it is this is clichÈd, risks need to be taken these days which are not deconstructive improv but moves towards the possibility of absolutes, I recommend Ray Brassier’s book Nihil Unbound.. The End. (jliat)
Address: http://www.hellorainbowbridge.com
GNAWED – PURGE (cassette by Maniacal Hatred)
EN NIHIL – PYRES (cassette by Maniacal Hatred)
We live in strange times, strange because they don’t seem strange, on UK’s most popular TV channel (BBC 1) last week a man was shown dying, this was one of the highlights together with Doctor Who and the Eurovision Song Contest, which gives certain aesthetics of PE, Noise etc. a problem (or not). The event was defended by the conservative broad sheet Telegraph newspaper, whilst the tabloids were suitably outraged. The defense was of course “death is a fact of life”: so is rape and murder, and murder without trial now is the de facto means of the worlds supposedly most powerful, moral and religious society. To return to my ‘or not’, talking to the purveyors of so called ‘shocking material’ – and by this I mean the noise, PE fraternity, their excuse / explanation for the Satanist / violence et al. Is that it is simply NOT serious, not REAL. There is an obvious logic in these two violences, these two “reals” which the journalists at the Telegraph should be aware of, but perhaps are not, one aspires to truth, beauty and humanity…. the other to baseless violence and death. I was recently in the Musee Granet in Aix-en-Provence, where in case anyone isn’t aware a certain artist- fairly unknown amateurish in his time produced paintings, which, in short, were to change the history of art. The small museum can only afford a couple of works, and a Picasso who’s departure into cubism and the abstract art that follows is indebted to the insignificant man in Aix, why insignificant- because the museum is full of ‘other’ art, huge sculptures of naked classical men and women writhing about, which was at the time thought to be what art should be, no doubt for reasons competently opposite those of the modern journalists, who now see truth and not poetry and myth as important, important to show an 84 year old man die of cancer – rather than say an apotheosis of a saint. My point is very obvious and no doubt you saw it coming, but either these cassettes of modulated harsh noise wrapped in a Kitsch fake Satanist pretend violence and make believe nihilism- produced by, from conversations, very caring people of integrity, (rather than voyeurism/popularism) might be silly indulgences, or.. works of great seriousness. Beauty. And import, something maybe in the blind spot of those who watch BBC 1 – and fatal accidents on youtube? Works which will one day not be forgotten Populist trash but the creative, re read – creative, human, ‘just’, spiritual – even- spark amidst all the populist shit on the BBC and justified murder. P.S. I’m aware that this critique is corny, but I’m not working for the president of the USA or The Telegraph.. (jliat)
Address http://www.maniacalhatred.com