Summer schedule! There will be no Vital Weekly in week 34 (18 to 24 august)
HOWARD STELZER – BRAYTON POINT (CD by Dokuro) *
SEIJIRO MURYAMA & ERIC LA CASA – PARIS: PUBLIC SPACES (CD by Ftarri) *
PORYA HATAMI – THE GARDEN (CD by Dronarivm) *
SUISEN – JUST BELOW THE SURFACE (CD by White Paddy Mountain) *
ET\OU – EN CHUTE LIBRE (CD by Oral)
SIGNAL PROBLEMS – SIGNAL PROBLEMS (CD by PFmentum)
CENK ERGUN – NANA (CD by Carrier)
FALX CEREBRI – TRIALS TEXTURES ERRORS (CD by Monochrome Vision) *
ARCHITECTS OFFICE – SOUNDTRACKS (CD by Monochrome Vision) *
][|][ – [_|_] (CD by Steelwork Maschine) *
DUNKELHEIT – LES SOLITUDES CENDREES (CD by Steelwork Maschine) *
WESTWIND – SURVIVALISM (3CD by Steelwork Maschine) *
HOFNIN HLJOMAR ISLENSK RAFTONLIST (CD compilation by Yatra Arts)
AMFJ/AUXPAN (cassette by Yatra Arts)
FIRE! ORCHESTRA – ENTER (CD by Rune Grammofon)
STEFAN ORINS TRIO – LIV (CD by Circum Disc)
CIRCUM GRAND ORCHESTRA – 12 (CD by Circum Disc)
FREDDY THE DYKE – SAME (LP by Skussmaal)
MATERIAL ACTION – LOBITH SESSIONS (CDR by Inverted Records) *
ANDERS BRØRBY – YOU WERE THERE WITH ME (CDR by Feral Delight)
HOWARD STELZER – BRAYTON POINT (CD by Dokuro)
No doubt I am absolutely the most wrong person to write about this release. Partly because I know mister Stelzer personally for quite some time, but that may not be the only reason (I know more people for a very long time). Stelzer and me exchange lots of ideas on the creation of music, so I get to hear much of his work way in advance of a release. I am not entirely sure, but I may have heard Brayton Point also before. Here Stelzer has one long piece, close to fifty minutes, of sounds he recorded at the Brayton Point Generating Station, the largest coal-fired power plant in New England. All of this recorded on cassettes, as that’s Stelzer’s main instrument of choice. That’s adds an extra layer of dirt and grittiness to the recordings he’s making. These recordings are transformed to the computer and then layered together. Some sounds in real time and some are shorter and looped around, such as the car sounds in the beginning. That’s where the power of Stelzer’s music is: layering many sounds together, making it dense but not clouded. Everything is still to be noticed, so when details change, you will notice it. That’s the great thing about this piece in particular. Stelzer plays a sort of power/noise/drone/ambient/industrial piece, which sticks right into your brain and which grows and grows – right until the very end. It keeps building in intensity – I have no idea what Stelzer does in the mixing stages. Perhaps he ads sound effects, or simply runs more and more sounds? It’s a very alive work, very intense and simply beautiful. This is one of those things, which makes me like noise, still. This kind of noise to be precise, not those of say the HNW variety. Loud, raw, wild, full of energy, yet also something that is thought out carefully, planned and thoroughly executed. Excellent release and his first solo release in some time, and promised more to come. (FdW)
Address: http://www.dokuro.it
SEIJIRO MURYAMA & ERIC LA CASA – PARIS: PUBLIC SPACES (CD by Ftarri)
A most curious work here, but not unrelated to what I noted before: sometimes improvisers set themselves to work outside and use the natural sounds that surround them to be part of whatever they are recording. An extra layer of sound/music if you will. Here Murayama and La Casa do something similar, in the city of Paris. La Casa takes credit for ‘field recordings’ and Murayama for voice and recordings. Basically they go some place, with two portable recorders, and record the environment. Murayama adds with his mouth sounds to the recordings, but does that in a very subtle way, mostly almost unnoticed. He breathes, sighs, whispers or just makes crazy soft sounds with his mouth, maybe something a small baby would do. Maybe it’s an imitation of sounds he’s surrounded by, or maybe something he draws inspiration from. The space in which all of this happens is usually a bit hollow, adding an extra layer of musical information, a bit of reverb. Each track start with a cue to start, which is perhaps a bit annoying after a while, but on the other hand it also gives the idea of the start of an action, so the start of a piece, rather than seemingly random cut from a bunch of field recordings. That makes all of this quite a fascinating musical trip. Bird chirping, a marching band, fireworks, a construction site and sometimes just seemingly empty places. Murayama’s contribution is rather mysterious most of the time, but that sort of is exactly quite right for this kind of music. A rather beautiful release. It would make you want to visit Paris straight away and go to these locations, close your eyes and listen again. But then, keep in mind, that this is not really a sounding travelogue, or just a piece of improvised music. It’s a bit of all and at such a rather unique item. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ftarri.com
PORYA HATAMI – THE GARDEN (CD by Dronarivm)
The third release I hear from Porya Hatami from Sanandaj, Iran, and slowly his music gets around. Like his previous albums (Vital Weekly 855 and 920) he works here with the notions of field recordings, acoustic instruments and much computer processing, although as usual none has been noted on the cover. Six pieces here, which usually last somewhere between six and eight minutes and in which not always a lot happens. Which is, no doubt, exactly the sort of thing that Hatami wants: he plays the ambient card in his music and he does that well. Music along the lines of say Taylor Deupree, Fennesz at his most ambient or Machinefabriek, or a large chunck of the 12K catalogue. Like before this is quite calm music, quite sweet also. Maybe getting closely to the edge of new age, but the crackles of vinyl in ‘Snail’ are no doubt a bit too strange for any Aquarius head. Lots of treated percussive sounds, xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel and that sort of thing, add a certain wind chime element to the music. Its not something that you haven’t heard before, and Hatami doesn’t do it better than anyone before, but seems to be doing what other people are also doing, save just for a more exotic location. Maybe to know some of the background would be nice, I was thinking, of Hatami circumstances and maybe add some of that to the music. (FdW)
Address: http://dronarivm.com
SUISEN – JUST BELOW THE SURFACE (CD by White Paddy Mountain)
The name Daren McClure popped up two weeks ago after a long hiatus, but here he is again, as part of the duo Suisen with Tomotsugu Nakamaru. Suisen is ‘the Japanese name for the narcissist flower, a common sight that signals the first signs of spring.’ The music created ‘tries to convey this feeling of a renewal, enjoying the intangible aspects of a season’s transition’. Nakamura is from Tokyo and he composes music by acoustic instruments and field recordings, while McClure, we learn now, lives in Matsumoto and he uses electronics, drones and processed field recordings. They met up a few years ago and have been playing together since then. Not unlike Hatami’s music, reviewed elsewhere, this is music you heard before (if whatever Vital Weekly serves is on a daily course for you of course). Again much of the 12K catalogue could serve as a template, with Nakamaru’s guitar being quite present, and McClure’s electronics more upfront than is usual. In ‘Decoy Fish’ there is even a notion of rhythm, and we have a rather musical (melody! rhythm!) piece. Throughout the music is quite spacious on this disc, with lots of sustaining sounds, granular synthesis and tinkling guitars, keeping an overall light mood in these pieces. Music that is not unlike a fine summer breeze. Nothing new, nothing spectacular, but an absolutely gorgeous release. (FdW)
Address: http://whitepaddymountain.tumblr.com
ET\OU – EN CHUTE LIBRE (CD by Oral)
Et/Ou is a collaboration of Martin Tétreault and Michael Langevin. They started in 2007 and released a first album in 2013: ‘En Orbite’ and so ‘En chute libre’ is their second statement. Tétreault needs no introduction here. He is a longtime avant garde composer and player with the turntable as his main instrument. Langevin has a history as a drummer in the heavy metal band Voivoid. Also he was and still is engaged in numerous experimental outfits and projects. In most pieces ont his album Langevin drums with a pulse or beat. The patterns sound rather simple and not very demanding. Repetition is an important characteristic like in ‘Duo02’. They are completed by noisy textures produced by Tétreault. Their music surely arises from dialogical interplay between the two. The ingredients both players supply, do not lead in each piece to something that arises above the combination of both ingredients. The sound constellations by Tétreault offer far more depth and complexity and make a contrast with the rather straight drumming. So let us say, it is an unusual work and for that reason an interesting one. Maybe I miss the point here, but their improvisations didn’t inspire me. (DM)
Address: http://www.oral.qc.ca
SIGNAL PROBLEMS – SIGNAL PROBLEMS (CD by PFmentum)
Signal Problems is quartet of trumpet player Danny Gouker, who also composed all ten compositions on this debut release. Performed with Eric Trudel on tenor sax, Adam Hopkins on bass and Nathan Ellman-bell on drums. The album is recorded at the beginning of 2013 in a studio in Brooklyn, New York where Gouker has his base. As a collaborator Gouker is participating in the Out of Your Head Collective that learned him a lot on improvised music. With the Will McEvoy Curriculum Quartet he plays the music of Eric Dolphy, a.o. His quartet, started in 2010, however is his main project. The musicians play together since 2006. So these musicians must know each other very well. Gouker is inspired by musicians like Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Don Cherry, Henry Threadgill, Duke Ellington and Ornette Coleman, not only for their performing work but also for their innovations as bandleaders. And this is reflected on this album. The compositions are complex and intense pieces, sometimes a bit too much of a cerebral nature. The players satisfyingly interpret everything. A thorough ensemble work. (DM)
Address: http://www.pfmentum.com
CENK ERGUN – NANA (CD by Carrier)
Ergun, native of Turkey, is a New York-based composer and improviser. He composes music for chamber ensembles, live electronics, dance performances and sound installations. As an improviser Ergün has played with various musicians including Pauline Oliveros, Alvin Curran and Fred Frith. ‘Nana’ is his first full-length release of his chamber music. The cd includes two extended works: ‘Proximity’ performed by So Percussion, and ‘Cello Peace’ performed by Joan Jeanrenaud (Kronos Quartet). So Percussion is a quartet from Brooklyn specialized in modern, percussion-dominated composed music. ‘Proximity’ fits perfectly in their repertoire I suppose. “The music is a series of unisons, canons, solos, and chaotic layers of rhythmic patterns played on bells, pipes, cymbals, tam-tams, gyils, crotales, glockenspiels, and vibraphones – at times struck, at times bowed.” It is a very radical piece music that focuses on textures and sound. Music that concentrates on these aspects is often drone music and have a repetitive nature. In the case of ‘Proximity’ however we travel through a constantly changing landscape. A journey that is extreme, beautiful and extremely beautiful. Many characteristics and colours of sound pass by while on this well-defined excursion. ‘Cello Peace’ is a quartet for a solo cellist. ”Four unique interpretations of the same temporally indeterminate score are recorded to be played back simultaneously on four audio channels. Over a half-hour in length, the piece slowly moves through extremes of sonic density and instrumental colour as replicas of musical fragments race each other in time.” Like ‘Proximity’ the piece invites to close listening, and has a meditative effect. A very convincing debut release if you ask me. (DM)
Address: http://www.carrierrecords.com
FALX CEREBRI – TRIALS TEXTURES ERRORS (CD by Monochrome Vision)
ARCHITECTS OFFICE – SOUNDTRACKS (CD by Monochrome Vision)
If it wasn’t for a German guy named Graf Haufen I would probably not have started a record label, even when it was a cassette label at that time. This was thirty years ago, the summer of 1984. I had a made a booklet, a sort of ‘discogs-on-paper’, listing all Dutch cassette releases and Graf Haufen wrote about it in his German fanzine, Die Katastrophe. He then informed if I’d be interested in compiling a cassette with the ‘loudest’ Dutch electronic music acts, which became ‘Katacome Vol. 3’, which was then co-released by his Schrei Records and my own Korm Plastics label. The second release was ‘Rite 64’, a tape by Falx Cerebri, the musical project of Graf Haufen. I was envious of what he did: selling music, doing art, doing fanzines, mail-art, music, studying and I was surprised to learn he was even four months younger than I was. For a while I assumed he was much older. While I am hardly an archivist of any kind, I still have a mailer right here, containing all of the correspondence I received from him, including all his fine print catalogues and we see a friendship grow and crumble together. Graf Haufen went into Neoism, was a bit too critical about my releases and mail-art – quite rightly probably – and quickly we lost contact. He went into art and video circles and I stayed with music. In the late 90s I re-issued all of the Korm Plastics cassettes on CDR and tracked Graf Haufen down, then owning a video store in Berlin, who gave me some nice bonus material for the Falx Cerebri CDR re-issue. In the very early days of the Vinyl On Demand label there was talk of some highly limited Falx Cerebri LPs, but they never emerged, so this CD is the first true document available (the CDR also disappeared a long time ago, sadly). But, so you may ask, was the music all about? Was it really something special? Browsing his old catalogues, Graf Haufen was interested in what he called ‘anti-musick’, by which he understood not just industrial music, but also cruder forms of musique concrete. On ‘Rite 64’ it’s all a bit more ‘classic’ industrial, with synthesizers, radio snippets, tape-loops and delay, and thus perhaps a bit more musical, but on this CD the emphasis lies more in the electro-acoustic aspect of his work. I played both this one and ‘Rite 64’ again, and while I still like the latter, this new compilation of pieces is stronger. Here we have quite a bit of contact microphone abuse, ‘Scanning No. 2’ for instance, vocal pieces, field recordings and synthesizer pieces, such as the ‘The Eighth Enochian Key’. Rudimentary tape loops are used, but also cut-up/collage/montage techniques, scratchy records and all of that and it make up a more than excellent release. The only thing, but really that’s just me, I would have liked to know more about these pieces, where they were released, live, unreleased etc. A documentation of some kind if you will.
I have a less elaborate story on Architects Office, even when I met main architect Joel Haertling once, and of that meeting I seem to recall that he threw in some German words, perhaps assuming Dutch is a just a difficult dialect of German. A little later than Falx Cerebri the name Architects Office started to pop on compilation cassettes and one could find copies of their fanzine Zamizdat Trade Journal. Perhaps the group is best remembered outside the music field as those who delivered soundtracks to the films of experimental film maker Stan Brakhage, including ‘Loud Visual Noise’, which also uses Die Todliche Doris, Nurse With Wound and Zoviet*France – all simultaneously. That soundtrack is, sad to say, not part of this CD release. This CD release is a collection of pieces found on compilations (which total 73 according to the booklet), unreleased pieces (including a rendition of ‘Revolution no. 9’, the infamous Beatles piece) and some of these are soundtracks, such as ‘Kindering’. I believe much of the music by Archiects Office found its origin in a live recording. Curiously also Architects Office plays more or less fixed pieces. Curiously, since much of their music seems to be rather improvised on the surface. They use to that end a bunch of synthesizers, various wind instruments (French horn, hunting horn), percussion and found sound. There is always a lot of talk on radical music, but I think Architects Office is a radical group. They use sounds that don’t match together very well, out of tune organ sounds (in ‘I… Chris’ for instance) and while superficially it sounds musical, it’s not really. It’s not radical as in ‘loud’ or ‘soft’, or in the dynamic range, but just not always easy to hear. Quite alien music, and one that easily defies any resemblance to anything else, save maybe for John Cage’s multimedia pieces. Very random snippets of found sound stuck together. Back in the old days this was the kind of band who’d you recognize on a compilation, with their distinct sound (collage-like, horn, voices) and back in the day I didn’t always appreciate. But this collection is a fine reminder of a their very special qualities in music production. A unique voice, still not easy to listen too, but making up something quite fascinating. (FdW)
Address: http://www.monochromevision.ru
][|][ – [_|_] (CD by Steelwork Maschine)
DUNKELHEIT – LES SOLITUDES CENDREES (CD by Steelwork Maschine)
WESTWIND – SURVIVALISM (3CD by Steelwork Maschine)
Oh, it’s that band again with that name nobody can pronounce – see also Vital Weekly 861. The label now says ‘aka L’Idiot Du Village’ which is, I’m not sure, a proper translation of ][|][. For this new release he again goes back to a bunch of live recordings he did between 2005 and 2011 on organ and harmonium, and somehow I could help thinking: isn’t that what he did last time too? Yes, he probably did, but then some people build an entire catalogue on strumming six strings, so why not a few albums of heavily treated organ sound. The information also says ‘these sessions were then assembled and pre-mixed with various sound sources then denatured by some digital filters’, so maybe there is some external, additional sound sources. I must admit I am sucker for church organ sounds, ever since hearing it on a Nurse With Wound record and slowing down a record of Bach’s music on a reel-to-reel machine as part of the very early experiments in sound. The massiveness of the sound, the space, and perhaps also the desolate sound of a church organ. It makes usual dark and depressing music, even more when it’s treated by ][|][, adding more and more darker frequencies to the mix, loops specific parts and maybe those field recordings. Church on a hill, the sky is grey, we see the sea in the nearby distance and inside the mad organist is playing his tunes for a dark mass of some obscured ritual we no longer recognize; mad choir on the seventh piece (there maybe titles in the booklet, maybe not). ][|][ should really be working in the b-movie industry, department of soundtracks. Very dark ambient, very bleak and obscure.
Also in an edition of 100 copies (but a real CD, very nice) is a CD by Alain Le Gail, who works as Dunkelheit, which translates as ‘darkness’, already since 1993. The same label also released ‘Temps Modernes’, but I don’t think it was reviewed here. Here the word ‘cinema’ is not far away, although much specified to the horror genre that is the working ground of ][|][. Dunkelheit stands with both feet in a firm tradition of the French musique concrete world. Lots of field recordings, lots of acoustic sounds and all of that cut together in a highly cinematographic way. Luc Ferrari would be proud of such student, I imagine. But Dunkelheit has more to offer than just a bunch of field recordings. His work also has traces of noise and ambient music. Sometimes his sounds are quite loud and forceful, but he never leaps into a whole bunch of mindless noise, save for the final piece ‘Le Calme De La Tempete’, which is something that is long, and a bit out of place. His best pieces are combination of all of his interests such as the opening piece ‘Mystere Tellurique’: walking steps in a big space and screams or in ‘Elements Instables’, which is, noise merging with darker ambient patterns. Or the obscure crackling (destruction?) of plastic objects in ‘Nuages Sur Saison Seche’, recorded closely to the microphone. Excellent CD all around!
Probably the piece the resistance of these three new releases, as regarded by the label, is the release of a three CD by Westwind, in an edition of 500 copies. The musical project of Kris G, recorded between 2009 and 2013 and dedicated to Jean-Luc Gales (1955-2011). All you need is shelter is what it also says on the cover. And that’s about the extent of the information here. No titles. Twenty-seven songs. Westwind plays music with a dark rhythm, howling guitars, analogue synthesizers and likewise analogue synthesizers. A musical style inspired by Tangerine Dream meeting Front 242, but instrumental. Very dark stuff, all around here, and I suppose this is the kind of music that is very popular in gothic/dark wave areas. Also noted: Westwind uses quite some organ sounds – maybe he’s connected to ][|][, and that I liked the third disc best. It seemed to one that had the least amount of rhythm and the darkest ambient approach. This is one of those releases I can play with interest, and like bits of (especially when it’s bouncing around in sequencers, before heavy rhythm and likewise heavy guitars drop in), and see/hear that it’s made by someone who knows what’s he’s doing, but at the same time I also know it’s not really the kind of stuff I like very much – purely as a listener. (FdW)
Address: http://www.steelwork-maschine.com
HOFNIN HLJOMAR ISLENSK RAFTONLIST (CD compilation by Yatra Arts)
AMFJ/AUXPAN (cassette by Yatra Arts)
Ah compilation time again. This one was ‘officially released at Iceland Airwaves festival Reykjavik, Iceland, 30 October 2013’, but has nothing to do with the festival itself. I have no idea why a label in Canada would release this compilation, or hell, why I even bother with it, but it turns out that Praveer from Yatra Arts has been actively promoting Icelandic musicians in Toronto, his hometown, and Reykajvik. Iceland has a population of about 350.000 citizens and they all do music. Some of them are on this CD: Gjoll, Bjork Viggosdottir, Reptilicus, Auxpan, Johann Eiriksson, Inside Bilderberg, AMFJ, Stereo Hypnosis, Jonas Sen, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Reptilicus with Auxpan, Poranna Bjornsdottir, Porkell Atlason and Runar Magnusson. Some of these names I know, and some I never heard of, and the good thing is it avoids those Icelandic musicians you all know about, like Mum, Sigur Ros or Johann Johannson – this is a true dip in the Icelandic underground it seems. Lots of different music can be found here, using guitars, rhythm, microsound, drones – but most noteworthy where the punky bands and the extended use of rhythm as well as seeing a sign of life from Reptilicus again. You know the drill. Do I sound sceptical? I probably am a bit. I enjoyed most of the songs though, if that is of any consolation.
Of more interest (from a reviewers point of view that is, obviously) is a split cassette by Amfj and and Auxpan. Of the first we reviewed a CD before (see Vital Weekly 853), of which I couldn’t really figure out what it was all about, due to its diversity. Here we seem to have two pieces of music, of which the first opens with a rhythmic, electronic sound, slow and with a minimal amount of variation. The rhythm aspect in the second piece is a bit smaller than in the first, and more in favour for moody electronic sounds, but they sit along each other nicely. It’s minimal and quite moody and loaded with a nice intensity. Of Auxpan I had never heard before, until the compilation. Its the musical project of Elvar Mar Kjartansson and the music was already recorded in 2011 when it was ‘conceived at a live event’ at the Living Art Museum in Reykjavik (lovely place!). Here we have a less rhythmical sound and more ‘experimental’. It’s hard to say what he does here, other than working with electronics of some/any kind. It works less as a musical piece and more as a registration of a performance; maybe not unlike what you can expect from somebody like Hauswolff, Phauss, Leif Elggren or The Sons Of God. That makes this equally fascinating actually, in terms of what you can’t see but you can hear. Music that sparks your imagination. Very nice. (FdW)
Address: http://www.yatra-arts.com
FIRE! ORCHESTRA – ENTER (CD by Rune Grammofon)
Fire! Orchestra is an expansion of the improv trio of Mats Gusfasson (sax), Johan Berthling (bass) and Andreas Werliin (drums). In 2011 they started to play with the idea what it would like to work with a giant orchestra. The idea proved to be a strong one, and they started to invite Scandinavian jazz, improv and rock musicians. This ended up with the release of their first album ‘Exit’, a live album, that now finds its follow up in ‘Enter’ that is recorded in the studio. This new cd counts four titles simply called ‘Enter part one’, ‘Enter part two’, etc. The three above mentioned players plus singer Mariam Wallentin composes them. Performed they are by the orchestra that has around 30 members. Truly a big band, and a format that is not often found. The music leans on progressive and psychedelic music from the 70s, with room for improvisation and mad excursions. The use of fender and mellotron make it even more connected to past times. At the base all pieces are constructed around a slow grooving pattern. The melodic lines on top of it – like in part four – sound not very original or surprising in my ears. Nevertheless it works out fine, as the different sections of the orchestra add much power, interaction and grandiose climaxes. Interesting are some of the intersections you find in each four parts of ‘Enter’. Fantastic noisy interruptions, for example about halfway of part two, that is to be followed a friendly jazzy sounding part. Very subtle they integrate different genres. Because of the length of these grooving vehicles, all between 9 and 17 minutes, they bring one in a trance-like state. Gustafson did a good job in conducting this orchestra, and everything is well recorded. (DM)
Address: http://www.runegrammofon.com
STEFAN ORINS TRIO – LIV (CD by Circum Disc)
CIRCUM GRAND ORCHESTRA – 12 (CD by Circum Disc)
Releases by this label never fail to amaze me. On all releases we meet musicianship and musicality of a high level in all aspects. So I have no reason doubting these releases again are of a considerable standard. And so these two new releases from Lille are. The trio of Stefan Orins (piano), has his brother Peter Orins on drums and Christophe Hache on bass. This trio did its first steps in 1996 and released three cds in the past: ‘Natt Resa’(2004), ‘Bonheur Temporaire’(2006) and ‘Stöt’ in 2010. This makes ‘Liv’ their fourth effort. The cd counts seven compositions by the hand of Stefan Orins, recorded in December 2013. They weave sophisticated, elegant patterns in their jazz-dominated pieces. The music is of a lyrical nature and performed with taste. Very sensible music. The track ‘Henri Groues’ refers to Abbé Pierre, founder of the Emmaus movement. Curious to find a title named after a catholic priest. The piece starts as an open and abstract improvisation before halfway a melody surfaces. Melody, by the way, is an important characteristic of their poetic music. Circum Grand Orchestra is the collective that has most of the prominent players of the scene from Lille on board: Julien Favreuille and Jean-Baptiste Perez (saxophones), Christophe Rocher (clarinet), Aymeric Avice (trumpet, flugelhorn), Christophe Motury (flugelhorn, voice), Christian Pruvost (trumpet), Sébastien Beaumont (guitar), Ivann Cruz (guitar), Stefan Orins (piano), Nicolas Mahieux (double bass), Christophe Hache (bass), Jean-Luc Landsweerdt (drums) and Peter Orins (drums). On ‘12’ they play six compositions of bass player Christophe Hache. Hache takes over from guitarist Oliver Benoit, who led this orchestra for many years, and momentarily leads the Orchestre National de Jazz. Hache makes good use of the bigband-possibilities and proportions, leaving room for individual players in fine intersections of solo or dual playing. Fine arrangements and engaging compositions of energetic full-brass parts, intimate playing of subgroups, etc, making up a satisfying multi-coloured work. (DM)
Address: http://www.circum-disc.com
FREDDY THE DYKE – SAME (LP by Skussmaal)
Behind the odd name of Freddy The Dyke hide Bendik Andersson and Gaute Granli, both from Stavanger and members of electro-prog band Skadne Krek. Their first sign of life was a split cassette on the Norwegian Drid Machine label, with Blodsprut on the other side. Now they are ready for their first release for the also Stavanger-based label Skussmaal. And ready they are! Incredible over the top music, with not even one disappointing second. They brew a very exciting cocktail of metal, noise, hardcore, math-rock, etc., all from an experimental attitude. Drenched in bizarre effects and sounds they worked out six very powerful and effective tracks, mainly instrumental. Well-constructed with interesting twists and breaks. Their playing is very straight and precise. Their aggressive outburst lasts about half an hour, and is well mixed by Anders Hana, contributing to the heavy sound that blows you away. (DM)
Address: http://www.skussmaal.com/
MATERIAL ACTION – LOBITH SESSIONS (CDR by Inverted Records)
If I paid attention well-enough, Lobith is not too far away from the Vital Weekly headquarters. I think it’s a small village, but it now proudly houses a CDR label, Inverted Records (which seems to me a name also in use by others, but that’s a different story). The label starts up with a release from a US band, Material Action, who recorded this in the studio of label owner Johan Nederpel (credits for Studio Wizardry, label owner). The band is Eric Sexton on synthesizers and effects and Alex Splading on synthesizers, rhythms, guitar/bass and vocals. The first two songs sound a bit rock/new wave like, and don’t sound too good, especially the vocals are a bit dull, both in execution and in recording, and both songs end a bit abruptly, like they are not entirely finished. The new wave inspired sound going a bit more electro is what happens on the next five pieces, which aren’t that long either, but sound a lot less sketchy and patchy, and a have nice minimal wave meet Italo disco sound, but then recorded when played by some garage styled band (wasn’t that the whole point of Italo anyway?). The production quality is much better, with ‘Prozess Void’ being the best song on this rather short, twenty-one minute, release. I quite enjoyed the whole do-it-yourself approach of both the music as well as the presentation. All done nearby. Wow. (FdW)
Address: http://www.invertedrecords.com/
ANDERS BRØRBY – YOU WERE THERE WITH ME (CDR by Feral Delight)
“You were there with me” is the first solo effort of Anders Brørby, singer-songwriter for Norwegian psychedelic rock group Radiant Frequency. If after reading ‘solo effort’ and ‘rock’ you expected some starry-eyed bloke with a guitar; well, that’s what I thought, but it’s not going to happen. This album, though it has some clear song-like traits, ventures half way out into an interesting part of the electronic deep end; its tracks being constructions that consist of lush synthesizer atmospheres, warm stuttering glitch carpets, heavily treated rhythmic collages of noise, acoustic recordings, movie and occasional band samples that every now and then suddenly make way for other drones or short IDM spurts half way through. Just when you think Brørby is about to sink into a swamp of inaccessibility, he yanks back your attention with a different atmosphere or cathartic hazy song-like bit. Outlandish highlights are the two short industrial synth wave tracks, which stand somewhere between the electro-goth avant-garde pieces of DHG’s 666 International and a glitched up John Foxx.
The CDR was mastered by Ulver’s Tore Ylwizaker and though it is a lazy connection, parts of “Voilence” and “Their last moments together” – the latter carried by a more solid 4/4 upbeat rhythm – made me think of a moodier “Perdition City” without the typical twangy piano + sax. And just like the oeuvre of his fellow countrymen, Brørby’s has its temperamental mood swings: a track can start out almost song-like – complete with guitar and vocals, but breaks down to slide into a gloomy ambient sequence after a minute, or a collaged frenzy. Some people may experience this as hectic twaddle or bad ‘song-writing’ <yawn>. Personally I think it’s something fresh of which you do not know how it’s going to end and then I quite enjoyed the fact that the different pieces didn’t linger for too long, which made me play them over and over again.
The CD itself comes in a proper digipack with tasty artwork – a limited issue of 99 copies and available from Brørby’s bandcamp. (PJN)
Address: http://andersbrorby.bandcamp.com
1. Frans de Waard <info@kormplastics.nl>
Beequeen – Natursymfonie
http://beequeen.bandcamp.com/album/natursymphonie
2. SEC_ – Toxo Records <sec_@hotmail.it>
FLUSSI festival 2014 – 25-31 August – Avellino (IT)
25 – 31 August
Teatro Carlo Gesualdo and Casina Del Principe
Avellino, ITALY
seven days of live performances on 3 stages, installations, workshops, screenings, talks, radio and more…
Christian Fennesz + Lillevan \ Clock DVA \ Demdike Stare \ B/B/S \ Cellule d’Intervention Metamkine \ Laurel Halo \ Rashad Becker \ Roly Porter \ TM404 \ Lionel Marchetti & Yôko Higashi \ Thomas Ankersmit \ Valerio Tricoli \ Sculpture \ Lumisokea \ Nicola Ratti \ Mai Mai Mai \ Plapla Pinky \ Shelley Parker \ France Jobin \ Olivier Di Placido + Jassem Hindi \ Renato Rinaldi \ Strotter Inst. \ Grizzly Imploded \ Matar Dolores \ Donato Eprio \ LDWG \ PHONOSCOPIE (massage sonore) \ Gaia Leandra \ Uvha \ Khho \ M.k.r. \ Av-k \ C.elen. \ Errori in partitura \ Schroeders \ Dubit \ Like someone \ Roy cleveland \ Bop singlayer \ Sub:ion \ Phorm + Mrp…
Timetable and all the other informations at the website: www.flussi.eu
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