PITA – RI.CI.CLE (MCD mixed by Pita)
This dual mono CD features a selection of tracks from Kunstradio CD’s mixed
by Peter Rehberg. Rehberg (aka PITA) is Mego label-boss, frequent
collaborator with Mr Ramon Bauer (their untitled Korg Plastics 10″ is on
the Vital Top Ten list of 1997) and he is now also one of three comprising
DIN, a noisy collective which includes Fennesz (guitar masher, with a
recent CD on Mego) and MSC Harding (“have DAT, will travel”), who are cruel
to sound with whatever they have lurking in their laptops.
Basically, this CD is a mix that Pita did for the Kunstradio’s 10 year
anniversary festival about recycling the future. More info about Kunstradio
can be found on their website http://thing.at/orfkunstradio, so check it
out for yourselves.
Now whether or not this was an actual live mix is not clear; I suspect that
like most of these DJ-mix things that are flooding the market in the more
crass areas of sound, it may have been put together on a harddisc. Nothing
wrong with that in this particular case, if it’s true. There are some
really amazing excerpts included here, and it’s a bit of a shame that
additional details, like labels and catalogue numbers are not included for
those fungus among us who are still analog. Favourites include the opener
by Andrea Sodomka, called “Distanz” (This dance ?), a blurred choral-type
thingy which resurfaces again later after brief bursts of noise. Then
there’s “Sprache der Gene” by Liesl Ujvary and two pieces by Bill Fontana.
Robert Adrian & Rupert Huber supply the “Applaus” which is a witty
inclusion.
This is a subtle arrangement of other people’s music, containing a bunch
and a half of very interesting clues which are worth following up, most
especially as I, for one, have not heard of many of the composers whose
ditties are included here. A must-have, ektually. (MP)
Address: <pita@mego.co.at>
UFO BEOBACHTUNGEN – STUTZPUNKT WIEN 12 (CD on OR)
Last year saw the sad demise of the British label ASH International, a
label I constantly admired for it’s consistently unequalled output. (Enough
with those superlatives already, goddamit!) Now there’s a new label called
OR, operating from the same address and run by Mr Harding and Mr Haswell,
two undisputed pioneers in the promotion of truely amazing sonic
experiences for ears.
I am uncertain as to whether there is a particular direction or style which
the label OR will be involved with, and this, their first CD is certainly
an interesting debut. It is a first release on CD of some extremely good
minimal techno by a person called Elin (‘who also functions as Auto Repeat
on SSR/ Crammed’) and it first appeared on double vinyl on the label MEGO
(see above). It’s been digitally remastered for this re-release and is a
carefully crafted experience in aural joy.
There’s all the right ingredients; lush, chattering delays, sprinklings of
effects and explorations of those subtle layers of sound not accessed by
the Starfish Pools or Rious of this world. The kikdrums are round, not
square.
Tracks 1 and 2 clock in at the 9 minute mark, track 3 is a short powerful
interlude which creates a suitable space for the 15’30 track 4 which is an
amazing trip, racing around a very long bend, culminating in swathes of hum
after the long journey. Tracks 5 and 6, by comparison, are the sounds the
overheated engine makes as it cools down, creaking and crackling ever so
slightly. Very beautiful. (MP)
Address: <or@touch.demon.co.uk>
OVAL – DOK (CD by Thrill Jockey)
So what makes a good day of hard work in the biz alright? Thumbs up Ab for
giving me this nice, utterly nice promo! Of course everybody is so damm
curious to see where these boys are going. Boys… I’m thought they were 3
piece group, but apperentely it’s reduced to just Markus Popp, who made
this CD with Christophe Charles (and actually should read Oval + C.
Charles), after the brilliant pop tune of ‘Systemisch’ and the minimal slab
of ’94 Diskont’. This is neither. ‘Dok’ takes Oval into a darker world of
hissy dark plates, a small microscopic look of deteriorated sound and
fragments of samples. Put together in a stylish manner, really subdued (to
avoid that unpronouncable and most dreaded word). Quite laid-back, and
certainly in a step into new territory. So far so good. There is always
something to complain. This is a nice CD of 9 very nice tracks, but still
isn’t the promised CD that is truely interactive, which Markus Popp
spromised in interviews. Why say you are not about music, but about
concepts, ideas and communication, and produce a new music CD instead. So
let’s wait more on that. In the meantime let’s enjoy this beauty of warm
sounds, with deep dark coloured tones. (FdW)