DOUG SNYDER & BOB THOMPSON – DAILY DANCE (CD by Warpodisc)
Apparently this was recorded and released 25 years ago (bear in mind that I’m cynical in a limited edition. Doug Snyder later played with Sick Dick and the Volkswagens (sorry, but no bells started to ring here), and still plays music with Thompson. This is a very powerful set of recordings by two men on an electric guitar and drums/percussion. Very loud and very free music, with tons of guitar solo’s and noise on the six string. Imagine a better recorded Blowhole less any saxophones. Much ahead of his time I think. (FdW)
RUNE LINDBLAD – OBJEKT 2 (CD by Pogus)
More archive stuff here. This is the second CD by the now deceased Lindblad, who was an interesting and isolated composer from Sweden. Much of this covers the re-issue of a double LP released by Radium and covers the period of 1962 to 1988. There is an interesting noteworthy shift from the rather primitive old concrete work to the new, sophisticated electronic work. By becoming more and more acceptable, Lindblad could work in better studios. For some people he got lost in this later work, and are not as challenging as the older work. Its hard for me to judge, as I find most of this work of a primitive and yet fascinating nature. This raw and untamed stuff from what must have been a interesting man. If you read the small text on the cover on teaching, you know what I mean. Somebody with strong and independent ideas.
I wonder how much more will come. The piece Tora dates from 1972-73 and is opus 67 (to you non-classical trained people, the serious composers number the work by the word opus) and ‘Maskinlandskap’ is opus 122 and from 1975, meaning he composed in 3 years as much as in his entire career (which started in the early fifties). Let’s hope that Pogus will have access to many more objects! (FdW)
Address: <pogal@ix.netcom.com>
DANIEL MENCHE – VENT (CD by Or)
Daniel Menche, industrial noise wunderkind, moves into new terrain on his latest CD. Gone (at least for these 60 minutes) are the blasts of creeping noise, and introduced is the field of a heart beat (of course one of the truest forms of rhythmical music – for those who thought Or was to be a dance music label). There is a lot of soft crackling going on, contact microphones are put to full use and played loud the physical experience is most definitly there. And it’s as physical for you as it is for Daniel. He rubbes the mikes against his body and generates a piece which is solid and organic. This is ambience, but one that is loaded with power. Probably his most sophisticated and best work to date. (FdW)
Address: <or@touch.demon.co.uk>
KAFFE MATTHEWS – CD BEA (CD by AWcd 0002)
One of the few female musicians, Matthews is a violin player and computer whizzkid. She performed the music presented here live in the USA, along with her violin and LiSa – not another female player but a nifty computer program, developed by Steim in Amsterdam. LiSa stands for Live Sampling and enables the user to have direct access to the sampled sources and directly treat of the sounds. The 26 tracks are captured at four shows, but each piece is separated into various points on the CD. The listener is free to shuffle and program (aren’t we always and who does it anyway?).
Matthews operates mostly in drone areas and hides the nervous, hectic playing in the background. The sampling itself is not heard as sampling (and that we can see as something positive anyway I guess). My favourite piece is the 30 minute ‘Red Room’, with it’s dense layers and dark throbs. But the whole thing is fine too, not really a lame moment anywhere. (FdW)
Address: <kaf@annetteworks.demon.co.uk>
GILIUS VAN BERGEIJK – VOLUME ONE (CD by X-OR)
Another retrospective released by a slightly younger Dutch composer and with much less information than the over-informative Donemus packages (next week the review of the 5 CD set by Jan Boerman). I picked upon a LP by Gilius van Bergeijk years ago, and was captured by a beautiful piece using a Franz Schubert song of which two versions were played simultaneosuly but going out of phase.
These pieces on this archival CD date from 1967 to 1992. The opening piece ‘Pro Juvente’ is a nice electronics-only piece of sound that resides in strong decay. ‘The Symphony Of A Thousand’ is a cut- up piece, in strict linear fashion. This is a sort of plunderphonic piece: Van Bergeijk takes the first notes of 1000 composers in strict alphabetical order. Funny yet tiring. ‘A Song Of Truth And Semblance’ takes a Mahler piece and cuts it up in some conceptual way, that resemble a Roman Catholic procession (although this link isn’t made in the booklet). Slowly the material is reduced and despite the fact that it’s all just cut up, it’s sounds like an electronic piece with female voice. A very strange piece is the ‘Four Pieces For Barrel Organ’, and it’s a rather simple and sad sounding piece. The oldest piece, DES, is a purely electronic piece and is an adaptation of a Beethoven piece. The last work ‘The Call’ is the electronic part of a work in progress, as the electronic part can be played with other instruments. Van Bergeijk composed one version with percussion and maybe more will come.
In all a very interesting CD and one should get it, and read the fascinating linear notes that explain much more what this is all about, as Van Bergeijk combines music and ideas, rather then just music. And I’m told X-OR is now working on a volume 2. (FdW)
Address: <xorgj@xs4all.nl>
(note that this is the right address, the one in Vital Weekly 130 is wrong!)
CELLULOD MATA – BIMBO OSCILLATIONS (CD by Noise Museum)
Unfortunately no bimbo cover. Again one of those discoveries of Noise Museum, which walks a thin line between ‘industrial’ and ‘dance’ music. I have no clue who is behind Celluloid Mata, but it was recorded in his bedroom. Mr. Mata listened carefully to the Aphex Twin, or maybe better to the ‘Surfing On Sine Waves’ by Polygon Window: heavy rhtythm tracks next to more Ovalish ambience. Not entirely a new or innovative listening session going on, but it’s 53 minutes well enjoyed. Nothing more and certainly nothing less. (FdW)
Address: <noise.museum@wanadoo.fr>
DIE FEINE TRINKERS BEI PINKELS DAHEIM – PPAGOYENBOOM(CD by Absurd)
I will not even try to translate their most bizarre name, mainly because I can’t. I do’t know much about them anyway, except that they released some 7″s, all of which I heard, but none of which I remembered. Maybe too bad, since this CD (which is again one of those handmade things, in an edition of 70, but with a truly nice package). The first piece opens with a synth drone, which gradually fades over into guitar drones and mumbling voice – hey is this postrock and where did I miss their name? But they as just exploring the outer limits of the rock format, without falling into the trap of ambient rock as other pieces are more daring, even industrial at times, as in ‘Frees’. But as whole, these boys from Germany have a most promising CD and maybe it’s time to do real CD? (FdW)
Address: P.O.Box 62140 – 15201 Chalandri – Athens – Greece
TECHNOISE/GAJI (7″ by ZK)
This split 7″ promotes one Dutch band and one Japanese – and I must admit that I have no clue why these are one record. Technoise might be a familiar name, ringing a bell or two, since his output was reviewed before on this screen. As far I know this might be his farewell to the name Technoise (or Hyware for that matter), and as from now on it’s just Rat Mens. This track carries his trademark all over: repetitive sounds, like the needle being stuck stuck stuck, and added electronix. Excellent stuff for noisy DJ’s.
Gaji is the Japanese part and the band that runs the label and is entirely different: drums, guitar, bass and vocals. A bit off hook popmusic, but nice… maybe nice… if you like this kind of popmusic. Not me… (FdW)
Address: <zk@musicmine.co.jp>
MACHINE FOR MAKING SENSE – DISSECT THE BODY (CD by Split Records)
Yet another release by Jim Denley and his Australian cohorts. As with his recent CD ‘Sample/Shuffle/Play’ on Extreme, the material is an abstract, non-linear collection of sliced sound arranged together to create a roller-coaster barrage-collage of sonic unpredictability. He’s accompanied by Rik Rue, Steve Wishart and Amanda Stewart on most of the pieces, who all add some quite amazing timbral effects to the pieces. There’s loads of new noises here – Rik Rue and Steve Wishart are responsible for manipulating what might start out as quite ordinary sounds into audio representations of the Pompidou Centre – the insides dangle outside. Once again though, I think this is inferior music when compared to ‘Sonic Hieroglyph’, which came out last year and made extensive use of randomized Mini-Disc files contrasted with Jim’s unique and alien flute technique. (MP)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – THE SPACE BETWEEN THE GAPS
ELECTRONAUTEN – COLLECTIVE INDUCED FICTION
(Both CDs by Advanced/Incoming)
The label incoming was started about three or four years ago by a man with good taste and achieved instant notoriety with it’s dual compilation release ‘Serenity Dub 1 & 2’. In the years that followed they released a bunch more material, but most of it fell short of their debut. Now it seems they’re working with a division of Rough Trade, and their first collaborative products have appeared on the market (correct me if I’m wrong with all of this please, I just hear the music!)
‘Between the Gaps’ is an interesting collection of mostly D&B tracks, which glistens with all of the positive, summery shine that I’ve always associated with Incoming. There are contributions from many of the dependable favorites; Burnt Friedman, Lemongrass (two of their tracks are on a bonus CD Single which is included in this box), S.E.T.I. NUF, Seemix and Unitone Hi-Fi (who’s music, once a unique item, all seems to sound the same now) unfortunately). It’s warm, cosy music – entirely too comfortable because of it’s usualness, but that doesn’t mean it’s a redundant product in any way. There’s always a time and a space for stuff like this.
The other CD, ‘Collective Induced Fiction’ consists of some meticulously programmed breakbeat music, which made me think of work by Jacob’s Optical Stairway minus the jazz elements. Loads of tiny drumbits whirl and pirouette about amidst familiar squeaks and stretches. Not a ground (I nearly typed groin)-breaking release, and one I will certainly use for hip-synching purposes. (MP)