MINIMALISM (2CD by Law & Auder)
It might be no surprise to say that I am a great admirer of ‘minimal music’, whatever of it’s form… from the classical stuff to the current flows in techno music. However this compilation is beyond me. This label released a CD before that was called ‘Avant Gardism’, and had a whole bunch of drum & bass music. To use a term from visual arts that is related to something out of a particular past to label something that is most
definetly not, is something I can just nodd about. No boys, that is just
not avant-gardism. But it made me a little suspicious about ‘Minimalism’. It has names as zoviet*france, David Kristian and Muslimgauze – and each of them can provide a nice insight into what currentely can be done with
minimal music. But again I feel cheated. There is a whole bunch of drum & bass pieces on this (wasn’t that ‘avant-garde’?), and excuse my blunt intrusion: drum & bass is all about a technological innovation that took place, but adds itself nothing new to music. Digital jazz rock. So I’ll skip all the nonsense, and mention some of the more interesting parties: the for me unknown Friends Lovers & Family with synth/ guitar jam, PCM post rock space jam, Cyrus (from Basic Channel’s fame) proof exactely what minimal techno could be like, Pearl & Doppler 20:20 are in likewise mood, zoviet*france’s deep drones and far away tea-cups. On Disc two David Kristian offers a Panasonic like tune (who are sadly missed on this compilation), Luke Vibert jazzy breakbeat, Muslimgauze’s Azzazin piece (which comes straight off the CD with the same name), Makyo’s Eno remix in ambient territory and Rhys Chatham guitar drones. He’s the only link between the younger generation and the older. If you ask these mentioned tracks are nice, but not great. If you want a real start in minimal music by young people, then get Meme’s compilation which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. And for Law & Auder: Some careful thought before doing things is my best advise. (FdW)
Address: <pearle@compuserve.com>
BLOOD BOX – A WORLD OF HURT (CD byMalignant Records)
One of the leading adresses for dark ambient “Industrial” has released this work of YEN POX-member Michael J.V. Hensley, and really this is a HELL of a CD! I loved it from the very beginning. This is total “dreaming muzak”, but it will lead you to dark dreams. Well, this consists of dark ambient soundscapes which have an overwhelming emotional quality, somehow very sacral and sad, perfect filmmusic in my eyes. It’s no easy to desribe the music in all details, but the 8 tracks differ enough from each other to avoid boredness, the tracks itself always reveal a development. It seems that this is all made with computers/samplers, but it is made so professional that it doesn’t sound sterile at all. What else can I say? If you have a faible for doomy atmospheres, this is a must have! [BAR]
Adress: <mlgnant@earthlink.net>
TV POW – AWAY TEAM (CD by Boxmedia)
KEVIN DRUMM/TAKU SUGIMOTO – FOLIE A DEUX (CD by Boxmedia)
Core members of TV Pow are one Brent Gutzeit and Michael hartman, who play ‘dat, CD, tape, laptop, sampler’, but come on boys what is the input source material? Together they are also responsible for this release on their own label. It features four long (each between 7-10 minutes) improvisation pieces, some of them captured with Japanese musicians. Quite drone inspired noises which swirl around nicely. They probably have some Live Sampling programm running somewhere to alter in a concert situation the input. In the last two pieces they play like a big band, with a wider instrumentation added (like guitar, drums, piano). Still they manage to keep it in same pace: drony backdrops with carefully built tension.
The second release on Boxmedia is not to be confused with the CD I reviewed last week by Drumm and Sugimoto. That captured a collaboration improvisation concert, but this one sees them solo. The six Sugimoto pieces are beautiful. You can clearly hear the guitar being plucked with great zen styles, slowly and haunting. You hear Sugimoto breathing, and near total silence of the audience (except for the occasioinal photocamera). It’s like he’s sitting next to you doing it. Drumm’s two solo pieces is different cake: he uses different sound sources, like strings of a piano, but also record needles. This is quite complicated improvisation music, one that requires more attention from the listener. However, it’s beautiful once you get into it. Small things seem to happen all the time. One thing that puts me off is the hiss, which sounds like a CD mastered from a cassette… (FdW)
Address: www.boxmedia.com
MAIN – FIRMAMENT IV (CD by Beggars Banquet)
This CD I have been playing everyday since I got it last week. I am totally captured. Great, sublime, brilliant. What more should I say? If isolationist ambient drones are up your alley, then don’t look further. He who feared Main lost it a little bit, was wrong. Main is back, and offers the finest installment in the Firmament series. Tons and tons of sampling, with sometimes abrupt changes (like the beautiful, bassy opening of ‘XIX’), and drones simply taking over. Each tracks is a little bit longer then the previous one (the opening, 1 minute track, is near silence, with just 2 bursts). The total contains much more depth then anything else I heard before. So, get this NOWWWW! (FdW)
Address: any good shop!