STRINGS & STINGS (CD compilation by FWBL)
MIKAEL STAVÖSTRAND – DELGENELRALTON (CD by Korm Plastics Introductionary
Paperbacks)
STILLUPPSTEYPA – INTERFERENCES ARE OFTEN REQUESTED: REVERSE TENDENCY AS
PARTS NEARLY BECOME NOTHING (CD by Ritornell)
DAVID BOYKIN OUTET – EVIDENCE OF LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS VOLUME 2 (CD by
Boxmedia)
MYOPIC BOOKSTORE IMPROVISED MUSIC WORKSHOP (CD by Boxmedia)
KIM CASCONE – CATHODE FLOWER (CD by Ritornell)
STRINGS & STINGS (CD compilation by FWBL)
Guaranteed 100% guitars, plus of course the usual EFX, maybe a sampler here
and there. The label has sought a variety of artists together, who are
either well-known or totally unknown (at least to me), and the come up with
a nice cross section of possibilities the guitar offers. From the
laid-back, desolate sounding Loren MazzaCane Connors to the isolationist
drones of Justin K. Broadrick. Fragile samples the hell of the guitar and
construct a clever piece of almost popmusic. Ultra Millkmaids do the same
thing, but with a totally different outcome. Here the guitarist is known
because is well-known: Thurston Moore. The song doesn’t seem to get started
in a way. One track I didn’t like very much, and that’s the piece by
Telemak. Just strumming with some distortion pedal. It drags on too much.
Also included are Imagho, Micro Mega, Arnaud Fornier, Snark & Paul Lydon,
Noel Akchote and James Plotkin & David Fenech. In all a very nice CD. (FdW)
MIKAEL STAVÖSTRAND – DELGENELRALTON (CD by Korm Plastics Introductionary
Paperbacks)
Not altogether a new name, but this might actually be the first release
under his own name. The title is a mystery to me, so let’s take a look at
the music: Stavöstrand is one of those powerbook wizzards, using different
software to (de)construct sound material from probably any source available
to him. In this case this has led to an hour long CD, which I think can be
considered as one long track, with the understanding that it is not a fixed
one: in the same way as for example Ios Smolders’ ‘Music for CD player’,
this track has 38 startcodes, which makes it possible to compose your own
piece with the ingredients, provided by Stavöstrand. Or shuffle it, which
is not possible on my old cd player. Strange thing is that the tracks get
longer towards the end of the cd, and, in my opinion, more interesting.
Where composition is sometimes lacking in the first 20 or so tracks, in the
last 20 or so Stavöstrand creates mesmerizing pieces of cut ups, sine
waves, pulses, noise and what have you. Which means that the cd gets better
and better. All tracks, however, have an outstanding sound quality and some
of them use extreme panning. All in all a very interesting piece of work,
which is also very fit for doing remixes….(MR)
Adress: www.staalplaat.com
STILLUPPSTEYPA – INTERFERENCES ARE OFTEN REQUESTED: REVERSE TENDENCY AS
PARTS NEARLY BECOME NOTHING (CD by Ritornell)
It’s good to hear from these guys again, even with a title like this.
Stilluppsteypa is on the rise and there are plenty of reasons for that:
their music is a wonderful blend of what has become known as microwave and
of their older, more ambient works. This new blend pays a lot of attention
to sound and composition, using repetition as a basis for tracks that still
include the more ambient sounds, but in a more rythmical way. (And the
other way around, using electronic sounds in a more ambient way.) The first
two tracks are pretty short and repetitive. The third track has the ironic
title ‘plenty loud, thank you’ and is a very low volume, lightly drony
piece with quite a lot of hiss. The fourth one is of a haunting beauty with
long stretched tones, layered on top of each other. Same goes for track
five, which has a totally different sound character altogether: it is a lot
darker, but not doomy or anything. Rythmic elements appear towards the end
and take over. Basically it pretty much goes on like this, which is not
meant negatively in any way. This is a very good record indeed. (MR)
Adress: www.mille-plateaux.com
DAVID BOYKIN OUTET – EVIDENCE OF LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS VOLUME 2 (CD by Boxmedia)
MYOPIC BOOKSTORE IMPROVISED MUSIC WORKSHOP (CD by Boxmedia)
Boxmedia continue with surprising improv CD’s. Although I like to, I cant
say too much about the David Boykin Outet. In the accompanying text, I read
about John Coltrane, Sun Ra or Pharoah Sanders and that it could have been
a CD on ESP or Actuel. The Outet consists of five people, playing tenor
saophone, flutes, vocals, bass and drums. Previously they had an LP on
Thrill Jockey. Even though I will never be a big jazz of whatever kind fan,
I enjoy listening to it. But dont ask me if this is great, bad, innovative,
conservative.
Things are different with a compilation of recordings made at the Myopic
Bookstore’s Improvised Music Workshop from Chicago. Every monday musicians
hook up in the basement of this book store and play together, witnessed by
an enthusiastic audience of musicians, usually 2 to 15 people. The intimacy
of this can be heard. On the eleven pieces recorded in the last two years
we hear the unknowns (as this disc contains many people I never heard of)
and the more well-known ones, such as Brent Gutzeit, Kevin Drumm and Jim
O’Rourke. There is free improv music on the usual instruments, such drums,
reeds, guitars and what have you, but also an electric heater, sampler and
the electric koto. The majority of the tracks have an ‘acoustic’ sense,
rather then an electric one. A nice document. (FdW)
Address: www.boxmedia.com
KIM CASCONE – CATHODE FLOWER (CD by Ritornell)
Kim Cascone’s career spans a long time, but one thing has been a constant
factor: ambient music. He knows his ways to use a main stream trend (call
it industrial, call it techno or even microwave) and incorporates into his
version of ambient music. Either as PGR, as Heavenly Music Corporation or
now under his own name, he takes elements of a particular movement and
builts it into his own. ‘Cathode Flower’, although five pieces, can be
regarded as one long piece. The flow nicely into eachother. Way down, dark
drones rumble, and sky high, small bleeps are heard. A satellite passes
over the desert. Even with the new technology Cascone uses, it’s still a
relatively conservative sounding CD. And I don’t mean this negative. If one
sets out a particular body of work, he should follow it. If ambient for you
may change with the means it’s made of, then Kim’s the man to follow. (FdW)
Address: <ac@force-inc.com