OSSO EXOTICO – IMAGINACAO MORTA (Self released CDR)
TOSHIYA TSUNODA – EXTRACT FROM FIELD RECORDING ARCHIVE #2 (CD by Hapna)
ARTO LINDSAY/DJ SPOOKY – FORM OR FUNCTION(10″ by Manifold)
JANEK SCHAEFFER – OUT (CD by Kraak)
C4I – COPENACRE (CD by Staalplaat)
EDWIN vd HEIDE & ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI – VOLTAGE (CD-R by Bake Records)
FIGURE – MY SPINE IS THE BOW THAT BREAKS (CD by Multimood Records)
THE HATERS & SCANNER – DEAD BATTERIES (CD by Vinyl Communications)
OSSO EXOTICO – IMAGINACAO MORTA (Self released CDR)
Many people, especially those inside the music business, like to keep the
CD recordables out. It’s always safer to stick what you have. We at Vital
of course think differently: the more music, the better it is. Take for
instance Osso Extico: they proof what CDRs are good for. This is an almost
40 minute live recording in Paris earlier this year. Formerly known as a
trio, now they are with. I am not sure if I fully understand what they did.
But in my interpretation it’s like this: first the write on an amplified
table or paper, then (the majority of the 40 minutes) they play on long
piano strings and glass harmonica (a guaranteed beauty of overtone feast)
and at the end a bow shot from an arrow. It’s all described on the cover,
but the underlying concept is really beyond me. Like it is many times with
things like this, I don’t think it’s important to know what it’s about. The
concert setting made it clear probably and all we get, all we need, is the
documentation. And that is simply a beauty. I have been following the
Osso’s and the Maranha brothers for some time now, and I don’t think I was
ever disappointed. (FdW)
Address: <osso.exotico@mail.telepac.pt>
TOSHIYA TSUNODA – EXTRACT FROM FIELD RECORDING ARCHIVE #2 (CD by Hapna)
The initiated already recognize the name: Tsunoda is a member of the WRK
collective. A group of artists from Japan who are specialized in producing
sound installations. To quote from the excellent Site Of Sound book: “WrK
has attached importance to conceptual attitude that each member gives
consideration to phenomena as shift/passage in time-space
and to reception/perception of the phenomena”. A strong conceptual
approach, but nevertheless with a highly listenable result. Tsunoda placed
microphones in hollow objects (bottles, drain hoses etc.), which act as an
amplifier when placed outside, either in urban or rural environments.
Whatever happens on the site is what you get. If they are placed under
bridge, you hear the traffic moving over the bridge. It’s that simple. The
result are huge resonating tracks of vibrating ambiance. There is not the
disturbing character one can find on some other WrK releases, but more
‘ambient’ (= environmental). Beautiful release with adequate descriptions
of each track. (FdW)
Address: <klas@hapna.com>
ARTO LINDSAY/DJ SPOOKY – FORM OR FUNCTION(10″ by Manifold)
It has been quite some time that I heard music from Arto Lindsay, formerly
of the No New York band DNA. Here is a solo split 10″ as the second in a
series of DJ Spooky organized DJ tools. Arto is on one side and Spooky on
the other. The Arto side opens with some freely played snares before
shifting over to more free improv playing which moves along the waves of
distortion. Spooky opens euh with spooky sounds, which fade over in a blend
of effects and synths. Towards the end a steady dubby trippy hoppy beat is
added. I’d thought the Spooky side was the better, and certainly the one
that is more appropriate for the DJ tool approach. (FdW)
Address: <manifold@manifoldrecords.com>
JANEK SCHAEFFER – OUT (CD by Kraak)
Ah the DJ culture… to be frank, I have not much with DJs. To bring
entertainment to a crowd of people on a night, is perfectly legitimate. But
those who present a CD with some vinyl played together with their own name
bigger then the rest, I don’t understand. Janek Schaeffer might be a DJ,
but one who takes things a step further (and that in itself is a good
thing!). With his turntable with three arms he plays records, but I don’t
seem to recognize a lot of it (of course my knowledge of records might not
be that good). Two long tracks, both live (although one is an edit of two
performances) of slowly developing music. He plays very abstract stuff,
rather then techno or plunderphonica. Almost ambient like material with
slow curves, with quite some tension underneath that totally captured me.
Rather then a DJ to a crowd, Schaeffer is a DJ for the mind, and without
attending the concerts were this was recorded, I can say: it works
excellent at home. (FdW)
Address: <www.kraak.net>
C4I – COPENACRE (CD by Staalplaat)
This project from the UK combines the efforts of Ashley Davis, John Everall
and Joe Banks (Disinformation), all of whom have long years of experience
in experimental music. The music was inspired by a abandoned military
underground compound near Bath, where the Royal Navy used to test radar,
sonar and other electronic communications equipment. With a skull on the
cover, the CD offers a less grimmer variety of tracks than could be
expected. All the pieces are quite subdued, using a variety of different
noises, created with electronic laboratory and military equipment,
ambient/site recordings, sound processing and editing. The sounds are
layered to create a dense, but not oppressive texture. There are no
compositional highlights on this disc: things start, fade in and out, and
then they end. This is really some kind of ambient music; they could be
called ‘noisescapes’. The overall atmosphere of the disc is maybe a little
too suggestive, but that seems to be mainly due to the excessive use of a
digital reverb and other FX (Yes, I know, here I go again, but let me
assure you that I have nothing against the use of FX per se, as long as
they serve a suitable purpose, which is not always the case on this
record). So there you go; this is not a bad record, but I think that these
guys can do better.(MR)
Address: www.staalplaat.com
EDWIN vd HEIDE & ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI – VOLTAGE (CD-R by Bake Records)
Bake Records are starting a new series it seems: at least the cover says
that this disc is released in the ‘new music series’. The cover is very
well done, referring to those old LP’s by Philips and Wergo. It has a
subtitle as well: ‘computer music’. The one piece on the disc was ‘created
by connecting wires to the inside circuit of a computer and listening to
the electrical signals as sound’. I wonder if that computer still works
after this torture. Anyway, that’s not our concern of course. What concerns
us is what we hear and what we hear is clear: this is ‘old fashioned’ noise
and it fits wonderfully with the ‘old fashioned’ cover. I cannot help but
think that there is some mild irony or even sentimentality at work here,
but that might just be me. The sounds are all distorted (basically,
distortion is what they are made of) and seem to occur more or less at
random. There is a strange quality to the sound, as if all of it is
drenched in some kind of small room reverb. Pretty weird. The track lasts
52 minutes and as far as composition is concerned, this is not he most
interesting piece of music. But of course that’s not the issue here; the
issue is simply the sound itself, being there. And of course showing us a
new way to deal with computers. (MR)
Address: www.staalplaat.com
FIGURE – MY SPINE IS THE BOW THAT BREAKS (CD by Multimood Records)
Well, the name of the label is certainly a good indication of what to
expect from this CD: 74 minutes of wildly varying compositions, using an
array of sounds that is simply too much (for me) to take in at once. So
this one has to be played more than once to get to the full richness of all
the presented works. Figure (born Brannon Hungness and raised in the center
of North Dakota) won the 1992 Donald Key Award for Composers and has
received numerous commissions from professional performing organizations
such as the Group Motion Dance Company, the Eastman Percussion Ensemble and
the Morpheus Chamber Orchestra. He is active in New York City’s downtown
scene (sharing stage with such acts as Philip Glass, Zeena Parkins and Ben
Neil) and has performed internationally as a guitarist in both The Glenn
Branca Ensemble and The Virgil Moorefield Ensemble. He is also a member of
noise-rock band Hammerhead and founder of The Oblivion Ensemble. On this
record Figure was assisted by Elliot Sharp, The Morpheus Chamber Orchestra
and others.
With 7 tracks from just over one minute to almost half an hour there is a
lot to be heard and experienced here. My first impression of this disc is
probably as full as the disc itself: some parts are very beautiful, some
are irritating, some are boring, but nothing is just plain. Everything has
been very carefully worked out and a lot of attention has been paid to
details. The disc certainly shows Figure’s experience in the musical arena.
Maybe that is also part of my problem: it seems as if Hungness has tried to
put all his knowledge, experience and influences on one record and that is
simply too much too stay concentrated. But as I said: keep listening. (MR)
Address: www.multimood.com or www.staalplaat.com
THE HATERS & SCANNER – DEAD BATTERIES (CD by Vinyl Communications)
About a decade ago I had the pleasure of being a Hater myself. Not that of
a big thing, because so many people have been part of The Haters. It was
great: we smashed bottles and wooden boxes. Violence is liberation of
aggression or something GX said. I was so surprised to see this released.
It’s been a while that we reviewed something from Scanner (we do not
surface on promo mailings from his labels I guess), but I am sure this is
altogether a different cake. Three long tracks of pure intense drones, with
sparse pulses. Most certainly more ‘Haters’ then ‘Scanner’ I’d say. This is
sort of very minimal noise that The Haters produce ever since they started
(and which is not likely to change in the next years to come). I wonder
what the Scanner fans think of this. I think it’s just brilliant! And
goddamn, I hope GX will get his share in fame in certain areas were Scanner
is hip already. (FdW)
Address: <www.vinylcomm.com>