3CODE – DADDY (interactive ep by NOTYPE.com)
833-45 VS TOMAS JIRKU – WARRENTON/SINGULARITY (online ep by notype.com)
EUCCI – COUTURE
JLIAT (CD by Komrades In Noize)
HELEN MIRRA- FIELD GEOMETRY (CD by Explain).
RITUALISTIC SCHOOL OF ERRORS – SELF TITLED (CDR)
PLUXUS – OCH RESAN FORTSATTER HAR (miniCD by Slowball)
DAVID MARANHA – CIRCUNSCRITA (CD by Namskeio)
AMBARCHI/FENNESZ/PIMMON/REHBERG/ROWE – AFTERNOON TEA (CD by Ritornell)
3CODE – DADDY (interactive ep by NOTYPE.com)
Weblabel notype published a series of compositions that come with a very
well designed interactive Flash application. The visitor to this program is
welcomed by a loop of softly synching electronic streams that are visulized
by spreading concentric rings that resemble the rings in water after a
stone is dropped in a pool. Clicking on the central entry circle this
circle morphs into a constellation of rings that are linked together. This
is the actual “cover”. Here the visitor can make his choice of composition,
or get additional information.
The first composition is added with an animation of a boy walking the city.
The music is calmly repetitive in nature but breathes a sad restraint. The
same goes for compostion number 2. Number 3 is somewhat more uptempo; beats
with several layers of electronic sequences. Composition 4 also is rhythmic
but the auditory material is different. More edgy, which is visible in the
visuals too because whereas in all other compositions all objects were
round here the objects are rectangles. All compositions slowly build up
ending after approx. 6 minutes. Each comes with its own visual partner.
This set of audiovisuals is quite remarkable, not as compositions apart,
and not as flash animations as such but because of the effort that has gone
in creating an abstract sound&vision module expressly produced for the web.
I certainly hope that this production will set an example. Go check out at
http://www.notype.com. It can also be reached through
http://www.earlabs.org (PROJECTS division) on which site you can also rate
this project. (IS)
833-45 VS TOMAS JIRKU – WARRENTON/SINGULARITY (online ep by notype.com)
833-45 is alias for K.Krebs, a Canada based composer who is really busy in
the tracking scene on the web. His favourite type of sound is the hisses
and noises that you can grab from the air by using radio. It is therefore
interesting to place this person against Tomas Jirku. Jirku produces
clearcut MIDI sequences dipped in a pool of reverb. Alien8 records will
release a cd of his work and describe his work as minimal techno. I guess
there’s something in that. Jirku and Krebs each attacked to compositions
(singularity and warrenton). Though every result in its own has its own
charms, it remains a mystery why this release should be published with
thihs set up as the same named compositions are not even remotely alike.
(IS)
Go check out at http://www.notype.com.
EUCCI – COUTURE
Jeffrey Shell’s music is minimal, mostly electronic. Some of it is
rhythmic, harmonics are involved. Nowadays one has to visit the artist’s
website to be able to grasp some more. Eucci’s website is white, minimal,
mostly electronic. Sparse but efficient use of color, small typography. It
complements the music nicely. The music being cool, cold, abstract. (IS)
Go try it at http://www.notype.com.
JLIAT (CD by Komrades In Noize)
Jliat certainly doesn’t make life easier for the reviewer. I’m not sure if
this CD has a title, or should I regard the text on the back as the title.
It goes like this: “When we focus on nothing as opposed to the set or
subset of infinite events with whatever intellect we have in that moment
the conscious state becomes aware of the alternative to the infinity of
states which in its apprehension is enlightenment.” In order to achieve
this, second difficulty, Jliat returns to what he is known for. His recent
escapades on click music were maybe a mere side step? I don’t know. This CD
is again one track, 70 minutes, or waving church like organ tones (but
probably electronically generated), for which the term pastoral might be
appropiate (with regard to what Jliat religious intentions are). My
experiences are that if you play this at a lower volume, you miss much of
the beauty of it. At a somewhat more ‘loud’ level, the small changes become
apperent and noteworthy, and your room will be filled with all of these
apperentely, yet micro-differentely, layers of sound. One should not
entirely focuss on it, but take it as a bath. Eyes closed and let it
happen. Beautiful it is for sure, but the question slowly arises: where to
next, Jliat? (FdW)
Address: www.jliat.demon.co.uk
HELEN MIRRA- FIELD GEOMETRY (CD by Explain).
This is Helen Mirra’s first c.d. following two 10 inches. Field Geometry is
based on kindergarten as conceived of by Friedrich Froebel in the 1830’s.
This form of kindergarten was comprised of 20 steps or “gifts” consisting
of a different set of simple objects designed to allow children to grow and
develop; a system credited with helping to form the young minds of such
people as Frank Lloyd Wright, Buckminster Fuller and Paul Klee. Each of the
twenty tracks on Field Geometry relate to one of the gifts and grow out of
it, one consists of playing with wooden block and another of sewing. All of
these tracks are accompanied by Mirra on acoustic guitar and sometimes
joined by other field recordings related to the track’s gift. The 14th
track, which relates to weaving, includes recordings of a loom. On many of
the tracks the guitar and field/object recordings are joined by other
instruments, played by Fred Longberg-Holm. For Mirra, these instruments
bear a relationship to the material of the gift. For example, a cello is
used to correspond to solid objects; a nyckleharpe with plane and line
oriented gifts, etc. Overall the c.d. is quite and pretty, the playing is
very sparse, often very minimal, and relates interestingly with the more
physical sounds of the object recordings. The tracks seem to grow out of
one another in a logical manner, the same way children’s minds were
intended to draw connections and grow by the logical developments of each
consecutive gift. Very nice indeed. (PvZ)
Address: Explain PO Box 13121 Chicago, IL 60613 USA
RITUALISTIC SCHOOL OF ERRORS – SELF TITLED (CDR)
This certainly is an interesting c.d. described on the back cover as “a
very modern ballet performed on broken legs by little girls, overweight
imbeciles and an orchestra featuring the finest talent available”. It was
composed and recorded by Sir Gregory Scott Jacobsen III. While I’m not
sure that the pieces were originally intended as accompanyment for dance,
it is true that that is how several of them have been presented. The sounds
on the c.d. often seem accidental but on repeated listening prove not to be.
The c.d. consists of a surreal mix of all matters of sound which could be
pilfered from sound effects libraries. These are combined with: piano,
organ, non vocals, kazoo, violin, occasional bursts of noise, silence,
sounds of odd bits of metal being strewn about a room, and, what could be a
recording of a cat trying to eat a microphone. Track nine, for example,
starts of with a looped moaning sound overlaid with someone breaking (?)
something. Then applause is heard faintly before a vocal recital begins,
which is interrupted by some sort of coughing or wheezing before the
pianist starts to destroy the piano, this does not stop the diva in
progress then an electric sound comes in (one of the performers being
shocked?) and we are left with the applause of the audience. The tracks are
all fairly short which keeps the whole thing from getting tiring. It
sometimes seems like the sound track to slap stick silent films combined
with music provided by a band whose instruments keep falling apart. The
last couple of tracks become more synthesizer based and loop oriented but
still with disjaring bursts that give them an overall quirky feel- but much
denser than the earlier tracks, few sound effects come in and it becomes a
bit more musical. Well worth listening to.
Address: www.ausgang.com/BleedingBeefsteak
PLUXUS – OCH RESAN FORTSATTER HAR (miniCD by Slowball)
Right from the opening synth bass-line to the end, this nine track CD ep
(just under 21 minutes) breaths the atmosphere of days not gone by. Just
like their fellow electroids Lowfish or Solvent, Pluxus take their
direction from early 80s synth pop, think Human League and Depeche Mode. A
most notable change is the use of vocoded vocals, like the ‘aaaah’ choir in
‘Pluxor’. Many of the track are short (less then 2 and half minute) which
makes this into a lively affair, with quick changing moods, from child-like
happeness to an unsettling atmosphere in ‘Den Morka Stjarnan’, which is
followed by a Germn happy hammond track ‘Djurens Kavalkad’. Naive electro
music of a more happy nature. The only problem, if one would think that is
a problem, the real hit is not yet part of it. But just as Lowfish or
Solvent, the hit is in the air… (FdW)
Address: www.slowballrec.com
DAVID MARANHA – CIRCUNSCRITA (CD by Namskeio)
Some time ago I made the mistake of reviewing a CDR which was a demo of
unreleased work by Portugese composer David Maranha. This one is real. I
thought this would contain the previously released CDR, but it’s a
different work (so whatever happened to the demo CDR, I don’t know). The
eleven tracks were written by David Maranha except one by Patricia Machas
and one by Manuel Mota (whom we know from his own solo CD’s). The music is
scored for violin, guitar, harmonium, hammond organ, double bass and bass
drum. The tone is set in the first piece, or that’s what we are supposed to
think… this piece is a continuation were previous Maranha (or those from
his band Osso Exotico) left us: a beautiful flowing set of overtones of an
acoustic nature. But right in track 2 (which is called “#2”) something
happens unusual. The double bass and bass drum start to kick in within with
a beat and the band sounds like a fresh counterpart of Tony Conrad with his
pals in the sixties (and hey, there is just a 30 minute retrospective CD
out of those 1965 recordings, but if I had to choose for my money, I’d
choose Maranha). Other tracks have also some sort of rhythm, like a badly
cut tape-loop of some kind of a heavily delayed childrens toy, which gives
the music an unusual, but certainly not unwanted bump. And then other
tracks (like “#3”) are simple, nice and beautiful, like the opening piece.
It makes this into a highly varied CD in which many timbres, colours and
moods can be heard.
Maranha plays around with the ideas of minimal music, but entirely in his
own way, taking the subject from various sides. (FdW)
Address: www.namskeio.com
AMBARCHI/FENNESZ/PIMMON/REHBERG/ROWE – AFTERNOON TEA (CD by Ritornell)
Jazz takes many faces. Put one or more people on a stage and let them do
whatever they wish and jazz is born – or maybe I should say ‘improv’. The
five musicians that gathered at Big Jesus Burger (I keep on wondering how
that tastes, but that’s another story) have lenghty background in making
improv music. The meeting was lead by old-timer Keith Rowe, who could have
been the grandfather of some of the others, and notes were taken on by
Peter Rehberg, Christian Fennesz and Paul Gough, while Oren Ambarchi plays
guitar. The ingredients are common: cracks, ticks, wooshes and scrapings on
the guitar by Rowe and Ambarchi. Now, I may seem not overtly enthusiastic,
but don’t get me wrong. I assume this was recorded on a multi-track and
later, according to the cover, ‘edited and mixed’ by Ambarchi. This means
that there has been some thought on the composition, structure has been
brought in and there iss greater care for the total thing. It goes beyond
the good night out all improv wank. That’s my thing. And that’s why this is
a very nice CD of a gathering somewhere on this globe that may never happen
again. (FdW)
Address: www.mille-plateaux.com