ARTHUR BULL & DANIEL HEIKALO – Derapages & cordes (CD by Ambiances Magnetiques)
JEROME NOETINGER & LIONEL MARCHETTI & MATHIEU WERCHOWSKI (CD by Corpus
Hermeticum)
PETER CUSACK & MAX EASTLEY – DAY FOR NIGHT (CD by Paradigm)
SACHIKO M – DETECT (3″ CD by Antifrost)
AKEMI ISHIJIMA – TIME DROPS (miniCD by Paradigm)
BARETTA – VELVET BRICK (CD by Emanate)
FROG POCKET – ILLUSTRATED BY CAROL MELDRUM (CDR by Mouthmoth)
D/COMPUTE – IWILLPUSHMYSELFINTO… (CDR by Mouthmoth)
GEOLOGISTS AND PROFESSIONAL TOURISTS
PILOTTILASIT
F.R.U.I.T.S. – STUDIO RECORDINGS VOL. 1
(all CDRs by N&B Researchdigest)
VIDNA OBMANA – THE CONTEMPORARY NOCTURE (CD by Hypnos)
ORIGAMI ARKTIKA – AT SNIPPEN (7″ by Killer Records)
DEL – TWILIGHT OF THE DEAD (7″ by Killer Records)
ARTHUR BULL & DANIEL HEIKALO – Derapages & cordes (CD by Ambiances Magnetiques)
This one is for guitar-lovers. Arthur Bull plays a semi-acustic guitar,
plus slide, ebow and ‘prepared’ guitar on several tracks. Daniel Heikalo
plays acustic and classical guitar, plus ‘prepared’ guitar, cistre,
percussion and voice in some of the pieces. Both make their debut on
Ambiances Magnetiques. But they are both veterans so there must be more of
them around, but I don’t know where (Canada only I suppose) and what.
Bull is a veteran of the improvising music scene in Canada. He worked for
example with John Oswald, Michael Snow and Paul Dutton and performed in
concert with Derek Bailey. Besides that, he is a poet and translator from
the Chinese. Daniel Heikalo is a composer, improvisor, sound designer.
Playing mainly guitar, but also cittern, percussion, recorders and voice
are played and used by him. He works in the fields of theatre, film, dance
and radio. As a composer he is into electro-acustic music. As a duo Bull
and Heikalo work together since 1995 and this is their first release. The
cd contains 8 free improvisations that are heard as they are played. This
one must be a very satisfying result for them. Great, rich, fresh,
concentrated and intense music. Brilliant. A discovery (DM)
Address: www.actuellecd.com
JEROME NOETINGER & LIONEL MARCHETTI & MATHIEU WERCHOWSKI (CD by Corpus
Hermeticum)
On my favourite lo-fi improv label a live CD by at least two Frenchmen that
I like (sorry for Mathieu but his name sounded no bell). I saw Noetinger &
Marchetti earlier this year in a duo concert, and I was quite surprised by
their improvisations with wine glasses and feedback (if I remember the
scenery correctly). Stretched out tones, quickly detonated and small
amplified sounds. A deep sigh of relief amongst the laptop concerts that I
usually see. It’s good see that somebody like Noetinger is more and more
present on recordings that you can buy (see last issue of Vital Weekly for
the”Variious” CD and the recent Mimeo releases). The two recordings here
are a bit older and find Noetinger and Marchetti on “electroacoustic
devices” and Werchowski on violin. The trio harks back and forth between
feedback and scrapings of violin sound and use rather outdated, analogue
equipment which in some cases don’t function very well. They exploit these
machines to a great extent and never leap into boredom. There is a straight
line from MEV, AMM to these French blokes. Music that is free at last.
Essential stuff (once again, I might add, from Corpus Hermeticum). (FdW)
Address: <hcorp@clear.net.nz>
PETER CUSACK & MAX EASTLEY – DAY FOR NIGHT (CD by Paradigm)
Max Eastley is one of those of names that everybody knows, but whose
recorded output is not exceptionally high, at least not my knowledge. He’s
mainly known for his visual installations in which image and sound are
incorporated. I have never seen any, so I can’t comment. Peter Cusack
worked with a lot of London’s finest such as Clive Bell, David Toop,
Beresford and helped setting up the LMC.
According to the sleeve this CD was recorded in the course of no less then
25 years and it sources include: aolean harp, ghetto blasters, broken
glass, fire, guitars, wildlife recordings and more of this. Eastley’s
installations seem to be the backbone of the nine pieces, but a piece like
‘Peep Show’ seems to me be entirely made of environmental sounds. Thet
title piece on the other hand seems to be just sounds from an installation.
Of course I might be mistaken. I don’t think it’s really important. The
music is of delicate beauty, small and vulnerable. You are time warped
through time and space – from the urban jungle to forest and back in no
time.
There is one thing however I don’t understand: why it took so long to make
this CD. It’s hard to see for me why it took them 25 years. It’s a very
very good CD, but 25 years…? I hope the next one will arrive sooner.
(FdW)
Address: www.stalk.net/paradigm
SACHIKO M – DETECT (3″ CD by Antifrost)
Sachiko M is known for using pure sine waves into music. She has worked
with Ground Zero, Filament and ISO, apart from her solo releases. “Detect”
is one, 20 minute piece of that starts out in collage mood – short quiet
and short loud passages, which both seem to disappear into nothing for a
while, but then towards the end of the piece a constant piercing tone
becomes louder and louder. Almost like a zen message, this sound of
“nothing” (I mean what is a sine wave in musical terms anyway?) is pure.
Austere beauty which you should find out for yourself. (FdW)
Address: <antifrost@siteilios.gr>
AKEMI ISHIJIMA – TIME DROPS (miniCD by Paradigm)
Despite the long text on the CD, there is very little information on the
composer. The first piece on this mini CD was released before on the ‘5
Composers Second Coming’ by Fylkingen (which I am sure is still available).
In ‘Time Drops’ the sounds of a bell being struck is being transformed by
traditional electro-acoustic techniques. Various layers gradually take over
the original sound and are replaced with electronic sounds.
In ‘Ab Ovo’, the previously released piece here, the sound works like a
pendulum, it swings back and forth. In the light of the title of this piece
it’s not surprising to hear that the breaking on an egg starts the piece
out.
Both pieces are rather traditional, serious electronic pieces then the
result of new digital techniques.
I don’t understand why this deserves a release of it’s own, since the new
piece lasts five minutes. Why not a mini CD of entirely new material, or a
full length with ‘Ab Ovo’ as a bonus. This leaves me puzzled on an
otherwise ok release. (FdW)
Address: see elsewhere
BARETTA – VELVET BRICK (CD by Emanate)
Baretta was the name of a TV series in the 70s, which my parents didn’t
allow my children eyes, because Baretta, an police agent, used drugs. Or
something like that. Baretta is also the name chosen by one Jeff Allen,
also known to some, not me, as Hydrant and Sprout. This CD is the first
under his new guise and has a general retro feel. The drums, while
electronic, sound like a drummer from next door: groovy but reverbed. The
down rhythm section is the backbone to a blend of organs, synths and piano.
Especially the latter is jazzy affair. Maybe because of the slower rhythms,
the tracks here are ‘darker’, i.e. moodier, yet never doomy or unpleasent.
It crosses genres and borrows ideas all over the place. Music for this
millenium, summing up the best of say the last thirty years. Pleasent,
entertaining music. The cover is a beautiful piece of pop art and could be
the cover for/by Keith Rowe! Speaking of eclectism! (FdW)
Address: http://www.syncopated.net/emanate
FROG POCKET – ILLUSTRATED BY CAROL MELDRUM (CDR by Mouthmoth)
D/COMPUTE – IWILLPUSHMYSELFINTO… (CDR by Mouthmoth)
Mouthmoth is a small label, specialized in rudimentary beat music, mainly
released on CDRs and 7″s. Both of these new releases last around 25 minutes.
Frog Pocket uses besides electronica, also guitars and is more raw in
nature. But there is also melancholism, as in the track ‘Vader’. Many of
the rhythms are busy, Autechre inspired but are also fat and thick, just as
their guitar parts. As said, raw dance music.
Behind D/Compute we find Alistair Crosbie, who also works with Brian
Lavelle as Inversion. His release seems entirely based on electronic and is
rather straight forward rhythm, read: techno inspired, music with dashes of
techno beats and industrial sounds, as in ‘M-Fire’. Highlight for me is the
gamelan like piece ‘To Move The Sun’.
Both releases showcase a wide variety of sounds and styles and never get
boring. Great stuff. (FdW)
Address: www.mouthmoth.go.to
GEOLOGISTS AND PROFESSIONAL TOURISTS
PILOTTILASIT
F.R.U.I.T.S. – STUDIO RECORDINGS VOL. 1
(all CDRs by N&B Researchdigest)
N&B Researchdigest just sent me three of their releases in CDR format with
finnish and russian underground. These are packed in transparant jewel
cases with simple stickers attached on them.
The first release is in terms of recording dates the most recent. the
compilation features finnish and russian musicians, aswell as one belgium
(Martiensgohome). They all have been getting their inspiration from techno
music, but play it in a more stripped, more raw and thus more minimal
style. Those who get closest to the “traditional” techno music are
favourite here: Technical Acoustics Lab and Alexei Borisov & Anton Nikkila.
Their tracks sound most structured and worked out. Others, like Idioritmik,
are clearly Pan Sonic inspired. The Martiensgohome piece is the only one
without rhythm and an odd-ball in this collection.
If you want to know what music in Helsinki was before Pan Sonic, you should
hear Pilottilasit. Music recorded from 1981 to 1987 by bands that ring no
bell here, except of course Anton Nikkila. Music from the time before
samplers. Primitive rock music by non-musicians (as we used to call it back
then). Ancient rhythmmachines, guitars and drums. More a nostalgic trip
then very good.
Russian duo F.R.U.I.T.S. released a CD before on Russia’s Exotica label,
but this release is of historical nature, from 1992-1993. The Exotica
release was kinda Pan Sonic inspired minimal beat stuff, but beats are not
present here. Four long electronic tracks of effects, metallic scratch
imitations on the synth and an occassional voice. The problem with this
release that it is all rather flatly produced – maybe the problem of lo-fi
equipment in Russia? (FdW)
Address: www.nbresearchdigest.com
VIDNA OBMANA – THE CONTEMPORARY NOCTURE (CD by Hypnos)
Our Belgium friend Vidna Obmana keeps maturing. More and more I like his
synthesis between experimental music and synthesizer music. On his new CD,
the best parts are for me the shorter pieces in which the experimental side
prevails. Vidna explores the sound of the fujaro, e-bows or harmonics in
beautiful overlapping pieces of atmospheric sounds, but never reaches for
cliche. There is a little bit of nastyness in his music to prevent that it
will end up in the faceless new age bin. The three long pieces at the end
of the CD are for me borderline pieces: here the cliche is approached very
narrow andVidna Obmana should be careful not to cross that line. I am sure
he is aware of this too and that he will come with more adventurous music
in the future. Unearthly music. (FdW)
Address: www.hypnos.com
ORIGAMI ARKTIKA – AT SNIPPEN (7″ by Killer Records)
DEL – TWILIGHT OF THE DEAD (7″ by Killer Records)
Two from up-North. Origami Arktika is part of the Origami collective, in
which many, not just Norwegians, take part. Their latest 7″ is one of heavy
moods. ‘Kvist’ has a plucking bass, a slab on the piano and remote sounding
flutes andan overal zoviet*france atmosphere. Even with the infinity symbol
as time indication, a much too short piece. ‘Rode Gullseng’ opens with
semi-religious singing and ends with tribal drumming and again, I’m
reminded of the old zoviet*france. Nice tracks with old ideas.
One of the guys behind Del is Lasse Marhaug, who has tons of releases on
his name. Their 7″ has four track and are loosely based on voice samples
from films. They add a brand of lo-fi feedback and tape-loops, in addition
to guitars. Strange improvised music, very lo-fi but essential in it’s
genre. (FdW)
Address: <kjelli@nfi.no>