TEN YEARS OF MADNESS (2CD compilation by Achtung Baby)
ILPO VAISANEN – ASUMA (CD by Mego)
IBM – THE OVAL RECORDINGS (LP + 7″ by Mego)
OREN AMBARCHI & MARTIN NG – RECONNAISSANCE (CD by Staubgold)
JURGEN DE BLONDE – HIDDEN RABIT (CD by Tomlab)
AERON BERGMAN – THE TALE OF THE UNHAPPY AMERICAN (CD by Tomlab)
FRANK BRETSCHNEIDER – CURVE (CD by Mille Plateaux)
CORNUCOPIA (CDR by Ecodiscos)
TROUM – TJUKURRPA (CD by Transgredient Records)
WILLIAM BASINSKI – WATERMUSIC (CDR by Music & Media Laboratories)
TEN YEARS OF MADNESS (2CD compilation by Achtung Baby)
Usually the stuff on my review desk isn’t as black as this one: a large
booklet with silver printing on black paper, including two CD’s. A
compilation compiled by Achtung Baby, mainly compiled to introduce ditto
black (by colour of their music, not skin) musics from the west (and a bit
from the east) for the Russian Market. Achtung Baby has been actively
promoting this music on radio and in newspapers around the southern parts
of that big country. As said many variations on dark music, from harsh
(Dissecting Table) to soft (Troum) from experimental (The Infant Cycle) to
almost popmusic like (Anima In Fiamme). Overall I thought the more
‘musical’ contributions were on disc two, with gothic vocals and semi
religious chanting. If you are unaware of what this music is all about,
then it may serve as a good introduction, because you get no less then 27
bands and with websites and e-mail addresses mentioned, it’s almost like an
encyclopedia. (FdW)
Adress: www.drugie.here.ru/achtung
ILPO VAISANEN – ASUMA (CD by Mego)
IBM – THE OVAL RECORDINGS (LP + 7″ by Mego)
Two productions including the works of the Pan Sonic boys. This, plus a
limited live CD (which we don’t review, but that is a fair example of how
they sounded in 1995 as a trio). A warm up for their for the forthcoming
studio CD?
Ilpo Vaisanen is the less active of the Pan Sonic’s when it comes to solo
releases. His first was a contribution to Raster-music’s ’20 to 2000
series’ and for me sounded like a raw mess up of unused Pan Sonic
recordings. So I was a bit held back playing this. But I was wrong. Ilpo
serves us eight tracks that are well made and have a partial interest from
Pan Sonic material but also more experimental cum drone character (as in
‘Tukahduttaja’ and ‘Asumaton’). Quite austere stuff, as solitairy as the
landscape pictures on the cover. A varied disc which is only too short…
IBM: what a great name. Not being turned down by the fact that Panasonic
had to change their name after company pressure, Ilpo and Mika team up with
Bruce Gilbert. The latters work got more and more noisy over the years and
it seems like he has an influence on the two finnish lads. Recorded in
London, it seems that the three gone out of the minds doing hours of noise
improvs that are remniscent of Merzbow on laptop or Rehberg/Bauer on a
bunch of analogue guitar effects attached to contact microphones. More in
Gilbert’s territory here, then in Pan Sonic’s alley. Nevertheless a
surprising collaboration, which should go on tour. And now serve me the new
Pan Sonic album, please. Thank you. (FdW)
Address: www.mego.at
OREN AMBARCHI & MARTIN NG – RECONNAISSANCE (CD by Staubgold)
Martin NG is a new name to me. An electronic musicians, whose works seem to
include collaborations with Hiaz Gmachl (of Farmers Manual fame) and Jim
Denley (of Split Records fame). Oren Ambarchi surprised us before with his
excellent ‘Insulation’ on Touch and his involvement in a live CD with
Rehberg, Pimmon, Fennesz and Rowe. Sturdy experimentalism from down under
here at stake. They play three tracks, two relatively short (7 minutes) and
one long, all three seem to be dealing with drones, overtones and feedback.
There are hints of Alvin Lucier’s work in a sense that these pieces are
moving through your space and if you walk around you will notice the
changes of these tones. The same effect can be had if you sit in front of
the speakers and you move your head slowly. This kind of music doesn’t need
to be played loud per se. In fact it worked better for me at a relatively
low volume (dare I tell that it caused me headache at a loud volume?), it
filled the room much better. This takes minimal music into a new direction.
(FdW)
Address: www.staubgold.com
JURGEN DE BLONDE – HIDDEN RABIT (CD by Tomlab)
AERON BERGMAN – THE TALE OF THE UNHAPPY AMERICAN (CD by Tomlab)
You may know Jurgen from his work as Kohn. He released one nice CD and one
that I’d classify as great. I can vaguely think why he released this new
work under his name and not as Kohn, as his sound moves away from the
strict electronica and add two new elements to his sound pallette: vocals
and guitars and thus entering the singer/songwriter areas (see also what I
wrote on this last week in the Wio review). In fact vocals and guitars are
the main ingredient of this CD and the electronica/sampling has been set to
a background. Very much as the Wio CD, this moves outside what I normally
hear, so again it’s difficult to comment on how good it is or how it stands
out from the usual singer/songwriter stuff (I don’t dare to call meself an
expert after hearing two of them). In general it’s much more electrical
sounding then the Wio CD, but it operates in the same style. Vocals will
never attract me very much, I must admit (save for those poptunes I heard
in my teens) but the instrumental part is great here. Various pieces are
purely instrumental and are for me at least the best. Simple played, less
naive but just great poptunes. The tracks with vocals are sometimes flatly
sung, but aren’t bad at all. I can see this guy writing a tune, I’ll
whistle one day when we all find him in the not so alternative charts.
Bergman also goes by a monikker sometimes, Underwood, but he has some
releases under his own name already. Here he tells the tale of the unhappy
american. There are 24 tracks, the uneven ones contain the spoken word part
and the even contain the music. The music is mostly laptop/dsp processings
of field recordings to a point where the listener can’t hear the origin
anymore. It seems as he choses some plug ins per track and takes it from
there. It doesnt end up in cutups but each track seems to be having it’s
own atmosphere. The tale itself is of dreamy nature and describes thing
that may have happened or not during a journey – or was it all just a
dream? Voice and music go well together and it’s a remarkable project. (FdW)
Address: www.tomlab.de
FRANK BRETSCHNEIDER – CURVE (CD by Mille Plateaux)
Frank Bretschneider = Komet = Frank Bretschneider. If you are familiar with
both his work under his own name and the work as Komet, you may feel, just
as I do, that the artist names are interchangable. Komet sounds alike
Frank’s stuff. This here is his second CD for Mille Plateaux, and I think
it’s a big step forward compared to ‘Rand’, however if we see ‘Curve’ in
the same line as his last Komet CD, the step is less big. But his music
progresses all the time. Frank plays utterly laidback, electronic dance
music with a not so uptempo rhythm, with very cool minimal chords on the
organ or piano. Neo-dub for the use of repeating elements in the mix that
drop in and out of the mix. Relax music that does well on the floor or at
home. Just great stuff. (FdW)
Address: www.force-inc.com
CORNUCOPIA (CDR by Ecodiscos)
I know nothing about somebody who works as ‘Cornucopia’, who just released
a limited to 50 copies CDR on Ecodiscos. It’s one piece, clocking at almost
50 minutes. It’ a chilly piece of electronica loops rolling over eachother.
Loops of varying length, and some with silence for a long time. Bass hum is
added and a chord on an organ here and there. The sound itself tends
towards ambience, but I think it’s too harsh to be real ambient. There is a
certain amount of uneasyness in these recordings, that do not qualify for
easy listening. The tension curves Cornucopia makes are wide apart, which
means it occasionally leaps in to boredom. Overall it’s an ok disc. (FdW)
Address: www.ecodiscos.com
TROUM – TJUKURRPA (CD by Transgredient Records)
Troum are a German duo soon heading for their first US tour. Maybe because
of that they just released a travel light CD package. Two CD sized circles
holding a CD in a plastic bag. It’s their third CD, after a studio CD and a
live CD. Seven trademark Troum pieces I might say. Main ingredients are
accordion, guitars and bass and of course the joy and wonders of studio
techniques. It lives entirely up to it’s subtitle, ‘Harmonies’. Beautiful,
harmonic layers of sound float by, finding Troum in a less guitar mood then
their live stuff. Unless of course these guitars have been processed to a
point were we don’t recognize them. This is Troum’s most refined moment
yet, and could have easily been released on a label like Hypnos (so you
know where to put it). Indeed full of beautiful harmonics and the first in
a trilogy. (FdW)
Addresss: <dronetroum@aol.com>
WILLIAM BASINSKI – WATERMUSIC (CDR by Music & Media Laboratories)
The only other known release by Basinski is his LP ‘Shortwavemusic’ for
Raster-music/Noton. Here is a new work of ambient music, composed to sleep,
rest, relax by. You should play this at a regular volume, since it was
mastered softer, it will not be very loud and the sounds (mainly a bunch of
synths as far as I can hear) will unfold themselves as a tapestry in your
living room. It’s music that serves best what it was made for: a
surrounding, an ambience, an environment. Well done. (FdW)
Address: <billy2062@yahoo.com>