KUWAYAMA-KIJIMA (CD by GG Records)
TOY.BIZARRE + LETHE – KDI DCTB 115A / 000731 (7″by 20city)
NEEDLE – THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI/NOSFERATU (2CD by Elegua Records)
OBJECT – RELEASE THE OBJECT (CD by Foton Records)
JLIAT – NINETEEN SEVENTY FOUR (miniCD by Jliat)
HAZARD – WIND (CD by Ash International)
CHANTAL DUMAS – Le Parfum des femmes (CD on OHM/AVATAR)
ILLUSION OF SAFETY – GRAINTEXT
ILLUSION OF SAFETY – …ODDS (CDR)
MIKI YUI – LUPE LUEP PEUL EPUL (CD by 12K/Line)
MICHEL BANABILA, HANNES VENNIK & BOBBY – CARDS ON THE TABLE (CD by
Staalplaat)
KUWAYAMA-KIJIMA (CD by GG Records)
Kiyoharu Kuwayama plays the cello and Rina Kijima plays the violin.
Together they are also Lethe, of which a CD was reviewed in Vital before.
This disc contains three pieces, all recorded live at different locations.
The first one was done at the warehouse No. 20 (I don’t know where that is)
and the last two were done at the construction site of an underground
expressway. Now these are not your obvious recording locations, but
strangely enough the acoustics are really quiet, especially considering the
fact that an audience was present, at least during the first track. All
tracks have a similar feel, but I can’t really tell if they were written or
improvised. My guess is improvisation though (I don’t imagine them
rehearsing a piece over and over again at a construction site). Kuwayama
and Kijima are certainly playing with the acoustics of the spaces and at
the same time effortlessly building up tensions and releasing them. They
play very well and have obviously known each other for quite some time,
because they interact very closely. At certain times one can hear one of
the two move away (footsteps can be heard, great!) and come back later
again. This adds a very direct spatial dimension to the music, which I
appreciate very much. For those into contemporary improvisation Kuwayama
and Kijima must not be missed.(MR)
Adress: gg@lethe-voice.com
TOY.BIZARRE + LETHE – KDI DCTB 115A / 000731 (7″by 20city)
This 7″ came to me on CD-R, so I’m not sure that it’s actually out yet. If
not, it should be out soon. This record is the result of a mail
collaboration. Side A is by Toy.Bizarre, using material by Lethe. It starts
with a dense drone of strings that slowly loses body and almost vaporises,
then some clicks and a clonck and we’re left with a qiuet crackling, that
gets richer in texture afterwards. Then some weird tones are added and the
piece sounds completely electronic and slowly drifts away. A very warm and
gentle piece and very well done. Side B is the other way around of course:
Lethe manipulating material by Toy.Bizarre. The track starts with sounds
soaring through space to which a low drone is added later. Then on top of
this short sounds are placed and manipulated. Everything changes slowly and
gets tenser. Then it just fades away. A crafty piece of work in a very good
mix. (MR)
Adress: http://20city.com
NEEDLE – THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI/NOSFERATU (2CD by Elegua Records)
It must be no secret that I have not much with film and I almost never go
to the cinema. I don’t know why, but it happens. So reviewing 2 CD’s that
both contain soundtracks… thats no easy task. So both films are classics
from the age of silent film and both I haven’t seen. Both soundtracks were
conceived by Needle, together with IO (The Cabinet) and with Jeswa and Otto
von Schirach (Nosferatu). Needle is part of the Beta Bodega coalition and a
player on the microglicthwave scene.
Questions running through my head… Are the tracks in sequence with
scenes? It is not said on the cover as tracks have no titles. Now if I
describe both CDs from a musical point of view? Then we get two hours of
electronic music, that occassionally hints towards glitch (track 12, CD 1
for instance), but in a vast majority is a continous stream of analogue
sounds, drones, an occassional glitch and that is not very boring, but not
very exciting at times. A sort of sonic wallpaper, but with many different
motifs. It’s more psychedelic trip then. Sounds float by without head and
tail and it’s something to drown in, then to listen close. Nice stuff, even
without the running frames. (FdW)
Address: www.eleguarecords.com
OBJECT – RELEASE THE OBJECT (CD by Foton Records)
The press release says that this CD has subtle similarities to the work of
Ultraphonist and Ryoki Ikeda – I know just the latter, but yes, I think
these similarities are not just subtle, but overall apparent. The blurb
doesn’t tell us who is behind Object, but me thinks it’s from Belgium.
Object uses those super high pitched sounds that we know from Ikeda and
places them in a rhythmical order on tape – I assume that must be a
harddisc. Over the course of a few minutes, other sounds drop in, one by
one. With such lenghty tracks as Object does, his subtle fade ins may hide
that there isn’t enough idea for shorter and thus more tracks… humm –
let’s say it’s minimalism at work here to be on the positive side. Even
when this work has it’s moments, I find it overall an average work, rather
uninspired copying of other examples and without taking it into a territory
that is their own. (FdW)
Address: www.fotonrecords.com
JLIAT – NINETEEN SEVENTY FOUR (miniCD by Jliat)
I must admit I am having problems with some of Jliat’s recent output. Those
lenghty conceptual ramblings on silence and how they are digitally being
transfered and thus sound always different, it’s just not my thing. I like
an interesting concept in music, but at the same time I’d like to hear
something too… Either Jliat is entirely taken by his concepts, so that he
hasn’t had the time to do new music, here is a 16 minute some mini CD with
two pieces recorded in 1974 and one in 1973. Now that’s what I find
interesting. Ever since the first Jliat CDs we know he did music before,
so, curious cat as I am, I wondered what it sounded like. This provides a
peep in history. Track one and three operate in similar veins: repeating
loops played on synths and sequencer, with in track one a kind of wind
instrument. Both of these tracks sound like they were heavily inspired by
Terry Riley’s tape machine loops. It’s a pity that both are so short (the
whole CD is just over 12 minutes!) as I’d love to keep them going on for
some more. The second piece lasts a few seconds and contain ‘studio’ sounds
and seems to be included as a joke to me. Curious, more curious: I wonder
(hope) there is more and longer… (FdW)
Address: www.jliat.demon.co.uk
HAZARD – WIND (CD by Ash International)
Last week the midwest in the USA was struck by a hurricane, so the
newspaper shows us. Houses being blown over like matchboxes. I don’t think
Hazard will find many clients there for his new CD, or else it must be for
therapeutic reasons. Hazard’s new CD deals entirely with sound recordings
of wind and weather. The recordings Hazard, aka Bennie Nilsen from Sweden,
uses on this recording were made by Chris Watson. As Bennie says on the
cover, and I’m sure he’s right, these recordings could well released by
itself, so the nature of this work must be somewhere else. There were the
geographical bump onto technology. Using sampling technology and other
sorts of sound processing, Hazard produced some of the finest moments
captured on CD. Of course this is ambient music, but what the fuck does it
matter. Wind as such is hardly recognizable at times, and is by no means
threatening me. Just elegance, elegance but austere, but dark, but shady,
but but. So many buts, but why? I am simply speechless about this work!
(FdW)
Address: www.ashinternational.com
CHANTAL DUMAS – Le Parfum des femmes (CD on OHM/AVATAR)
This one contains three sound short novels. Together they form “Le parfum
des femmes”. One piece can be listened to in two different versions. The
pieces were composed by order of the german radio. And I think this is not
a coincidence. If I’m right it is Germany where the tradition of
‘hoerspiele’ still is very much alive. Just think of the work of Heiner
Goebbels. All three pieces here deal on the subject of migration. A long
stay in Europe which has brought Dumas from Marseille to Berlin, provided
her of this theme. The work was awarded the 1st prize at the EAR
International Competition (Hungary) and also at the Phonurgia Nova
International Radio Competition in 1997. Since 1993 as an independent
artist she produced some twenty radio works.
Audio artist Chantal Dumas explores new forms of narration through sound.
“The sound contains a great deal of information telling the listener about
time, action and location. Indeed it suggests images that the listener is
free to interpret and absorb. Still word precedence, but in these pieces
the meaning travels between soundscape, music and text”. Dumas invited
three women-improvisors and globetrotters: Joelle Leandre (double bass),
Shelly Hirsch (voices) and Sylvia Ocougne (guitars). Voices come from
different persons. Additional sounds and noises are taped and processed by
Dumas I suppose. Some additional music comes from a band called the 13th
Tribe. It is not correct to call this work music. Also it is not spoken
word accompanied by music. All auditive elements are integrated into a
whole that I’m unable to analyse and describe. I can only enjoy it. When
listening to it, in your mind you immediately start to visualize the story.
So it ‘works’ and it makes a definite effect on the listener (DM).
Address: www.meduse.org/avatar
ILLUSION OF SAFETY – GRAINTEXT
ILLUSION OF SAFETY – …ODDS (CDR)
I am so sorry to review these two releases by Illusion Of Safety, because
if you Europeans who read this, will be attracted to this and want to see
IOS alive, then the small tour is over. Reports reached us that it was a
great. Illusion Of Safety is since many years one of my favourite bands.
From the early days of industrial ambient to industrial uptempo beats to
the nowaday sound of close microphone stuff in addition to electronics, I
have been a keen follower. I have my doubts about some of the older work
(not just now, but back then too), the recent stuff is truely great. Dan
Burke, who is Illusion Of Safety is an excellent improviser, playing
concerts that easily last over an hour and which are intense listenings. No
concert is similar. After a period of rest, website building, IOS are back.
To download is ‘Graintext’ a 37 minute, six part suite of mainly resonating
electronica, which occassionally slip into drones and other worldly
excursions. You’ll need a penny or two for the download, but it’s a good
place to start out with recent IOS music.
“…Odds” is a CDR release which is sold at concerts only and limited to
200 copies (another reason to regret to have missed them!). It has odd
pieces, some live from last year or from before but altered. It includes a
fine collaboration with a violin player and some other pieces incorporating
old recordings reworked on the laptop, such as a piece that was reworked in
1988 and entirely reworked into an exploding field of disturbing ambient.
Maybe there are a few left when Dan returns in June for some concerts with
Kevin Drumm (another serie of concerts to look forward to!)
Address: www.illusionofsafety.com
MIKI YUI – LUPE LUEP PEUL EPUL (CD by 12K/Line)
Miki Yui is mainly a sound/installation artist from Japan, but now residing
in Cologne. She does music to visual installations, theatre/dance and film.
I am told this is an extension to a previous release “Small Sounds”, which
I missed out on. She takes samples from spaces which are natural and
acoustically based and presents them in a looped form. Thus she creates
this work, which has 15 tracks in rather short modes as each track is about
2 to 3 minutes long. That’s the great thing about this work. Each track is
quite empty, evolving around some loops, 3 or 4 within each track, but it
doesn’t leap into boredom. Each one is soft and warm of tones, with a small
click here and there. It is suggested to play this at a “quiet, transparant
level”, which is maybe the same as play this softly, so that fills your
space. Played late night, which I did while reading, at a soft volume,
makes it into a small buzzing insect, a car that passes or the sound of a
lightbulb. Excentely environmental surrounding. (FdW)
Address: www.12k.com
MICHEL BANABILA, HANNES VENNIK & BOBBY – CARDS ON THE TABLE (CD by
Staalplaat)
Whatever can be shuffled, will be shuffled. That must the philosophy behind
this 3″ CD entitled “Cards on the table”, by Michael Banabila, Hannes
Vennik and Bobby. For the creation of this rather bizarre conceptual work,
the trio uses a deck of playing cards to decide when and how the sampled
contributions will be combined. The entire work is based on samples of a
wide range of styles including jazz, old avantgarde classic, musique
concrete, kitsch, dot matrix printer-symphonies and ethno-electronics just
to name a few of the expressions that awaits the listener. The overall
surface has an exciting film noir-atmosphere based on slow groovy jazz
melted into the shuffled sample-inferno. Divided into 28 tracks, the 18
minutes long work is fragmented into small pieces. Unnecessary to say:
Random play for optimum shuffle! (NMP)
Address: www.staalplaat.com