WOBBLY – REGARDS (3″CDR by Alku)
KOJI ASANO – A SECOND DAM (CD by Solstice)
MATTIN – HIGU (CDR by W.M.OR)
JLIAT – A WELL TEMPERED CLAVIER (CD by Jliat)
TIN.RP & HINYOUKI – KILLING AUBADE (CDR by Burning Emptiness Inc.)
TELECOGNAC – MEMORY (CD by Crouton)
ATLATL – ASSORTMENT OF ROUNDS (CD by Cloaca)
ATLATL – PZLON VENT (CD by Cloaca)
ULRICH SCHNAUSS – FAR AWAY TRAINS PASSING BY (CD by City Centre Offices)
KATCOSM – SOPHIE PLAYING THE RECORDER AT SCHOOL (LP by Klangkrieg)
CEX & VENETIAN SNARES (12″ by Klangrkieg)
FULL SWING – [EDITS] (3×10″ by Orthlong Musork)
STEPHAN MATHIEU – […] VERSION (7″ by Bottrop-Boy)
NUDGE – TRICK DOUBT (CD by Outward)
JARRA – UNTITLED (CDR)
WOBBLY – REGARDS (3″CDR by Alku)
Oddysey or oddity? Regards is probably both: a bitstreaming journey into pop
humour detritus with electronic shards and digital woodshavings. Running at
just over 20 minutes, its fourteen short tracks range from the sensational to
the vaguely sensorial. Regards references everyone from the Andrews Sisters to
the Residents, via Hecker and Xenakis, its flickering pieces aetherised before
you’ve even realised they were present in the first place. Most startling of
all is a lift of an Anton Batagov rendering of the fifteenth ‘Regard’ of
Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant Jesus set to a click-hop beat and 4/4
bassline and with additional blistering binary information/augmentation. Just
one of the most emotive pieces of new electronic music I’ve heard recently,
mixing the sacred and profane (mundane?) to great effect. This little disc is
well worth sensitive investigation. And anyway, it’s difficult to resist any
release which incorporates the anthem: “Hard, Like Duck”. (BL)
Address: http://personal.ilimit.es/principio/
KOJI ASANO – A SECOND DAM (CD by Solstice)
Solstice is the label set up by Koji Asano to release his own soundworks, this
being the twenty third release in six short years. Beneath brooding cover
photography, A Second Dam comprises one linear, claustrophobic electronic
composition, 67:38 in length, of the sharpest sine-like tone, just a single
tone, modulated and fed back on itself, a thin but piercing glass-cutting sound
that requires reserves of stamina to sit through in its time-slowing entirety.
The airlessness of the piece is overwhelming, and only when it reaches the
latter part does A Second Dam mutate–very slightly–with the addition of some
distortion to the overall signal. A real endurance test of a recording, much
more so than any other noise work I’ve heard recently. There’s little more to
say. Is that a recommendation? Well, only you can decide. (BL)
Address: http://www.solstice-europe.com
MATTIN – HIGU (CDR by W.M.OR)
Another CDR by Mattin (see also Vital Weekly 294), this time solo and lasting
just under 10 minutes, in which he manages to play eight tracks of furious
noise. Short and to the point. I assume Mattin solo is also computer feedback,
and he is more noisy then his on his collaborations. Kinda like Merzbow in punk
length, with tracks just over 1 minute. Which I think is a good thing: whereas
noise usually stretches one idea out for the entire length of a CD, Mattin,
plays one idea for a short period and then moves on to the next idea. More
people should do that. But noise is something you either love or hate, and then
length doesn’t matter. (FdW)
Address: <mattin@f2s.com>
JLIAT – A WELL TEMPERED CLAVIER (CD by Jliat)
Jliat gives us more and more things to puzzle. He started out with some
beautiful CD’s of drone music, but when he started to go conceptual I gave up.
CDs about silence that wasn’t silence, dabblings with numeric series. After
that he released also conceptual musical CD’s, like a spoken word one about
Ludwig Van and now it’s Bach’s turn. The well tempered Clavier, Bach’s piece
for the piano, is subject here. It’s played through a mid sequencer, a Yamaha
SY99/Korg Z1 and percussion. The piano is a percussion instrument Jliat must
have thought. But apperentely he got there by accident. So we get 19 pieces of
rather dry percussive sounds from some rhythmmachine playing Bach. If you like
Bach, you may hate this. If you don’t like Bach, you may hate this too. I mean,
I like the idea of doing something with ‘old’ music, but I can’t imagine many
people playing this for fun all the time. To annoy a Bach fan, ah that’s
something else. Jliat goes V/VM?
Address: www.jliat.demon.co.uk
TIN.RP & HINYOUKI – KILLING AUBADE (CDR by Burning Emptiness Inc.)
Tin.RP are a rhythm and noise outfit from Paris, who team up with the for me
unknown Hinyouki outfit from Paris. Their collaborative work deals with their
campaign against ‘sexist bullshit’ and is completed with a booklet on this
subject (text only, mind you). They both have their original tracks and various
remixes of them by either Tin.RP and Hinyouki. It’s hard to tell what is what
if you don’t glance at the cover. The endresult, which is what counts, is a
heavy noise and rhythm affair. Merzbow-like noise coupled with the more crude
rhythms of the clicks & cuts scene. There is no particular stand out track, nor
a track that is really different from the rest. This makes the whole CD,
lasting over an hour, not an easy to sit through. A bit shorter and a bit more
variation would have been most welcome, I think. (FdW)
Address: <tin.rp@club-internet.fr>
TELECOGNAC – MEMORY (CD by Crouton)
There is a lot of releases on Crouton Music here on the desk, but somehow I
haven’t gotten around to write reviews of them. I hope to correct this in the
future, but for now I limit to a new release by Telecognac. Telecognac are Jon
Mueller and Chris Rosenau (both have solo releases on Crouton too) who are
helped here on the second Telecognac album by Scott Beschta (who also works as
Roommates and Magic Arrows). Six lengthy pieces of ambient music of the more
daring kind. Each track swirls around loops of synths and coupled with light
weighted percussive sounds, far away orchestrations and other subtle sounds.
Less ‘regular’ ambient then the Hypnos label, Telecognac adds beneath creepy
little sounds that add a more adventurous touch to the music. On a grey day
like today, it’s pleasent music, which doesn’t force itself up to the listener
but rather creates an autumn like environment. Completed with a nice cover of
black and silver print, this is a very nice release. (FdW)
Address: www.croutonmusic.com
ATLATL – ASSORTMENT OF ROUNDS (CD by Cloaca)
ATLATL – PZLON VENT (CD by Cloaca)
Atlatl is one Phil Hendricks from Seattle, who after his debut of some time
back, now unlashes two new cd’s. As Atlatl, Phil creates live improvised
electronic works recorded without overdubs and uses mainly analogue gear.
Assortment of Rounds is his fourth full length album, and Atlatl plays a very
strange kind of electronic music. It’s kinda held back, sounding at times like
low end testtones, dark rumble, but all kinda like not very much processed by
other electronics. There are no rhythms or beats, just an occassional repeated
tone of some kind. It’s only remotely connected to the music of Ikeda or Alva
Noto, but much more in a lo-fi way and with less movements in each piece.
Sometimes things go a little bit more noisy, and then again it’s not nowhere
real noise. As said, not an easy to classify CD that is in it’s own niche
probably.
Pzlon Vent was originally to be an EP, but is now a very full length CD (over
70 minutes, limited to 500 copies), and it explores ‘the unique sounds of
voltage-controlled vacuum tube electronics’. I have no idea what that should
be, but telling from just hearing the sounds, I assume this is a couple of old
analogue gear hooked together and producing crackles and an occassional static
drone. They suddenly stop and a little late they continue, like it’s some
controlled process. Not easy listening music, not because it’s so loud, but the
sounds are rather ‘unprocessed’ and the compositions are not always easy to
follow. The whole cut ‘n paste idea makes it a rather unsettling listen. More
for diehards I guess and less subtle then Assortment of Rounds. (FdW)
Address: www.pzlon.net
ULRICH SCHNAUSS – FAR AWAY TRAINS PASSING BY (CD by City Centre Offices)
According to City Centre Offices Ulrich Schnauss released more records then we
might think, but other then that they don’t much about the guy or those
mysterious records, but they do reveal it’s his debut under his own name. Oh
well, then we let the music speak for itself. Schnauss offers six tracks which
all last around 6 to 7 minutes. Warmth is in, cold is out, seems to be slogan
of this CD. Rather old fashioned drum machines, and even so old analogue
machines produces a warm sound that is similar to 70s cosmic music or 90s
ambient (I guess the 80s are out again). A simple ticking rhythm machine with
many lush synth sounds hovering the carpet. This has nothing to do with IDM,
Autechre like beats, or whatever was the latest in techno areas, but everything
with a warm release. A sort of sonic fireplace for autumn. Quite pleasent music
that has no pretentions, and floats by nicely. A nice debut for sure, but THE
debut of the year? I don’t know yet. (FdW)
Address: www.city-centre-offices.de
KATCOSM – SOPHIE PLAYING THE RECORDER AT SCHOOL (LP by Klangkrieg)
CEX & VENETIAN SNARES (12″ by Klangrkieg)
Gathering from their few releases, I thought Klangkrieg was a label for the
more danceable musics around. But their KatCosm record proofs different. Behind
KasCosm is one Sebastian, who is 22 years of age and from Berlin. He plays
guitar and signs, and is helped out here by Jana, a vocalist whose voice
reminded me of the Cocteau Twins. Maybe the whole music breaths the Cocteau
Twins, but it’s less dark and less closed. When Sebastian sings things are more
in current territory, but it’s the kind of singer songwriter vocals that I
don’t appreciate very much. I prefer the Jana vocals here. Mildly pop tunes,
with no hints to Klangkriegian techno. Nice stuff that forms the odd ball of
what is mostly reviewed here.
The split record between Cex and Venetian Snares is more like it, at least when
it comes to expectations. They both have two tracks. Cex opens with a nice
tune, which is kinda atmospheric until hammers beat their way along here.
Venetian Snares rambles a whole bunch of beats out of his machines, drill &
bass like style, but unfortunally it’s not the kind of thing I like. Too
hectic. Venetian Snares open the b-side with a much more enjoyable piece, which
sound entirely fucked, samples of hornblowers running amok, synths bubbling and
a less drill groove. Cex has a funny piece in which a voice explains the nature
of his equipment (is it Cex? probably not) over what might be those
instruments. (FdW)
Address: www.klangkrieg-produktionen.de
FULL SWING – [EDITS] (3×10″ by Orthlong Musork)
STEPHAN MATHIEU – […] VERSION (7″ by Bottrop-Boy)
Stephan Mathieu’s work roughly takes three positions: firstly he plays
instruments himself and then treats in his powerbook, secondly he does remixes
of others for which he is asked to do, and lastly he reworks tunes from popular
music (on his ‘FrequencyLib ‘ CD for instance). The 10″s in the series are from
the second category and Mathieu calls himself ‘Full Swing’ for that, even when
it’s not really in full swing mode. So far three have been released and another
2 will follow shortly. Each 10″ has per side an edit.
Monolake’s minimalism is well apparent in the Full Swing mix, with crackling
small rhythm partitions and a continious drone. Antenne’s tune takes the trip
hop apart and drags the rhythm part around, while the guitars fuzz along.
The second 10″ has two different edits of the work of Autopoieses. ‘D03’ is a
time stretched block of sound, which slowly gets processed, while the large
body of the work unremains unchanged. ‘c[]’ on the b-side is a more rhythmic
affair, with again drones underneath. Again, slow development is a keyword
here.
The third 10″ has a related remix by Ekkehard Ehlers, who was once part of
Autopoieses. Here Mathieu takes on a track from Ehlers’ ‘Betrieb’ CD. Here Full
Swing finds itself in full float work, with a nicely kind of ambient synth
forming the backbone. Laub on the other side results in a more dreamlike state
with a place for the female vocal Laub is so known for.
I have no idea who will be on the next two 10″s, but I do hope Orthlong will
also produce a CD version of this.
On the 7″ under his own name, Mathieu plays two remixes of the recent Akira
Rabelais piano CD. Treated in through various sound programms and put together
in ProTools, makes this well crafted music of carefull, vulnerable tunes in
which the piano disappears… (FdW)
Address: www.musork.com
Address: www.bottrop-boy.com
NUDGE – TRICK DOUBT (CD by Outward)
Behind Nudge we find Brian Foote, who is helped by a few mates here. Like other
releases on Outward Music, this falls in those categories which some call
‘Intelligent Dance Music’. Loaded with beats, synths, plug ins, they play
joyfull music of small melodies, thoughtfull drums, and an occassional guitar
or flute. Due to the larger line up (six people in total), who play in various
combinations, this is actually a varied CD, culminating in the final track
‘Trophy Polish’, which is almost post rock like, and sounds like it was
recorded in a live setting. Musicwise there is not much innovation going on.
It’s both harmless music aswell as atmopsheric music. It could have been one of
those things you find on Morr Music, but now from the USA. Pleasent music for
daydreamers. (FdW)
Address: www.outward.music
JARRA – UNTITLED (CDR)
I don’t much about the person behind Jarra, but I do know a little bit about
this CDR release. The six pieces deal with various silences around the world.
As you may know silence does not exist, there is always sound somewhere. Jarra
recorded six of those silence/sound pieces around the world, which appear as a
static thing. There is no addition of treatments, samples but rather shaped
during the recording (moving the microphone around for instance). True ambient
music I’d say. From remote sounding airplanes coming over at a high distance,
to the feedback like sounds in the second piece (no titles are given, nor
recording sites), to street and water sounds. In terms of soundscaping, the
usual stuff you can expect, operating within very strict definitions of
soundscaping. (FdW)
Address: <jarrasch@hotmail.com>