M. GRIFFIN/D FULTON – IMPRINT (CD on Hypnos)
CLOCKED OUT DUO – WATER PUSHES SAND (CD by Clocked Out Productions)
ERIK GRISWOLD – MORE THAN MY OLD PIANO (CD by Clocked Out Productions)
MOONBUGGY – PLANET LUPO (CD on Doxa)
BANDA MUNICIPAL DE BARCELONA (CD by Gliptoteka Magdalae)
WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTRY (CD compilation by Glasvocht)
DELAYER – BREATH BY BREATH BY BREATHING (CDR by X-ZF)
BIRDS OF TIN – MOTION MIMIC (CDR by X-ZF)
JOHN HUDAK – MAY 5 (CD by X-ZF)
RAPOON – DREAMCIRCLE (CDR by X-ZF)
JORGE ANTUNES – SAVAGE SONGS – WORKS FROM 1961-1970 (CD by Pogus)
TIGRICS – CHROMALION (CDR by Ultrahang)
SKY – LESSNESS (CDR by Ultrahang)
STEVE RODEN – THREE ROOTS CARVED TO LOOK LIKE STONES (CD by Sonoris)
CREMASTER – INFRA (CD by Antifrost)
C. REIDER & TARKATAK – THE DRUSER PRICID (CDR by Dachstuhl)
ATRAC – HOLMGANG (CDR by Dachstuhl)
DRONAEMENT – E STOE (CDR by Dachstuhl)
TONFANG – LONG SHORT PLAYER (3″CDR by Dachstuhl)
VANCE ORCHESTRA – MONSTRANCE (7″ by Dachstuhl)
ROWE/AMBARCHI/SACHIKO M/YOSHIHIDE/AVENAIM – THUMB (CD by Grob)
PARAPULSE TUCK (2CD by Cocosolidciti)
PAUL O’HARA – SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY (CD by Sonoris)
THE JMJ TRIO – IN THE ABSENCE OF THE THIRD (LP by Ontological Records)
EEDL – PARALLEMPED EP (12″ by spa.RK)
ZOOEY – THE BEAVER ISLAND EP (12″ by spa.RK)
JAN JELINEK AVEC THE EXPOSURES – LA NOUVELLE PAUVRETE (CD by ~scape)
PULSEPROGRAMMING – TULSA FOR ONE SECOND (CD by Aesthetics)
M. GRIFFIN/D FULTON – IMPRINT (CD on Hypnos)
Is this a new millennium Music for Airports? In what label head Mike
Griffin presents in his own work you in for a finely tuned ear for
the most definitive sound aesthetics. On Imprint the synthesizers of
Dave Fulton give way to a floating world, an unmistakably Tangerine
Dream-like trademarked fusion, weaving sensitive microworlds and
subsounds. Though what is updated here is what we have learned from
technologies and Griffin strategizes and sequences the astral
soundtrack almost prophetically. Neuralnet is an electronic lighting
storm hybrid, its understated detachment crashes and dazzles. Here we
have a deep body of music, quenched in a glowing bath of sounds that
insight higher consciousness, kind of unexplainable until heard. The
closing Levitation Before Sunrise so aptly matches its title. It is
as though I am standing in front of a ampitheater-sized work by James
Turrell. This wave of aural delicacy truly pays allegiance to the
ambient masters. In contrast to the brevity of exploration in the
fey world of new age, these players do right by the sounds of signs
of sonics. It’s a rave new world, way after hours, without the
glowsticks and the twirl, just the aftermath, the static friction,
the raw synergy. This could likely be the revised soundtrack for
2010, (the year we make contact), though whose counting? (TJN)
Address: http://www.hypnos.com
CLOCKED OUT DUO – WATER PUSHES SAND (CD by Clocked Out Productions)
ERIK GRISWOLD – MORE THAN MY OLD PIANO (CD by Clocked Out Productions)
Here we have the 3th and 4th release of Clocked Out Productions from
Australia. Clocked Out Productions was founded in 1999 by Erik
Griswold and Vanessa Tomlinson. Together they form the Clocked Out
Duo and present here their second cd. Griswold’s solo cd is also a
second effort.
Pianist Griswold got his education at the University of California,
San Diego, where he studied composition with Roger Reynolds and
improvisation with George Lewis.
Percussionist Tomlinson studied at the University of Adelaide, the
Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg and the University of California.
Together with Griswold she returned to Australia were both share
their passion for music and each other (if I draw the right
conclusion from liner notes).
Griswold is an eclectic pianist and composer. Besides his solo and
duo work he is member of the Bluepoles quartet, En Rusk quintet and
the Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble.
As a composer he prefers to compose for piano and percussion. He gets
his inspiration from a diversity of ethnic musical traditions. On his
new solo work he plays with cuban and brazillian percussion styles,
chinese folksongs, soul music and more. All pieces are played on
prepared piano and toy pianos. Experimental and pop influences melt
together here in a very convincing blend. If you listen to this cd
you are happy that John Cage invented the prepared piano. Nice and
warm timbres and colors.
Also the Duo cd shows that Griswold and Tomlinson know what is going
on the world musically and how to integrate it in an original way in
their own work. The title track from ‘Water pushes Sand’ for example
“uses traditional rhythms from the ‘Wen Chang’ style of Sichuan Opera
percussion taught to us in Chengdu by Master Zhong Kai Zhi”. Is this
of any help for you…? In general this cd “brings together our
recent obsessions with Chinese percussion music, street sounds,
prepared piano and toy instruments”.
All this is done with a very clear vision. The 10 works on ‘Water
pushes Sand’ give evidence of very transparent and well-shaped ideas.
And above all the pieces sparkle of humour and irony. Because of this
and other aspects of their music I was struck by the affinity it has
with the music of the dutch Janssen-brothers ( pianist-composer Guus
Janssen and percussionist Wim Janssen): composition-improvisation,
crosscultural, eclectic, humour, repetitiveness (DM).
Address: http://www.clockedoutproductions.com
MOONBUGGY – PLANET LUPO (CD on Doxa)
Dresden-based Doxa Records’ latest testament to “slacker electronics”
is a psychedelic treasure hunt. Moonbuggy are a duo who use funky
street beats, silly bloated horns and peculiar reverb. This is
up-up-up music. Fun for the whole family! Though these guys know how
to pace themselves – it is not all about jumping on to the dance
floor to flail freakishly – they seem highly concerned about giving
up few secrets while maintaining a quality buzz. This is present on
Dubby, which functions like a crawling toddler toy, highlighted by
its sensitivity to meter and time. There is an overriding jazz-based
sensibility on Wiesel, with its Astrud Gilberto era lounge
instrumentation. Still there are hints of Bauhausian complexity in
the mix. Rolla is a cartoonish hyper play with dazzling squeaks and
turns. My favorite track herein is undoubtedly the low-fi, funkified
Rodrow 7.1. Planet Lupo has me dancing in my office chair to its
off-center electro-pop melodies and accents of candy colored analogue
synths. Moonbuggy (Karsten Genz and Mario Mensch) will travel far in
this distant terrain. (TJN)
Address: http://www.doxa.de
BANDA MUNICIPAL DE BARCELONA (CD by Gliptoteka Magdalae)
On october 6th, 2001 the 5th International LEM Festival took place in
Barcelona. On this occasion the Banda Municipal de Barcelona
performed four works of four different composers that are now
available on this cd. Four orchestral works. All last about 12 to 15
minutes. The Banda is an orchestra of some 60 musicians, playing a
diversity of wind-instruments, directed by Josep Mut. Let me be
honest, I’m a little prejudiced here. Listening to this cd, many
memories came up. Memories of concerts of brass bands I visited
because of my brother who played in one of them. I still hear echoes
of Gustav Holst’s ‘The planets’ and other comparable compositions in
my mind. It is often amateur music at his best, but the repertoire
stops with Stravinsky. Nothing wrong with that, but it was not what I
was searching for.
On this cd we have new recent works, but the rules of composition
that are applied here sound not very new to me. Is it impossible or
not done – for some reason – to break boundaries and seek more
adventure in this context? The first composition is one by Koij
Asano: ‘The Way they do in the Fairy Tales’. Followed by ‘L’argot du
bruit’ by Pascal Comelade and Jakob Draminsky. To be fair, both works
sound very conventional in my ears. No originality , no surprises
here. The only surprise for me was to see these 3 musicians compose
for a banda. They did quite a job. To arrange a composition for a
group of 60 musicians is not simple. Both other composers were
unknown to me. Both seem more experienced in composing for a banda.
The composition ‘Pieza giratoria’ by Pelayo Fernandez Arrizabalaga
for orchestra, electronics and pick-ups, is much more skillfull. He
makes a far better use of the spectrum of sounds with clear
arrangments. The composition itself …? Okay I made my point
already. But it is the most interesting and adventurous one. The cd
closes with a work by Joan Saura ‘ST.01’ (DM)
Address: www.gracia-territori.com
WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTRY (CD compilation by Glasvocht)
This is Glasvocht’s first ‘real’ CD after a couple of CDR releases,
which I haven’t heard. But if they are in similar style as this
compilation, I should check them out. This compilation has that lo-fi
improv noise rock which I am a sucker for. Except for Noxagt, who
open this compilation with three super loud and noisy rock bits, the
others have a more contemplative touch to their works. Of course the
biggest one is Loren (Mazzacane) Connors whose piece ‘For NY
9/11/01′ is a spheric guitar piece of pure beauty, but also Lovely
Midget/Metralleta, whose line up includes guitar, samples, drums,
vocals and noises, are on the more atmospheric edges of music. Flies
Inside The Sun have a nice improv track based around drums and
guitar, completed with tape-loops. And Random Reflections have three
drony outings of guitar hum and guitar played with bows. With just
five bands, this compilation offer a nice insight in the world of
drone/lo-fi rock, with, if I was to tell, Noxagt could have been left
off (and replaced instead by say Sandoz Lab Technicians or K-Group).
If music on such labels as Corpus Hermeticum and Metonymic appeal to
you, then this compilation should be part of your collection. And
let’s hope that Glasvocht will be the European counterpart of those
down under labels with a likewise good catalogue. (FdW)
Address: http://www.geocities.com/glasvocht
DELAYER – BREATH BY BREATH BY BREATHING (CDR by X-ZF)
BIRDS OF TIN – MOTION MIMIC (CDR by X-ZF)
JOHN HUDAK – MAY 5 (CD by X-ZF)
RAPOON – DREAMCIRCLE (CDR by X-ZF)
X-ZF is a new, small label, that has links to the Pretentious label
and website, for those who do not know: the world of Muslimgauze and
Rapoon. The Pretentious label is exclusively devoted to releases of
Muslimgauze music, but X-ZF releases artists of a different kind. The
releases are “that most labels do not find profitable enough to be of
interest but that we feel are worthy of release to the world. We will
also be re-issuing material that falls in the same catagories”.
Needles to say that these releases are on CDR, because the label
rather fills a gap, rather then being a business for profit. Hurray.
The first four releases are now available and there is a strong
linkage between them.
The name X-ZF hints a bit at Zoviet*France, and with their first
release being Delayer this is no surprise; at least if you know that
behind Delayer we find Andy Eardley, who was once a member of
Zoviet*France. Zoviet*France has always been a collective of persons,
who wished to remain anonymous, but as people left and started to
pursue their own interests, names become more important. Andy was
part of Zoviet*France aswell as Horizon 222 (maybe it’s an idea to
re-issue their ‘Through The Round Window’ on CDR on X-ZF?). The
pieces on this release are sketches or alternative versions Andy
recorded while being part of Zoviet*France and Horizon 222. So it’s
funny to hear his version of the Zoviet*France’s track for ‘Ambient
4: Isolationism’ or the studio versions of parts from ‘Three Of
Swans’ (Horizon 222) and ‘What Is Not True’ (Zoviet*France). These
are all trademark Zoviet France like tracks, not to be missed by the
real fans. ‘Urban Chant’, the final track on the CD, takes up thirt
seven minutes and reminded me of some overtone singing, processed
through a whole bunch of delays and reverb-units. Although nice by
intent, maybe a bit overlong.
Unrelated to Zoviet*France is Birds Of Tin, an american one guy group
who has releases on CDR before. Although, I might hasten to add that
his sound is surely related to the old Zoviet*France sound. Probably
using analog four track (the cover doesn’t say, but I think it is)
and a bunch of sound effects, Birds Of Tin create spacious sound
collages of processed music instruments (maybe guitars or synths)
aswell as sped up tapes from an old reel to reel. Densely layered –
even at four tracks only – clouded by the use of so many sound
effects. Heavy mood music in the best Zoviet*France tradition, but
also related to a whole bunch of other ambient industrialists, such
as Illusion Of Safety, Maeror Tri/Troum and Beequeen. Maybe some of
the tracks are a bit too spacious (ie too long) but overall it’s a
nice work, one of the better Birds Of Tin I heard.
Also unrelated to Zoviet*France and here also soundwise is John
Hudak. This American composer of fame has been long time producer of
lenghty soundworks. His ‘May 5’ (I guess the title refers to the day
this was created) processes sound of an unknown nature via Max/Msp
software. Hudak’s music is best understood as ‘setting an audio
environment’ – minimal sounds with hardly any change – or so it seems
– that works best, at least for me, when playing at a medium volume,
so that it fills my environment in a pleasent way. Music that floats
by, like a wave, a drift, but all in a very calm and relaxing way.
John Hudak is from all the minimalists mentioned in Vital Weekly,
probably the real die-hard amongst them.
The last new release is rather an old one. Rapoon, who is now
commonly known via his many releases for such labels as Staalplaat
and Soleilmoon, debuted in 1992 with ‘Dream Circle’. Robin Storey had
then just left Zoviet*France, because he didn’t want to be part of
the anonymous collective and wished more credit for his own work.
Although parts of ‘Dream Circle’ have been re-issued by Soleilmoon on
‘Recurring Dream Circle’, it’s good to see this available again.
There are strong links between the Zoviet*France sound of that time
(‘Just An Illusion’ was for instance a work that Storey never got
full credit for) and this one. The tabla playing and overall ethnic
feel became a stronger element however for Rapoon then it was for
Zoviet*France. This is an overall more uptempo work then the
Zoviet*France work, but the drones are the more or less the same. I
think I coined the term ‘industrial raga’ back then and that still
works well. (FdW)
Address: www.x-zf.net
JORGE ANTUNES – SAVAGE SONGS – WORKS FROM 1961-1970 (CD by Pogus)
Pogus Productions always have a fine nose for the unexpected. People
that are long forgotten or who live outside the western world. Jorge
Antunes is one such guy. Born in 1942, he studied violin, composition
and conducting in his homeland Brazil, but also in The Netherlands
and at GRM in Paris. This CD consists of his very early first
electronic works, made mostly on very primitive equipment, which were
partly built by Antunes himself. No less then twelve short tracks and
two longer pieces are on this CD, which is not easy to describe. It’s
mostly music made with wave generators, filters, speed change and of
course tape-splicing. Sometimes he uses piano or radio broadcast
sounds, which get the same kind of treatment. Not every work is great
here, some of the ideas are too simple and naive, especially the
earliest works. It’s nice however to hear works like this and they
live up to the title, savage songs. These are indeed raw and untamed
examples of naive experimentation with electronic sounds. The final
two pieces on this CD are the last works, from 1969/1970, and are
longer and more indepth. Once Antunes takes time to tell a story, the
music immediately wins power. It makes one wonder about his
electronic works after 1970 – maybe something for a next release on
Pogus? (FdW)
Address: www.pogus.com
TIGRICS – CHROMALION (CDR by Ultrahang)
SKY – LESSNESS (CDR by Ultrahang)
These two CDRs were send to me a long time ago, but for some kind of
strange reason ignored for a long time. They are the first two
releases in a series of twelve, all by different musicians from
Hungary. Who these musicians are and something about their background
is not told until all twelve become available. Tigrics opens up the
series with thirteen pieces of background, living room techno. Music
that doesn’t force oneself up the listener or music that is something
new, with a radical new view on ambient techno music. Nothing new
under the sun here, but that’s ok. Music can be entertaining without
any pretentions. Tigrics offer a nice example.
The music by Sky (at least that’s what I make of it) is of an
altogether different nature. Sky are Zsolt Kovacs on tabletop guitar
and objects and Zsolt Sores on tabletop viola, objects, bowed cymbal
and water. This is total free improvisation music in the best
tradition of AMM, although the scrapings on the objects are here
somewhat louder and harsher then AMM. In the full hour that this
lasts, the two work their way on their objects and instruments in a
rather fine way. Maybe like Tigrics, they don’t add much new to the
idiom of free music, and unlike Tigrics, they are maybe not there to
please the listener, it’s still a fine disc – maybe for the
die-hards. (FdW)
Address: httP://uh.hu/uhcdr
STEVE RODEN – THREE ROOTS CARVED TO LOOK LIKE STONES (CD by Sonoris)
Just like the elsewhere mentioned John Hudak, Steve Roden is one of
the minimal minimalists I know. Roden has the power to create out of
almost nothing a rich sounding work. This CD is a fine example of his
work. It was originally an installation at Inmo Gallery in Chinatown,
Los Angeles. Roden bought three objects in a Chinatown giftshop: a
wooden flute, a wind chime and a small paper accordion. With each of
these objects he produced one piece of music each, slightly
reprocessing the sounds. Sounds move only slowly here. Just as you
think not much is going on, something utterly small changes in the
music, maybe just a little bit of equalization, or maybe one of the
electronic layers is faded out a little bit. This works best in ‘Air
Chamber With 4 Holes’ – the accordion piece. In slow pace this twenty
piece passes by in an organic beauty. It reminded me of the better
Stephan Mathieu pieces. The piece for wind chimes, I thought was
rather a bit simple. It seemed as if Roden just recorded the chimes
hanging in the wind, including the sounds of the contact microphones.
The flute piece opens the CD and is a rather dark toned affair – at
least darker then we usually hear from Roden. This CD, and especially
the first and third piece, are excellent examples of Roden’s work,
and I count them to his best. (FdW)
Address: www.sonoris.org
CREMASTER – INFRA (CD by Antifrost)
If I am not mistaken this is Cremasters’ second CD, after ‘Flysch’ on
G3G Records last year, see also Vital Weekly 325. The line up is as
before: Ferran Fages on ‘feedback mixing board’ and Alfredo Costa
Monteiro on ‘objects on electric guitar’. Much of what I observed on
their previous CD, applies to this new one. The guitar is hardly
recognized, the two operate in a rather crude and noisy way (which is
bytheway not a negative judgement, in fact it’s rather nice to hear
for this kind of music), but the feedback played on the mixing board
is rather kept to a minimum. An important feature on this new CD are
crackles – they seem to be everywhere. Static charges unfold via the
hum of the guitar element, playing back via the mixer. Again
Cremaster don’t make it very easy for the listeners, but operate in a
rather die-hard niche of hardcore free improv noise. They manage
well. (FdW)
Address: www.antifrost.gr
C. REIDER & TARKATAK – THE DRUSER PRICID (CDR by Dachstuhl)
ATRAC – HOLMGANG (CDR by Dachstuhl)
DRONAEMENT – E STOE (CDR by Dachstuhl)
TONFANG – LONG SHORT PLAYER (3″CDR by Dachstuhl)
VANCE ORCHESTRA – MONSTRANCE (7″ by Dachstuhl)
Music from the drone underworld of desolate industrial sites.
Tarkatak is one of the more promising ‘youn’ names of German’s
unterwelt of drone music, having a strong linkeage to Troum. On his
CDR ‘The Druser Pricid’ he teams up with C. Reider, who runs the VUZH
label in the USA – welcome to world of true underground. Tarkatak is
one person, Lutz Pruditsch (who also runs the Dachstuhl label) and
together with C. Reider he has been trading tapes filled with
soundscapes, loops and samples. Each of the boys then mixed the
material, and added their own sounds to it. Although there are two
tracks on this CDR (which one could think to be mixed by C. Reider
and Tarkatak resp.), each track is divided in sub-tracks, which are
mixed by either C. Reider or Tarkatak – kinda confusing really, but
it works well. Both guys really know how to create a psychedelic
atmosphere in sound, with dark soundscapes and hallucinating loops,
analogue synths and processed guitar sounds. Like said, the music
here is very much related to Troum, but has a particulary strong
voice of its own.
I don’t know who is behind atrac, but he seems to be one half of
Salamandroids, also a band I don’t know. More then Tarkatak or C.
Reider, Atrac explores the very far deep end of drone music. Really
dark atmospheric music, with a lot of bass end rumbling. A melody
doesn’t seem to exist in this glacier music. Polar landscapes
depicted in sound. The closest one could compare this with, is the
music of Thomas Koner. Ice cold ambient music, more isolationist then
this one can’t probably get. With fifteen minutes per track, and five
tracks in total this is probably a bit overlong. A track like
‘Pulsar’ which is the weakest brother of the five, could have been
easily skipped and it would still have been a good release.
On similar, but maybe less hermetically closed grounds we find
Dronaement, whose releases have been presented before in Vital
Weekly. A firm player of the underground circles, Dronaement has
released many obscure pieces of vinyl, CDs, cassettes and CDRs. On
this new release, which comes with a nice booklet (almost a nostalgic
artefact from the world of cassettes, when they all came with this
sort of booklets), Dronaement plays again the drone card, certainly
in the first three tracks. But in ‘Degro Noe’ he adds the drumplaying
by one Henry C, recorded with Inox Kapell. A metallic, reverbed
rhythm in a more ritualistik (as some would spell it) style, but with
those drone always firmly as the backbone of the piece. Maybe this
particular piece might not be so my thing, it’s good to see people
like Dronaement break away from the self-chosen isolationist sound
niche and try other things.
Something entirely different is Tonfang, aka Patrick Muller from
Hamburg. He presents four tracks on his mini CD of home made
electro-sound collages. Simple but strong songs, which seems to be
played on toy instruments, recorded with a cheap microphone. Probably
life isn’t that simple. He certainly uses the more simple and cheap
instruments around, but he plays them like real instruments and makes
some damm clever elektro songs with them. It never gets to the
dancefloor – the production is simply not good enough – but it’s a
wacky tack on real popmusic. Four pleasent ways to spend your time –
and maybe a thing after the dark hour with Atrac.
The final (vinyl?) new release on Dachstuhl is a 7″ by Vance
Orchestra, it’s also the first vinyl for Dachstuhl. Vance Orchestra
is a somewhat older duo from The Netherlands, in fact their
collective history dates back to the early 80s when they started
playing music and released a couple of cassettes, under which were
two on the legendary Broken Flag label as Ain Tow. Since 1996 they
are called Vance Orchestra and the two have released a nice string of
CDs, CDRs and vinyl. On this 7″, strangely enough already recorded in
2000, they display their great sense of combining seemingely
unrelated soundsources together in a thick layered mass of sound.
There is a lot happening on many levels and sounds fade in and out of
the maybe psyche-ambient-industrial music. Like the other releases on
Dachstuhl, maybe the exception of Tonfang, this is brain-mood music,
but of a different kind. It’s more rhythmical, Vance Orchestra uses
shorter samples, but the head-space-music works best here too. (FdW)
Address: www.tarkatak.de
ROWE/AMBARCHI/SACHIKO M/YOSHIHIDE/AVENAIM – THUMB (CD by Grob)
To some people this is of course a dream line up. Ladies and
gentlemen: Keith Rowe on guitar and electronics, Oren Ambarchi on
guitar and electronics, Sachiko M on sampler with sine wave, Otomo
Yoshihide on turntables, electronics and guitar and Robbie Avenaim on
percussion and electronics!!! (Crowd cheers at loud and wonders about
the last introduction. Robbie has worked with Oren since many years
on a couple of free improvisation recordings). An accidental meeting
of the trio Rowe/Ambarchi/Avenaim with the duo M/Yoshihide in France
last year, resulted in this spontanous recording that lasts half an
hour (err and that is a bit short, me thinks). But, we’re told that
this is the entire recording of that evenings concert. There is a lot
of buzz, hiss, small crackles and towards the end a lot of sine waves
from Sachiko M. Overall, there is a great sense of concentration
among these five people, letting room for sounds of others, to let
sounds go in space, to enjoy the overall buzz going round. Even when
only two of the five are Japanese, the overall work sounds very
influenced by the Japanese Onkyo style: there isn’t a single sound
wasted or too much in this work.
‘Thumb’ is also the first work by Rowe and Ambarchi for Grob, to be
followed by more of them for the same label. Can’t wait to hear them.
(FdW)
Address: www.churchofgrob.com
PARAPULSE TUCK (2CD by Cocosolidciti)
The label Cocosolidciti (try pronouncing that after a couple of
beers) love to initiate collaborations. They did before on Scalene, a
double CD of three musicians coupled with three video makers (see
Vital Weekly 341), doing remixes of each others work. For this new
release (sound or image) the artists were asked to tape (sound or
image) from a bridge in a city of their choice and use this as source
material for either a video work or a sound piece. Then each sound
piece was coupled to a video piece. On one CD you have just the audio
sound track and one CD the videos (I have no idea why they are not on
one disc). Of course it’s hard to believe that the sounds here deal
with bridges, apart from maybe an occassional car passing. The five
tracks contain different kinds of electronic music. Atoll Noise’s
piece seems to be entirely made of processed environmental recording
and the camera re-searches the site in a likewise manner. Duo Panda
Mix and Private Benjamin sound and video pieces represent more life
in the hectic of the big city via crude techno like music and hasty
camera montage. The more interesting pieces come from Mils, who has a
downtempo piece with sampled acoustic instruments (maybe recorded on
a bridge with some street musicians?) and also Remote Viewer more
laidback music escapes the hectic of the big city. The videos that
accompany these pieces are likewise of a dreamy nature – pointilistic
pieces of digital camera work. In all, an interesting project, which
only shortcoming is the shortness of the total. Twenty-eight minutes
of music and video, spread over two CDs is maybe a bit short. (FdW)
Address: www.cocosolidciti.com
PAUL O’HARA – SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY (CD by Sonoris)
I am a bit clueless about Paul O’Hara, who he is and what to think of
his music. Ten pieces of music, mostly played on a wurlitzer piano,
but also a normal piano, acoustic and electric guitars and flutes. No
max/msp software processing in a hundred miles in sight. Just pure
music – something you can play your parents on a sunday afternoon.
Hints back to Erik Satie on the piano, or modern classical music and
even Brian Eno. Very beautiful, very tonal, very pastoral. Or is it
just edel-kitsch music? New age dabbling? Durutti Column on the
piano? That’s certainly not easy to tell. Maybe it has to do with the
fact that we know nothing about the background of Paul O’Hara, or at
least we are not told anything. So it’s hard to put him in some sort
of perspective and that’s what makes it difficult. But at the same
time it is very very nice music, I must admit. Perfect modern day
living room music, to be enjoyed with a nice glass of red wine, some
cheese and the sun coming in during spring time. The puzzling about
what this music actually is, comes some other day I guess. (FdW)
Address: www.sonoris.org
THE JMJ TRIO – IN THE ABSENCE OF THE THIRD (LP by Ontological Records)
Housed in a partly silkscreened and handpainted cover comes this
limited LP of recordings made at home, in the living room. Despite
the fact that it’s called a trio, I can see only the names of two
players, Tim Elder and Michael Machemer. I assume they both play
guitars, as this is an album of improvised guitar playing. Not the
kind of heavy, free improv noise, but rather soft and tinkling guitar
music, made like light weight space because of the use reverb, echo,
chorus and what have you got. Six lenghty pieces of ambient like
music, Isolationist as this was once called. A bit like Rafael Toral
(but maybe more rockier), Stars Of The Lid, Ultrasound or some of the
more softer lo-fi guitar groups from down under. The JMJ Trio would
have sounded great on the “Women Taken In Adultry’ compilation,
reviewed elsewhere. And that is all a big compliment; nice stuff
indeed. (FdW)
Address: <ontologicalrecs@hotmail.com>
EEDL – PARALLEMPED EP (12″ by spa.RK)
ZOOEY – THE BEAVER ISLAND EP (12″ by spa.RK)
Two new releases on spa.RK, the nice electronica label from Barcelona
and finally their first singing from a spanish group, Eedl. They have
four track of broken beat stuff, rather in a somewhat darker mood.
Especially the synths in their music are loaded with an atmosphere
that is not particular bright. The beats are collaged from broken
rhythms, which add the usual complexity to the music. Music in the
best traditions of Warp Records. There is also a remix of one of the
tracks by Lackluster (known for his releases on U-Cover, Merck etc.)
which essentially sounds the same as Eedl, which is not a bad thing,
but maybe not the general idea behind a remix?
Zooey is one Mathieu Beck from Bordeaux, France, and his first
release was on the Fat Cat compilation ‘No Watches, No Maps’ and
another release on Peter I’m Flying is out soon. His EP is filled
with more dreamy type of techno music, more Morr then Warp, I’d say.
Nice, ongoing beats, tinkling melodies on the keyboards and a nice
spacious atmosphere of sampled acoustic guitars. Here, one track, is
a remix by Fibla, and oddly enough Fibla stays close the originals of
Zooey. Both Zooey and Eedl produce nice but not entirely new music.
(FdW)
Address: www.sparkreleases.com
JAN JELINEK AVEC THE EXPOSURES – LA NOUVELLE PAUVRETE (CD by ~scape)
Music to Interrogate By is a finely tuned static tap dance,
self-assured by its lyrical ambi-funk. La Nouvelle Pauvreté is a rich
blend of so many things that make micro-electronic sound so sensual
and approachable. Less glitchy and mellow, more upbeat yet subdued.
Facelift is Jelinek’s prescription for patient alien bodies
everywhere. Its airy, amorphous voices are vocoder-based entities
stop-starting and cryptic. This is a wholly digital experience
leading into a track illustratively titled There Are Other Worlds
(they have not told you of). Here Jelinek uses a humming male
wordless vocal with a hint of Big Ben accompanied by a delicious
distortion. Adding frilly melodramtics and a funky wit on If’s, And’s
and But’s, the ear is treated to a stippled treat. One of the best
yet from Monsieur Jelinek’s growing
oeuvre. (TJN)
Address: http://www.scape-music.de/
PULSEPROGRAMMING – TULSA FOR ONE SECOND (CD by Aesthetics)
Hush now. Joel Kriske and Marc Hellner started Pulseprogramming, a
collective of sound and visual artists, in Portland, OR and relocated
to Chicago where they added filmmakers, artists and poets. In ways
they may fill the vacancy left behind by formerly like-minded
Icelandians gusgus. On Tulsa for One Second we are treated to a
dreamlike surreality of sweet voice and the pure intermix of digital
and analogue. This disc is a blend of pleasing harmonics and good
intuition. Like a beautiful, sensuous light, this recording envelops
your senses and has just the right level of mysterious chemistry.
Laregely Long-Distance Loves is a track to play all night long to
insite sound dreams, it has the feeling of a primetime commercial in
the spirit of Dirty Vegas or Moby, without the stadium tour or beer
spillage. Light pulsations, chromatic, shiny and driven. At times I
feel like I am listening to an updated, sedated Orchestral Manoeuvers
in the Dark. (TJN)
Address: http://www.aesthetics-usa.com/