KATHERINA KLEMENT – CONCERT TROUVE (CD by Kalk)
BURNT FRIEDMAN & THE NUMB PLAYERS – CAN’T COOL (CD by Nonplace)
HUBSCH & VAN BEBBER & BLONK – IMPROVISERS (CD by Kontrans)
SKULLPTURE/DESTROY ALL TIE FIGHTERS (CDR by Mir)
GELSOMINA – RAUTAVAARA (CDR by Mir)
VINCENT BONDET & CEDRIC LEROULEY – ASPHODELES (CDR by Comma)
TAMING POWER – FOR ELECTRIC GUITAR AND CASSETTE RECORDERS (10″ by
Early Morning Records)
PETER FROHMADER – ANUBIS DANCE (CD by Nekropolis)
VEGETABLE MAN (CD compilation by Oggetti Volanti Non Identificati)
JAVIER HERNANDO – HYDRO PARHELIA (CD by Geometrik/Microgamma)
VAN OEHLEN – ROCK & ROLL IS HERE TO DIE (CD by Blue Chopsticks)
DELPHIUM – DEAD ON THE INSIDE (CD by Hibou Records)
PHASMID – THRIFT SHOP (3″ CDR by Piehead Recordings)
YUKO NEXUS6 – JOURNAL DE TOKYO (CD by Sonore)
HAGEDORN – HOME GROWN (CD by Kompakt)
TIM HECKER – RADIO AMOR (CD by Mille Plateaux)
WARMDESK – GUERO VARIATIONS (CD by Deluxe)
BENYTT DENNE GLIMRENDE… (2CD compilation by Humbug)
ASTRO – ACID BEACH (CDR by Alienation)
MIJIM – TOTAL CARE (CDR by Alienation)
PLANK – CETUS, PING (CDR by Alienation)
KATHERINA KLEMENT – CONCERT TROUVE (CD by Kalk)
Piano ala future days. Surely a decendent of John Cage, Katharina
Klement has a stunning view of the instrument. Studying in Graz and
Vienna she has released a studio recording of 12 tracks at just over
one hour that is like a treasure trove of experimental playing. Her
four-piece includes e-guitarist Armin Pokorn, and engineers Gearl
Schreilechner and Florian Prix. They work as a unit on all aspects of
Concért Trouvé bringing about electro-acoustic passages just off
center. Recorded in 2000 this disc is just starting to make the
rounds. Made with an assortment of found objects, tubes and other
materials these improvised compositions have a weight based in
curiosity and tonality. The happenstance of object vs. instrument
questions the making of the final product as noise, as opposed to
music, which equals a balance of white noise, harmony and all extras.
By fusing analogue with electronic technologies the blur is
passionately made here. At times eerie, the pacing dramatizes the
stalwart approach of Klement’s key rambling – at the same time there
are brief hiccups of Sunday solace in the final mix. This being my
first exposure to this work which was commissioned for the Musik und
Medien series in Vienna, I can only hope that there will be a
follow-up soon. As the final, tiny clanging chimes play so sweetly
and fade the piece goes quietly into the night. (TJN)
Address: <katharina.klement@utanet.at>
BURNT FRIEDMAN & THE NUMB PLAYERS – CAN’T COOL (CD by Nonplace)
Salsa! It’s a big blend of funky hip-hop with lounge vibes and
strange electronically contorted vocals. Friedman has brought
together a collision of 70s dub with the techno of latter day
poltergeists. Herein we are fed the encoded vocalese of Abi, Patrice,
Theo Altenberg and even His Name is Alive (welcome back) ala vocoder.
Oh, I feel a fever coming on. This is an unusual spin among current
directives in contemporary genre melding, but someone has to start
pioneering somewhere. This seems to me like an emergence of something
more urban, more soulful, yet a glimpse, perhaps too close into the
pop realm. Alongside AOR funky divas and other charades this is one
of those turns you always hope can be avoided in the world of
experimental electronics. Friedman takes his troupes just right of
center for a few moments in between obscurity. I find myself being
teased by the everyday familiarity of tracks like ‘Someday My Blues
Will Cover The Earth” and the kitcshy latin jazz dramatics on
‘Designer Groove’ complete with bongos and hints of brass. I get
pulled in for moments along the way. Maybe I am just jolted by the
inclusion of vocals that don’t seem totally unique and compete with
the funky bass lines being layed out? Vocal-free tracks 9-12 could
almost be a mini ep. The vibes set a blissful funky and fresh sound.
The magic is all in the editing and most here is quite playable sans
some tongues. (TJN)
Address: http://www.nonplace.de
HUBSCH & VAN BEBBER & BLONK – IMPROVISERS (CD by Kontrans)
Three improvisers at work here. Carl Ludwig Hubsch plays tuba (and
for me he’s the guy I never heard of), Claus Van Bebber on turntables
(and he’s been doing that since most DJs were not even born) and Jaap
Blonk, the famous voice artist. This CD is, much to my surprise, not
the documentation of a live concert, but it contains ten pieces
recorded in a studio during a two day improvisation session in the
studio, with subsequent mixing afterwards. It is really possible to
tell that these boys spend time on their work. Multi-tracking and
mixing the material afterwards pays of. The material has great depth,
as opposed to maybe ‘just’ a live recording. Blonk recites (?) sings
(?) moans (?) in his usual fashion and is probably one of the more
wilder characters in this kind of music. His elastic voice seems to
be capable of just doing anything with it. It works really nice along
the strange sounds produced on a tuba and the turntables. In a track
like ‘To Ilpehu’ (the love of strange words is extended to the titles
as you can notice) it’s hard to go back to whose doing what there.
It’s a frantic mess of sounds, but it’s virtually impossible to say
oh that’s the turntable and that’s a tuba and the voice is doing
that. This CD is maybe as much a work of improvisation aswell as a
work of composition – the post-production in the studio certainly
added to that. If the real die-hard improvisations are not y’r cup of
tea, then this more controlled action might be. (FdW)
Address: http://www.toondist.nl
SKULLPTURE/DESTROY ALL TIE FIGHTERS (CDR by Mir)
GELSOMINA – RAUTAVAARA (CDR by Mir)
Two releases from Finland. On the first we find two bands I never
heard of. Skullpture are Navaro, PT and Wikgren. Their eight tracks
are all recorded by means of improvisation at the Echo Chamber. They
play a variety of string instruments (bass, guitar) and percussion,
be it drums or metal. Skullpture do not go over the top, but rather
do the proceedings in a somewhat intellegent mode. The work their
work through the material in a held-back way. They don’t differ that
much from the other band on the disc, the Destroy All Tie Fighters.
This band however has lengthier improvisations based around guitar
sounds. Their tracks also much longer and denser in built up. The
lo-fi based improvisations by both bands have strong roots in labels
like Corpus Hermeticum, but are maybe even more abstract and weird.
More conventional are The Human Neutron Missile Squad, using guitars,
drums, bass and noise, they don’t sound of course like the average
alternative guitar band, but mainly due to their lo-fi recording
methods, they sound raw and untamed. Recorded maybe straight away in
a garage in some Finland backyard, the Human Neutron Missile Squad
take their inspiration from punk aswell as more traditional forms of
rock music (or maybe all rock music is conventional? – hmmm I just
think about this some more). Nice stuff, bringing back good memories
of 1980 when I got my homemade recorded punk 7″s which sounded
likewise naive and fresh.
Gelsomina’s release takes as source material the work of “the late
singer, songwriter, actor, athlete and man of the people Tapio
Rautavaara”, who in Gelsomina’s view, was the greatest example of
Finnish ‘iskelma’ music. Gelsomina takes original music by this Tapio
guy and adds a whole bunch of harsh noise effects to it. So among the
wall of feedback, which shows more depth then many other in this
genre, I must say, we hear the original music and singing of Tapio.
Even when this release is not very long, I think it’s a bit long. For
an idea such as this, one could easily record a nice twenty minute
work and release it as a CDR. The homogenity of the material and the
singlemindedness of the concept makes it not good enough to hold the
attention throughout. (FdW)
Address: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/musically_incorrect
VINCENT BONDET & CEDRIC LEROULEY – ASPHODELES (CDR by Comma)
A while ago (Vital Weekly 362) I reviewed some CDR releases by
Vincent Bondet and Cedric Lerouley. Somehow I ignored the release
‘Asphodeles’. This release is not really different from the previous
one. One very lenghty piece and one a bit shorter of droning pieces
with small, amplified sounds of contact microphones. Carefully
constructed cracklings somehow in a dark atmosphere. Like said, this
release is not really much different then the other ones, but it
would sad to ignore this. (FdW)
Address: <comma@online.fr>
TAMING POWER – FOR ELECTRIC GUITAR AND CASSETTE RECORDERS (10″ by
Early Morning Records)
Behind Taming Power we find one Askild Haugland from Norway. Since
1997 He releases his music on his own Early Morning Records mostly on
vinyl and CDrs. I am told that his previous works included “radio
ready-mades” and electro-acoustic music, but also solo stuff for
electric guitar and piano. On this most recent 10″ we find works for
electric guitar and cassette recorders (no reel to reel – keep in
mind!). The side long Side A, entitled ’26-3-02′ has a rather
metallic sounding guitar. Notes are played, not as continuos chords,
but in flageolet style. Normally this would result in a rather
harmonius guitar tinkle, but by the use of ordinary cassette players
and the gradual ‘lo-fi’ sound, the whole thing is as said more
metallic – cold. But it’s a strangely minimal fascinating sound. On
the b-side he works also with guitar and tape-distortion. Here
however not in a long piece, but six short pieces. Here there is no
tinkle, but short pieces of drone music. It seems as though the music
has disappeared in the process of working with cassettes, and is
covered by an immense mass of dirt (hiss). But Askild plays around
with the various forms and stages of decay of the hiss, which makes
this into a well enjoyable record (both sides!). The a-side dwelling
on various influences from the lo-fi guitar scene, and the b-side
with Troum inspired ambient-industrial outings. (FdW)
Address: <earlymrecords@yahoo.no>
PETER FROHMADER – ANUBIS DANCE (CD by Nekropolis)
Egypt has fascinated rock musicians to varying degrees over the
years: Agitation Free, Nik Turner, Anubian Lights, Amenophis, Pink
Floyd, Cosmic Jokers, Dissidenten, Gong, and Hawkwind to name a few.
Now the master of dark, sepulchral, electronics, Peter Frohmader,
presents an entire CD based on Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead.
Anubis Dance integrates Peter’s throbbing bass lines, Egyptian
samples and motifs, and his dark vision. Though recorded in 1997 and
released in 2003, it is a precursor to Peter’s previous electronica
influenced release “2001”. Personally, I prefer Peter s abstract work
to this new musical direction. I find the two bonus tracks, which are
second versions of Anubis Rising (track 2) and No Panic (track 6),
more to my liking. I could be wrong, but the other seven tracks seem
to be the same tempo, and though there are lots of interesting little
things happening all over the place, the music can be a bit mind
numbing. Make no mistake, Anubis Dance is difficult music that takes
electronica to the eXtreme. (HS)
Address: http://www.Dbeau-Arts.de/Nekropolis
VEGETABLE MAN (CD compilation by Oggetti Volanti Non Identificati)
“In my yellow shoes I have the blues – Vegetable man where are you?”.
This release might be the first introduction for many to the bizarre
mind of Pink Floyd-singer Syd Barrett. “Vegetable Man” was planned as
a Floyd single in 1967. For the record company it was obvious that by
then Syd was a serious acid-casualty and that the bizarre single
(inspired by Frank Zappa’s “Call any vegetable”) would never see the
light of day. Pink Floyd dumped Syd shortly afterwards and became the
merry corporate entrepreneurs we all love/hate. “Vegetable Man” was
lost in obscurity and that was that. And now we have this CD with no
less than 20 versions of the song. The nucleus of the acts are
unknown to these ears and hail from Italy (15 of the 20 actws no
less). These sort of releases immediately beg the question if one
song is interesting enough to warrant the listener pleasure for 70
minutes. I can imagine a Syd Barrett collector drewling over this,
but what does it offer to the more casual listener? Is “Vegetable
Man” (basically a 60’s popsong with strange lyrics) interesting
enough to offer its interpreters the possibility to create something
NEW? It is a shame the original was not included, giving us no
reference to the Floydian version. However, Gastel Etzwane manages to
come up with a highly original version: he sings the song whilst
taking a shower. The version by Castemore, who turn the song into a
30’s calypso swing, is also a treat. But then we also have to listen
to 18 other versions as well and it does not take long before you get
weary of the pop-rock versions of the song. This makes the CD a tough
listen. Basically there is not enough variation in the various
versions and the song is too thin to offer the listener a very
pleasant 70 minutes. Perhaps a nice listen for once, but I would
challenge everyone to play this CD at a frequent basis. (FK)
Address: www.oggettivolanti.it
JAVIER HERNANDO – HYDRO PARHELIA (CD by Geometrik/Microgamma)
Hernando’s previous CD, Luz Nacarina, was reviewed in Vital Weekly
215, so there is a serious gap in releasing music for him. He’s been
actively involved in the Spanish music scene since the early 80s. His
previous CD had tendencies towards ambient, with maybe a touch of
Oval, but still ambient in the more classical sense of the word. Here
on his new CD he takes his Oval influence a bit further into the more
abstract territory of ambient music. The ambient influence is still a
strong influence here, but Hernando rejects now the use of digital
synthesizers in favor of computer processed music. Overall he does
this in a rather soft mood, no harsh overtones (or maybe it is
because it seems to me that the overall volume of the CD is rather
soft? – I don’t know). This makes the CD into an overall pleasure to
hear for sure, but also something I heard before; not necessarily
better or worse, but of the same quality. This is neither good or bad
– just maybe a well-throdden path. (FdW)
Address: http://www.geometrikrecords.com
VAN OEHLEN – ROCK & ROLL IS HERE TO DIE (CD by Blue Chopsticks)
This is my first encounter with Van Oehlen, the two brothers Albert
and Markus. Besides being visual artists, they do music; Albert
played before with the Red Krayola and runs the Leiterwagen label.
Markus played with Mittagspause, one of the first bands to intergrate
analogue synths in their punk/new wave (I’m talking very 80s here)
and recording as Don Hobby for his brothers label. Quite a reference.
But their CD ‘Rock & Roll Is Here To Die’ takes the procedures even a
bit further. These eleven tracks are all over the place. Analogue
synths, Oval-esque melodies, slowed down techno and a free jazz
saxophone playing in ‘Unhappy’ or ‘In Dus Tree’, which is overall
free playing. This is craxed out, weird stuff. It hints towards
almost everything in music – not just popmusic – from the last
hundred years – but in a very analogue matter. Synths broom, drums
sound like recorded in the garage and the vocals sometimes sound like
drunk crooning. Mayo Thompson – of Red Krayola fame – takes a guest
vocal on ‘R & R’, including an orchestral sample (maybe Peter & The
Wolf? maybe something else by Prokovjeff?) and obviously the title
track winner. My favourite however is ‘Child’ with it’s Oval
influences and again Mayo singing, which makes this almost into
pleasing popmusic. Great CD, which seems free of hypes and filled
with influences, but coming up with something very much of their own.
For those who love Leiterwagen or Meeuw Muzak. (FdW)
Address: http://www.bluechopsticks.org
DELPHIUM – DEAD ON THE INSIDE (CD by Hibou Records)
It’s been a while since we last heard from our man Delphium. We have
to hark back to Vital Weekly 235 when we reviewed his previous CD on
Moloko+. I have no idea why there are such lenghty gaps between his
releases, but maybe it’s better to have quality over quantaty. All of
the elemnets found on his previous CDs (and even more 7″s and other
vinyl), are present here. Sampled drums from records, sauced with his
own blend of orchestral samples, dark synths and bass playing. Like I
wrote before, I don’t know what I should appealling of his music, as
it contains all sorts of things one would normally see my digust, but
maybe it’s naivety of the music of Delphium. He doesn’t want to make
the perfect beat, the perfect drum & bass, breakcore or what have you
got, but rather he wants to shred your ears to pieces with monotonous
blasts of ongoing noise, that happen to take the ideas of drum & bass
and breakbeat but loaded with orchestral samples and heavy guitars
(like on ‘Deepwoundsbleedthorns’ which also carries far away female
vocals). There are three tracks with female vocals, which are among
the most worked out on this CD. Maybe it’s even a pun on real
popmusic. Seeing that this CD was already recorded three years ago, I
wouldn’t be too surprised if these pieces are the forecasts of a new
musical direction and the other nine tracks a close down of his older
style, because it carries too much similarities with his previous
releases. (FdW)
Address: http://www.perso.wanadoo.fr/hibou-records
PHASMID – THRIFT SHOP (3″ CDR by Piehead Recordings)
Kell Simon is the guy behind Phasmid and his first release was a
double CD on Sklylab Operations. One CD with his own music and one
disc with remixes by a whole bunch of friends. This mini CD in the
Piehead 2003 series contains four reworkings of tracks found on his
double CD debut release. I must admit I haven’t heard this, but if
this serves as an appetizer for that, I think I should. Kell works
exclusively with analogue synths and a drummachine. He works on this
kind of music since he was eight years old (and I have no idea how
old he is now, but it’s sounds pretty worked out, so let’s assume
there is some experience). Quirky uptempo electronic music, that is
both raw and fresh, maybe in a bit of old-school fashion, such as in
the acid inspired ‘There’s Ghosts In Here, There’s Ghosts!’.
Alltogether it’s very pleasent music to forgot one’s worries and
simply enjoy life. (FdW)
Address: http://www.pieheadrecords.com
YUKO NEXUS6 – JOURNAL DE TOKYO (CD by Sonore)
This CD has been playing the house a couple of times already, and
it’s a hard one to just review. Yuko Nexus6 is a female sound artist
from Japan who has a couple of works already available. Like the
title of the CD already says, this is a sort of diary of life in
Tokyo. We hear whispering, street sounds, singing, sometimes poetry
like reading. The work was originally recorded in 45 minutes on a DAT
tape and then re-corded over it. Just like the old days when you
could re-record a cassette but still could hear the original sound
that was previously on the tape. This CD works in the same way. It’s
a continous work, but it changes and was layered with additional
sounds. This is very a very intimate production, like you are almost
listening to a private diary of somebody. Then it’s still remotely
far away, since the language used (Japanese) is of course a barrier.
It’s a puzzling release. But it has beauty in it, which one can
always re-discover when playing it again. New things seem to pop then
and again and again. Strange music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.sonore.com
HAGEDORN – HOME GROWN (CD by Kompakt)
Microfunk. Ambi-groove. Whatever you want to call it, it’s sweet and
sexy. Hagedorn is Cologne-based with Wolfgang Hagedorn
(Computerjockeys) at the helm. For some unbeknownst reason this disc
transports me back to the days of Fiorucci, chiseled cork heels and
long feathered blonde locks. Through the twists of punky funk
Hagedorn indulges his listener with pop hooks and electronic pumping
heart beats. ‘Electronic Music Machine’ has the build up of any track
by Underworld or Crystal Method but keeps you poised for that blast
of exhilarating bass and effects, but hovers at the building point
which creates a brilliant tension. Complete with some short track
interludes, the freeflowing spirit of Home Grown dares to intergrate
the electronic minds of experimental dance sounds with paler vocal
tracks like ‘Inquieta’ which seems a tad predisposed to the
illuminated world of Björk. A pretty piano-based conclusion comes on
‘Oblidow’ complete with a generous helping of crunchy static and
sunshower sparkle. This is a midnight record for joystickers and
dayglo splattered urbans. Plenty of cool attitude, with a west coast
sensibility. (TJN)
Address: http://www.onitor.de/
TIM HECKER – RADIO AMOR (CD by Mille Plateaux)
Austere and sensitive, Tim Hecker is a shape shifter of highest
caliber. On Radio Amor he has presented an intensely crafted
communication device that combines mysterious tones and harmony.
Treated electronics with a sensitive side, very sensitive. This
could be a space lullaby to some standards, bearing the vague
resemblance to other like micronaughts. Though this has nothing in
common with any known dancefloor, it is a profoundly atmospheric
earful. In ten seamless tracks that are pretty much a long playing
continuum, there are moments of industrial tension weighted evenly by
divine stretches of ambient drone. From the static
filtered opening ‘Song of the Highwire Shrimper’ to the muted
feathery vibes and masked of hum on the final cut, ‘Trade Winds,
White Heat’, Hecker creates a cyclical impact that courts us all the
way through the final wavering seconds. (TJN)
Address: http://www.force-inc.com
WARMDESK – GUERO VARIATIONS (CD by Deluxe)
Guero Variations is drenched in cryptic metallic timbre and hypnotic
percussion. Warmdesk (William Selman) has just released a recording
that bears light, fusing it with a speckled foray of contained trill
and bounce. These nine tracks are akin to a colorfield of infinite
tones. Based on composer Helmut Lachenmann’s piano piece ‘Guero’ in
which the composer exclusively plays the interiors of his upright.
This is Selman’s attempt to de/reconstruct musique concrete making
for an interesting approach of modernizing the traditional instrument
and daring to split genre boundaries to make techno from a source
with less commercial potential. These Variations are silky smooth on
the trained ear. (TJN)
Address: http://www.deluxerecs.com/
BENYTT DENNE GLIMRENDE… (2CD compilation by Humbug)
Norway is, at least to some people, one of the more exciting
countries for new music, be it electronic, noise, rock or improvised.
This double CD collects only partly the areas outside rock and
improvised and more electronic and noise side, but offers a wide
variety of stuff in everything. With no less then thirty eight
tracks, one can only short mention the winners: Lasse Marhaugh’s
simple yet effective drone piece, Duplo’s controlled environmental
soundscapes, HOH’s near silence, Bogus Blimp’s naive take on singer
songwriter and Arm’s musique concrete. But as said, these are just
highlights of 38 tracks, and there is so many to discover in there:
This Is Music Inc., Duo Kanel, Fredrik Ness Sevendal, MBD,
Waffelpung, Anders Gjerde, Continental Fruit, Cosmic Jinx, O. Melby,
Fibo Trespo, Fusel Music, Sindre Andersen, Two Shot Sons, Origami
Arktika and many more. A lot of these artists have CDRs on Humbug
also, so let this be a good advertisement. (FdW)
Address: <tchartan@yahoo.com>
ASTRO – ACID BEACH (CDR by Alienation)
MIJIM – TOTAL CARE (CDR by Alienation)
PLANK – CETUS, PING (CDR by Alienation)
A whole bunch of new releases on Alienation, the fine noise label run
by the same guy who is also behind Third Organ. Astro is the solo
project of Hiroshi Hasegawa, who was once a founding member of
C.C.C.C., a band which no longer exists. In his solo works he takes
the noise of C.C.C.C. to a more psychedelic, cosmic level. ‘Acid
Beach’ is one long track, almost fortytwo minutes in total. Layers of
analogue synths and feedback noise stumble and bubble over eachother.
Everrything seems to be taking a long course, but hey, this is the
world of cosmic noise. It’s actually quite a nice release, because it
has something of it’s own and not y’r typical jap noise.
Recentely we reviewed a CDR by Powerbooks For Peace (Vital Weekly
361) and one of the members, Jim Brouwer has a solo outing under the
monniker of Mijim. The music he is working with here, is very
different from Powerbooks For Peace. Even when this is made on
powerbooks no doubt, the overal impression is that he is borrowing
ideas and sounds from techno music. The result is quite minimal. One
hears the basic dance rhythm per track being fed into several plug
ins and it usually stays there throughout the track. Nice but maybe
per track a bit long. Six minutes tracks could have easily been three
minute tracks.
Another member of Powerbooks For Peace calls himself Jozepf Plank
(his parents call him Joe Gilmore). He too does music that is related
to the band project, but also a bit different. Again, powerbooks do
the work here, but Plank’s more hoovers on the edges of quietness and
almost ambient music – that is, unless you crank up the volume so
loud and find the high pitched tones irritating. But played a medium
volume – say the volume that I also used for the other releases –
this is a nice ambient laptop kind of release. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ops.dti.ne.jp/~thirdorg/