SUBSTANZ-T – ELECTRIC OPIUM (CD by Hymen)
SONORITY #1 (CDR by Arret Arret Recordings)
BROKEBACK – LOOKS AT THE BIRD (CD by Thrill Jockey Records)
LOAM – TERRA OBSCURA (CD by Topscore USA Records)
SOGAR – EEL AND COFFEE (CD by Mr.Mutt Records)
J. FREDE – LIVE DOCUMENTS (CDR by Doctsect Media)
MICHEAL J. SCHUMACHER – ROOM PIECES (CD by XI Records)
PAL ASLE PETTERSEN – SPOR… (8″ Lathe Cut by Humbug)
KEIICHIRO SHIBUYA + YUJI TAKAHASHI – ATAK 002 (CD by ATAK)
V.A. – 60 SOUND ARTISTS PROTEST THE WAR (Compilation CD by ATAK)
BERTRAND DENZLER & HANS KOCH – ASYMéTRIES (CD by Ambiances Magnétiques)
SUBSTANZ-T – ELECTRIC OPIUM (CD by Hymen)
Arne Stevens and Alex Lange, both from Frankfurt have been
collaborating under the project name Substanz-T since 1991. The
project is first of all known for its use of down tempo rhythms,
industrial beat textures and atmospheric soundscapes. In its quite
gentle expression this fourth release titled “Electric opium” is
definitely one of the more easy musically accessible shots from the
usually harsh technoid German label Hymen. A change on “Electric
opium” compared to the previous Substanz-T album, “Tripped
experiences” released in 2001, is that the atmosphere is more
directed towards lounge rather than the more dark breakbeat
expression of “Tripped experiences”. Guest appearance comes from FM
Einheit of Einstürzende Neubauten delivering elements of theremin
soundscapes as well as industrial percussive elements. During the
70’s playing time the duo comes across moments of hip hop, techno and
jazzy funk ending out with the darkest and most beautiful part of the
album: the flowering piece of atmospheric ambience titled “Ubique”,
putting an end to another great achievement by Substanz-T. (NMP)
Address: http://www.klangstabil.com/hymen/
SONORITY #1 (CDR by Arret Arret Recordings)
The first release on a new Belgium label, with three artists who are
new to me. I tried checking out the website for their mission
statement, but couldn’t find much. I learned that the artist Mik
Prims has a track for download there, which is called ‘Korm’, which I
thought was funny – not that anyone else who care of course. Prims is
also the guy that opens this CDR with eight sketchy pieces of laptop
electronica. Scratches, hiss, deep drones and peeps. All of the
common elements of microsound are there, but it’s nicely executed.
Japanese Akihiro Kubota has five pieces, also of laptop techniques.
His work is along the lines of Prims. Sketchy. Using similar elements
in a real-time processing vein. Also Kubota executes his works
finely, but as with Prims, also without much surprises.
The last one is Thanos Chrysakis – that sounds Greek but his e-mail
address is in the UK. He offers one long piece, eightteen minutes of
drone like material. I assume some Max/MSP patches which slowly built
in intensity, but do not break beyond or out of the set context. It
stays on similar surfaces throughout and is a nice, intense piece.
Overall it’s a nice compilation, which actually doesn’t sound very
much like a compilation. There is an overall similar feel to the
pieces, in approach and end-result. (FdW)
Address: http://www.arret-arret.tk
BROKEBACK – LOOKS AT THE BIRD (CD by Thrill Jockey Records)
The Old West is realized as ‘From the Black Current’ acts as a
serendipitous prelude to the newest release from one of Chicago’s
newest shining stars, Brokeback. This is not your typical splinter
band (Tortoise), Douglas McCombs has employed the skillful and
realized basslines of the Chicago Underground Trio’s Noel Kupersmith.
And so goes an aural fantasy, passages in time, space and drama.
These works are at times barren soundtracks to an alienated desert
ala the early 80s road film ‘Paris, Texas’ and suddenly flash to
moments that transmorph the likes of Meredith Monk and David Van
Tiegham. Steeped in a wide-angle range of jazz and indie-pop these
two men make for some sweet harmony by way of slow motion guitar
riffs that blaze saddles and bear witness to 70s Easy Rider chic as
in ‘Everywhere Down Here’. This is another semblance of like bands
(The Dylan Group, Godspeed, Sea & the Cake) creating atmospheric,
full-frontal Southern-fried sounds with panache to spare. On three
tracks here Sterolab’s Laetitia Sadier and the late Mary Hansen add
their very special, timeless vocal stylings. Most moving are
‘Pearl’s Dream’, and the enigmatic closing track on ‘Looks At The
Bird’. (TJN)
Address: http://www.thrilljockey.com/
LOAM – TERRA OBSCURA (CD by Topscore USA Records)
Out of the blue, out of nowhere, comes a sublime reckoning called
‘Terra Obscura’! This is what one might even call the next great
record that Maeror Tri never released, but by divine intervention of
a virtual newcomer. On his second full-length effort, Loam (James
Warchol) compiles a wiggly whirr and coy sound effects, to ascertain
a particular dimensional vibe that is built methodically with
brilliant lightness of being. ‘L@dy n My Life’, while supposedly
using a Michael Jackson one note sample (good luck rummaging for it),
takes funky warm overtones to blissful highs and lows. This disc is
subliminally seductive, and it’s not completely clear why, but it
works its magic, locking the listener in its thick, fog-like haze of
harmony – no doubt a testament to Warchol’s many years playing guitar
alongside bandmates in Sometime Sweet Susan. On ‘Long Min Live’ the
upshot is something that could be easily confused for the newest
record on the Raster-Noton imprint, ticking, a bit nervously, built
on a geyser-like drone. The ulterior ‘Middle Inlet’ gallops and
roundly tinkers with a curious repetition. In conclusion Loam
descends, naked on “Wrong Tack” in all its watery translucence.
Here, an open space becomes an audio playground, slowly filling up,
broader and wider, until thinks crackle and dissipate slowly from all
reason. This nearly twelve minute gem is that falling star you
missed. It is great to know that this artist has already employed
his hand in the area of site-specific installation as the work
certainly harkens to atmospheric spaces. And there’s more coming
soon on an EP called ‘1:11’ also from TopscoreUSA. Watch, wait and
listen (closely). (TJN)
Address: http://www.topscoreusa.com/
SOGAR – EEL AND COFFEE (CD by Mr.Mutt Records)
In the second release in their new live CDR series, Mr. Mutt unveils
a minimally frenetic set by Sogar (Jürgen Hechel, formerly heard on
12K). The label is run by Italian composers Tu m’ whose first release
on the label was Scanner’s eclectically charged ‘Publicphono’. This
set contains excerpts recorded in three Japanese cities: Kyoto,
Nagoya and Tokyo. A slice of futuristic noise/sound art this is a
completely digital recording that has a medicated theme park feel to
it. It is playful yet embodies lives of robots running on low
battery power.
That’s not to say the sound isn’t fully alive, it just captures
dreamy Coney Island-like sequences in the flash of cotton candy
swirl. Crispy rotations like those of old-fashioned telephones coil
sumptiously. I hear guitars, or are they cans, or is it water on some
type of flexible surface? These three tracks run at about 45 minutes
and Heckel seems to use every second in a way that avoids
electro-filler. From sine waves to gurgling bass, ‘Eel and Coffee’
seems to find good measure in the balance of taking its minimalist
chances to maximum advantage. If you amplified the sounds of a music
box ballerina, reversed it and
subtracted every other note you may be dining with Sogar. (TJN)
Address: http://www.tu-m.com/
J. FREDE – LIVE DOCUMENTS (CDR by Doctsect Media)
This new Doctsect disc archives live performances from Nantes, France
(2001), Rotterdam, the Netherlands (2001) and Telluride, Colorado
(2000). A primal opening where crickets meet vibrant harmonious
impulses, frede captures the sparse essence of the night and lights
it with understated tonalities that form a finite resonance. As the
initial untitled piece plays it masks the natural for the familiar
repetitious boom of motors. Part way through there is a breakdown of
linear sound, a chasm of technicalities with a cryptic cut-up of
patched mechanics. “Live Documents” presents an imaginary horizon
where nature and man are at obvious odds. Throughout the first piece
there are moments of repose, venting some predisposed alienation of
its environment. Part two has a plot, a pace, a path. The vibratory
white noise and silvery silence is like an atonal breathing pattern.
Live at Worm, this performance was organized by Roel Meelkop. About
half way in things spin into a vortex of slow-motion percussion that
richochets irresistibly. There’s a firestarter here. The collage of
birds on birds on birds is a nice touch. The last piece, recorded at
the Sheridan Opera House is an unexpected rumbling, hissing icestorm.
Its subtleties surpass its basic construct as it bathes so softly in
the magic of smokescreens and fissures. Or this could be a haunted
Turkish bath. It will ring in your ears. (TJN)
Address: http://www.doctsect.com/
MICHEAL J. SCHUMACHER – ROOM PIECES (CD by XI Records)
“Room Pieces” was recorded between 1999-2002 at Diapason in New York,
a sound art gallery run by composer, Michael J. Schumacher. This
two-disc set starts out with an enigmatic 75+ minute single track,
“Room Piece XI”. At first the pleasant harmonies dance slowly and
sweetly into distilled calm. In time there are eerie cinematic
squeaks that turnsharply with a bite. The fortuitous digital design
draws some primal attention on the negative space here. The
concentration on the void may be central, but the hazy isolation of
its other presences are showcased through the process. The silences
are somewhat uncomfortable where they transcend into cautious tales
selectively permitted only to key primitives to the world of sci-fi
and other tribal derivatives. There’s just a bit too much quiet, if
that’s possible. As disc two unfolds open with “Piece in 3 Parts” an
informal set of musicians speak with strings and objects. Jane
Henry’s violin is rambunctiously set adrift while Tim Barnes’
percussive drive seems to focus primarily on the finite timing of
free improv. There is a simplicity to the chaos most apparent when
Schumacher enters. The liner notes discuss mythologies, though what
you hear is more based on the purity of remote sounds. This music
communicates an extended application as if it were built for
performance art and dance. The quirky erasure sounds which are almost
birdlike playfully dip and emerge from watery sources. “Untitled”
(1999), from the start, is acceleration personified. By far the
stand out track here, this piece is voluminous in its approach to
shaping large sound. It shakes and zooms through the air, completely
filling the listener’s space with a pulsating aura. Finally, on the
chirpy “Still” Schumacher may simply be feeding humingbirdus
digitalis in the aural equivalent of taking field recordings and
converting them into keepsake digital renderings. No vacancy in a
room where liquids and solids dance so gawkily. (TJN)
Address: http://www.xirecords.org
PAL ASLE PETTERSEN – SPOR… (8″ Lathe Cut by Humbug)
The subtitle for this EP by Norwegian composer Pål Asle Pettersen is
“12 Short Tracks”. On 45 rpm that is very true. The tracks are short
and distinct indeed (and obviously succinct as well). These are
miniatures, delicately constructed from a great variety of sound
sources. There is no such thing as a general mood or atmosphere; the
tracks are too varied for that. The only thing one might say is that
they are all sampler based (which says nothing much really). The
other thing one might say is that this is a real small beauty of an
EP. It is a real plaesure to sit down and carefully listen to this
work.
There is enough difference between the tracks and still enough
coherence to appreciate each seperately and as a whole. A genuine
electroacoustic feast. (MR)
Adress: tchartan@yahoo.com
KEIICHIRO SHIBUYA + YUJI TAKAHASHI – ATAK 002 (CD by ATAK)
I believe this CD is a debut, but I wouldn’t put my money on it. It
contains 15 tracks in the genre now known as glitch or clicks ‘n
cuts. But there is something strange about this record: tracks are
quite varied and only slightly rythmical. It is certainly not the
type of music that will fill the old dancefloor. And that makes it
all the more interesting of course. The general tendency on this disc
is minimalistic, but with a certain humoristic twist. Rythms are
constructed from looped cuts and other sounds are layered on top of
that. Things are sometimes on the edge of going berserk, but never
really do. Noise is always lurking somewhere around the corner,
waiting for the right moment to erupt. And that keeps things exciting
and fun. (MR)
Adress: http://atak.jp
V.A. – 60 SOUND ARTISTS PROTEST THE WAR (Compilation CD by ATAK)
Well, the title really says it all: this CD contains 60 tracks by 60
artists and they are all protesting the war (the war in question
being the invasion of Iraq by the so called allied forces), simply by
being present on this disc. The initiative for this compilation came
from Keiichiro Shibuya, himself a musician and working for the ATAK
label. Of course, it is easy for people to come up with a one minute
sound bite and yes, it has been done before, but somehow, this
sampler seems to be better than the others I have heard before. This
is probably due to the artists involved and the order in which they
are presented (even if this was decided entirely randomly). It would
go way too far to name them all, although that could be enough for
many people to order the CD at once. Let me suffice to say that
everybody that matters is on it (well, almost everybody) and that it
is a pleasure to listen to. It was my personal pleasure to listen
with the cover in my hand and try to guess who’s who. At which I
failed miserably of course……..All those opposing the
aforementioned war will have to buy it anyway, so all the others will
have to depend on its quality. Very well done! (MR)
Oh well, here’s the list anyway: roel meelkop/shirtrax vs.
shirtrax/keith rowe + toshimaru nakamura/stephan
mathieu/pomassl/slipped disc/bernhard gunter/kim gascone/doron
sadja/yamataka eye/numb/steve roden/steinbruchel/go taneda/akira
yamamichi/tiziana bertoncini + thomas lehn/yuji takahashi/freiband/cm
von hauswolff/keiichiro shibuya/motor/stilluppsteypa/coh/mikael
stavostrand/radboud mens/miki yui/andreas tilliander/minimalistic
sweden/nao tokui + take3tsu nagano/frank bretschneider/evala/taeji
sawai/fennesz/kenneth kirschner/i8u/john hudak/aoki takamasa/mitchell
akiyama/burkhard stangl/goodiepal/hideki nakazawa/aelab/christof
kurzmann/jos smolders/masahiro miwa/janek schaefer/tv
pow/pix/kimken/saidrum/merzbow/m.behrens/maria/klon/mondii/richard di
sant/christophe charles/william basinski/carsten nicolai/yasunao tone.
Adress: http://atak.jp or info@atak.jp
BERTRAND DENZLER & HANS KOCH – ASYMéTRIES (CD by Ambiances Magnétiques)
This cd is a collection of 4 pieces for tenor saxophone (Denzler) and
bass clarinet & soprano saxophone (Koch). Both musicians create a
series of non linear encounters exploring extended techniques on
their chosen instruments. Traditional notes and tonalities are
ignored altogether in favor of textures created by breath, tongue,
lip modulations resulting in percussive attacks, faint whispers, and
loving kisses. The cd is appropriately titled: both players come
together and then withdrawl as things move in and of sync. But the
music is never random as Denzler & Koch make each sound with
precision, utilizing space and silence as additional sonic material
for exploration. I believe this CD will appeal to fans of microsound
and field recordings, as the music avoids the beaten paths of free
improv. All in all a very cool cd.
(JS) http://www.ambiancesmagnetiques.com/