GERT-JAN PRINS – RISK – (3″ CD by Mego)
MICHEAL THOMAS JACKSON – ELECTRONIC FEEDBACK IMPROVISATIONS (CDR by Primecuts Recordings)
CEPHALIC INDEX – KARMA SUTURE (CDR by Primecuts Recordings)
MICHEAL THOMAS JACKSON – THREE INLETS (2xCDR by Primecuts Recordings)
SKOWEJAJEED – MALRHYTHMIC ANATOPIA (3″CDR by Primecuts Recordings)
SKOWEJAJEED – MORTYMIX (CDR by Primecuts Recordings)
GELBART – FOUR TRACK IMPROVISATIONS (CDR by Gelbart Music)
DEISON – SEQUENZA (3″CDR by Authorized Version)
COCK ESP – GREATEST DICKS 3 (3″CD by Little Mafia)
PETRI KULJUNTAUSTA – MOMENTUM (CD by Aureobel)
ERBE/MANN/POLANSKY/REPETTO/WOLFF – TRIOS (CD by Pogus Productions)
PORTLAND – UPROX DETOX (CDR by Piehead Recordings)
KEITH BERRY – THE GOLDEN BOAT (CD by Trente Oiseaux)
OSSO BUCCO / LJUDBILDEN & PILOTEN (split CD by Nosordo)
LEIF ELGGREN & LIDDIKOATIGHT / KAAOS IN ECCENSTRIS (split 7″ by Some Place Else)
DAVE TUCKER WEST COAST GROUP -Tenderloin (CD by PAX)
ERNESTO DIAZ-INFANTE & MATT HANNAFIN – All the States Between (CD by PAX)
ERNESTO DIAZ-INFANTE & CHRIS FORSYTH – (as is stated… before known) (Cd by Pax/Evolving Ear)
ANTMANUV – MAGNETIC FIELD (CDR by Antmanuv/The Ceiling)
GUIDO DEL FABBRO – CARRE DE SABLE (CD by Ambiances Magnétiques)
JOE COLLEY – PROJECT FOR AN LP (LP by Edition…)
KOUHEI MATSUNAGA & NIKO SKORPIO (CD by Deserted Factory)
GERT-JAN PRINS – RISK – (3″ CD by Mego)
Of course you know Gert-Jan Prins, of course you seen him play live; solo; with ERax, The Flirts, Mimeo, Vacuum Boys or in duet with Lee Ranaldo, Pita, Fennesz, Anne LaBerge or Mischa Mengelberg – to name but a few. He’s that small guy with glasses behind that table covered with instruments of self-built nature: wires run across the table, small boxes with electronic circuits which he plays with his fingers in a rhythmical way. Many may not know, but Prins was a drummer in the eighties (he even played on the very first cassette I had some involvment in, but that’s a different story). Strangely enough there aren’t that many solo records by Gert-Jan Prins available, but the inclusion on Mego isn’t a strange one. Prins’ attitude to the world distorted sound fits the esthetic of that of Pita. But whereas the latter operates in the digital world, remains Prins in the analog world. Picking up signals through his short waves, feeding back circuits into eachother in a highly improvised but rhythmical way, makes this into a very exciting release. Spread out over thirteen tracks in eightteen minutes this is some of the more exciting noise one can get. Witty, dynamic, to the point. A fellow Dutch man to be proud of. (FdW)
Address: http://www.mego.at
MICHEAL THOMAS JACKSON – ELECTRONIC FEEDBACK IMPROVISATIONS (CDR by Primecuts Recordings)
CEPHALIC INDEX – KARMA SUTURE (CDR by Primecuts Recordings)
MICHEAL THOMAS JACKSON – THREE INLETS (2xCDR by Primecuts Recordings)
SKOWEJAJEED – MALRHYTHMIC ANATOPIA (3″CDR by Primecuts Recordings)
SKOWEJAJEED – MORTYMIX (CDR by Primecuts Recordings)
If I was to call Micheal Jackson in this day and age, I would probably call me by my full name Micheal Thomas Jackson, to avoid any confusion with other people living or dead. The man in question here is like the recentely re-surfaced Hal McGee or Chris Phinney, one of the older chaps from the US cassette scene. He used to work under his own name but also as Cephalic Index and he ran his own cassette label Xkurzhen Sound. ‘Feedback Improvisations’ sounds exactely what the title suggests: improvisations for feedback, recorded and released in the age of cassettes but now digitally cleaned up for digital pleasure. The sound he produces comes close to some of the older and harsher Arcane Device music. Not every one of this improvisation is really great, some are trial to hear, but overall, this is quite an enjoyable release.
As Cephalic Index, his monniker in the late eighties, Jackson was more interested in tape-collages of found sound. The ‘Karma Suture’ release sums up the best work from that period. For me actually an eye-opener, as I don’t recall hearing that much of his music back then. Using radio waves, synths, tapeloops and the like as his sources he plays quite lengthy pieces which sound rather put together in an improvised way. Here to it’s a bit of hit and miss at times, but it shows the way things were back then.
After his years in the cassette underground Jackson continued to record and play works, and ‘Three Inlets’ contains two pieces from last year and one from this year. In these pieces he uses clarinets, wooden flutes, toys, percussives, electric guitar, CDs, field recordings, turntable, AM radio and analog synthesizer. In ‘Floral Vapor; Inlet Wearing Ibai’s Name’ he plays the drone card of music, certainly in the lengthy beginning of the piece. Towards the end the multiple layers of rumbling take over. Field recordings seem to be the basis of ‘A Worn Year; Inlet Reflects A Run Of Dead Water’, which are fed through an amount of soundeffects to form an ambient whole. On the second disc things start out in a Jim O’Rourke kind of way, area ‘Tamper’ but move over towards a more turntable experiment. Three lenghty works, maybe too lenghty, but certainly a big step forward from the old days.
By contrast I don’t understand the release by Skoweyajeed, which may or may not include Jackson. A twenty two minute of turntablism, hip hop mix/mesh up and spoken word/rambling. Put together in a rather improvised way, this is one for the die-hard lovers, and that doesn’t include me.
Also on Primecuts Recordings is a CDR by the same Skowejajeed which is about Earle Brown, the composer who died in july 2002 (from the Cage/Feldman areas, in case you didn’t know). This is much different music than the 3″. Here a turntable battle over classical music takes place and I must say I quite like it. Small changes, samples of instruments being re-organized make up a nice fake modern classical sound which is very nice to hear certainly when played at a low volume. (FdW)
Address: http://www.microearth.com
GELBART – FOUR TRACK IMPROVISATIONS (CDR by Gelbart Music)
Behind Gelbart is one Adi Gelbart from Israel, who releases his own electronic music from his home. On his ‘Four Track Improvisations’ he bypasses the computer and switches on his old four track machine and his cheap keyboards and drum computers. No less than thity-two of these improvisations run by in just under forty-five minutes. Very upfront music, which reminded me of the old days of cassettes, of Andre de Koning (I assume nobody knows who that is), of Neue Deutsche Welle, Der Plan but also of electro, the retro hype of the moment. Not every track is great (like ‘Sophisticated Lady’, a cover by Duke Ellington), but I think if some of these improvisations were worked out better, it could be an almighty retro electro-clash 12″. Now with such drive and energy it might be a difficult task to keep ones attention throughout, but it’s a nice thing anyway.
Address: http://www.gelbartmusic.com
DEISON – SEQUENZA (3″CDR by Authorized Version)
Some time ago (Vital Weekly 372) I noted to my surprise the music of Deison, who didn’t do noise, but played a rather interesting form of ambient glitch music. Back then I reviewed a couple of MP3 releases, but here’s a real release on the nice Authorized Version label. Recorded, it says, at various locations, but I am not sure if that includes field recordings or live concerts. Either way, the seven pieces included here, show a great interest in carefully constructed microsounding glitch music, with a strong ambient undertone. Seven sketch like pieces of a good quality – what more do you want? Maybe the not the most original voice around, but nevertheless quite nice. (FdW)
Address: http://www.a-version.co.uk
COCK ESP – GREATEST DICKS 3 (3″CD by Little Mafia)
By now Cock ESP belong to the legends of noise music. Through a long string of releases, CDs, CDRs, cassettes and vinyl they have forced the onslaught to the world. This 3″ contains their best and worst from the years 2001-2003 over forty different pieces of music. They all have titles, mainly dealing with the ‘love handle’ (as it is called in the spam I receive everyday). Feedback, screaming, radio waves and synthesizers form the basic ingredients for the festival of noise. Cock ESP aren’t the worst players of the genre, but I can safely say I heard too much noise in my life to get a hard one (to stay on the matter) from it. At least it’s done with great clarity and dynamics: and that’s a rare thing nowadays in noise music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.littlemafia.com
PETRI KULJUNTAUSTA – MOMENTUM (CD by Aureobel)
Apperentely this Petri Kuljuntausta is a busy bee. He has worked with filmers, urban architects, composers (such as Morton Subotnick and Atau Tanaka) but he also a wrote a 800 page book ‘History Of Finnish Electronic Music. For his latest CD ‘Momentum’ he uses short samples as the basic material for composing. At least that’s what he claims. Because overall the music on this CD has an ambient character and the sounds seem to be stretched out a lot – at least by my perception. This is rather pleasent ambient music of a more relaxing kind. Not upsetting or anything, but also something that is very new to me. Music that I heard doing before (even when I keep in mind that the oldest piece is from 1996 here, even by that standard a bit outdated), but on a cloudy sunday morning good music to wake up. (FdW)
Address: http://www.aureobel.com
ERBE/MANN/POLANSKY/REPETTO/WOLFF – TRIOS (CD by Pogus Productions)
When I opened the parcel and saw this CD I thought: “wow, this must be great”. Pioneers such as Christian Wolff, Larry Polansky, voice artist Chris Mann and two guys I never heard of: exciting. But wait, five musicians on a CD called ‘Trios’? First there was a trio of Chris Mann, Douglas Repetto and Larry Polansky who recorded several hours of improvised music and several months Repetto and Polansky teamed up with Wolff. Makes four people. Tom Erbe finally came as editor in chief for the recordings. Editing, processing, layering: he did it all and here is the result. Instruments include voice, guitars, computer, electronics, piano, bass, percussion and melodica. I must say that the instrumental part of this CD is quite alright. From glitchy cracks to Polansky’s guitar treatments, it’s all done nice and the edits sound fine to me. However I must say I have a problem with Chris Mann’s voice. I heard him doing this sort of voice thing maybe thirteen years ago and it hasn’t changed. It’s a very specific sort of voice artist which you either like or hate. I think I belong to the latter. Since he voice is quite dominant present in most of these pieces, it makes this CD for me at least not on that easy to digest. What looked promising on paper is in the end just not the right thing. (FdW)
Address: http://www.pogus.com
PORTLAND – UPROX DETOX (CDR by Piehead Recordings)
Indeed a nice piece of the United States, Portland. It’s also the name chosen by one Spencer Lytle, who was born and raised in San Diego and he has been playing electronic music for the past fourteen years. I must say I never heard anything of it, but I am altogether not sure if I should, at least if this disc is something to go by. Nine tracks of intelligent dance music, with some ambiento sequences. None of these nine tracks really did something for me. It all sounded too much like a copy of a bad copy. Sorry. (FdW)
Address: http://www.pieheadrecords.com
KEITH BERRY – THE GOLDEN BOAT (CD by Trente Oiseaux)
It’s a pity that the small press blurb doesn’t say much about who Keith Berry is or what he does, but that first sentence says ‘four pieces all quite consistent in style and sound quality to the point that they form, not unlike my own Un Peu de Neige Salie, a unified whole’ – the ‘my’ being of course Bernard Gunter. This is where the labelboss and composer perfectly melt together. No distance (unfortunally). But no info on Keith or his music. That leaves the reviewer with some wrongly guessing I assume. I think Keith samples instruments – maybe recorded at his studio, maybe from a CD – like violins and piano’s and treats them in the computer. Unlike the famous Gunter CD ‘Un Peu de Neige Salie’ this is on an audible level and also unlike that work, this sounds less electronic to me. There is a certain nice warmth to this music that operates on a drone level. Thos who love Mirror or Andrew Chalk will find this of interest too. Especially the first and third, untitled piece is a perfect example of this. The fourth piece is less dense and almost vulnerable in approach. A sound here and there, with room for silence. The short second piece is by contrast the most musique concrete like piece with a love of acoustic objects. Altogether a fine CD, which isn’t exactely coherent. Not that it matters very much, because what’s pressed on the CD is indeed very good. (FdW)
Address: http://www.trenteoiseaux.com
OSSO BUCCO / LJUDBILDEN & PILOTEN (split CD by Nosordo)
Occassional Vital Weekly writer Gregg Kowalksky also plays music under the Osso Bucco monniker. Originally he is from New York City, raised in Florida but now living in sunny Barcelona. In his own music he works inside glitchy ambient (for the lack of a better definition). The four tracks here make use of guitars, lots of guitar processings and a bit of field recordings. Not unlike Fennesz, Osso Bucco however opts for a more relaxing, ambient sound. Warm, glitchy music. Not new, but nice anyway.
One Kristofer Ström is behind Ljudbilden & Piloten. I know nothing about him. He has five tracks on this CD. Although seemingely working in similar areas as Osso Bucco, the desolate trumpet in ‘Balcony For Beating Carpets’ hints at a more laptop folky/singer songwriter interest. Guitars, slides and drums play an important role in the other tracks and computer processing play a much smaller role, if any at all. This music could have been released on Hapna, as it carries many stylistic references to their releases. Whereas Osso Bucco stays safely inside the field of microsound, Ljudbilden & Piloten stays likewise safely in the areas of alternative rock. Quite a nice release of two contrasting musicians, but which work wonderfully well. (FdW)
Address: http://www.nosordo.com
LEIF ELGGREN & LIDDIKOATIGHT / KAAOS IN ECCENSTRIS (split 7″ by Some Place Else)
Some Place Else continues to release split 7″s, here by Kaaos In Eccentris and a collaborative effort by Liddikoatight & Leif Elggren. Kaaos In Eccentris is a new group from Finland with Some Place Else artists such as Niko Skorpio, Ibrahim Terzic, Ovro and Mockingwryd. They hook up their laptops, bass, effects, synths and devices and their ‘No-one Takes One Too Free’ has a slowed down bass playing (rather battling) against a wall of laptop sound, slowly burning down from inside out.
Recorded via telepathy is the collaboration between reknowned Swedish artist Leif Elggren and Liddokaotight, the group with Kouhei Matsunaga, Imany and Akiko. Their telepathic work ‘Trapezoid’ results in turntable noise and a loose improv on instruments and objects. Rather a mish-mesh of sound going here, which is not rather focussed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.someplaceelse.net
DAVE TUCKER WEST COAST GROUP -Tenderloin (CD by PAX)
ERNESTO DIAZ-INFANTE & MATT HANNAFIN – All the States Between (CD by PAX)
ERNESTO DIAZ-INFANTE & CHRIS FORSYTH – (as is stated… before known) (Cd by Pax/Evolving Ear)
Two new collaborations of Ernesto Diaz-Infante. Whenever a new album of him falls in the letter-box I feel warned. Diaz-Infante is not the most self-critical musician I know. Many of his releases raise the question ‘Why?’ On the other hand from to time a work of him is OK because it is a very personal statement or musically spoken of interest.
‘All the States Between’ is a cooperation by Diaz Infante and Hannafin. The liner notes tells the following about their project: “All the States between is an electro-acoustic work constructed through the US mail, using (and working within the limitations of) two low-tech four-track cassette recorders. Ernesto Diaz-Infante laid down his tracks in San Francisco in late 2001 on recycled tapes, using a Tascam Portastudio 424, turntable, Shure SM57 mic on TV screen and broken CD player, San Francisco MUNI/BART field recordings, Sony TCM-313 cassette-corder, jack plug, violin, and voice. Matt Hannafin added his two tracks in New York in February 2002 using a Yamaha MT120, Samson R11 mics, percussion key, hand cymbals, stainless steel handbells, qaraqeb, Ghanaian windmill bells, iron ankle bells, newspaper, bentwood tambourine, and miscellaneous rattles and shakers. The work is constructed in two parts, corresponding tot the duration of the original tapes.”
Hannafin is a percussionist who lives in New York. He studied Iranian tombak with master Kavous Shirzadian; frame drums with Jamey Haddad and Glen Velez; African and Afro-Caribbean percussion with John Amira, Magette Fall, and others. And also voice with composer La Monte Young and master Pandit Pran Nath.
Besides his love for ethnic and especially iranian music he has a love for improvised music. He is member of Chainworks (with pianist Dan DeChellis, a.o.) who have cd’s out on Sachimay. And on ‘All the States Between’ we find him working on a soundcollage with Diaz-Infante.
Not much is happening here in the two lengthy track. Electro-acoustic music of a very thashy and minimalistic kind. Although we here sounds and noises of great diversity and origin, both gentlemen fail to create a work of some originality or coherence. The electronic noises produced by Diaz-Infante are very boring. Hannafin is doing his best on all kinds of percussion. But both ingredients don’t result in a tasty meal.
“(as is stated… before known)” is the fourth step in the ungoing collaboration between Ernesto Diaz-Infante and Chris Forsyth (known from: All Time Present, Psi). There new one is co-released by their respective labels Pax Recordings and Evolving Ear.
Throughout the album Diaz-Infante plays acoustic guitar and Chris Forsyth electric guitar. The duets were recorded on may 5th, 2003. Diaz-Infante, brushes, hammers and pulls the strings of his guitar. But most of the time he repeats riffs. His playing is gentile and psychedelic. More radical sounds come from the electric guitar played by Forsyth.
He is gives away some interesting playing. Consequently his playing is on the forefront, whereas the playing of Diaz-Infante stays in the background
The music is very drony, calm and friendly. Even bluesy at some moments. So no wild excursions into new areas, but more of a return to older days, albeit on a very abstract level. Hope their next one will be more inspire and original.
The real surprise from this bunch of new Pax-releases comes from Dave Tucker. Listening to this one it is immediately evident that we make a qualitive jump now. At last some music with vision and ideas.
Tucker played with The Fall for a short while (1980-1981). Later he became an improvisor
and started The School of Velocity (cd ‘Homework’ out on Grob) in 1998. In more recent years he worked, among others, in a duo with John Butcher, in a quartet called Scatter with Phil Minton, Roger Turner and Pat Thomas, in projects with Louis Moloho or as a composer for the London Improvisers Orchestra.
In 2001 he visited the U.S. for the first time. Diaz-Infante helped him to bring together the musicians for his West Coast Ensemble. Tucker plays electric guitar, electronics and his ensemble has the following members: Ernesto Diaz-Infante (amplified acoustic guitar), Danielle DeGruttola (cello), Damon Smith (double bass), Scott R. Looney (real-time laptop processing) and Garth Powell (drums, percussion & idiophone).
Tucker may be gratefull to Diaz-Infante because this ad hoc ensemble does a very nice job, playing the compositions of Tucker. Here we have a very interesting composer and player. Very nice to hear his electric guitar with rock roots in a context of modern composed and/or improvised music, like in ‘Mission Dolores’. Not that his guitar is in the centre in all 13 pieces. Far from it. In each one Tucker tries to give his ideas shape from a different angle. This implies that in one piece the drums and percussion (nice playing by Garth Powell!!) are dominant, in another his guitar or electronics are on the forefront.
All pieces are evidence of a succesfull intertwining of sounds of acoustic, electric and of electronic origin. The music is very dynamic and inventive. Slow and dark at one moment, cacaphonic and expressive at another. Tucker is very eager into exploring new musical possibilities. ‘Tenderloin’ has all the guts and daring that are missed in both Diaz-Infante collaborations. So this one is not to be missed!(DM)
Address: http://www.paxrecordings.com/
Address: <info@evolvingear.com>
ANTMANUV – MAGNETIC FIELD (CDR by Antmanuv/The Ceiling)
Originally from Portugal now living in Canada is Tomane V. who calls himself Antmanuv. he plays analog modular synthesizer, turntable, ‘a technic’ and microphones. During a severe thunderstorm he recorded some material which he used weeks later in a live concert. Or something like that. Earpiercing synth tones backed with dark rumbles of the lower end of the sound spectrum. Although divided in fifteen different tracks, this is rather a coherent thing. Even when they all have seperate titles, I think the material is intended as one long concert. Antmanuv crosses various genres with his music, which ranges from artic soundscapes to the more noisy and upfront version of microsound, with traces of industrial music somewhere deep down there. Maybe a more selective approach would have been ok, but overall this is a good documentation of a concert. (FdW)
Address: http://www.antmanuv.net
GUIDO DEL FABBRO – CARRE DE SABLE (CD by Ambiances Magnétiques)
‘Carré de sable’ is the hard to classify debut of Guido del Fabbro. Fabbro (1980) is a violonist and composer from Montreal. Interested in both improvised and written music he gathered his experience in groups like Fanfare Pourpour, L’Hotel du Bôut de la Terre, and Rouge Ciel.
On his first solo effort sound experiments and instrumental pieces succeed each other. Both of them are nor extremely experimental nor plainly conventional. But his music fits perfectly with the esthetics of the Ambiances Magnétiques label.
Throughout the album Del Fabbro plays violin and a great diversity of instruments: violins, guitars, mandoline, harmonica, flutes, and many more. He is helped by Marie-Claude Lamoureux on voice in two tracks and Pierre-Emmanuel Poizat on bass clarinet also on two tracks.
With ‘Carré de sable’ he composed a multitracked work that is a pleasure to listen to. Folky dance tunes and abstract sound experiments succeed each other, and go wonderfully hand in hand. Del Fabbro explains, “This collection of hotel chamber music pieces is the soundtrack to the time taken to create personal ecosystems & to have fun with very simple materials, like a child in a sandbox” (DM).
Address: http://www.actuellecd.com
JOE COLLEY – PROJECT FOR AN LP (LP by Edition…)
The subtitle of this LP is ‘One Method Of (Nearly) Avoiding The Composer’ and it is subsequently categorised as an installation document. Which is all very true it seems. It goes like this: on the white side of the LP Colley collected fragments of prerecorded sounds from two different minidisc players, one on the left channel and one on the right channel. The discs were twin copies, but the players were on random play, so there is an interplay between left and right. Now Colley put three test copies of this disc on three record players which were blown at by desk fans, so that they would skip irregularly, but within the sound area of the LP’s. So far so good, sounds interesting enough. Then he made two recordings of this installation, one stationary and one walking. And these recordings we find on the black side. All this effort was done in order to avoid compositional choices and have a physical transformation of the orginal sound……Yes, it does sound like a lot of hassle NOT to compose a piece. Which is a valid choice, no question. But I will admit that I’d much much rather heard/seen the installation itself than these microphone recordings of them. The photographs on the cover give a decent enough idea of it, but that will never convey the true thing. So the concept is very nice indeed, but I think I can do without the document really, unless it’s really meant to make one curious to see the real thing, which it does. (MR)
Address: http://editionellipsis.hypermart.net
KOUHEI MATSUNAGA & NIKO SKORPIO (CD by Deserted Factory)
Now here is an interesting disc from the land of the rising sun. Kouhei Matsunaga is the main stable factor here, because all the tracks are collaborations between him and Frans de Waard, o-pi-o. Rudolf Eb.er, Raionbashi, Lesser, Eimontas Ciuta, Gintas K, Ibrahim Terzic, Carlos Giffoni, Zenial, Mattin, Greg Davis, Phorq, SortMel, Lasse Marhaug and Koyzeu. That’s a long list but don’t worry: all the tracks are pretty succinct and to the point. And what is more: there is certainly a cohesion between all this music. That must of course be due to Mr. Matsunaga, whon not only seems to know a lot of people, but also knows how to keep things focused. That is a great quality and it certainly pays off on this disc. The tracks are all very well done, with a very strange spatial quality and strange cuts. This is quite a weird mix between noise, microsound, glitch and even pop. The idea is old, but the execution is fresh and full of life. Well done. (MR)
Address: http://www.desertedfactory.com