CANADIAN ELECTRONIC ENSEMBLE & TRIO COLLECTIF – SUPERTRIO (CD by Trap/Metamkine)
Two trio’s, one from Canada and one from France, that have experience is
live electronics. Here they jam together and each presents a piece on their
own. It shifts back and forth between tons of effect racks and sounds.
Highly synthetic, but rather boring if you ask me. Sometimes a tension is
there, but bleeps and bloops break up what is a good intro. Highly
sponsored to get this out on CD, and I’m not suprised.
Address: 50 Passage Des Ateliers – 38140 Rives – France
LEIF ELGGREN & THOMAS LILJENBERG – THE CODFISH SUIT (CD by Firework)
You may remember that wacky book ‘Experiment With Dreams’ that came with a
CD of two man sleeping? This new CD by the sleepy eyed duo is an extension
of that project. Selected texts from the book are read through phonelines
and either at the beginning or the end with electronic effects amplified.
They don’t read it in a normal manner, but with a special intonation for
each piece. That intonation can become funny but at times also quite
frightening. Or both at the same time, like in the half sung, half spoken
‘Odour’. This is not an easy CD, but one that requires repeated listening
to.
Address: fax: + 46 8188720
STRATES (CD by Collectif & Cie/Metamkine)
Collectif & Cie is a sturdy French company and studio where they develop
new technology for music making, composing aswell as realizing concerts and
the like. Every once in a while they produce a CD to tell the world what
they are up to now. 5 composers are present here, of which I knew Alain
Basso before hand (he was in Dernier Du Culte and Phaeton Derniere Danse).
The CD opens with a great electronic piece by Jean-Louis Belmonte, whose
drones are intermingled with percussive sounds. From what I understand from
the booklet (obviously everything is in French) Alain Basso’s piece is
dealing with water sounds, but they have distorted and deformed beyond
recognition. The oldest composer on this CD is Joseph Raguin and what he
dribbles in French makes no sense at all, I’m sorry. That’s not the reason
for me not liking his piece, but the waves he produces don’t do much for
me. Patrick Rutge uses a lot of voices, mainly of people on the phone.
Placed in the stereo spectrum . Then the piece moves into a jouney into the
mountains where the cows are grazing and bells cling. The voices do return
(hey they come from answering machine while the whole family is on a
journey!). A strange piece, but a very nice play for the ears. The final
piece is by Pascal Liguoro and has synthesized choir in the first part of
his piece. He also uses sound objects and environmental recordings.
So in all a good introduction of what is going in the eastern parts of
France. (FdW)
Address: as above
ALEC EMPIRE – LES ETOILES DES FILLES MORTES (CD by Mille Plateaux)
TERRE THAEMLITZ – DIE ROBOTER RUBATO (CD by Mille Plateaux)
Hip among the hipsters are the Mille Plateaux CD’s. They combine
experimental music with the odd ends of dance music and some have a weird
sense of humor to it. Alec Empire is certainly one of those to be funny. He
is probably the one to blame for the fact that their distributor (EFA – who
do an outstanding job in selling this) sells this as ‘electronic music in
the style of Stockhausen and the early 50s’. Ja ja. Rather black and doomy,
this presents much more a soundtrack for imaginairy films. Musicwise this
hints more to 80s music that was released on cassette. In a way some of
this is rather clumsy played, but that is just intentional. Warning to all
Digital Hardcore fans: this is not Digital Hardcore, but just very wacky
synth music. Just very strange, but in a way appealling to me.
You probably heard about Thaemlitz’ new work, which is Kraftwerk played on
the piano. Not an exact copy of the work like Balanescu’s interpretation
for a stringquartet, but Thaemlitz only vaguely hints at the well-known
melodies. I am left puzzled after I played this CD a couple of times (I
just couldn’t read the liner notes, way too intelligent for me – maybe I
don’t like liner notes explaining the hows and the whys). It sounds quite
alright for piano music, I vaguely recognize Kraftwerk, but maybe I just
don’t get it…
Address: <force@mail.pop-frankfurt.com>
SUGIMOTO TAKU – MYSHKIN MUSICU (CD by Slub Music)
SUGIMOTO TAKU – ALTO (miniCD by Slub Music)
Taku’s CD is subtitled ‘for electric guitar’, but that was evidentely after
I played it. The Jap musician is not following KK Null or any other Jap
noise warrior, but in stead he (she?) plays quite introvert pieces on the
guitar with gaps of silence in between the two notes. The noise, well no
real harm done, is in the 6th track where he is kicking his 6 string thing
around with a group. The fifth track, called Guitar Amp II, is what it is.
A nice CD, even if improvised music is not your cup.
If a full CD is too much for you to handle then his miniCD ‘Alto’ is enough
for you. It contains similar improv guitar stuff that is played with
likewise concentration, placing silence all over. More raw this once, more
live too. (FdW)
Address: Slub Music – 2-21-14 Sakura Setagaya – Tokyo 156 – Japan