VITAL WEEKLY
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number 644
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week 38
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Vital Weekly, the webcast: we offer a free-to-download weekly webcast as the
audio-supplement to Vital Weekly. Presented as a radio programme with
excerpts from some of the CDs reviewed here (no vinyl or MP3s). It is
available on the site for a limited period of 5 weeks. Download the file to
your MP3 player and enjoy!
Complete track listing here: http://www.vitalweekly.net/podcast.html
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Submitting material means you agree with these terms.
* noted are in this week's pod-cast
[THE LAW-RAH] COLLECTIVE - INSPIRATION (CD by Ant-Zen)
100BLUMEN - FLORAL ANNIHILATION (CD by Ant-Zen)
VON MAGNET - NI PREDATEUR NI PROIE (CD by Ant-Zen)
PANGAEA NOISE (Compilation CD by Syrphe)
TUJIKO NORIKO & LAWRENCE ENGLISH & JOHN CHANTLER - U (CD by Room40) *
KEIJO - NEVERENDING BLUES (CD by Ikuisuus) *
DERIVES (CD compilation by Univers International)
GENERAL FUZZ - SOULFULL FILLING (CD, private) *
CONCRETE COOKIE & THE MAGGOT FARMER - MONDEGREEN (CD by Force Of Nature
Records) *
D_RRADIO - D_RRADIO REMIXED (CD by Distraction Records)
C-DRIK / ALUVIANA - MOJE CELO (CD by Syrphe)
THE KLANK OF CRNO MIGS - DISTURBING PERCEPTIONS (CD by Syrphe)
CONTAGIOUS ORGASM & C-DRIK - JOURNEYS INTO SPACE AND TIME (CD by Syrphe)
U.S.O. PROJECT - INHARMONICITY (CD by Synesthesia Recordings) *
DISKONO 017 (LP by Diskono)
SKOGEN - SKOGEN (CDR by Bombax Bombax)
UNFORGETTABLE H20 - FLATEFJALL (CDR by Bombax Bombax)
ANDERS DAHL - DOORBELL (CDR by Bombax Bombax) *
MATTIN & JUNKO & MICHEL HENRITZI - JE T'AIME (CDR by Absurd)
CYNAS - CASSET-O-RAMA (CDR by Absurd) *
ELECTRONIC MESSAGES (CDR by Brown Coffee Recordings)
C. HILTON - THE SMOKING MIRROR (CDR by Young Girls Records) *
MAURIZIO BIANCHI & C. HILTON - PU 94 (CDR by Simple Logic Records)
MIKA MARTINI & OSCAR CHAVES - REVOLVER CENIZAS (MP3 by Ruidemos) *
TZESNE & BAZTERRAK - REKALDE (MP3 by Ruidemos)
CNEO CORNELIO - ARBOL (MP3 by Ruidemos)
YUAF - VILLA OCKENBURG (MP3 by Larraskito)
MANUEL GIAO - GRANDONDA (MP3 by Larraskito)
MUBLES (CDR by Le Brutal Records) *
[THE LAW-RAH] COLLECTIVE - INSPIRATION (CD by Ant-Zen)
100BLUMEN - FLORAL ANNIHILATION (CD by Ant-Zen)
VON MAGNET - NI PREDATEUR NI PROIE (CD by Ant-Zen)
Legendary German label Ant-Zen Recordings is ready with three new
explorations into experimental sounds. First of all known for being pioneer
label for the power noise-style, two of the present efforts demonstrates the
label's orientation into other stylish expressions. First album comes from
the Dutch project [Law-Rah] Collective run by the two sound artists Bauke
van der Wal and Matijn Pieck. [Law-Rah] Collective was founded by Bauke van
der Wal back in 2000 and since then the project has launched more than ten
releases with focus on drone-based ambient. Having never listened to the
earlier releases I was quite stunned with this latest album titled
"Inspiration". First of all drifting in beat-less atmospheres the music is
based on deep drones that swirl into vital darkness. The project's
minimalist approach to ambient drones creates an awesome experience of
trance-induction and sheer beauty. As the album approaches the end, the
first signs of rhythm textures appears with the piece
called "A12", where the drones of blackness are accompanied by rhythms that
slowly builds until the grand final: The lengthy track "T luie end", a
beautiful piece based on piano. Next album comes from German project called
100Blumen headed by sound artist M. Nickels. Present album titled "Floral
annihilation" is the follow-up to the debut-length also released on Ant-Zen.
As was the case with the debut "In floriculture there is no law", "Floral
annihilation" circulates in-between harsh noise/power electronics and
industrial in the style often termed rhythmic noise or power noise. The
debut was a brutal beast with heavy weight on the crushing noise
expressions. "Floral annihilation" continues in the vein but the expression
is slightly less brutal and noisy in expression with a sound reminiscent of
fellow compatriots in Morgenstern and Asche. Still 100Blumen has its own
approach to the genre and thus this follow-up is a warm welcome for anyone
interested in the extreme territories of
Power Noise. Last album comes from the strange project Von Magnet titled
"Nie predateur ni proie". Von Magnet has been active since the mid-eighties
resulting in as large catalogue of albums. That the group is more than a
musical is easily heard on the unusual style of the album, with expressions
that contains a theatrical kind of atmosphere. It is not easy pigeonholing
the style, since there is quite some stylish variation throughout the album,
ranging from ethno electronica across industrial ambient to touches of world
music, thanks to the use different acoustic instruments counting sitars,
violins etc. If you thought that Ant-Zen was only a matter of
industrial-based music, present albums demonstrate that this is far from the
truth. (NM)
Address: http://www.ant-zen.com/
PANGAEA NOISE (Compilation CD by Syrphe)
As a follow-up to last years excellent compilation "Beyond ignorance and
borders: An African middle eastern Asian noise and electronic compilation",
Belgium label Syrphe once more takes the listener on a trip to the lesser
known territories of extreme electronic music. Where the first compilation
had a stylish wider approach to experimental electronic music, the tracks on
this one almost exclusively remains in the loud vein of expressive noise.
Still the approach to the harsh sounds is nicely varied and adventurous
here. Best moments on the album is the drone-based ambient-noise from
Slovenian Aluviana and the Latvian artist Error with his buzzing, beautiful
noise track sounding like a symphony of bee swarms. Also the South Korean
artist 10 impresses a lot with his weird and very loud track built on noise
patterns circulating back and forth between the speakers with a quite
hypnotic result and the Iranian artist Nyctalllz that with his work based on
subtle noise, manages to create a
musical piece of sheer terror and creepy atmospheres. "Pangeae Noise" is
another great international compilation from Syrphe, demonstrating that the
Noise scene of today still flourishes into new and interesting forms. (NM)
Address: http://www.syrphe.com/
TUJIKO NORIKO & LAWRENCE ENGLISH & JOHN CHANTLER - U (CD by Room40)
Its been a while since I last heard from Tujiko Noriko, in fact I can't
really remember, or easily find old reviews. Somehow I think I missed out on
'Blurred In My Mirror', but 'U' is quite a surprise. No longer Noriko is by
herself, playing some keyboards and singing, and ending her songs in long
instrumentals. Here she gets help, from label boss Lawrence English on
drums, bass, synths, keyboards and electronics and John Chantler on guitars,
bass, drums, accordion, synths and violin. In that sense this not 'Noriko
plus' but a full scale, equal trio. The songs have grown too. No longer they
last six minutes, of which half are sung and then moving into a long
instrumental outro, but the songs are to the point dream pop like songs. The
boys strum their instruments, and Noriko's vocals are child like, sweet,
complaining, angry or whatever the lyrics (mostly in Japanese) require. The
production is great, imaginative, evocative and to the point. Not a single
instrument seems out of place
in this wonderful nice combination of pop, folk and electronics. Its hard to
believe that this is the result of playing and collaborating through
(e-)mail, as the coherency between the pieces, instruments and vocals, is
great. Excellent work, the best I ever heard from this lady and these boys.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.room40.org
KEIJO - NEVERENDING BLUES (CD by Ikuisuus)
As far I know Keijo is from Japan, but his myspace is 'private'. And I
refuse to announce myself a friend in order to retrieve some information.
His album 'Neverending Blues' was recorded in Finland, where he played a
bunch of pieces by McGhee, Guthrie and Wilkins as well as some compositions
of his own. 'Hey, finally some nice music', says my neighbor. I tell him
about a Japanese blues guitarist playing some traditional blues tunes in
Finland, and his face is about disbelief. He listens some more, checks some
facts (yes, Japanese. yes, Finland) and concludes 'nice music anyway'. I
agree. Its nice music, but I tell him: 'its not the sort of music I normally
review, this is all a bit far fetched from my daily digest for Vital
Weekly'. He says he knew already, but do you? (FdW)
Address: http://www.ikuisuus.net
DERIVES (CD compilation by Univers International)
If I am not mistaken, 'Derives' is the first real CD released by Univers
International and they wanted it to be something special. I must admit I
neither see nor hear that 'something special'. Seven tracks of field
recordings, of 'active listening of their own environment' by some reknown
artists, such as Francisco Lopez, Tô, Jgrzinich & Murmer, Helena Gough and
perhaps a bit lesser known, Rui Costa, Pali Meursault and Maksimns
Shentelevs. The label before has released a small bunch of 3"CDR releases,
and this new work is the perfect introduction to those. The seven pieces
aren't just pure field recordings, but also interferences in the field
themselves. However I don't think there that many external sound processing
elements in this record. As such things sound still pure and acoustic. Its a
nice collection of tracks, although I must admit nothing special. Good,
sturdy pieces that evoke pictures in the mind. Lopez in the jungle, Costa
around a village with farm land and sometimes
things are simply too abstract to make a clear view of what we hear. A
varied record of all fine tracks. Nothing more but certainly nothing less
than that. (FdW)
Address: http://ui.universinternational.org/
GENERAL FUZZ - SOULFULL FILLING (CD, private)
No information on paper came with this CD, but I checked the website, and
found it loaded with information. What I thought was odd is that it mentions
one James Kirsch as the man behind the music, which I didn't find on the
cover. There were a whole bunch of other names, but I believe they are guest
musicians. On the over-informative side of things we learn about software,
and how these songs were constructed. It was so much that I didn't read it
all, but decided to play the CD, listen carefully and make up my mind. Let's
see. Its all very melodic, very smooth, electro-jazz like, lots of piano.
Highly skilled musicians I think. But its all a bit too slick for my taste.
All the atmospheric smoothness just failed to grab me and do something with
me. Like a big candy, which tastes alright at the beginning but in the end
is like too much sugar anyway. (FdW)
Address: http://generalfuzz.net
CONCRETE COOKIE & THE MAGGOT FARMER - MONDEGREEN (CD by Force Of Nature
Records)
The line 'new names arrive every week' I may have used before, but I never
heard of Concrete Cookie and The Maggot Farmer, even when they have been
around for some time. The Maggot Farmer is sometimes also called Jism, The
Dog, and has been a member of Alien Race and Electronic Bubble Frog.
Concrete Cookie is a classically trained pianist who abandoned playing to
pursue architecture). Sometimes they operate as Mash Up, but here under
their current pseudonyms and perhaps with a different kind of music. What
they present here is best described as hermetically closed ambient
industrial music. Highly processed kling-klang of sonic debris which was
first burned, the ashes buried and then exhumed and glued back together.
Field recordings you say? Perhaps. Metallic rumble? Sure, why not.
Electronic processing? No doubt. Rather than playing the right composition,
they prefer to play the right mood. If tracks are long and somewhat out of
control, its alright. If it fits the mood, then its
good. Textured music at its very best. Nothing new under this dark cloud,
but surely that too was never intention of this duo, I'm sure. They are
alone on the planet yet share the bleak vision with the rest. (FdW)
Address: http://www.forceofnature.net
D_RRADIO - D_RRADIO REMIXED (CD by Distraction Records)
Following their three excellent 7"s on Distraction Records, their album
kinda was a disappointment - too much of the same I thought (see Vital
Weekly 612). Looking at the various press comments that come on the blurb
with the remix record, I am sure I am the only one. It makes me wonder what
I should think of a remix album then? Were the songs 'bad' enough that
needed a remix treatment? Perhaps not. This is the world of boys in bedrooms
with computers using all sorts of software to re-create, re-mix, alter and
re-shape the originals, which they thought were good anyway, but why not
spice them up some more. And rightly so. It perhaps may attract some new
friends to the album they all remix now. I recognize and name-check a few,
like Manual, Piano Magic and Cathode, and see, again (!) many new names,
like Populous, Depth Affect, The Matinee Orchestra, Ylid, Juxta Phona,
Matthew Rozeik and Port Royal doing whatever they probably do best. Home
grown dance music that most likely never
makes it to a real dance floor, but that will make your feet tap along. Head
nod armchair techno. Many seem to be using guitars (a six string plug in it
seems) to spice up the original, and throughout I thought this was quite a
fine journey. I should dig out the previous D_Rradio album and see what I
think of it now, I am inclined to think. This surely is a most pleasant
album, with all the minor differences carved out in the world of techno.
Sometimes naive child like, minimalist, dubby, and joyous. Each dance
musician in his own corner, making small ripples in the pond. (FdW)
Address: http://www.distractionrecords.com
C-DRIK / ALUVIANA - MOJE CELO (CD by Syrphe)
THE KLANK OF CRNO MIGS - DISTURBING PERCEPTIONS (CD by Syrphe)
CONTAGIOUS ORGASM & C-DRIK - JOURNEYS INTO SPACE AND TIME (CD by Syrphe)
That Belgium-based composer C-Drik Fermont is an extremely active sound
artist can easily by exemplified by the massive number of aliases throughout
the years. Since his beginning back in 1989, the Zaire born artist has
released a large number of albums under projects such as Axiome, Ammo, Dead
Hollywood Stars and Crno Klank just to mention a few of his aliases. That he
is also an active collaborator comes clear with the release of the three
present albums, all released via Cdrik Fermont's own label Syrphe. First
album titled "Moje cello" is the collaboration with Slovanian artist
Aluviana, known for his mixture of ambient and noise-related music. The
album is a nocturnal beast that takes its starting point in dark ambient.
Divided into eight sections the expression during the 60 minutes runtime
nicely combines electroacoustic sounds, noisy elements and dronescapes.
There is a great atmosphere throughout the album with the casual assistance
of distant voices and concrete singing on a
few tracks. The title track has a nice creepy feel with some old-school type
of electronic patterns reminding me of Orville Stoeber's scary soundtrack to
the horror film "Let's scare Jessica to death" (1971). Next album has been
developed in collaboration with the interesting Israel composer Seventeen
Migs Of Spring under the project name "The Klank Of Crno Migs". Compared to
the aforementioned album present album titled "Disturbing perceptions" is a
more subtle and introvert album that concentrates on ambient of an even
darker kind. This joint venture also put much weight on drone-based
expressions and again the result is an album crying for some deep listening.
Last album is a joint venture between C-Drik and Japanese Noise-legend
Contagious Orgasm. Compared to the first two releases reviewed here, this
album titled "Journeys into space and time" contains some more extrovert
energy with rhythmic interventions throughout the playtime. Elements such as
samples of classical acoustic
instruments appear hand in hand with pure elements of harsh noise as on the
ending track titled "Disconnected": A quite scary work of expressive noise
and creepy ambient drones with an Industrial edge reminiscent of early
Godflesh. In the middle section of the album, there is a technoid track
titled "A darkness digivice" that includes up-tempo rhythm-textures and
plenty of noisy background to give associations back to the early krautrock
days of Can. Three quite different journeys into the spheres of ambient each
adding a pleasant angle to the genre. (NM)
Address: http://www.syrphe.com/
U.S.O. PROJECT - INHARMONICITY (CD by Synesthesia Recordings).
The Italian label Synesthesia Recordings is 'to be intended as a repository
of live improvised electroacoustic works. The main goal is to retrieve the
late Renaissance praxis of 'Ricercare' intended as exploration of a
technical device playing it, subverting it in different ways'. Translated to
the world of audio, this is done by the U.S.O Project, a duo of Matteo
Milani (from Milan actually) and Frederico Placidi, both of whom I never
heard. Both have a background with digital sound synthesis and acoustic
sound treatments. U.S.O. stands for Unidentified Sound Object and very much
like flying objects, their music moves about, seemingly off course. Whatever
they do, it mainly sounds electronically. There is hardly an acoustic device
in sight with these boys, or perhaps there were, but then there are well
hidden in the electronic mass of sound that is cooked up here. In 'Invisible
Worlds' the radio waves make up the sound sources. The long '...
From The Past... Out of The Future...' is forty
minutes long and the most 'silent' piece here. I think this piece sums up
what this project stands for: long meandering sounds, which come from
nowhere and which don't seem to go anywhere. Just a stream of silent sounds.
Like with Concrete Cookie & The Maggot Farmer release reviewed elsewhere,
this is not about carefully composing music, but playing moods and textures,
albeit of a somewhat lighter side of the moon. A refined late night
listening session. (FdW)
Address: http://www.synesthesiarecordings.com
DISKONO 017 (LP by Diskono)
Things have been quiet on the release front of Diskono, but here they are
back and headache it is, again. Not the music, but the concept. I'll try. On
side A there is Scott Haggart's original 1:17 second composition - well, or
so it seems. Maybe they are lock grooves? Maybe there is something wrong
with my turntable? Apparently 'years to make', this one. On the b-side a
bunch of artists use this piece to expand on it further. If I am right,
probably not, then the original is a bunch of downsampled sounds, into a
monotone block of sound, erm, composition perhaps. Its used and expanded by
Lary Seven, Evol, Felix Kubin, White Daughter, Charlie McAlister and Jan van
den Dobbelsteen - and yes, that is mystery times confusion = more mystery.
Their remixes make things more heavy. As I was trying to listen to this,
someone outside is using some machinery to clean his house, and those sounds
mingled nicely with the tonal blocks and sustained machine rhythms that are
part of this record. Each
of the remixers seems to share Haggart's interest in deep resonating sounds
from below surface, and together they form a monolithic drone piece that
makes a unified impression on the listener. If only I could solve this
puzzle and find out about those 1.17 seconds. (FdW)
Address: http://diskono.net
SKOGEN - SKOGEN (CDR by Bombax Bombax)
UNFORGETTABLE H20 - FLATEFJALL (CDR by Bombax Bombax)
ANDERS DAHL - DOORBELL (CDR by Bombax Bombax)
This new label from Sweden looks a bit like the smaller brother of Häpna (of
whom we haven't heard in some time): the same plastic bags, nicely printed
cover, although in a more conceptual approach. Musicwise they are not too
dissimilar either. Skogen is a five piece band, of Erick Carlsson (drums,
selected percussion), Magnus Granberg (piano), Henrik Olsson (bowls,
cymbals, electronics), Leo Svensson (cello) and Petter Wästberg (objects,
electronics). They also play in bands such as Gul3, The Tiny and Sheriff and
occasionally with other improvisers from around the globe. Here they play an
almost forty minute piece of music, that despite the way it sounds is not
improvised but composed, by Granberg. The work develops slowly around
loosely played sounds on the instruments, but somewhere (where?) things have
arrived at a point where there are high pitched feedback tones. When they
came in, I no longer recall. Actually I thought it was sound from outside at
first until it turned out to
be part of the music. A bit plinky-plink modern classical music I must
admit, but the odd use of electronics in the second half prevented this work
from leaping into boredom. Quite nice in the end.
Several of these members of Skogen are also part of Unforgettable H2O:
Carlsson, Olsson and Wästberg, with the addition of Anders Dahl
(electronics) and Matilda Nordenström (radio). This here is true improvised
music. The press text talks about 'a cheerful time of cooking, eating and
making noise' - maybe Flatefjäll is a dish of some kind? Here too the
plink-plink approach sets the tone, but the more extensive use of
electronics along with the more improvised elements on real instruments.
Think AMM or Morphogenesis, but with perhaps a bit more action going on at
times. Here the players are not purveyors of silence and wanting to let
sounds die out, but there is always something going on. Great stuff.
Music by Anders Dahl was released before by Kning Disk, Häpna (see Vital
Weekly 528) and Con-V (Vital Weekly 443, a collaboration with Henrik
Olsson). He has three long pieces here, each made with a doorbell, plus
whatever extra, which is all mentioned in the title: feedback, tapes,
electronics (#1), tuning fork, crotale, clarinet, recorder, pitch pipe,
bouzouki, guitar, electronics (#2), electronics, toy piano, sitar and tapes
(#3). No mention of a computer, but no doubt that plays an important role in
his music. The doorbell is something that is hard to recognize in these
pieces. But I believe that is hardly important. Its perhaps more like a
conceptual pun. In each of three pieces, Dahl uses a different approach to
the same subject. He wants to play music that is highly atmospheric with
slow developments, but because of the different instruments used per track,
the ideas are sketched out differently. Computer processing seems to be
playing a big role, it seems, but it doesn't
always 'hide' the sound of the real instruments. The processing sets the
background. Despite that Dahl also maintains a certain lo-fi quality in the
music, a sort of New Zealand attitude. This release is the only that is
'composed' in a more traditional Vital Weekly sense and was graded 'best out
of three' here. (FdW)
Address: http://www.bombaxbombax.com
MATTIN & JUNKO & MICHEL HENRITZI - JE T'AIME (CDR by Absurd)
CYNAS - CASSET-O-RAMA (CDR by Absurd)
Anyone who ever visits a concert and gets the thing later on CD (or any
other media) knows its not the same experience. Away from the concert space,
in the open space of ones own environment, things may be a bit different. No
doubt it was a delight to watch Mattin on guitar, Michel Henritzi on
lapsteel and harmonica and Junko's voice at the Densites festival in 2007. I
didn't see it, but I can very well imagine how it was. The sheer silence of
six minutes at the beginning and then slowly building into loud noise blasts
with Junko screaming her lungs out. No doubt it was a great concert. But
does it make a great release? I must say I am not entirely convinced. Its
surely a noisy beast that will no doubt appeal to true noise heads, but the
recording sounds a bit naff. It surely has potential to a really good piece
of noise, but the somewhat suppressed sound prevents this to be. Not bad
either, but not what could be gotten out of it.
The information on Cynas' 'Casset-o-rama' is a bit sketchy. It was sent out
of the blue to Absurd by a Russian guy who recorded on his mobile studio
while traveling through Greece. Somewhere he heard about
Absurd/Editions_Zero, and mailed them the results. That's about the extent
of the information here. The result are six pieces of lo-fi ambient music.
Created with low resolution samples, which are layered together, going a bit
out of sync with eachother to create that nice dense pattern. Maybe some of
the pieces may sound a bit too similar, but perhaps that's just part of the
esthetic that comes with this. It reminded me very much of the mid 80s tapes
with similar low resolution ambient industrial music. That's always nice for
an old man like me. (FdW)
Address: http://www.void.gr/absurd
ELECTRONIC MESSAGES (CDR by Brown Coffee Recordings)
While this release has nothing to do with punk, I was thinking about the
good ol' Do It Yourself attitude of punk rock. The somewhat cheap, xerox
packaging helps of course, but also the music by fifteen electronic artists
works that way. Here's a chord, here's another, now start a band. Here's a
computer, here's a plug-in, now create some dance music. The artists where
found on discussion groups 'where most of the artists use VST plugins
applications & sound samples to create their music' it says in the blurb. An
area where people usually have to time enough to chat about the latest
software, where as they could spend more time on their music. Not that I
didn't like this compilation, contrary, I had a great time playing it. I was
doing some e-mail, read the newspaper, occasionally thought 'what a great
ambient' piece (Victor Eijkhout) and pondered that I still don't like drum &
bass, thought I should do some vacuum cleaning which in the end I didn't do,
since I hadn't finished the
paper and I was listening to this compilation. None of the names mean much
to me (Runagate, John Havelock-Moore, Ian Sdhz, 3am, Very Angry Mobster,
Carlos Natale, Gary Flanagan, Beatslaughter, Mauseoleum, Bogh, Necrosensual,
Polyslax and Minimal Funk) leaving only initiatior SampleScience, being
somewhere vaguely familiar. I didn't hear much 'new music' in the
avant-garde sense of the word, but it was altogether an entertaining trip.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.geocities.com/browncoffeerec/
C. HILTON - THE SMOKING MIRROR (CDR by Young Girls Records)
MAURIZIO BIANCHI & C. HILTON - PU 94 (CDR by Simple Logic Records)
Its been more than a year since we reviewed Craig Hilton's work with Yannick
Franck (see Vital Weekly 574), but here he returns with two releases, one
solo and one in collaboration with music legend Maurizio Bianchi. Both
releases indicate 2007 as the year of release, but both are in fact just
released - why no error correction? From the ancient Aztec mythology comes
the title: "Smoking Mirror" linked Tezcatlipoca to obsidian, a black,
volcanic stone whose shiny surface could be used as a mirror." That is
somehow reflected (pun intended) in the music, which is quite a dark mass of
sound too. Hilton uses 'everything' he says here 'Electronic sound sources,
microtonal acoustic instruments, treated acoustics, found sounds', and
moulds it together into three pieces of highly dense music. Everything is
layered and stacked together, whereas the original sounds blurr and obscure,
but in make a beautiful dark ambient symphonia. Much like his previous
release with Franck, Hilton (of whom I
never heard any solo work), this is an orchestral piece of music. Strings
sound out loud, rain drops become waterfalls, and electronics tie everything
together. Silence is absent in the music of Hilton - there should always be
something heard. This work I thought was better than the one with Franck,
since Hilton uses a variety of sound sources and techniques to keep things
interesting. Nicely controlled dark atmospheres.
Which perhaps can also be said of the work conducted by Hilton and Bianchi.
The process was like this: Hilton provided the basic material in the form of
nine or ten sounds, which were reworked by Bianchi 'into an organic
perpetuum mobile' and then the final mix was created by Hilton. Two long
pieces at work here, a bit more monolithic than the 'The Smoking Mirror' and
also a bit more electronic, with a lesser emphasis on field recordings and
acoustic instruments - unless of course they have ultimately disappeared in
the electronic processes that were used in this music. Big amorph masses of
sounds, an ocean of cascading sounds, with many shades of grey collapse,
collide together. Until a real collision takes place and things suddenly
change shape, color, depth, speed or intensity. This is likewise a great
release, perhaps not entirely suitable to be played right after eachother,
but music to be played in the dark for sure (or to be avoided in the dark if
that scares you too much -
such can be the effects of these). (FdW)
Address: http://young-girls-records.blogspot.com
Address: http://vivo.pl/simlog
MIKA MARTINI & OSCAR CHAVES - REVOLVER CENIZAS (MP3 by Ruidemos)
TZESNE & BAZTERRAK - REKALDE (MP3 by Ruidemos)
CNEO CORNELIO - ARBOL (MP3 by Ruidemos)
Of these three new Ruidemos releases, the shortest is by two South American
musicians, Mika Martini from Chile and Oscar Chaves from Colombia. Together
they played in 2007 in Santiago de Chile. I don't know if this is an
unedited cut of almost eleven minutes. Their electronics swirl around in big
swimming pool of reverb and delay machines, but actually I must say its
quite nice. Perhaps a bit scattered around, free floating in all directions,
and perhaps a bit short. It certainly leaves matters open for the future.
An older, 2006 recording, by Tzesne, of whom we reviewed work before,
together with one Bazterrak. The latter plays his own software called
Software Slicer - which sounds like a great thing. 'Rekalde' lasts
twenty-three minutes and there is not much slicing going on. One long piece
of digital drone music, with a deep end bass, crackling glitches on top. A
very nice piece of music. Dark, atmospheric, ambient and experimental.
Nothing new, but executed with great. No doubt performed in total darkness.
Also with one track, but then almost forty-five minutes is a release by Cneo
Cornelio, which seems like a new name to me. He (she?) hails from Spain,
where this was recorded at Gabinette de Investigacion Sonora, Laboratorio
CoDa. That sounds great. Its not easy to say what is used here, but its
highly likely that its only some pieces of software running amok. But it
seems also that it is picked up by some analogue gear to create a somewhat
more rough edged piece of music. That saves the piece I guess. Just the
computers playing around would have made things a bit too sterile. In the
end the work is a bit long for what it wants to say, I think. It could have
been a bit more concise and to the point, but nevertheless its quite alright
altogether. (FdW)
Address: http://ruidemos.org
YUAF - VILLA OCKENBURG (MP3 by Larraskito)
MANUEL GIAO - GRANDONDA (MP3 by Larraskito)
MUBLES (CDR by Le Brutal Records)
Villa Ockenburg is near The Hague in The Netherlands and I have no idea what
it is. But in April of this year Yolanda Uriz (flutes) and Angel Faraldo
(live electronics) spent three days over there and they recorded the three
pieces on this free release. The flute sounds are fed through what seems to
be a computer with whatever kind of software we don't know, but the results
are very nice. The sounds flow about, especially in the intense first part.
Spooky, haunting, feedback like, full of menace. In the second part things
become more concrete as well as traditionally improvised, which is the least
interesting piece, and also the shortest. The last piece returns to the
atmospheric side of things, but more stripped bare to its essentials.
Perhaps a bit less spooky than the first part but quite nice as well.
Something entirely different is the release by Manuel Giao, who wants to
connect beauty and horror, and wonders if that's possible. Well, yes, Giao,
that is possible. The history of art is full of examples of that. His music
is loud, based on guitars and distortion pedals, close to the point of
feedback, lo-fi and dirty. The first piece opens up loud and is gradually
torn down, but the second piece seemed the nicer one. Meandering through
various sound effects, the guitar is less noise based but it gets there very
occasionally. It makes that there are more things happening in the piece,
and although not structured very much, its the more adventurous piece here.
As a CDR, from the same source, comes a release by Mubles, which is a group
of Terri Florido, Miguel A. Garcia, Alvaro Matilla and Carlos Valverde.
Perhaps one could see this as the cross-over between the previous releases,
the combination of noise and improvisation, between ambient and composition.
I believe to have heard guitars, lots of sound effects and electronics.
Maybe there is more than that, but I am not sure. This quartet improvises
their way through a whole bunch of grainy textures, dirty atmospheres, noisy
quietness and silent harshness. Throughout not bad, but occasionally a bit
long and a bit unfocussed. Moving in various directions at the same, rather
than the four deciding upon a goal, it seems. That seems to me the next
objective and then surely things will flourish from there on. (FdW)
Address: http://www.xedh.org/larraskito
Address: http://www.xedh.org/mubles
1. From: "depresja festival" <depresjafestival@gmail.com>
Friday Sep 19
start 4:00 PM
4:00 Piotr Kamler - screening
4:50 Andrea Giacomini - screening
5:10 Beatrize - screening
5:30 Raymond Salvatore Harmon - screening
6:20 Hati - live performance/Raymond Salvatore Harmon - screening
7:20 Maszyny i Motyle - live performance
8:00 Pankratz - live performance
8:50 RH+ - live performance
Saturday Sep 20
start 4:00 PM
4:00 Piotr Kamler - screening
4:50 Peter Campus - screening
5:10 Maja Gajewska - screening
5:30 Eric Henry - screening
6:30 Matthew Mebane - screening
6:50 I Draw Demise - live performance
7:20 Ed Wood - live performance
8:00 Woody Alien - live performance
8:50 Mikrokolektyw - live performance
Video-Art:
Raymond Salvatore Harmon
RH+
IDD
Gallery:
Magda Giesek - obrazy
Terayama Shuji - fotografia
Maja Gajewska - fotografia
Rafal Szalewski - grafika
Merchandise:
Pink Punk
Eter Distro
Moloch
4th edition of Depresja audiovisual art festival will be hosted in Zdroj
Movie Theater in Ciechocinek (POLAND) on Friday-Saturday, September 19-20
2008. This year's schedule will as usual combine live music performances,
movie screeniengs, video art and the gallery. Cast of performing artists
will inlude Mikrokolektyw, Rh+, Woody Alien, Hati, Ed Wood, Maszyny i Motyle
and Pankratz. Screening hall and gallery will host works of Piotr Kamler,
Terayama Shuji, Magdalena Giesek, Peter Campus, Matthew Mebane, Eric Henry,
Maja Gajewska, Rafal Szalewski and Beatrize. Director Raymond Salvatore
Harmon, painter Magdalena Giesek and graphic artist Rafal Szalewski are
expected to show up as well.
2. From: Novi_sad <novi-sad@novi-sad.net>
Novi_sad live at MIR festival, Athens.
Thursday 18th of September | 22:30 hrs.
Akis Davis Theatre [ex. Alkmini], 8 Alkminis str.
3. From: Brian Osborne <bosborne_2003@yahoo.com>
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18TH 9pm
Giancarlo Bracchi
http://www.myspace.com/giancarlobracchi
Twisty Cat
http://twistycat.org/home.html
Paper Leg
http://www.heatretentionrecords.com/HRR%20paper%20legs.asp
Chaos Majik
http://www.myspace.com/mialessot
Tommy's Tavern
http://tommystavern.com/
1041 Manhattan Ave.
Greenpoint Brooklyn
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