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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* noted are in this week's pod-cast
DIETER MÜH/MNEM - ATOMYRIADES (CD by Cipher Productions) *
JOHN HUDAK - ON AND ON (CD by Presto!?) *
VORWOLF - SNAKE'S EYE (CD by Formed Records)
BEINS/CAPECE/DAVIES/NAKAMURA - SLW (CD by Formed Records) *
SAUL STOKES - VILLA GALAXIA (CD by Hypnos/Binary) *
MESSAGE FROM A SUBATOMIC WORLD (CD compilation by Hypnos)
BEEQUEEN - TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE (CD by Herbal) *
LEHN & SCHMICKLER - NAVIGATION IN HYPERTEXT (CD by A-Musik) *
LEHN & SCHMICKLER - KOLNER KRANZ (LP by A-Musik)
BOOK OF SHADOWS - 777 (CD by Ikuisuus)
DORA BLEU - 12 DECEMBER 2007 (CDR by Ikuisuus) *
CANYON - FEVER (CDR by Ikuisuus)
ERGO PHIZMIZ - MADE IN THE MONASTERIES OF NEPAL/ELOISE MY DOLLY (LP by
Gagarin Records) *
DYLAN NYOUKIS/DENNIS TYFUS (LP by Ultra Eczema)
FUCK BUTTONS - COLOURS MOVE (12" by ATP Festival)
MICHEAL RODGERS - CURTAINED MOON (CDR by Black Petal) *
KONZERT VOYAGER - IV (CDR by Ababel) *
MARK TAMEA - TESSELLATION (CDR By AtmoWorks) *
CURTIS CRAYON - GO FETCH THE MADMAN (CDR by 28angles) *
C. REIDER - INCONSTANT (MP3 by Treetrunk Records)
AIDAN BAKER - LIVE 24/04/08 (MP3 by Noise Jihad) *
DISTURBANCE, THE 13TH (CDR by R.O.N.F. Records)
MIXTURIZER - EXPLORATO SATURATIO (CDR by Smell the Stench tapes/CDrs)
DIETER MÜH/MNEM - ATOMYRIADES (CD by Cipher Productions)
For me the name Dieter Müh sounds like something old, not prehistorical, but
just a voice from the past. Maybe its because I didn't hear much of their
music that I think it's very old, but looking at their website at
http://www.dietermuh.org, it seems the first activities were around 1994.
Since then they have played a handful of concerts and a bunch of releases,
of which I remember some - well, the cover of the release that is. Here
Dieter Müh, which is in concert a duo of Dave Uden on samplers, vocals and
effects and Steve Cammack on sampler, vocals and effects, but here just
David Uden, who uses sound material supplied by Polish musician Mnem, of
whom I also didn't hear for quite some time. I must admit I forgot what Mnem
does, but I do recall something with computers and guitars (I might be
wrong). Uden adds Tibetan Singing Bowl, Moroccan Flute and Jaw Harp. This
leads up to eight pieces of what can be best described as mildly old school
industrial music. Its noise music but it
never goes over the top, landing in the world of distortion and feedback.
Yet there are mild distortions to be spotted, repeated loops of obscured
sounds (vinyl, voices, field recordings? Who knows?), sound effects working
almost over time, especially delay and reverb machines. Sounds are fed
through digital and analogue machines and synthesizers, rhythms are formed,
and torn apart, built up and thrown about. The machinery used these days may
differ from the ones used in the 80s, but the result is not far from it.
Music that easily fits Zilverhill's recent release (I keep thinking what the
connection is between the two projects - it somehow fails to get to me) of
'nothing new under the sun, and certainly a time warp back to the late 80s
when equipment got better and industrial music a bit more technically
interesting, but for 2008 certainly a bit outdated, but since I'm old and
sometimes melancholic about the old days, I thought it was quite nice'. That
sort of thing. (FdW)
Address: http://iheartnoise/cipherproductions
JOHN HUDAK - ON AND ON (CD by Presto!?)
Despite his long career in sound art, the name John Hudak doesn't appear
that often in Vital Weekly, perhaps mainly because releases these days are a
bit sparse. Here on 'On And On' we hear him play guitar. Inspired by the
black-capped chickadee, which is a bird in case you wonder, which sang four
notes, A to G, G to F, and the next day it only sang A and G which inspired
Hudak to strum his guitar for a long time and then transferring it to midi
information, in which the computer simplified the strumming. The resulting
melody was then used to trigger the pitches of an instrument much like a
dulcimer. A seventy minute piece is the result, which breathes the
minimalism Hudak is best known for. Notes are repeated in a simple,
relaxing, minimal way, yet one has no sense of listening to long loops of
the material. It's not going from a to b and back, but its a strict linear
composition. I was playing this while I had a visitor and meanwhile I was
transferring a cassette to another
computer
- the cassette was old so the mechanism was chirping, a bit like a bird. The
doors were open, and outside sounds - cars, more birds - sweetly drifted in
and out of the Hudak piece. It added to the already highly ambient piece of
music. Also by itself, with headphones, this is a rather beautiful piece of
music. I sometimes complain things are too long, which they usually are, but
these seventy minutes could easily last an entire evening, sitting on the
balcony and create a new mix of taped and environmental sounds. Excellent
ambient music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.prestorecords.com
VORWOLF - SNAKE'S EYE (CD by Formed Records)
BEINS/CAPECE/DAVIES/NAKAMURA - SLW (CD by Formed Records)
Its been a while since we last saw a release by Formed Records, who started
out with a bunch of nice releases from the world of improvisation. Usually
it involves some sort of electronics, but with Vorwolf the percussion is the
central piece of equipment. Vorwolf is Micheal Vorfeld and Christian
Wolfarth, who recorded in july, in a two day session, a bunch of
improvisation, of which this is the outcome. I don't think I saw either of
them ever play their music in concert, but they use the qualities of their
percussion kits to create a rich patterns. Cymbals are struck with bows,
making a nice scratching sound, snares and bass drums are played with
objects, rather than sticks or brushes, and occasionally they go back to
playing the drums in a more traditional manner. Thus they move between the
old and new world of improvisation, as if to say: we can also play
improvised music the old way! We're good drummers! That we already knew of
course. Although this work was pretty good, I thought
it wasn't the best in its field. I am not sure if this was because of the
shifts between old-new improvisation or the fact that both instruments sound
the same, which makes that it not always makes a difference in sound
approach, I don't know. Good, not the best however.
The second release is by the instant quartet of Burkhard Beins (percussion,
objects), Lucio Capece (soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, preparations),
Rhodri Davies (harp, electro-acoustic devices) and Toshimaru Nakamura
(no-input mixing board). Together they played on October 16th 2006 in
Brussels and this almost hour long piece is the result. It's also the
meeting of highly talented players in this field. Beins plays, I think, in
the most traditional way, with occasional loud bangs on his kit - perhaps
that's the only element we can truly recognize. The other instruments play
sounds that are best described as a combination of feedback, drones and sine
waves. The instrument as object is extremely important here, and also how it
resonates when amplified. Each of the players has a wide array of techniques
to approach this, ranging from sustained sounds, short, looped sound, with
or without curves, silence, loud: this bumps all over the place to maintain
a vivid and imaginative piece of
music. Sometimes creepy soft, sometimes ear-shattering loud, but always
engaging. A fine work by key players of modern improvisation. (FdW)
Address: http://www.formedrecords.com
SAUL STOKES - VILLA GALAXIA (CD by Hypnos/Binary)
MESSAGE FROM A SUBATOMIC WORLD (CD compilation by Hypnos)
Recently, in Vital Weekly 632, we reviewed three new releases by Hypnos,
which seemed to be the first in quite some years. It seems that label has
now various sub division, diversifying their musical output. There is Hypnos
Secret Sounds, Hypnos Recordings and Hypnos/Binary. I am not sure what the
differences are, but hearing Saul Stokes' new release on Hypnos/Binary, I am
sure that binary stands for things with beats in them. Rhythm plays an
important role in the music of Stokes, but as noted with his previous
release, 'Vast' (Vital Weekly 519), Stokes is not the man to play click and
cut rhythms with some shady ambient sauce. Both the rhythm and the
synthesizers are on par with eachother - they are equally important to him.
Stokes himself says that is strips 'away any notion of ambient drone or
chill out labeling', but I may not entirely agree with him there. This music
certainly owes much to the ambient house genre of more than a decade ago,
even when his beats are not strictly
four to the floor affairs. His beats support the music, and the music
support the beats, and his rhythms are more complex than simple dance floor
beats, yet nevertheless they are reminiscent that. Not that it really
matters - in ambient music (with or without rhythm) there hasn't been much
innovation, and it doesn't come through the music of Stokes either. I didn't
expect that. This is music that should be valued inside its genre and as
such Stokes plays some mighty pleasant pieces music. Music to relax by,
while tapping your feet along to it.
On the 'normal' Hypnos label, a compilation under the banner of 'Message
From A Subatomic World', presenting the 2008 state of affairs in ambient
land. Just thinking out loud, I seem to recognize only the names of Evan
Bartholomew, True Colour Of Blood and Oophoi. I never like reviewing
compilations, and certainly not those that don't have a specific thematic
approach, but are merely a postcard, the menu of the day, or whatever. And
unfortunately this 'Message From A Subatomic World' is such a compilation. I
played this frequently over the past few days, especially in the later part
of the evening when reading a book, to take of my mind of whatever I heard
during the day, or, simply, other events. The ambient music of Hypnos and
the ten artists present here is most suitable for such an evening. Its music
to relax by, do 'nothing', to dream while being awake. Very nice. But I
could I tell who did what? Is there that ultimate stand out piece of music
that really makes that splitting
difference, the new, spectacular view on ambient music? I'm afraid there is
no such thing. That can bother me as a reviewer, not as a listener. Then I
can simply enjoy the lush textured music by Austere, Relapxych O, Numina,
Jason Sloan, Phaenon, Stephen Philips and Svartsinn. (FdW)
Address: http://www.hypnos.com
BEEQUEEN - TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE (CD by Herbal)
"Time waits for no one". How true that is; took me quite some of it, to get
to actual writing on this latest offering from Beuys aficionados "Beequeen".
This re-release of the 1995 album, has been spinning in my player for quite
some months now, and I try to make myself believe that 2 or 3 months more,
do not affect the discourse. After all, this album has been out there for
quite a bit already and as opposed to the title, this album doesn't sound
outdated at all. Unfortunately I cannot do the test of comparing it with the
original, but I have to say that the re-mastering (care of Jos Smolders) is
crystal clear and carries a warm vibe. Okay, so the overall feel brings back
thoughts of droney tribalism a la Zoviet France and/or soundscape
experimentation a la Hafler Trio, but still today Stockhausen and Henry
sound fresh to me. Modern day droneys like Uton or Datashock do not
acknowledge their roots either. "Time Waits for no one" is a great album
that spreads about a certain calmness
and that grows on you after repeated listens. Sometimes the edges get a bit
sharper but the overall atmosphere is moody, dark and eerie. Not depressive
though, more the contemplative kind or the ideal setback to repent one's
sins. Apart from that is it also interesting for the new listeners that got
more acquainted with recent albums like "Sandancing" or "The Body Shop".
Essential listening so to speak; a piece of history brought back to life by
the gentle folks at Herbal International. (SDT)
Address: http://www.geocities.com/herbalrecords
LEHN & SCHMICKLER - NAVIGATION IN HYPERTEXT (CD by A-Musik)
LEHN & SCHMICKLER - KOLNER KRANZ (LP by A-Musik)
It's a bit much, a CD and a LP, I guess, but it's the follow-up to an album
from 2000, the semi-classic 'Bart' release, so perhaps it's not that much.
Thomas Lehn is a well-known player of the old EMS Synthi synthesizer and as
such has played with many improvising colleague's around the globe, in ad
hoc ensembles but also in some longer lasting groups, such as Konk Pack and
E-Rax. Schmickler is more the composer of the two, with great works under
his own name, but also with Pluramon, Wabi Sabi, Param and Mimeo, in which
he can practice his improvisational skills, along with Lehn. Since 2000 they
play as a duo, Lehn on his synthesizer and Schmickler on his laptop, and
following the 'Bart' release they played around the world, and like good
improvisors do, everything was recorded, which now culminated in these two
releases. If I'm right the LP has one concert recording, from Cologne (no
information on this CDR version) and the CD has a selection from eight
different cities, but spread
out over twenty-two tracks. Not that in either case we could have said it
was taken from one or more concerts. They move between lots of textures and
atmospheres, quiet and loud, that its not easy to say where they are -
geographically speaking. Having said that, it doesn't mean that both CD and
LP sound the same; there are strong differences. The CD is more balanced,
works the dynamics better, ranging from the soft to the loud, from chopped
to pieces to large drone like blocks of heavy weight sound. Things bump and
collide to eachother in a great manner. The LP is a bit different, and
perhaps its a bit 'easier' to hear that it is from one concert, but here
things are throughout a bit more noise based. Right from the very first
second things are loud and present - perhaps a bit more on the first side
than the second, but this is much in total a somewhat different trip than
the 'Navigation In Hypertext' album. Loud, distorted but also captivating,
albeit on a somewhat different level
than the CD. I think I preferred the more balanced and varied CD over the
somewhat single-minded LP, but both showed two highly skilled and
imaginative improvisers at work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.a-musik.com
BOOK OF SHADOWS - 777 (CD by Ikuisuus)
DORA BLEU - 12 DECEMBER 2007 (CDR by Ikuisuus)
CANYON - FEVER (CDR by Ikuisuus)
From Book Of Shadows we reviewed two releases
before, the CD '... And Then We All Woke Up' (Vital Weekly 574) and the
online 'The Inner World' release. Its a duo of Carlton and Sharon Crusher,
and Book Of Shadow is their side project next to playing in various space
rock projects. It seems that some things never change. The new release is,
as before, filled with to the top with swirling electronics, guitars, voices
and lots of electronics. All of this to create that dreamy, atmospheric
music that they want. Music that is best enjoyed when intoxicated - but if I
would do that every time when the music requires this, I think Vital Weekly
would be written in rehab (oops I said that before). Music by Book Of
Shadows is largely unstructured, like recorded on the spot, turn on the
machines, switch off control and let your mind go down stream. I was doing
some other things when the seventy-minutes of this was spinning through the
room, and I quite enjoyed the free stream of sound, but upon closer
inspection, the concentrated listening
session showed some of the inadequacy of the compositions. I guess that
wasn't their intention anyway - but I may have said that before too.
On CDR, and somewhat low level designed comes a release by Dora Bleu, who
sings and plays guitar here and Alexandre St-Onge plays the double bass. Its
a live recording from Montreal. I am not sure if I am the right man to write
about this. It's a combination of folk (the singing especially) and
improvisation (the bass) - also, like Book Of Shadows, dream like, but here
in a totally acoustic setting and less let your mind go float down stream.
Dora Bleu keeps her pieces together, carefully singing and strumming away.
Outsider music of a great nature.
Mikkel Valentin Dunkerlet is the man behind Canyon and he plays guitar on
his 'Fever' release. The fever might have gotten to him, since he drowns his
guitar in an unhealthy amount of reverb. It totally takes away with whatever
he is trying to achieve here. No doubt his mind is set to playing
'atmospheric' music, but it gets totally lost in the reverb, which sounds
quite horrible stale here. I must say I didn't like this at all. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ikuisuus.net
ERGO PHIZMIZ - MADE IN THE MONASTERIES OF NEPAL/ELOISE MY DOLLY (LP by
Gagarin Records)
This week he plays at Extrapool, during an evening dedicated to the label
which just released a new LP by him: Ergo Phizmiz. That is the true tactic
of a good label, I think, and reading the press text makes me more curious:
'rumour has it that Phizmiz is able to play every existing instrument and
its toy model respectively'. That is a funny line, I thought. Not true, no
doubt, but when audio is an illusion, than the musicians are illusionists.
On this LP, things are divided in two. On one side there are the six tracks
of 'Handmade In The Monasteries Of Nepal' and on the other 'Eloise My
Dolly'. The first are six pieces that exclusively deals with voices,
Phizmiz' own voice, singing, chanting, beat-boxing and making funny sounds.
All the lyrics are 'stolen' from others, such as lady's magazines, Alfred
Jarry, William Blake and 90s popmusic (which I didn't recognize, but alas).
Its very pop based material here by Phizmiz, and absolutely pleasant to
hear. I can easily imagine to hear
this a few times and then singalong - I'd better shape up before this
saturday. 'Eloise My Dolly' is a radio play operetta, as he calls it, fueled
by Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, which I never saw, so it's bit hard to relate
to. As a radioplay it is however very nice, more abstract than the other
side but throughout quite a traditional radioplay, with spoken word and
music. Not bad either, but I heard better from him (as it happens also at
Extrapool). (FdW)
Address: http://www.gagarinrecords.com
DYLAN NYOUKIS/DENNIS TYFUS (LP by Ultra Eczema)
According to Dennis Tyfus - real name it seems - I am wrong in assuming that
his label Ultra Eczema is only interested in releasing noise. Apparently and
utter wrong assumption there. To proof his statement, he mailed me his split
LP with Dylan Nyoukis and well, yes, alright, this is not a noise LP, at
least not in the classical sense of the N-word. If I have to think of a
word - and since I am writing about this, I guess it's my job to think - I'd
say this is an album of sound poetry. Both gentlemen use voice material,
their own voice, along with some guest vocals. These vocals are
'manipulated', 'stolen', 'taped' and 'looped' and the results are two side
long pieces of music in which we recognize the voice surely enough but also
crude manipulations - I'd like to avoid the word noise here, but especially
on the Tyfus side of things things are a bit harsher. His voice
manipulations are covered with mild feedback, and its not a really harsh
affair. That makes both sides quite
enjoyable. Both Nyoukis and Tyfus sound in their tape treatment of voice,
the use of crude electronics and the actual voices like the brutal but
well-educated sons of Henri Chopin. What grand-daddy did, so can they.
Nicely lo-fi sound poetry. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ultraeczema.com
FUCK BUTTONS - COLOURS MOVE (12" by ATP Festival)
In Vital Weekly 603 I said I would check out Fuck Buttons when they are
around to play live, but I no longer have the age to visit Roskilde or
Lowlands. Well, no, I do have the right age to visit an 'alternative'
festival, but with my head so firmly 'underground' I rather do not want to
be engaged in anything 'alternative' and keep myself as far away as possible
from such events. Yes, you may call me a snob or an elitist. I heard it all
before. And worse. I heard the latest Fuck Buttons 12", with a new track and
an Andrew Weatherall remix, and decided that it's not the sort of thing I
like. A drone rock guitar sustain sound, an organ, and a pseudo tribal beat.
More like a long intro. 'Ladies & gentlemen, here are Fuck Buttons'. Explode
into 'Peter Gunn'. Ohno that was something else. Weatherall makes good money
by bringing their sound update or retro (cross out what you think applies
here, depending on your age). History is a wheel, said Boethius. Good times
fade away but so do the
bad times. Absolutely not spend on me. They (band, label, press agent)
should impress those who are sensible to acts that play Lowlands or
Roskilde. (FdW)
Address: http://www.atpfestival.com/atp-recordings
MICHEAL RODGERS - CURTAINED MOON (CDR by Black Petal)
On Anthony Guerra's Black Petal label we have here a solo release by his
buddy Micheal Rodgers with whom he forms the duo Broken Hands. Rodgers was
born in Memphis, Tennesee and plays acoustic guitar here. Elsewhere I review
a CDR release by Canyon, and that guy should pay notice here to what Rodgers
does. Improvised also, but totally no electronic enhancement, no reverb, no
delay, just a man with a guitar and two hands (and field recordings? Or did
he just open the window?). Even when he manages it to sound like he has four
hands. Maybe there is a bit of overdubbing here and there? I don't know, I
don't care either. Intimate, atmospheric. Rodgers plays his guitar like a
guitar - not like an object with strings attached to it and that makes a
sound. In that sense it seems that Rodgers is a classic improviser, which is
hardly an insult - just a fact to be noted. Sometimes strumming, sometimes
plucking, intercepted by curious 'silences', when the door or the window is
open and outside
sounds slip through. Or when Rodgers hums along with his own play. Its
almost like he is sitting next to you in very same room. You with your eyes
closed, Rodgers playing the guitar. Intimate and atmospheric indeed, music
that slows down time. (FdW)
Address: http://www.blackpetal.com
KONZERT VOYAGER - IV (CDR by Ababel)
"ABABEL is the name given to a series of CDr's still in progress. It is
created by Bertin. The idea of the Ababel label is to publish a series of
CDr's with abstract music, sound-art, radio-play, noise or ambient work.
Every release is an interpretation of a theme or subject often to do with
'time' or historic events or myths" it says on the Ababel website. I
received the latest release, which is a drone work, recorded during the
hurricane season. "This might sound spectacular but here in Europe,
hurricane season is far from exciting", Bertin says with his usual dry wit
on the website. Anyone familiar with his music knows that Bertin loves casio
pop in combination with noise and spoken word. His 'Videorecorder' will be
released on 7" soon, which is the best news for the underground dance floor
in some time. So listening to this hour long piece of drone music, its hard
to see Bertin creating it. It sounds great - if you like drone music, and I
happen to do so. He plays organ,
synthesizers and dubs in field recordings from church organs and such like.
All finely woven together in a great mix. Great, but unBertin like. A bit of
old cosmic music mixed with current laptop techniques. Think the UK drone
meisters but a bit more crude and a bit more wild. Maybe at times also a bit
like his fellow citizens Wander. At that not the most original work, but in
a sparsely lit room, surely either fascinating and captivating or causing
small horror - depends on your state of mind. (FdW)
Address: http://ababellabel.blogspot.com/
MARK TAMEA - TESSELLATION (CDR By AtmoWorks)
In Vital Weekly 626 I reviewed a compilation by Ressonus Records, and I
noted the positive presence of one Mark Tamea, who was born in the UK but
lives in The Netherlands - so I noted back then. More curious he lives in
Nijmegen, lovely home town of the weekly HQ. Looking at his website now, I
see he was also a member of Kymatik, a group that released a CD on Paradigm
and which we reviewed in Vital Weekly 257. There is a lengthy quote from
H.P. Lovecraft on the cover but no other information. Like what you may ask?
Well, I'd be for instance curious to know if the instruments that I hear on
this album, mainly cello and violins, are played by Tamea, or others, or
that these are samples of some kind. They play quite an important in some of
these pieces. In other pieces the electro-acoustic touch plays an important
role, the door opening, outside recordings, that kind of thing. Tamea
creates some great music (and I'm not saying this because he is from
Nijmegen, but it helps). Its high
and
mighty conceived and composed, with lots of tension under neath in his
piece, depicting a dream world, but not in an ambient sense of the word.
More modern classical than purely electronic. 'Music for cello, tape and
electronics' could be subtitle, if produced in that serious context. I was
thinking of John Wall when I heard this. The same crystal clear instrument
recording, cut and spliced together with some excellent field recordings.
This is breathtaking beautiful CD. This guy should be big. (FdW)
Address: http://store.atmoworks.com/
CURTIS CRAYON - GO FETCH THE MADMAN (CDR by 28angles)
The artist behind Curtis Crayon wishes to remain anonymous. But let me be so
free as to make an assumption: I think its a new name chosen by Greg
Headley. Why? It's released by his label 28angles, and that label has, as
far as I know released nothing else than music by Headley. Maybe he wants to
break away from his nice ambient based guitar induced microsound and
something completely different for a chance. Maybe I am wrong. Who cares?
Curtis Crayon creates music that is based on rhythm. It sounds pretty
analogue to me, pretty angular in approach. This is not music that is made
to dance, its too crude to do that. The rhythms are not made with drum
machines - or rather: the results are not made with drum machines, but
rather drum machines feeding through, filtering with analogue synthesizers.
That gives the music more a pulsating feel than a 'dance' music feel. It
reminds me at times of The Klinik or them Belgium counterparts. Crayon
builds his pieces slowly by changing the filters,
the parameters, the LFO, the VCR and whatever sine and saw tooth symbols the
machines may have. It reminds me of Pan Sonic or Goem, but Crayon adds
occasionally a more melodic touch to the music. It's not just about harsh
sounds, it can also be sweet and cruel at the same time. That gives this
music something that is not heard very often. It takes it leads from the
world of techno, but its not techno. Industrial but then also quite not so
industrial. Music with a great potential. I don't see where it grow into,
but it certainly has various options open for the future. Way to go, Greg. I
mean, Curtis. (FdW)
Address: http://www.28angles.com
DISTURBANCE, THE 13TH (CDR by R.O.N.F. Records)
MIXTURIZER - EXPLORATO SATURATIO (CDR by Smell the Stench tapes/CDrs)
At the end of Event Horizon the doomed inter-stellar drive sinks into the
atmosphere of Neptune and is consumed. the section with the gravity drive is
a metaphor for post-modernity and though the horrors of the black hole
appears totaling the relative insignificance of the outer planet consumes
it. Also as John Lennon sang on a broken 45 we found but would still play,
"nobody told me there would be days like this.." "strange days these.." And
so i've been playing these disks for two weeks now and avoiding writing ..
and having these kind of thoughts.. Within the genre of what can be re-named
as experimentalism - which appears as The Wire's "Outer Limits" - but never
made even the nearest star - Proxima Centauri, are drums and beats, water
gongs, guitar feedback, synth drones, bass and chirrup, ring modulation and
samples, looped, reverbed and echoed, phased and electronically panned,
field recordings, geese?, gentle singing and processed screams, clips from
radio and or film
again processed and beautifully placed in a dynamic stereo field, such is
the achievement of The 13th - a five way split TORSTEIN WJIIK (Norway),
CHILDREN EGOISM (Serbia) & EGO DEATH (Greece) SPOOKLIGHTS (US) & SIN SEÑAL
(Ecuador). There is a considerable range of work here and what I suspect is
using contemporary technology, feats of electro-recording that at one time
was not even possible in the EMI studios at Abbey Road. Not that the
relative low cost and range of technologies open to the MAC/PC recording
artist/engineer should diminish the obvious amount of painstaking work
undertaken here. And in the Mixturizer disk we have if anything more,
though not of the same, as being a singleton (Manuel M. Cubas) its more
unified in the exploration - not exploitation- of thematic beats which might
range across an experimentalist/industrial genre, are if anything more well
placed, well balanced, produced in a sparkling and at times surprising
clarity of sound. Why then the schizophrenic
worry, maybe I like the Event Horizon we / I have become divided - into two
and detached from the horrors of post-modernity in a new and comfortable
"rescue"- mourn the failed evil of technology and feeling in the comfort of
the rescued a little too secure, a little too like I'm becoming a child?
(jliat)
Address: http://www.ronfreecords.com
Address: http://www.smellthestench.net
C. REIDER - INCONSTANT (MP3 by Treetrunk Records)
There was a time that artists (visual, musical) were talking about making
things interactive, but now that the internet has arrived, one can wonder if
the interaction has really started. There is no sense of communication at
all in myspace, facebook or whatsyamacallit. However there might be
exceptions here and there, and one of them might (!) the 'Constant' series,
which idea it was to present a single piece of drone music, to which one
could listen all day. The piece, released by various weblabels such as
Webbed Hand, TZP Drone Company and Treetrunk, was open for remix
(interaction!) and there are twelve versions of it to be found somewhere on
the internet. For his part C. Reider took all twelve version and played them
at the same time, but filtering out all the drones (how? I wondered) and the
residue of that is his piece 'Inconstant'. This is not a piece of drone, but
short sounds that are repeated, like made with some elaborate piece of
equalization. Elements return, move out,
move back in, all in a seemingly random way. That makes that this piece,
though not a drone of sustaining sounds, is easily something you can put on
repeat and play all afternoon - if only I had the time I pondered. The
sliced up sounds, the small portions, repeated, filtered may not make much
compositional sense, but its surely quite a pleasant thing to hear. At least
for the full forty-six minutes here. (FdW)
Address: http://www.archive.org/details/Inconstant
AIDAN BAKER - LIVE 24/04/08 (MP3 by Noise Jihad)
Things have not been quiet for Aidan Baker, except he is perhaps more
playing concerts these days than releasing music, which I guess is good.
Here, on the Danish Noise Jihad, a live recording free for download, made
earlier this year. Baker played solo, as well as with Nadja for a small
crowd, and for all of us who missed that Noise Jihad releases the Baker
concert (I don't know why they didn't put the Nadja recording online). The
concert lasts about thirty four minutes and moves through three distinct
parts. The swirling textures of the opening, in which the guitar of Baker is
hardly touched, but once the sounds are set in motion, it is locked inside a
bunch of sound effects, moving from the mild to spicy. The guitar can be
recognized in the second part, which is more ambient than the first. Baker
strums open chords and the loop effect pedals again do overtime, building up
from atmospheric textures to the third part, in which cable hum becomes an
integral part of the music and
makes
a crescendo finale, building from say zero to hundred. The third part is the
finest of the three parts, with the guitar and effects in full balance it
seems. Certainly a concert to witness, but the MP3 do as well I guess. (FdW)
Address: http://www.noisejihad.dk/
1. From: al margolis <pogal@pogus.com>
Saturday September 13th
ISSUE PROJECT ROOM AND WFMU PRESENT A MONTH OF COLLABORATIVE CONCERTS
featuring:
DJ TONY COULTER
http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/TC
Tony Coulter has been on the radio in the New York City area continuously
since 1985 -- at one point, on three stations at once. His only excuse for
hogging the airwaves is that he likes everything from Pierre Henry to
America. He has also occasionally written about music for magazines such as
Ear, i/e (later e/i), and the Rail. He has way too many records.
If, Bwana and Michael Peters, sounds and texts
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=10
7044282
IF, BWANA
Since the 1980s, Al Margolis has earned an international reputation for his
experimental music recorded under the name If, Bwana. Realized with a range
of collaborators, If, Bwana music is a fusion of ambient, industrial, and
musique concrete, featuring strange soundscapes that are both soothing and
unnerving, often at the same time. Margolis has also been very active as the
owner of two prolific labels, the cassette label Sound of Pig and, since the
1990s, Pogus Productions, a CD label with a focus on experimental
contemporary classical music.
MICHÆL PETERS
Michael Peters is the author of Vaast Bin (Calamari Press, Fall 2007).
Various manifestations of his written-sound-images have appeared in journals
and books like Sleepingfish, Word for/Word, LUNGFULL!, Hyperrhiz: New Media
Cultures, SPELL, Spinning Jenny, and Richard Kostelanetz's Dictionary of the
Avant-Gardes. His visual poetic structures can be found in various special
collection libraries like the Sackner Archive; they have also appeared in
numerous galleries and anthologies, such as the
recent Ohio State Visual Poetry in the Avant Writing Collection and the
Minnesota Center for Book Arts' Vispoeologee. Most notably with Poem Rocket
and the Be Blank Consort, aural manifestations of his sounds have appeared
on recording labels such as Atavistic, PCP Entertainment, Magic Eye, and
Luna Bisonte Prods. This appearance at Issue Project Room will be his third
collaboration with Al Margolis.
Letters From Withal Unhanded
Beginning initially with Al Margolis's interest in a multi-faceted project
based upon Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and Michael Peters's subsequent
involvement in the project, Letters from Withal Unhanded continues this
fascination. It uses "The Tempest" not only as a material starting point
for this new piece, but as a starting point for arranging the piece as
whole. In this new piece of the project, new "letters" were added to "The
Tempest," complicating as well as dispersing the initial text. Emerson's
"Shakespeare; or, the Poet" (published 1850) and Charles Olson's "Quantity
in Verse, and Shakespeare's late plays" (written between 1955-1965) have
been arranged to coincide with "The Tempest." This piece attempts to
arrange and derange--to receive and construct--the hopelessly inseparable
idea of what we call history and that history can be the function of the
moment. What do we choose to use, to fade in and fade out in that rolling
contiguity of this shared moment with all its divisibility, something of it
flows and reaches us along the channels initially set forth, in this case,
by starting with "The Tempest?" The piece, the particle of the particles,
emanates. How do we use this awareness? What are we channeling? How does
it, organized as it is by the three source texts of Shakespeare, Emerson,
and Olson, organize us? What landfall emerges?
STERLING BASEMENT
http://www.johnroach.net/pages/sterling.html
Sterling Basement - Songs of the Gowanus Canal
Sterling Basement are John Roach, John Hudak, Shawn Onsgard, Matthew Rohrer
In this performance, Sterling Basement presents an homage to the Gowanus
Canal. The ensemble includes the multidisciplinary artist John Roach on his
homemade Band-O-Fly instrument, sound artist John Hudak with homemade thumb
pianos, pianist and composer Shawn Onsgard with his mockingbird Melodica,
and the poet Matthew Rohrer delivering texts related to the once thriving
shipping hub.
ISSUE PROJECT ROOM
The (OA) Can Factory
232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Telephone: 718-330-0313
___________________________________________________________Deep Listening
Institute
presents
An Innocent(Re-Ducks)
Thursday, September 18 at 8 pm
Al Margolis, prerecorded tracks/live sounds
With
Lisa Barnard, voice
Monique Buzzarté, trombone
Tom Hamilton, synthesizer
Jacqueline Martelle, flute
Emily Harvey Foundation
537 Broadway (at Spring Street)
SoHo, NYC
Admission $15 Adults/$10 Students & Seniors
2. From: "Lee Kwang Goh" <goh.leekwang@gmail.com>
- Exhibition -
GOOD VIBRATIONS solo exhibition part 4
Sept 12 - 18
Künstlerhäuser Worpswede, Worpswede, Germany.
- Concert -
09/15/2008 - alberto ukebana, Berlin, Germany.
duo with Olaf Hochherz.
09/17/2008 - Electronic Church, Berlin, Germany.
duo with Olaf Hochherz.
09/19/2008 - Salon Bruit, Berlin, Germany.
solo
10/02/2008 - Feinkost Lampe, Hannover, Germany.
solo
--
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