STEVE RODEN – CROP CIRCLES (CD by Trente Oiseaux)
Maybe it’s due to Trente Oiseaux releasing policy, but for one reason or
the other this CD is by Steve Roden, and not his alter ego band name In
Between Noise. This piece was made as part of a sound installation “softly
playing continuously in an alcove of a small 1940’s bungalow along with a
handmade silver cushion, facing a window, for listening”. I get a bit soft
inside… it sounds hippy like. I am listening it in a cold room, 3 floor
high, with the heater on.
The piece starts with crackling noise, like a hand held contactmicrophone.
Slowly deep end drones enter, along with some other undefined sounds. Every
once a high end tone comes in and goes out – but it’s very remotely mixed.
Like bees buzzing in the corn field. In the second of this piece these
buzzing sounds are more apperent. There is a distinctive feel to this CD –
it’s a remote sound, but one that is always audible.
This is much ‘ambient’ or ‘easy listening’ as much of the other Trente
Oiseaux releases, even though Steve Roden captures the label sound very
well. Since this is part of the ‘ameublement d’oiseaux’ series (the first
in that series), we may assume there is more of this kind of ambience
coming. The ambient music that hints directly at Erik Satie’s Furniture
Music (in French Musique Ameublement): music that is not intended for
active hearing, but more aura wallpaper. Music to do something while.
Writing reviews for instance. In that respect it is a great CD! (FdW)
Address: <bguenter@abo.rhein-zeitung.de>
DUMMY RUN – ICE CREAM HEADACHE (CD by Hot Air)
Dummy Run equals Stock, Hausen & Walkman less Matt Wand leaves Brirminghim
and Sharpley. Their first CD, who title I never figured out, but I mean the
one in the white jewel case, was witty aswell as acurate: short pieces,
full of samplemania and packed with crazy rhythms. I must admit I couldn’t
really tell the difference between Dummy Run and Stock, Hausen & Walkman,
but let’s call it plain ignorance on my side. This second CD runs 20 tracks
in less then 37 minutes. Most of these are less then 2 minutes each but due
to the fact that is highly collage fashion here, you can’t say that a new
track started, or the previous one ended. It gives the entire disc a sense
of totality. Many of the fashionable drum & bass rhythms are liften from
records and CD’s, and I can imagine (you can never be sure with these
things) that is a little of stuff played by themselves added (an occsional
lost sax). The plunderphonic samplemania continues it’s battle. Whereas
some people might go around it, these people are honest: “yes we sample and
we like it”. (FdW)
Address: fax These: + 44 171 582 5278
THE ART OF MARGINAL TALENT (CD compilation by Marginal Talent)
I can imagine some review being written taking the piss out of the title.
“Marginal music by marginal talents”. But Marginal Talent, one of the many
divisions of Empty Records (Doc Wor Mirran’s label), refer to the social
outcast that many of these musicians are. Sturdy experimentalism by the
very young and the very old and everything between. I can’t play the 5″
vinyl, so no comment on Mr Welten and Kluster (although this is an excerpt
of ‘Eruption’, which Marginal Talent brought on CD a while ago). The CD
opens with granddaddy Conrad Schnitzler, with a fine excursion in
non-keyboard electronics. Wunderkinder Maeror Tri are in their usual drony
industrial states. Hawkind is some suprise to find here. Apptly titled
‘Space’ they deliver a short improv piece of guitar, synths and saxophone.
I am no connoisseur of Hawkind, so I can’t really comment on the
nature/history of this piece. Marginal Talent entrepeneurs Doc Wor Mirran
and Tesendalo crop up a joint piece of rather joyful electronics and a
sampled guitar. Good ol’ Brume is also present with more voices thrown in
then usual and something that I would call a sampler – hey where are his
principles? The overall is quite a spooky piece of great quality. The
recent new agey doodlings of Vidna Obmana just do not have my interest – so
I skipped it after a minute or so. Unlike Stillupsteypa, those Icelandic
boys abroad, take some more inspiration from good ol’ Hafler Trio, but
played with some guitars beneath all that electronica. Another chilly
electronica piece is by Jorg Thomasius, but it didn’t do much for me. Watch
Deathprod from Norway: they soon will have a record out on the label of
Micheal Gira and are present here with maybe the longest piece on the CD.
Apperentely recorded at -34 degrees and is again a chilling electronica
battle of sounds falling over eachother. Nocturnal Emissions are not often
to be found on compilations (at least these days) and stay close to their
recent music: wacky rhythms that show an interest in dance music (no no
drum & bass) and a sample opera voice undereath. Sack inhabts a world of
humour which is definetly German and not mine – here he is doing an
imitation of ‘industrial musician’. Autumn’s ‘Dedicated’ might be dedicated
to Durutti Column or any other recent alternative Andreas Wollenweider. Not
bad, since it’s just a standalone on a compilation. Beequeen invited
Jliat’s CD (must be the first or the second one) to play a general part of
their ambience of more dronig sounds.
Not all of these are brilliant tracks per se, but it provides a good
overview of the very young and the very old, all aiming at the world of
experimental music. (FdW)
Address: Marginal Talent – Erlangerstr. 7 – 90765 Furth – Germany
ASHERA – AMBIENT SELECTIONS (2CD by ?)
More prototype ambient to be found on this double set from Australia.
Probably a self-release, as I can’t find any reference to a label. CD 1 is
filled with quiet pieces of sampled bells, layered synths and occasional
washes voices humming. Quite evocative this is. It passes without much
happening, but with a relaxed state. Like no ambient flooded the market
place a few years ago, this seems isolated and free of influence, except of
the mighty inventor of ambient music, Brian Eno.
Disc 2 might be more of the same if it hadn’t included the final track.
This is total change: a whole orchestra is sampled and put into motion.
Steve Reich on the samples? A vivid piece of minimal music, with a distant
saxophone tone humming and marimba’s as the icing on this cake. It’s called
‘Spinning Dance Of Joy’, and it might be very happy. I was already pleased
with the 100 minutes of ambience poured over me as a tropical rain forest
shower, but this tops off a really nice packed set. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ashera.com
NURSE WITH WOUND – A MISSING SENSE (CD by United Diaries)
Here is a necessary re-issue. A Missing Sense comes from the split record
with Organum (whose side is not featured on this CD) and is the famous
cover NWW did of the classic Robert Ashley piece ‘Automatic Writing’.
Designed to be played a low volume, the organs hum, with an occasional tick
on the cooking pan in the kitchen. Voices whisper (hey, this is a voice
piece after all) words, texts, who knows? An evocative piece that, although
I’m running into problems again, can match up with the likewise brilliant
original. Two other pieces are present here: ‘Swansong’ from Alas The
Madonna miniLP, with it’s washes of sea sounds, that steadily growing more
electronic as the piece evolves. Maybe the sea is made out of static hiss?
The final piece is one side of Ostranenie 1913 LP, the ‘Dada’ piece. From
all the early NWW pieces probably one of the strongest. The is a surrealist
text, spoken by a female voice, with saxophone, piano and electronics as
it’s companion. Steve Stapleton fully uses the studio to knit a fine
tapestry of sounds and words, that after all these years didn’t loose any
of it’s power. I’m still moved by it’s beauty. (FdW)
FRANCOIS DOURIS – MICROPOINTE (CD by Les Disques Bruitistes)
Douris has had various productions out before, mainly on his own or by
RRRecords, and he can be regarded what somebody recentely called’Shit
Noise’. Noise music that is made by the lowest means possible, cheap
microphones and ditto ways of recording (there is a huge digital error on
the first track). There are two lengthy pieces to be found here, each
clocking at some 22 minutes (probably it was intended for LP release?). The
first one is scraping the good ol’ contact mic over a block of concrete
with wind blowing in a microphone at the other end of the room. With the
amplifier being turned on, there is occasional feedback hums too. The
second piece starts out with a voice moaning, along with more feedback hums
and scratches.
If you think that noise shouldn’t per se be recorded by the best standards
posisble, or that the impact of noise increases, if recording standard
decreases, than this is your cup.
Address: F. Douris – 12 Rue Du Clos – Vermont – 73000 Barberoz – France