MONOTONOS – REMEMBER SEPTEMBER (CDR by Bake)
STEINBRÜCHEL/BRUSA – RED8.4 (miniCDR by Synchron)
CARTER SCHOLZ – 8 PIECES (CD by Frog Peak)
ANDY HOSTETLER – HAPPILY EVER AFTER (CD by Frog Peak)
SNOW ROBOTS VOLUME ONE (CD by Suction Records)
SNOW ROBOTS VOLUME TWO (CD by Suction Records)
NICK DIDKOVSKY & GUIGOU CHENEVIER – Body parts (CD on Vand’Oeuvre)
JIM COLLINS – THE CHURCH OF GARY NUMAN (CD)
MONOTONOS – REMEMBER SEPTEMBER (CDR by Bake)
Monotonos, it seems, is the solo project of Roger NBH, who designs the Bake
sleeves. There was a Monotonos track on the recent ‘Microwave – A Manual’
compilation and some of this would fit well within the context of that
label’s output. As his chosen moniker might suggest, the music is in the
main minimalistic, repetitive and comprised of slow, distended slabs of
gravelised sound, where sheer dark density is everything. Not necessarily
computer-based but then it’s difficult to tell.
The only light, and even that’s lunarlight, is glimpsed on the avowedly
organic, short (3:34) melodic piece Moon Over, where the source appears to
be gently ringing, oneiric guitar work and centre-of-the-earth bass pulses.
It breaks up the proceedings in a bizarre fashion but genuinely does work
in the midst of so much subterranean sweeping; a snatched mouthful of air
before diving down once again. The title of the last track (Solo/So Low)
summarises much more succinctly than this review could just where this
album is at. Four tracks, with just over 33 minutes of deep listening
pleasure. (BL)
Address: www.staalplaat.com
STEINBRÜCHEL/BRUSA – RED8.4 (miniCDR by Synchron)
Digital music that does not disappoint is getting harder and harder to
stumble across these days. So when this stylishly packaged gem of a find
(thin black rubberised plastic wallet, postcards, inserts etc) arrived, I
had to sit down. Reportedly consisting of “randomly generated soundscapes
created at an audio/visual installation at the architektur forum zurich.
date 2.9.00″, what you get on the disc are four tracks, each exactly 5:08
in length, that bristle with dynamic compositional ardour – i.e. they sound
far from random, although I guess you have to take the promotional material
and disc information at face value. Anyway, it matters not how red8.4 was
‘composed’ because this release is truly excellent. The majority of the
sources appear to be loops, some of a grainy digitised quality, others
chiming with a gamelan-like clarity; the extracts from the installation
have been chosen with care for the particular juxtaposition of their
complimentary sounds. The end result is a compelling ebb and flow of
microsound waves. Sadly only 100 copies of this are being produced, so if
intrigued, get in touch soon. I, for one, would like to hear more from this
entity/partnership/whatever. (BL)
Address: http://www.synchron.ch
CARTER SCHOLZ – 8 PIECES (CD by Frog Peak)
Frog Peak is renowned for its catalogue of releases of computer music. And
with computer music I do not refer to analogue music that is edited with a
computer but music that is executed by a computer on the basis of a series
of commands. One very fine example of this kind of music is this cd with
(how surprisingly) 8 compositions by composer Carter Scholz. Each of them
has a previously defined layout and structure, which is translated into a
set of commands. The computer interprets the commands and produces the
composition. Very abstract, rather scientific. And yet: the artistry here
lies in the ability of the composer to transcend the scientific setup into
a result that not only appeals to computer scientists but to a general
audience as well. Scholz seems to succeed. Most of the basic material that
Scholz uses are tones which are layered according to a mathematical
principle. An example (and I quote the booklet): ‘”Kaleidophon” is a
version for analog filters tuned to the first 16 members of a harmonic
series and rung by a random source.’ And: ‘”Epimores” is Ptolemy’s term for
muscial intervals whose ratios stand in a relation of n+1 to n.’ Makes my
mind boggle, but the result is a very pleasant
cd. (IS)
Address: http://www.frogpeak.org
ANDY HOSTETLER – HAPPILY EVER AFTER (CD by Frog Peak)
Memorial CD. Randy Hostetler, according to the accompanying leaflet, ‘was
an highly inventive, important young American composer whose untimely
passing was a great loss for American experimental music.’ Hostetler died
at the age of 33. Which is not very old but he left the world a 40-some
works. But this is the only thing I know. But Hostetler set up the Living
Room, a place for experimental artists to perform, which became a epicentre
for the American experimental art scene. After his death a website has been
set up. It’s http://www.livingroom.org. Okay, now about this CD. It’s
something you don’t expect to find in the Frog Peak catalogue. Essentially
it’s a matrix of recordings of people telling true or untrue stories of
their life. The people telling these stories are from Hostetler’s social
environment. There is no other editing but cutting the story lines up and
mixing them over and next to each other. In a sense it reminds me of the
work of Gregory Whitehead. But I like Whitehead’s much better. In Happily
Ever After small stories and anecdotes are recorded and somehow, after some
20 minutes I get the impression that, being a total stranger, I have no
relation to these people. The stories themselves do not relate to me.
Whitehead basically follows the same procedure as Hostetler did, but
Whitehead sets off with a better defined scenario. This scenario, the plot
is
sadly missed in Hostetler’s case. (IS)
Address: http://www.frogpeak.org
SNOW ROBOTS VOLUME ONE (CD by Suction Records)
SNOW ROBOTS VOLUME TWO (CD by Suction Records)
It’s party time for the robots. Suction Records celebrate their 10th (and
11th) release with a retro of the old vinyl and let control go in various
remixes. Robot Music is something they have invented themselves and harks
back to the synth pop music of the early 80s, Depeche Mode, Human League
etc. Raw beats and analogue synths, but almost everything on Suction is
instrumental.
Volume one starts with pre-suction, a band called Pest(e), which already
has the blueprints of its successor Lowfish. Then 2 12″s are present by
Lowfish and Solvent, and a 12″ by David Kristian. Needles to say that they
are all out of print (Pest(e) released a cassette). The styles covered here
are techno in a crude form, and is less refined then the later releases.
Traces of Aphex Twin next Panasonic.
Volume two contains threee vinyl releases, but a lot more people. You’ll
find next to Lowfish and Solvent, D’Arcangelo, Pluxus, Tinfoil Teakettle
(being Lowfish and Solvent) and Brioche Kretzaal. Plus three remixes by
isan, Skanform and Mat 101. The music featured here is much more melodic,
less crude, with sad keyboard notes (as in Pluxus’ ‘Ers Majestat’). Whereas
some parts on Volume one sounded a bit off right now, after all these
years, the music on Volume two is still pleasent and entertaining. Like
popmusic should always sound. (FdW)
Address: www.suctionrecords.com
NICK DIDKOVSKY & GUIGOU CHENEVIER – Body parts (CD on Vand’Oeuvre)
The label Vand’Oeuvre documents interesting musical events that took place
at the Musique Action Festival or at the studio of Centre Culturel Andr,
Malraux (CCAM) in Vand’Oeuvre (near Nancy). Their catalogue contains cd’s
by vocalist Annick Nozati, Dominique Grimaud (Video Aventures), Joe McPhee
and many others. Their latest is one by the duo Chenevier and Didkovsky.
They recorded ‘Body Parts’ in march 2000 in the studio of CCAM. Guigou
Chenevier is one of the founding fathers of the legend Etron Fou Leloublan.
Somewhere in the 70s this avant garde band started together with Ferdinand
Richard and others. They had nothing to do with zeuhl music or with the
electronic guerilla of Heldon.
Etron Fou had a very distinct place of their own in the alternative french
music scene. I guess Captain Beefheart was one their favorites. They joined
the Rock In Oppostion (R.I.O.)- platform that was established by Chris
Cutler and other Henry Cow members. This gave the Etron crew a push in the
international scene. Etron stopped at the end of the 80s and the original
members struggled their way in many different groups and projects. For
Chenevier the group Volapuk is his main activity now.
Nick Didkovsky is guitarplayer, composer, programmer of computermusic, etc.
In 1983 he founded Doctor Nerve. He is also a member of the Fred Frith
Guitar Quartet. With ‘Body Parts’ Chenevier and Didkovsky make a move that
is comparable to what Fred Frith did with Skeleton Crew. Leaving all
complexity, etc. behind they go back to the roots of rock. It is the energy
that counts. In rough and unpolished songs they make their point. For
capable musicians as Didkovsky and Chenevier is no problem to sound like a
complete band as is the case. In 10 very direct songs and pieces they play
and sing. Some titles remind me of the old Etron, other ones are more
hardcore. The last piece is a return to experiment in a 20 minute
improvisation (DM).
Address: http://malraux.fr.st
JIM COLLINS – THE CHURCH OF GARY NUMAN (CD)
The first LP I ever bought, and still have, is Tubeway Army’s ‘Replicas’.
Tubeway Army were a group around Gary Numan. I was 14 or so, and his top
hit ‘Are Friends Electric’ was appealling to me. I like synth music. I
followed Numan’s career, getting his next few albums, all of the 7″s from
that period, but as I found out Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire, the
love was gone. When I was recentely in a record shop (I do occassionally go
to one), I found his greatest hits at a bargain price, so I bought it, and
found myself still liking his music. You see I’m not a real big fan, but
after 20 years much remains the same. Maybe the same is for one Jim
Collins, who loves Numan so much that his daughter said “You should start a
church for him”. If I was Numan, I would think this is scary… Collins
started his church and the holy bread here is a CD with 12
reinterpretations of Numan pieces ‘Cars’ is featured twice. I recognized ‘I
dream Of Wires’, ‘Cars’, ‘Down In The Park’, ‘You Are In My Vision’, the
rest was new to me. Jim Collins’ voice is less biting, less cynical then
Numan’s and much more standard. Inside the instruments it seems that
Collins added a bit more guitars here and there, then I remember from
Numan. Overal quite acceptable interpretations, but they stay a bit close
to the original, I think. Altogether it’s an entirely different project
then the Terre Thaemlitz banging on the piano of much of ‘Replicas’. Less
theoretical, more fan based. Not necessarilly lesser. (FdW)
Address: www.thechurchofgarynuman.com