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VITAL WEEKLY
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number 562
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week 5
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Vital Weekly, the webcast: we offering a
weekly webcast, freely to download. This can be regarded as the
audio-supplement to Vital Weekly. Presented as a radioprogramm
with excerpts of just some of the CDs (no vinyl or MP3) reviewed.
It will remain on the site for a limited period (most likely 2-4
weeks). Download the file to your MP3 player and enjoy!
complete tracklist here: http://www.vitalweekly.net/podcast.html
you can subscribe to the weekly broadcast using the following
rss feed:
http://www.harmlog.nl/vitalfeed.asp
New broadcasts will be sent directly when uploaded
RUIS VOOR THUIS/IETS MET BIETS (2CD compilation
by Lomechanik) *
FRANCISCO LOPEZ - LOPEZ ISLAND (CD by Elevator Bath) *
TOKYO MASK - HINTERLANDS (CD by Low Impedance Recordings) *
THE MISSING ENSEMBLE - ZEROPOLIS (CD by Low Impedance Recordings)
*
MICHEAL FAHRES - THE TUBES (CD by Cold Blue Music)
CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE - A SWEET QUASIMODO BETWEEN BLACK VAMPIRE
BUUTERFLIES FOR MAYBECK (CD by Cold Blue Music)
BIRCH BOOK - FORTUNE AND FOLLY (CD by Helmet Room)
MIKE HANSEN - AT EVERY POINT (CD by Etude Records)
ANDREW LILES - BLACK PAPER (CD by Beta lactam-ring records)
ANDREW LILES - BLACK HOLE (CD by Beta lactam-ring records)
EARTHMONEY - ANGELMANS SUPERNOVE (CD by Beta lactam-ring records)
DANIEL MENCHE - DELIGE AND SUNDER (CD by Beta lactam-ring records)
CHRISTOPHER DELAURENTI - FAVORITE INTERMISSIONS: MUSIC BEFORE
AND BETWEEN BEETHOVEN-HOLST-STRAVINSKY (CD by GD Stereo) *
MATHIEU SALADIN - INTERVALLES (CDR by L'innomable) *
MYO - PROCESS (CDR by MT6 Records) *
FRANK ROWENTA - RAUMSTUDIEN #1 (2CDR by Gruenrekorder) *
NAARMANN & NEITELER - NAARLAND (CDR by Einzeleinheit)
JAN-M IVERSEN - WIEDERKEHRENDE WELTEN (CDR by Einzeleinheit)
JAN-M IVERSEN - CALIGULA SYMPHONY W (CDR by Dim Records) *
ORIGAMI STATIKA - FUCKING HELL (CDR by Dim Records)
MIRKO UHLIG - STORM: OUTSIDE CALM TAMED (CDR by Aal) *
MAURIZIO BIANCHI - MUITNELIS (CDR by Tib Prod)
MIL.ORG - ADMINISTRATIVE (CDR by Tib Prod)
FISK PA DISC - IN SEARCH OF THE HOLY MACKEREL (CDR by Tib Prod)
*
CAUSTIC CASTLE - UNTITLED (3"CDR by 804noise) *
TWENTYTWENTYONE - SELECTED PAGES FROM TREATISE BY CORNELIS CARDEW
(MP3 by Con-V) *
TWENTYTWENTYONE - HEAP OF LANGUAGE BY ROBERT SMITHSON (MP3 by
Mixthemixthemix)
ANTANAS JASENKA - ART ACTION (MP3 by Mixthemixthemix)
RUIS VOOR THUIS/IETS MET BIETS (2CD compilation
by Lomechanik)
Obviously I have to be careful when writing about this. One wrong
word, and I am a dead man. Why? All almost all of the musicians
are from my home-town Nijmegen. A city with 160.000 inhabitants,
and yet so many musicians are on this. And even at that I can
mention a few who are not part of it. Phew. Lomechanik is a collective
of musicians from this beautiful city and all of them dabble in
electronic music. No less than thirty-six tracks are delivered
here, by at least thirty or so different musicians, or combinations.
Hard to translate the title, and which is probably only funny
if you speak dutch, but 'Ruis Voor Thuis' is filled with music
for home listening and 'Iets Met Biets' is the uptempo rhythm,
the floor music. Although I came across some music here which
me thinks it's a bit hard to dance too, like the totally fucked
up beats by Atiq & Enk. On both discs there is a great variety
of approaches towards electronic music, with even a few a guitar
song here and there, such as by Maersk. From melancholically beats,
to straight forward techno, fucked up drum & bass, hip hop
beats (although no rapper in sight), fat analogue synths but also
digital work: even if one would only be mildly interested in one
or the other, but with a keen ear to other styles in electronic
music, this is true treasure to discover new names (many unsigned!).
(FdW)
Address: http://www.lomechanik.com
FRANCISCO LOPEZ - LOPEZ ISLAND (CD by Elevator
Bath)
There is no Meelkop Island or Chartier Island, but there is a
Lopez Island - and to send Francisco Lopez there, armed with his
microphone and recording device is a stroke of genius. Lopez Island
lies in the state of Washington and is an island. Lopez is a composer
of natural phenomena, which he transforms in ways we don't know
(computer? analogue? filtering?), and the outcome is always something
one needs to hear. The start is very Lopez like: silent. One of
those, one might all to easily think. But it's not one of those.
Five or so minutes into the piece (now that is the same as 95%
of his releases: they have single track), it's audible and remains
so until five or so minutes before it ends. In the remaining forty
or so minutes we hear the falling of rain in the first part and
electrical sounds (engines? ventilators? boats?) in the second
part. At one point there are even audible loops used, which is
rarity (but not an unknown) feature in the music of Lopez. As
said everything is derived from the environment, but it's put
together as a piece of music, not a documentary of the island.
You don't have to be there or know the place, to enjoy this piece
of music. It fits the more recent works by Lopez, which are more
audible than his works of say a decade ago, and is another strong
work from this undisputed master. (FdW)
Address: http://www.elevatorbath.com
TOKYO MASK - HINTERLANDS (CD by Low Impedance
Recordings)
THE MISSING ENSEMBLE - ZEROPOLIS (CD by Low Impedance Recordings)
Following the 'Backbone' EP (see Vital Weekly 497), and another
which didn't make it into these pages, there is now a full length
by Tokyo Mask, also known as Kostas Karamitas from Greece. Music
wise he continues the path taken on 'Backbone': deep dubby and
trippy rhythms and a throbbing bass, which form the backbone of
the compositions, and the guitar, sampler and synthesizer get
a more free role. The more loosely organized sounds make the music,
the rhythm carries it around. Music that can best be enjoyed in
the total dark, to let the scary monsters out in a real big way.
Not smooth enough to be a true trip hop album, but more top heavy,
and therefore all the more interesting, me thinks. Again, quite
good!
Behind The Missing Ensemble we find John Sellekaers of Xingu Hill
and Dead Hollywood Stars (and responsible for mastering music
from many others), Daniel De Los Santos of Tamarin) and our recent
discovery Mathias Delplanque. No beats here, but it hoovers around
in a similar territory as the Tokyo Mask release. Dark, unsettling
atmospheres of desolated cities at night. An empty city, with
some flickering lights. A chilling event, driving in this city.
Music of a highly sound track like nature, but is it a film that
you want to watch on your sofa, sipping wine? Or does it depict
a world that we rather not want to see? I assume it's the latter.
But The Missing Ensemble is something we want to hear. Ambient
industrial at it's most scary. Perhaps not the most original kind
of music, but it's done with great care. (FdW)
Address: http://www.lowimpendance.net
MICHEAL FAHRES - THE TUBES (CD by Cold Blue
Music)
CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE - A SWEET QUASIMODO BETWEEN BLACK VAMPIRE
BUUTERFLIES FOR MAYBECK (CD by Cold Blue Music)
A long long time ago I was off and on in contact with Micheal
Fahres. He was a composer of electronic music, but I usually met
him in his capacity of radio producer making programs of experimental
music, or when he was director of the Cem studios in Arnhem (later
Amsterdam, now Rotterdam). I never encountered that much of his
own music, but it involved natural phenomena and electronic sounds.
His music moved outside my perception of CD releases, and was
in the world of official serious avant-garde. There are three
pieces on this CD. 'Sevan' opens us with the vocals of Parik Nazarian,
who signs Armenian music, but here wordless music through massive
pipes at Lake Sevan, Armenia. Quite atmospheric, but also having
something quasi religious. The title pieces explores the sound
of waves of the Atlantic Ocean at the Island of El Hierro - once
the edge of the world at the western most part of the Canary Island),
to which Jon Hassell plays trumpet and Mark Atkin didgeridoo.
The waves rise and go away and the wind instruments play their
bit, but it's all a bit too sweet for me. The final piece is 'Coimbra
4, Mundi Theatre', a collage of field recordings from the Portuguese
city, but sadly also doesn't leave a too big impression. I must
admit I had a hard time with this. Knowing Fahres as a serious
composer, none of these compositions could enjoy me very much.
It seemed all a bit too regular for me, also a bit too sweet and
perhaps a bit too meditative.
If anyone out there saw a recent concert by Charlemagne Palestine,
one knows what to expect. Mister Palestine telling the audience
a (hi-)story, a tale about his own past and then plays a piece
on the piano. Having lived in California almost forty years ago,
he has a nice (and short!) story to tell here on 'A Sweet Quasimodo
Between Black Vampire Butterflies For Maybeck', recorded in Maybeck
in Berkeley. Palestine strums his piano in a rhythmic vein, repetitive,
like Fahres' waves: coming and going, coming and going. Not a
spectacular great performance, but quite a nice one indeed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.coldbluemusic.com
BIRCH BOOK - FORTUNE AND FOLLY (CD by Helmet
Room)
The name Jon Michael B'eirth (also known as B'ee) may not be as
well known as say Leonard Cohen, but musically this album leans
quite close to the USA gruff folk man. A follow up to The Wheel
Of Fortune, this album, full of folky, "introvert" tunes
a la Michael Gira and the before-mentioned Cohen, is a pleasant
surprise. There is nothing "new" or revolutionary on
this album, but it's a nice comfortable listen on a rainy evening
all the same. B'eirth builds some his own instruments, including
the leaf cittern and guitar cither, whatever they may be. He has
also studied the music of troubadours, whose traditional story-telling
style resonates on Fortune and Folly. Starting and closing with
the instrumental Birch Sap, the album starts off promising with
well-recorded and well-balanced tunes like New Song and Whisper
In The Pine. For Young Souls the harmonica is introduced, which
give the song a Dylanesq Americana style, which you either love
or hate. As a non-stop listen this album might be a bit monototous,
but with its simple and direct arrangements and mostly acoustic
instruments (with the odd electric guitar thrown in), this album
might well be of interest to lovers of neo-folk and Current 93's
later incantations. (FK)
Address: http://www.helmetroom.com
MIKE HANSEN - AT EVERY POINT (CD by Etude
Records)
The name Mike Hansen was new to me, but Hansen is certainly no
newcomer to the world of music. Previously known for his turntable
antics, this is Hansen's first CD for Etude records, which is
a brand-new label specializing on experimental, improvisational,
field recordings, minimal music and sound archives. The five compositions
on this 50-minute disc are made out of raw sound material using
guitars and amps, cowbells, harmonicas, Vietnamese drum and of
course processing from Hansen's turntable installations. Sounding
both soothing and disturbing with plenty of dynamics, At Every
Point is actually a fine improvisational album, with highlights
like Tidying Up After and The Day Before The Day. With this first
release by Mike Hansen and planned albums by Tomasz Krakowisk
and Augusti Martinez, Etude records looks like to be an interesting
new star on the firmament of experimental music. (FK)
Address: http://www.etuderecords.com
ANDREW LILES - BLACK PAPER (CD by Beta lactam-ring
records)
ANDREW LILES - BLACK HOLE (CD by Beta lactam-ring records)
EARTHMONEY - ANGELMANS SUPERNOVE (CD by Beta lactam-ring records)
DANIEL MENCHE - DELIGE AND SUNDER (CD by Beta lactam-ring records)
Chris Mc Beth from Beta Lactam-Ring Records is a busy boy. With
BLRR-albums coming out all the time, he has still found time and
space to embark on a new and exiting venture: The Black Series.
This is a series of CD's by various artists, all packed in neat
cardboard gatefold cover with black inserts (signed in black of
course) and black wrap-around obi's. Judging by the long list
of proposed artists (see the BLRR website) this will be an intriguing
and possibly historic series of CD's. Last week we received four
CD's in the series.
Andrew Liles, Brighton's wonder man, who's quite a busy bee himself,
starts off the reviews. With his CD Black Paper he kicks off his
The Vortex Vault series, a series of no less than 12 CD's of both
archive and new recordings plus the odd collaboration thrown in.
On Black Paper he collaborates with Japanese artist Kenji Siratori,
who contributes spoken word and whisperings, delivered in an urgent
and dynamic fashion. As my Japanese is poor, I have no idea what
he's talking about, making the voice sound more like an additional
instrument, which perfectly suits Liles' collage-like style of
music. Black Paper is a great CD (though at 30 minutes a bit brief),
which made me want to listen to the second Liles CD in this series
even more.
Black Hole has Liles all on his own. Much more contemplative by
nature, this 14 track CD is less outspoken than Black Paper. The
40+ minutes of Liles-material, full of loops, found sounds and
strange effects, will surely please his ever-growing army of fans.
In fact, interest so far in the Andrew Liles' Vortex Vault series
has been so high, that BLRR has made it possible to buy the whole
set in one go at a reduced price. Highly recommended!
Earthmonkey is Peat Bog's alter ego, who previously worked with
Steve Stapleton. After some successful earlier CD's for BLRR,
he now presents Angelmans Supernova and, I have to be honest here,
I have two problems with this CD; one objective, the other subjective.
The objective problem is that this is a 20-minute album, yet it
retails at the full price. The subjective problem is that this
is not really my kind of music. The three songs on this "album"
sound like krautrock with free form avant-garde rock thrown in.
Using traditional instruments like guitars, keyboards and drums,
the music is repetitive and groovy, but not as adventurous as
you might want it to be.
Daniel Menche is also a busy-bee with no less than 7 CD's released
or planned for release in 2006! His latest one, Deluge and Sunder,
has been released as part of BLRR's Black Series. Noisy at times
but by no means classifiable as "noise" his music has
a distinct quality and identity of its own. Deluge And Sunder
is a re-released (remastered and expanded) of Deluge (with Sunder
1 and 2 added as bonus material). Four long tracks make up this
wonderful album, which is one of Menche's best (not that I pretend
to know all his works, but still). Using acoustic instruments
like accordion, bass guitar and melodica) Menche weaves thick
layers of processed sound, often drone-like of character but more
dynamic than you'd expect. The Deluge-tracks from this album have
also been made available as a limited edition vinyl LP, but the
vastly expanded CD version (which is also cheaper) is the best
buy. (FK)
Address: http://www.blrrecords.com
CHRISTOPHER DELAURENTI - FAVORITE INTERMISSIONS:
MUSIC BEFORE AND BETWEEN BEETHOVEN-HOLST-STRAVINSKY (CD by GD
Stereo)
Of course the joke about modern classical music is that once the
orchestra is done tuning, someone applauds for it as being a serious
composition. But to hear an orchestra tuning up is always nice.
Apparently I am not the only one who thinks so, as Christopher
deLaurenti made a bunch of field recordings of orchestras tuning
up. DeLaurenti has made more work that involves social action,
such as at WTO protests. He is also involved in improvised music,
but here doing something entirely different. It's a bit difficult
to tell how this was made. I doubt wether these are all real time
recordings, unedited. Sometimes it seems that certain phrases
return, or am I hallucinating. Does it take seventeen minutes
to tune up in 'Holst, Hitherto'? Or is it a recording of people
entering too? We hear snippets of conversations, random instruments
playing random notes. It's a highly conceptual recording, six
pieces in total, and I must admit I played this with some fascination,
but at the same time, I wondered how many more times I would play
this. Like with all great concepts - and this is surely one of
them - you rather talk about it, then actually play it all the
time. It may serve as an interesting DJ tool also... (FdW)
Address: http://www.gdstereo.com
MATHIEU SALADIN - INTERVALLES (CDR by L'innomable)
The name Matthieu Saladin popped up in various past issues of
Vital Weekly, most notably for his work with Herve Boghossian
as Plateforms. Saladin plays bass clarinet and soprano saxophone,
but these are fed through electronics, or, more precise as indicated
on the cover, 'improvisations processed by computer'. I think
we are to believe this to be done in real time. It's a highly
interesting release. Perhaps I expected a bit too many sine wave
like excursions, but that's perhaps my superstition. I was pleasantly
surprised by this release. A lot careful sounds, that are sometimes
not easy to trace back to wind instruments and the computer treatments
sound quite interesting. Not the usual bed of cracks and hiss,
but rather a deep end hum of ringing sounds that form quite an
unified part with the real time instruments. Each of the nine
pieces explores a world of its own and it's all throughout a highly
varied work of onkyo like improvisation but taking it in the field
of live computer music. Very nice indeed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.linnomable.com/
MYO - PROCESS (CDR by MT6 Records)
Behind Myo is one Cory O'Brien from Baltimore, Maryland. Before
being Myo he played 'trip-hop/dark ambient' taken from classical
and jazz records but has now moved to 'electro-acoustic/noise/glitch/drone/whatever'.
'Process' is his second release, following 'Atari Sky' (unheard
by me). For his music he uses voice, field recordings (of power
hums and industrial heating boilers), found objects which are
fed through synthesizers and Pure Data (the PC version of Max/msp).
Myo moves away from the microsound and offers in stead macrosound:
the more upfront, present form of microsound. Louder, dirter,
gritty and angular, but still with ingredients of microsound:
drones, crackles and hiss. Myo amplifies these more than others
would do and that makes it all the more interesting. It can surely
be put down in the noise section, but there is a lot more interesting
things happening here than on a regular noise release. A bit raw
and untamed this release, but at least something is going on here!
(FdW)
Address: http://www.mt6records.com
FRANK ROWENTA - RAUMSTUDIEN #1 (2CDR by
Gruenrekorder)
Somehow somewhere the name Frank Rowenta is associated here with
HNAS, but I believe he was not a member. Together with Dr. P.
Li Khan he produced various records for Dom, the HNAS label, but
somehow somewhere I can't say they really stuck in my mind. I
was quite surprised to see this double CDR release on Gruenrekorder.
It's a recording of a highly conceptual nature. In a room there
are 'two automatic working rhythm devices' which 'modify themselves
in a period of hours' - otherwise there is no action going on
in the room. Recorded to a c120 basf cassette (the orange ones
for those who remember), so guaranteed also present is tape hiss.
And that's it. It's music that one can stick on and leave it as
such. It doesn't require much concentration from the listener.
It's a study for your own space. As such it's quite nice, but
the full two hours is a bit much. Or perhaps not enough. Why not
a MP3 CD with six hours of this? Quite 'nice', perhaps. (FdW)
Address: http://www.gruenrekorder.de
NAARMANN & NEITELER - NAARLAND (CDR
by Einzeleinheit)
JAN-M IVERSEN - WIEDERKEHRENDE WELTEN (CDR by Einzeleinheit)
JAN-M IVERSEN - CALIGULA SYMPHONY W (CDR by Dim Records)
ORIGAMI STATIKA - FUCKING HELL (CDR by Dim Records)
The previous release by Naarmann & Neiteler I didn't hear,
but 'Sister Thelesitis' had flutes, choral voices and spoken word.
With some delay the new one 'Naarland' is now released, and seems
to be moving into a new territory. Whoever Neiteler is I don't
know, but behind Naarmann we find Tobias Fischer, the man behind
Einzeleinheit. No more flutes, chorals or speakers, this album
is entirely electronic in approach. Synthesizer, probably out
of a computer and drum computers paint a melodic and harmonious
atmosphere. The percussion takes hold of the atmosphere with trance
inducing rhythms, and the synthesizers and sound effects forming
the ornaments, but it's a bit too sweet for me. I was thinking
of pseudo-ethnic music while listening, thinking of Desaccord
Majeur or their various off-shoots and of ambient house of many
moons ago. The two longer pieces are the more sweeter ones, and
the three shorter are somewhat darker and go a bit further. Surely
entertaining but no big surprises are to be found here.
Iversen needs no introduction, as he is the active man behind
Tib prod (see also elsewhere in this issue) and one half of Bjerga/Iversen
and an active solo force himself. He recorded 'Wiederkehrende
Welten' ('returning worlds') especially for Einzeleinheit, which
proved to have a keen ear for atmospheric drone music with a small
dash of rhythm here and there. As such Iversen does a fine job.
Highly atmospherical, mirco processing of sounds that form digital
drones and the smaller left-over, the residual particles fall
to earth like rhythm. In the vast catalogue of Iversen this is
not a stand out release, but one that falls in his main section:
quite good, nothing spectacular.
Which can also be said of 'Caligula Symphony W', even when the
start of it is more noise related than we are used from Iversen.
But after some six or so minutes the piece moves into more known
territories of ambient and drone. Slow and minimal developments,
but throughout it keeps changing shape and color and makes this
into another quite good release, but not the best by him. Can't
understand why this is released in an edition of 18 copies only.
On the same label and with a slight Iversen connection are Origami
Statika, which is a collaboration of Resin and Swamps Up Nostrils,
whom both had releases on Iversen's Tib Prod label. Here they
use the noise idiom to create five dense pieces, which start out
nice in 'Buffering' and the following three pieces of digital
noise assemblages, but the final 'Reading Between The Lines' is
not very well spend on me. Volume goes down and nothing much is
done to make this into an interesting piece, but still it takes
up half the release. Just the first four would have made a nice,
not great, noise statement. (FdW)
Address: http://www.einzeleinheit.com
Address: http://www.dimrecords.tk
MIRKO UHLIG - STORM: OUTSIDE CALM TAMED
(CDR by Aal)
As soon as the mail arrives it's like boxing day. And of course
the struggle what to play first. Charlemagne Palestine or Mirko
Uhlig? Since his debut as Mirko Uhlig (his previous releases being
as Aalfang Mit Pferdekopf), I am keen on his music, so his 'Storm:
Outside Calm Tamed' goes in first. His 'VIVMMI' was a highly appreciated
work of careful selected drones, so I expected something along
similar lines here. How wrong can one be? It's an electric storm
indeed of heavily layered guitar (or so it seems at least) mass
mounting up to a hellish form of noise. Definitely not what I
expected, but is it bad therefor? It surely is not. It's minimally
changing the patterns throughout, until it's conclusion is reached,
after which follows a coda of likewise power. Maybe Uhlig listened
to a bunch of Sunn 0))) records before deciding to do lay down
his own version on his computer. It's a powerful work indeed,
the total opposite of the previous release, and that in itself
is a most daring decision. (FdW)
Address: http://www.exovo.org
MAURIZIO BIANCHI - MUITNELIS (CDR by Tib
Prod)
MIL.ORG - ADMINISTRATIVE (CDR by Tib Prod)
FISK PA DISC - IN SEARCH OF THE HOLY MACKEREL (CDR by Tib Prod)
Perhaps attempting to catch up for years of no music making, Maurizio
Bianchi works like a madman these days. The good thing is that
he doesn't care about his star status, but likewise releases his
music on CDR. Apparently having a good relationship with Tib Prod,
there is a now a full length release by Bianchi, although it might
be better to say 'Maurizio Bianchi remixed by Siegmar Fricke.
'Muitnelis' deals with 'concrete sounds and magnetic oscillations'
- in Fricke's hands they are transformed and re-shaped, but I
must say: it doesn't justify Bianchi's music very much. His harsh
tone, somewhat unfixed direction of music, slightly hypnotic becomes
in the no less capable hands of Fricke something else. Ambient
industrial music no doubt, sampled and electronically shaped,
but it stays also a bit too much on the safe side. Relatively
short pieces of electrically charged sounds that are quite static,
it's only a faint trace of Bianchi's original. Not bad at all,
but it would be better to give more credit to Fricke when releasing
this.
Behind Mil.Org is one Tor Frøseth, who composed all of
the fifteen tracks, except one with Sivert Solum who plays guitar
on that piece as well. I must admit I am not very much impressed
by this. The pieces are short and sampled together from all sorts
of media, such as radio and TV, fed through a bunch of electronics
to make a chaotic and incoherent sound that has no head or tail.
Perhaps I miss the point entirely here.
Also strange and unfocussed is the release by Fisk Pa Disc, which
is a duo of Willy Koperud and Roar Borge, who are both responsible
for the vocals and instruments. They improvised the music, using
a lot of acoustic instruments and in the next stage they did a
bit of sound treatment on the computer. However unlike Mil.Org
this sounded quite interesting, if you'd regard this as outsider
music. Going on without a real beginning or end, this reminded
me of some of the music released on cassettes in the 80s, like
Paul Kelday. This free floating bunch was mind inducing and quite
nice. I am not sure if the lyrics played any significant role
or if the fish in band name and title had any meaning, but throughout
it was very pleasant indeed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.tibprod.com
CAUSTIC CASTLE - UNTITLED (3"CDR by
804noise)
804noise is a collective of noise musicians from Richmond, Virginia,
who organize their own concerts and release their own music, all
since 2001. One of the founders is Kenneth Yates, whom we came
across in Insects With Tits, his collaboration with Chefkirk,
and Harm Stryker. But solo he works as Caustic Castle, using the
'no input mixer' to create feedback, which is equalized and fed
through pedal boxes. I could say something about 'seen that before',
but I still see people strumming six strings on a piece of wood,
so why not a no input mixer? Essentially there are two types of
musicians who improvise with no input mixers: those who play them
with care and those who play the with the love of noise (and very
few with a sense of rhythm, some old Arcane Device comes to mind
and Marko Ciciliani). Caustic Castle belongs to the noise types.
The three pieces on this release span twelve minutes of brutal
noise, feedback flies about, alongside dark tones and more crude
distortion. Perhaps all a bit too noisy for me, but the good thing
is that Caustic Castle keeps things to the point, and as such
as the 3" format is the right one, and that's something more
people should do. (FdW)
Address: http://804noise.org
TWENTYTWENTYONE - SELECTED PAGES FROM TREATISE
BY CORNELIS CARDEW (MP3 by Con-V)
TWENTYTWENTYONE - HEAP OF LANGUAGE BY ROBERT SMITHSON (MP3 by
Mixthemixthemix)
ANTANAS JASENKA - ART ACTION (MP3 by Mixthemixthemix)
The person connecting these three MP3 releases is Arturas Bumsteinas,
who is part of Twentytwentyone, a quartet of laptop musicians
performing graphic scores as well as running the mixthemixthemix
label, who releases the work by Antanas Jasenka. As said the quartet
performs graphic scores, and limit themselves to a few, like works
by La Monte Young, James Tenny and here by Cornelius Cardew and
one by Robert Smithson. The nice thing of course of graphic scores
is that they are very open ended. In Cardew's score, some 193
or pages of lines, symbols and circles, one can select one or
more pages and 'do whatever comes to mind'. In Smithson's piece,
words play a big role. In the latter's case, Twentytwentyone play
around with recordings of those words, and give them a big time
treatment, so that none of the words can be easily recognized.
In their Cardew interpretation they use various sources, including
sine waves, crackles and what seems to be classical instruments.
Personally I liked this better than the Smithson piece, showing
a greater variety in approaches.
Lithuanian composer Antanas Jasenka played in a small village
in Tirol, Austria in 2003, together with G-Lab doing the visual
stuff but in 2006 he decided to rework the material. Jasenka used
a triple DAT, max/msp software and acoustic sources for these
pieces, which are more than before a musical unity. Strictly working
inside the world of glitch music, there are lengthy pieces of
drone like sounds, but also fierce collage like sounds, such as
in 'Slater'. Before he showed an interest in drum & bass,
techno, glitch and noise, but here it's just glitch and noise.
Six tracks spanning thirty minutes which is the right length for
this kind of music. Asked before: more coherent and shorter and
now he did that, it works. (FdW)
Address: http://www.con-v.org
Address: http://www.mixthemixthemix.com
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