576

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VITAL WEEKLY
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number 576
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week 20
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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
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http://www.harmlog.nl/vitalfeed.asp
New broadcasts will be sent directly when uploaded

* noted are in this week's podcast

PLEASE DON'T IGNORE READING THIS: SINCE WE ANNOUNCED WE WILL NO LONGER REVIEW MATERIAL OLDER THAN SIX MONTHS, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE SEND US OLDER MATERIAL THAN SIX MONTHS. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. WE WILL NOT REVIEW IT, BUT SELL THE MATERIAL TO A SECOND MAILORDER OUTLET. ALSO: DON'T SEND MORE THAN 3 (THREE) RELEASES AT ONCE. WE SIMPLY CAN'T HANDLE EVERYTHING ANYMORE. SAVE YOUR FRUSTRATION - WELL, AND OURS.

OBJEKT 4 - DEAD WORLD AMBIENCE ANALYSIS (CD by Divinus Solitude Productions) *
OBJEKT 4 - MINDSCARS (2CD by Regimental Records/Ravenheart/Sabbathid Records)
FELIPE CARAMELOS - SE PROHIBE CANTARA (2miniCD by Waystyx) *
BURKHARD BEINS - DISCO PROVA (CD by Absinth Records) *
SABINA MEYER & MARCO DALPANE - CABARET PER NULLA (MUSICHE DI ERIK SATIE E JOHN CAGE) (CD by Ants) *
KLIMPEREI - LOVE YOU (CD by Jardin Au Fou) *
PEDRO CARNEIRO - IMPROBABLE TRANSGRESSIONS (CD by Sirr-ecords) *
KEEF BAKER (CD by Hymen Records)
ARCHITECT LOWER LIP INTERFACE (CD by Hymen Records)
TERMINAL 11 FRACTURED SUNSHINE (CD by Hymen Records)
THE RORSCHACH GARDEN THE TOY FACTORY (CD by Kaleidoskop/Bazooka Joe)
C.M. VON HAUSWOLFF & THOMAS NORDANSTAD - TWO FILMS (DVD by errant Bodies)
LUCIO CAPECE - BB (DVD-R by A Question Of Re_entry)
CHEFKIRK - MEGA CHUFFED (CDR by Mask Of The Slave Records) *
GRAND NORD - 002 (CDR by Brise-Cul Records) *
DRAINOLITH - CUTTIN SQUARES (CDR by Brise-Cul Records) *
KVIK - AUX FRAISES (CDR by Brise-Cul Records) *
LUCA SIGURTA & FHIEVEL AND HUE - REV_E.N.F (MP3 by Sine3pm/Grey Sparkle) *
HUE PLAYING OTHER PEOPLE - MY BUNDLE OF FILES (MP3 by Sine3pm/Grey Sparkle) *

OBJEKT 4 - DEAD WORLD AMBIENCE ANALYSIS (CD by Divinus Solitude Productions)
OBJEKT 4 - MINDSCARS (2CD by Regimental Records/Ravenheart/Sabbathid Records)
Last year we reviewed the first two releases by Anders Peterson, also know as Objekt 4 and now two new productions are available, one of which is a double CD, so that might seem like overkill. However, 'Mindscars' contains works from 2005 and 2006, whilst 'Dead World Ambience Analyses' is a recently released collection of the first works of Objekt 4. In the first stage of his career, which started in 2003, Objekt 4 had the same interest as these days - ambient music - but he was a bit unfocussed as to achieve his music. On 'Dead World Ambience Analysis' he dabbles with various ways to achieve his ambient music, which hardly fits the official Brian Eno term. A great deal seems to be sampled together from orchestral and acoustic instruments, feeding it through his bunch of sound effects. Also traces of his present state of sound is present here already, but not as refined yet. It makes the album limping on several possible directions which aren't crystal clear yet. Having said that, it's not a bad album at all. It's obviously quite varied, and forecasts in some ways what comes later (although we know this because we heard the later works first), and it would have been a promising start, if it had been released properly at that time.
When we fast forward to the present we get almost two hours of material recorded in 2005 and 2006. Many of the works are multiple part works. One title, divided in anywhere from one to eight sections. The music is much more abstract these days. The rhythms that were present on the earlier reviewed CDs (see Vital Weekly 532 and 538) are almost gone here in favor of a highly organic ambient pattern. Yet Objekt 4 doesn't use a bunch of synthesizers, but is still armed with his sampler and sound effects. Taking the 'silence' from nature, treating them as long as he finds necessary, he creates desolate spaces. The overall tone is, you might have guessed it, to be called 'dark'; pitch black to be precise, although Objekt 4 knows many shades of black. The influence of ambient industrialist hero Lustmord is never far away. Somewhere on disc two, suddenly a rhythm bursts out, with noise as it's companying. It sorts of breaks away from the what we heard so far, and it's a bit of a pity. It's not difficult to see this as Swedish music, as a whole bunch of names appears in front me when playing this: Deutsch Nepal, Morthound, Jarl, Moljebka Pvlse are just a few of them. Both releases are also designed to attract the attention of ambient gothics. As such much of what Objekt 4 isn't highly original but it stands quite well in the history of Swedish doom ambient, but probably it's only one who offers all his works in 5.1 versions, from his website only. (FdW)
Address: http://www.divinus-solitudo.com
Address: http://www.objekt4.com

FELIPE CARAMELOS - SE PROHIBE CANTARA (2miniCD by Waystyx)
A big questionmark came over my head when I saw the name Felipe Caramelos, but upon checking the website mentioned on the cover, there is no mistake: Felipe was once Lt. Caramel. But it wasn't the only questionmark: both CDs are packed in identical packages, same covers and different booklets, but they contain different music. Enter third questionmark: why? Both CDs have only three tracks, spanning each around eighteen minutes. Why not fit on one CD? Maybe I'm missing a point. The music is not far away from the original Lt. Caramel sound, which hardcore fans immediately recognize: many voices. Eleven different people's voices are used, many of them are French and English but also some are Russian - probably from the people of Waystyx Records. It adds that poetic feel to the music that is such a common (but nice and unique) place in the musique concrete of Lt. Caramel. I am told that the voices are inspired by slave songs, hence the title, which means 'forbidden song', although the texts do not relate directly to slavery. The instrumental part is a nice mixture of orchestral passages and field recordings, mainly street sounds. Lt. Caramel's music is poetic in approach, even when it's not always to grasp what his poetry is about and perhaps this is what makes the music so fascinating. It stands completely in the tradition of concrete music, but has a true and strong voice of his own. Despite the questionmarks raised! (FdW)
Address: http://www.waystyx.com

BURKHARD BEINS - DISCO PROVA (CD by Absinth Records)
Over the past few years we came across the name Burkhard Beins as the percussion player in various ensembles, most notably Perlonex and Trio Sowari, but also playing improvised music with people like Keith Rowe and Charlemagne Palestine. However I don't recall ever having reviewed something by him that was a solo production (I might very well wrong). Whatever I expected from a solo disc by a drummer, I was wrong. Actually come to think of it: was I expecting something at all then? Perhaps not. Many drummers and percussion players going solo or working with electronics play something that is far away from anything overtly rhythmic. Jason Kahn, Gert-Jan Prins or Jon Mueller are just three examples. Beins offers a bunch of pieces on this CD which are in some way probably being 'percussive' but at the same time also highly electronic. The cover lists per tracks what it is that he does, which makes an inspiring reading: there is talk of field recordings (water, heating system, electric gas igniter), analogue synthesizers, a 12 metre string, but also a cymbal and floortom and even, perhaps the biggest surprise, 'brief snippets from the very beginnings and endings' of Joy Division songs (in 'For Ian Curtis'). That makes this into a highly interesting release, even before hearing it. It's a bit of bummer that the linernotes don't match with the order of the songs on the CD. The CD print has a different order, which is not on the cover. When I was playing this CD, I kept thinking: can one hear that this is the work of a percussion player, and between the many layers of field recordings, clicks and hiss, my answer in the end was affirmative. One can. Probably as much as say Jason Kahn, it has that similar rhythmic quality, as even when not as ambient based as Kahn, Beins plays captivating pieces of drone like material. Unfortunately the only let down was the 'For Ian Curtis' piece, which had some faint remembering of Joy Division, but throughout this piece couldn't bother me very much. Otherwise: great CD. (FdW)
Address: http://www.absinthrecords.com/

SABINA MEYER & MARCO DALPANE - CABARET PER NULLA (MUSICHE DI ERIK SATIE E JOHN CAGE) (CD by Ants)
If your knowledge of musical history is a bit up to date, than you know John cage was a big admirer of the work of Erik Satie, and even pulled out 'Vexations' out of a drawer. Some of the early Cage works for piano and voice remind the listener of Satie, whose piano works may have been instrumental, but on the CD here have lyrics, written by J.P. Contamine de Latour, C. Mendes and H. Pacory. Here a recital of piano and voice works are performed by Sabina Meyer (voice) and Marco Dalpane (piano). The 'real' modern classical music is hardly ever reviewed in Vital Weekly, but occasionally spun in the HQ, although it's likely to Satie and not Cage. Although I readily admit being wrong there: there is no reason to play early John Cage piano music as it has the same beautiful sensibility as Erik Satie. On this disc this is proven much further: even if you know which pieces are played (assuming for a moment that your knowledge of this kind of music is that far developed), the similarities between the compositions is striking. Subtle piano playing, a bit of prepared piano (in 'She Is Asleep'), the beautiful singing of Meyer: this is excellent music, and in true spirit to the humor of both composers, it's present as a cabaret, of course with different music, but with a similar light atmosphere. Great! (FdW)
Address: http://www.silenzio-distribuzione.it/ants.htm

KLIMPEREI - LOVE YOU (CD by Jardin Au Fou)
Through then almost twelve years of Vital Weekly the name Klimperei pops up with a high irregularity. 'On The Lily Lawn' was a neat 3" CD that released not so long ago (see Vital Weekly 549) and here we are served a full length album. Klimperei moves entirely outside any music scene. They are a two piece band, consisting of Christophe Petchanatz and Francoise Lefebvre. They can sound like a rock band, like a chamber orchestra and like a singer songwriter. Their pieces aren't always finished tracks, but rather sketches, ideas or notions. A piano melody, a looped rhythm of a toy xylophone, a guitar tinkling. All recorded direct in y'r face, like their present in your living room. They refuse to play any game at the real music industry and that's their big power. Like a sunday painter, like a child they play their own version of musique brut: friendly music. No less than twenty-six tracks and I must admit: that is a bit much. At a certain point it starts to work the nerves. You have fully grasped the idea of Klimperei. It's a full album, but you can easily get a full satisfying forty minute version (do it yourself here) together and have a great album. (FdW)
Address: http://www.jardinaufou.com

PEDRO CARNEIRO - IMPROBABLE TRANSGRESSIONS (CD by Sirr-ecords)
The marimba is an instrument I like very much, ever from the first time I heard Steve Reich's 'Six Marimbas'. The wooden sound of it appeals to me a lot. So I am quite surprised to get this double CD with work by one Pedro Carneiro, who apparently is quite famous in the world of percussion players. While looking on the net he found there is a whole bunch of people who take works by others and put them in a new jacket, the so-called 'remix', even when Carneiro refers to them as Sound Hackers. This inspired him to recorded nine improvisations on the marimba, which are dedicated to nine of these sound hackers, whom would all get a copy of the work to re-work. A lovely little idea, making the remix project into a hyper personal thing. The only restrictions were to use just the sounds Carneiro recorded and to keep it within the seven to nine minute range. On the first disc, as said, nine strong improvisations. Carneiro has quite a loud style in playing the marimba, but he manages to make the various coloration's of the instrument possible. He's best when he plays a combination of louder and softer material right through eachother. I couldn't help thinking however what the possibilities were in terms of remixing. Over the lengthy course of this CD there is plenty of time of ponder over that - and the length is perhaps the discs only problem.
The second disc is a bit more problematic. The first six contributions are too much 'computer doodling' as far I am concerned. You know the drill: open a short sound file in some processing patch in Super Collidor, Max/msp or PD, and let the sounds bounce up and down the scale, change pitch, play backwards, stretch it out, make shorter. The first six don't do a very inspired job, except perhaps Ralf Wehowsky, who sounds alright and takes the material to a level further and Joao Pedro Oliveira, whose pieces could easily be on a Empreintes Digitalis CD, which is alright but a bit standard. The final three pieces are the most interesting ones. Brandon Labelle has a completely vague description in the booklet as to what he does exactly but the result is a highly subdued piece of very soft spoken tones Ivan Franco plays a beautiful controlled ambient piece, in which traces of the original are used to collide with the processed sounds. Stephan Mathieu who takes on a Lucier like concept of recording and playing back on two ancient cassette machines, before layering the piece into a dense piece of gliding tones. So a really nice concept not always leads to a nice CD, as the efforts on the second disc are as far I'm concerned a bit half baked. (FdW)
Address: http://www.sirr-ecords.com

KEEF BAKER (CD by Hymen Records)
ARCHITECT LOWER LIP INTERFACE (CD by Hymen Records)
TERMINAL 11 FRACTURED SUNSHINE (CD by Hymen Records)
British composer Keith Baker has done quite a nice job on his fourth album after the two opening albums on American label "n5MD" and the third album, "Pure Language", released in 2006 on German label Ad Noiseam. As was the case with the previous album, Keef Baker concentrates on warm sound spheres of electronica with melodic and tranquilizing ambience floating in and out of rhythm-based parts. Casually the expression on the album moves into more acoustic instrumental territories, reminding us that Keith Baker opened his musical career as an acoustic musician. His primary instrument was a bass-guitar, a fact that especially comes clear on the track titled "Tombola thrill killer" that contains some quite cool bass-lines. A great album thanks to Mr. Bakers catchy blend of acoustic and electronic sound expressions. Being an ex-member of legendary industrial-profile Haujobb, German composer Daniel Myer is back with his fourth releases under the project known as "Architect". Compared to the album "I went out shopping to get some noise" (reviewed in Vital Weekly in 2004) the expression on this latest album titled "Lower lip interface" is quite harsher with a bit more emphasis on distorted noisy beats. But the excellent soundscapes of drifting ambience remains in the work. Architect first of all works in the hybrid between breakbeats and ambience, but there are also elements of heavy pounding industrial-beats in a quite few of the works. Nice album. If Architect's "Lower lip interface" should be branded as more experimental and demanding than Keep Baker's "Redeye", then American composer Terminal 11 goes even further. Be warned! This is not easy listening music. But it is definitely a great album if you are ready for some freaking breakbeats. The headline of this debut album by Terminal 11 titled "Fractured sunshine" is rhythmic hyper-complexity. It is quite impressive the way that Mike Castaneda (aka Terminal 11) manages to create some subtle textures in the vast jungle of rhythmic chaos. And it is done in a humorous and a clever way. Jason Forrest, founder of the Cock Rock Disco-label once described Terminal 11's style as sounds that roam in an accelerated twilight zone where music turns to data and data turns into music. That description says it all. Abstract electronics from a world beyond, - a masterwork in sonic complexity! (NM)
Address: http://www.hymenrecords.com

THE RORSCHACH GARDEN THE TOY FACTORY (CD by Kaleidoskop/Bazooka Joe)
First of all known for his partly response for the brutal sounds of German Power Noise-duo Synapscape, Philipp Münch already established this much lesser known project called "The Rorschach Garden" back in 1988. And now "The Rorschach Garden" is ready with another album, the first in a couple of years. "The toy factory" is the third album out on Bazooka Joe, a sub-label from the Ant-Zen. Bazooka Joe focus on releases of retro-synthpop, and this is exactly what "The Rorschach garden" present on this album. "The Rorschach garden", being a collaboration project between aforementioned Philipp Münch and Babsi Teichner and Natscha Pohlmannn, is in diametrical opposition to the harsh expressions of Synapscape. The Rorschach Garden takes its retrospective starting point in the glory days of synth-pop. Overall the style on "The toy factory" is best described as minimalist electro-pop, with some great and German-accent English vocals by Phillip Münch. From the melancholic and semi-dark "Catch your fall" (reminiscent of Joy Division / early New Order) to the more cold and cynic "L'homme deconnecte" (sounding like a mixture between American cyberpunk-legend Chrome and New Wave-legends in Visage), The Rorschach Garden delivers an album of high quality electro-pop on "Toy factory". Excellent! (NM)
Address: http://www.minuswelt.com

C.M. VON HAUSWOLFF & THOMAS NORDANSTAD - TWO FILMS (DVD by errant Bodies)
Since much of the work of Carl Micheal von Hauswolff deals with urban cites, it's perhaps strange to think that much of his output doesn't involve film. So far I only know of a book with pictures. Here how this is made with two films shot by Thomas Nordanstad with music of Hauswolff. The first film shows us the Battleship Island off the coast of Nagasaki. Here once 5000 people who work in the mines on the same island. All very small and since 1974 empty. The island and buildings are there but in decay, beautiful decay that is. Nature takes over. The other film is about nature, an oasis in Egypt. Here there is sign of human activity, but it's mainly about the desert. In the Japan film Hauswolff's music is a very deep sonic, almost unearthly rumble, whereas in the Egypt film it starts with a present drone, to which found songs are added. This may seem an odd ball for the new Hauswolff fans but in fact hark back to the early days of Phauss. Two quite contrasting films: the austerity of Hashima and the sunlight covered Al Qasr, with two contrasting pieces of music by Hauswolff. As two interesting extra's there is a small documentary on Hashima, about a guy who wants to turn it into a museum. A pity that the music behind this documentary is a bit kitschy documentary like, which sort of breaks with the Hauswolff pieces. The other is the two artists talking about these films and how they were made, intentions and what else about these locations, which is quite nice. It's great to see Hauswolff going into this direction. (FdW)
Address: http://www.errantbodies.org

LUCIO CAPECE - BB (DVD-R by A Question Of Re_entry)
Despite the many, many releases reviewed so far in the field of improvised music, there is hardly a thing to see. Seeing is believing sometimes, or perhaps it takes away some of the magic? Lucio Capece hails from Argentina and now lives in Berlin. On this DVD-R two live pieces from 2005, and two different approaches to playing the soprano saxophone. The first piece is recorded at Labor Sonor in Berlin and sees him playing 'soprano saxophone and preparations'. In this piece he plays the saxophone with various objects, such as a bow, a plastic case and blows the mouthpiece separate from the saxophone. All is amplified and in between picking up various objects there is silence. In this twenty-two minute he carefully plays around with the notion of silence and brings out soft spoken touches on his instrument. Which is in total contrast of the piece recorded at the No Spaghetti festival in Buenos Aires later in 2005. Here he moves the saxophone around to create a wall of feedback, and he hardly blows the thing. How exactly this feedback is made doesn't become clear, but seeing the noise being made is a great thing. These two entirely different approaches to playing two different ways of improvisation makes this a great document. (FdW)
Address: <planitis_miden@yahoo.gr>

CHEFKIRK - MEGA CHUFFED (CDR by Mask Of The Slave Records)
More and more and more music by Chefkirk, nom de plume for Roger H. Smith. By now his discography is filled to the top with releases that reads like a telephone book into the world of CDR labels - an alternate goal for him might be to release a work on every CDR label. 'Mega Chuffed' is release number 176 or so, and actually the noise he puts on here is quite nice. For once the somewhat lengthier tracks (as opposed to some of his other releases) sound like Merzbow on an average day, as opposed to Chefkirk trying to sound like a bad Merzbow clone. The rhythm aspect that he used to spice up his noise in recent time is almost gone here, and whereas I thought it would be a line of development to explore, I must say that the pure noise assault is quite alright this time. It's hard to tell why this is, more like a feeling than something that can be outlined in exact words. One of the better Chefkirk releases so far. (FdW)
Address: http://www.maskoftheslave.tk

GRAND NORD - 002 (CDR by Brise-Cul Records)
DRAINOLITH - CUTTIN SQUARES (CDR by Brise-Cul Records)
KVIK - AUX FRAISES (CDR by Brise-Cul Records)
There are some pretty nasty things to say about this lot. Why do people still spray paint on CDRs? Aren't their live span too short already? Why is there no information on these cover that make much sense? Also the website doesn't hold much lead. Grand Nord, anyone? No info, just '002' and eighteen minutes of unrelentness noise feedback. Loud, vicious and conservative. Heard that before and in terms of mystification: saw that before too. Who are Grand Nord trying to impress with this? It might work in live concert no doubt, but at home it doesn't hold the same power.
At least the tracks on the 'Cuttin Squares' have titles, but that's again it. No information otherwise, but the website tells us that he is Montreal's synth king and a member of The Universe, Et Sans and Thames. If you know any of these, than I can report that it has nothing to do with the music of either The Unireverse or Et Sans, the two I know. If he really plays synths here, then he probably feeds them to the lions of effect pedals. Loud and obnoxious sort of noise, but at least of a sort that is better than Grand Nord. There is - hohum - variation, even a trace of structure and built up to be detected in these pieces. A bit like good ol' Maurizio Bianchi when he was young. That makes this rather nice, and clocking in at some twenty-six minutes, it has the right length.
Kvik offers with 'Aux Fraises' his debut. He is described as 'a new very intense drone project from Montreal'. Intense indeed. A drone can be soft and beautiful, but it usually has that overdrive of many sound layers adding a sort of rhythmic touch. Listening to a car engine can you give you the same effect and perhaps it was a source of inspiration for Kvik's debut release. His three long pieces sound like car engines, and are loud and raw. But at the same time they also have some captivating. Perhaps just a little bit too long, but this sort of stuff needs it's time to develop it's drone like qualities. If drone music is something you can float away by, then Kvik is certainly not your man. But if you like a fair portion of drone as overdrive, 'Aux Fraises' certainly has class. (FdW)
Address: http://www.brise-cul-records.cjb.net

LUCA SIGURTA & FHIEVEL AND HUE - REV_E.N.F (MP3 by Sine3pm/Grey Sparkle)
HUE PLAYING OTHER PEOPLE - MY BUNDLE OF FILES (MP3 by Sine3pm/Grey Sparkle)
These two MP3 releases have various things in common: first of all there is of course the presence of Hue, an Italian musician with some reputation, but both releases were recorded live at Lab 12, which is the house of one Madame P, also known as Patrizia Oliva (who has a nice solo vocal act on the road actually). She organizes from time to time concerts in her own house. One of these events was a two days festival of experimental music, which had a concert by Luca Sigurta, Fhievel and Hue in May 2005. On the backside of the cover we see these three young men looking at their screens of laptops. Don't let this put you down, as the music is quite nice. It's no doubt edited out of a larger whole, and contains the usual elements of static, crackles, hiss, tick and beep, but throughout they play quite an interesting, at times moody and at times a bit more forceful set of electronic improvisation. Perhaps if you saw live concerts involving laptops before or even improvisations involving people playing such like, then this release may hold nothing new, but I thought this was alright. More home listening fun than suited for a concert situation, perhaps.
Hue himself has been playing concerts with such bands as Sparkle In Grey but in fact in didn't play solo until 2006, upon the suggestion of Luca Sigurta. He made his solo live debut as Lab 12 in October last year. As the title already suggests he plays around using other people's sound files; people like Gaia Margutti and Maurizio Bianchi and he even does a cover of the Waterboys. Hue's music is not sounding improvised at all, but carefully planned (probably not a strange thing if this is his first solo concert). In the five pieces he displays a love deep ambient music, in combination with a pulsating rhythm, which is rather trance inducing than a strict dance rhythm. In the piece that uses the Bianchi sounds, 'Erimos IV', this works best in a somewhat noise like setting. The Waterboys cover is an interesting exercise in field recordings and electronics, without having much to do with the original, I think. Quite a fine concert, certainly not bad for a debut. (FdW)
Address: http://www.greysparkle.com http://www.sinewaves.it