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VITAL WEEKLY
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number 577
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week 21
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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.
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weeks). Download the file to your MP3 player and enjoy!
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* noted are in this week's podcast
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JOSEPH NECHVATAL - VIRAL SYMPHONY (CD by
IEA)
NAD SPIRO - TINTA INVISIBLE (CD by Geometrik) *
ULRICH TROYER - SEHEN MIT OHREN (CD by Transacoustic Research)
*
TEXT OF LIGHT - UN PRANZO FAVOLOSO/A FABULOUS LUNCH (CD by Final
Muzik)
RACCOO-OO-OON - BEHOLD SECRET KINGDOM (CD by Release The Bats)
*
ILIOS - IYEILOPS (CD by Antifrost)
RAN SLAVIN - THE WAYWARD REGIONAL TRANSMISSIONS (CD by Cronica
Electronica) *
ADRIAN MOORE - REVE DE L'AUBE (CD by Empreintes Digitales)
ELECTRONIC MUSIC VOLUME III - MUSICA VIVA COMPETITION PRIZE WINNERS
2004-2005-2006 (CD by Miso Records)
SON OF ROSE - DIVISIONS IN PARALLEL (CD by Dragon's Eye Recordings)
JAMIE DROUIN & YANN NOVAK - AUDITORIUM (CD by Dragon's Eye
Recordings) *
WYNDEL HUNT - NK AK (CDR by Dragon's Eye Recordings)
SUBSTANZ-T - BEYOND E (CD by Hymen)
HECQ - 0000 (CD by Hymen)
GENETIC SELECTION - WORLD OF TOMORROW (CD by Ant-Zen)
JOHN MORTON - SOLO TRAVELER: NEW MUSIC FOR MUSIC BOXES (CD by
Innova)
TIM HECKER - RADIO AMOR (CD by Alien8 Recordings)
NADJA - TOUCHED (CD by Alien8 Recordings)
BLIPVERT - SKR(EP) (CD by Trixy Records) *
KORBER/WEBER/YAMAUCHI - SIGNAL TO NOISE VOLUME 2 (CD by For 4
Ears Records)
KAHN/MÖSLANG/MÜLLER - SIGNAL TO NOISE VOLUME 3 (CD by
For 4 Ears Records) *
SERAFINE STEER - CHEAP DEMO BAD SCIENCE (CD by Static Caravan)
*
DANNY NORBURY - DUSK (3"CDR by Static Caravan)
HARRIS NEWMAN/MAURO ANTONIO PAWLOWSKI (LP by Glasvocht Records)
*
THE NEW BLOCKADERS & PUTREFIER - SCHLIEFMITTELBÖGEN (LP
by Birthbiter)
KKH1 LOCK GROOVES (7" by Royal Records)
GLAUKOM SYNOD - HYDROCEPHALIZER (CDR, self-released) *
NINTH DESERT - ZONE (CDR by Mystery Sea) *
DESERT SPACE (3 CDR compilation by Tosom)
PLACENTA POPEYE (CDR by Phaseweb)
PANAGIOTIS SPOULOS - TORPOR (CDR by Phaseweb)
JAZZFINGER - LISTEN AND VANISH (CDR by Cut Hands)
POOR SCHOOL - VOOR NIETS IN ZIJN (CDR by Cut Hands) *
WOMEN IN TRAGEDY - CONSTELLATIONS (CDR by Cut Hands)
PYOGENIC/SWAMPS UP NOSTRILS - CHASERS/SCREAMERS (CDR on Krakilsk)
CARLOS AND GUIDO - BOLENAT (CDR on Krakilsk)
PSYCHEOUT NACHSPIEL NOISE - BANNED ROOM (CDR on Krakilsk) *
BLACK SPARROW - LEGS HEAVY WITH POLLEN (CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
(VXPXC) - CHINATOWN NOSE-CUT (CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
R.S.R. - BLACK BOX (3"CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
MIRKO UHLIG - THE RABBIT'S LOGBOOK (3"CD by Field Muzick)
JOSEPH NECHVATAL - VIRAL SYMPHONY (CD by
IEA)
Somewhere somehow the name Joseph Nechvatal rang a bell. Did I
see his name on a cassette compilation in the eighties or some
such like? Ever since 'Viral Symphony' dropped on my desk, I have
been thinking about this. Through the wonders of internet I learned
that Nechvatal works with ubiquitous electronic visual information,
computers and computer-robotics'. His visual art has been on display
in museums all around the world and he is a professor in art,
science and technology. A smaller portion of his work is dedicated
to music, and more in particular computer technology. The strange
thing is that on his website you can't find anything related to
the 'Viral Symphony', perhaps not updated yet (?), but you have
to go the website of Matthew Underwood (www.mattunderwoord.net)
to learn a little more. He, together with Andrew Deutsch, perform
this 'symphony', which, if understood correctly, is entirely based
on a computer generated composition by Nechvatal and Stephane
Sikora, based on C++ programming. This original file, spanning
fifty minutes, is also to be found on this CD along with the twenty-eight
minute version played by Deutsch and Underwood. I am not sure
what the latter two exactly do here, but it seems to me that they
feed the original sound through their own pieces of software,
exploring the 'nano, micro, mezo & macro structures', but
it sounds however more like an interesting laptop jam than anything
else. Occasionally noise based, with hissy and crackly sounds,
occasionally a little bit more soft, but never microsound, ambient
glitch or such like. They break the sound down into the smallest
particles or let them simply explode into the biggest cloud of
noise. It's ok, not great. The raw data file (which comes as regular
audio) is a lot simpler in approach - which is of course logical:
these are just sounds to be used. It has a minimal built-up, which
in fact works well as a noise piece in the background. Played
louder, it becomes a bit too stale. (FdW)
Address: http://iea.art.alfred.edu
NAD SPIRO - TINTA INVISIBLE (CD by Geometrik)
It's been about five years since we last from Nad Spiro, also
known as Rosa Arruti from Barcelona, Spain, with then her third
release 'Nad Spiro's Fightclubbing' (see Vital Weekly 351). Things
were by no means quiet for her, as still plays live around the
world and doing workshop for children between 6 and 16 years.
She however still plays the guitar, sings and feeds it all through
software. If you expect a singer-songwriter album, then you couldn't
be more wrong. How exactly she does it, is a bit of a mystery,
but not much on this new CD sounds like a guitar. Faint traces
perhaps, a residue, a string being hit, but throughout Nad Spiro
knows how to make things sound like an electronic mass. Previously
she was compared to Coil, and that's still stands. The overall
atmosphere of this album is best described as moody. No songs
of joy and hope, but with Philip K. Dick and David Lynch as your
inspirations that is no surprise. On her cover she also mentions
'Low Berliners and Frank Tovey', and yes, it might Bowie's darker
side of Low and Heroes or Fad Gadget's early excursions in electronics,
even when Nad Spiro's own voice is never really singing, but rather
whispering and reciting. It's electronic music that defies a description:
dark, moody, but also highly taken by the software involved, so
a bit glitch and click n cuts, and then also improvised, poetic
and a bit noisy. Nad Spiro blends various inspirations and musical
sources together and makes it her own thing, which is quite a
nice achievement. (FdW)
Address: http://www.geometrikrecords.com
ULRICH TROYER - SEHEN MIT OHREN (CD by Transacoustic
Research)
It's difficult to imagine to loose one of your senses; I am without
smell for some time now, and one gets used to it, but in my case
I didn't develop a stronger hearing or seeing sense. If you loose
hearing or seeing one usually starts to develop the other remaining
sense. Do blind people hear better or more? I am not sure, since
I'm not blind. 'Seeing With Ears' is the translation of this new
work by Ulrich Troyer, who interviewed six blind people about
their perception of architecture, meaning of space and how to
get by in the city. He makes a sound collage out of that, alongside
with environmental sounds, cars, birds or the subway. A vivid
sound picture - excuse le mot. The problem is of course a bit
that all the six people speak in German (with an Austrian dialect,
as that's where Troyer lives), which makes it for the trained
German speaker (like me, not native) not always easy to follow.
I rather tended to sit back and enjoy the total of the piece,
the speaking of the voices, listening to the sounds while having
my eyes closed. I am not sure if this hörspiel is something
I would play very often, but for now it made a nice impression.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.transacousticresearch.com
TEXT OF LIGHT - UN PRANZO FAVOLOSO/A FABULOUS
LUNCH (CD by Final Muzik)
Now here's a band who need little introduction: Alan Licht (guitar),
Lee Ranaldo (guitar, electronics), Ulrich Krieger (sax, saxtronics)
and Tim Barnes (drums, percussion, electronics). Heavy weights
in the world of improvisation, and who probably hardly see a recording
studio. Everything they do is improvised and so is this recording:
recorded live at Auditorium Concordia in Pordenone, Italy, about
two years ago. Like usual, this too was played while screening
films by Stan Brackage, although we have no indication as to which
films were screened. That is a pity, but not a big problem. Separated
from the film, the music stands firm by itself, and it can thoroughly
be enjoyed by itself. The 'sonic continuum' is important. Text
Of Light bangs on in a loud, forceful way, showing no way back
and just speeding ahead. They can burst out in noise, where the
saxophone plays occasionally a nasty role and in the more softer
parts the guitars are explored with objects and devices. One guitar
leaps into a drone, the other continues to bang. In this hour
or so work, there isn't a single moment of weakness, a soft spot
or something out of place. It's a full hour of sound; loud improvised
music. A strong work, but did we expect anything less? (FdW)
Address: http://www.finalmuzik.com
RACCOO-OO-OON - BEHOLD SECRET KINGDOM (CD
by Release The Bats)
After the full blown introduction to the musical world of Raccoo-oo-oon,
after having missed out on all the limited releases they also
produce (CDR, tapes, vinyl), 'Behold Secret Kingdom' is the second
encounter with this free form rock band. I must admit I don't
hear that much difference between this newly recorded release,
and the previous one heard here, 'Is Night People': raw, intense
playing in a rock/punk context, quite untamed, but in general
not always well spend on me. I do like rock music, well sometimes,
and I do like punk, well that too sometimes. Quite powerful, but
perhaps you need to be younger than I am to fully grasp this power.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.releasethebats.com
ILIOS - IYEILOPS (CD by Antifrost)
For some years now, or maybe even longer than we can remember
there is Ilios, the Greek man in Barcelona, who has produced a
nice body of work, mainly released on his own Antifrost label.
He also plays live concerts, so he's not a total obscure composer.
Part of his sound work is made for a dance company called YELP,
which started out as a disagreement upon the collaborative process
in 2001. They still disagree for seven years, which now is closed
with the full agreement on the release of this CD, compiling works
from nine different dances. It's a mighty varied and strange collection
of music (of course one would love to see the dance moves). First
of all tracks are quite short, up until the last piece 'In Silence'
which lasts about nineteen minutes. Some of these pieces have
the microsound approach of deep sonic rumbling such as 'Carbon
Copy' (leading to highly processed muzak in the final part thereof),
but there is also the CD skipping of 'The Stitch' (most of these
pieces have actually more parts) and some sort of musique concrete
like work with contact microphones. As said a strange CD, this
one. The highly varied whole, backed with a length of over seventy
minutes, doesn't make this an easy to digest release. It lacks
a certain homogeneity that was present in his recent releases
and it is best enjoyed when taken in a few tracks (or rather one
piece/a few tracks) per time. The total absence of seeing the
dance certainly doesn't help. Here a DVD release would have been
much welcomed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.antifrost.gr
RAN SLAVIN - THE WAYWARD REGIONAL TRANSMISSIONS
(CD by Cronica Electronica)
The first time we got introduced to the music of Ran Slavin was
on his 'Product 02' CD release for the very same label that now
releases 'The Wayward Regional Transmissions'. Slavin hails from
Israel, where he produces digital music, experimental cinema and
video art. On his latest CD he approaches 'Oriental Middle Eastern
Music with Abstract Glitch' and to this end he uses in some pieces
the BulbulTarang, a three steel string Indian instrument played
by Ahuva Ozeri, who was the first female star of Mizrahit music.
Another piece uses the Ud, played by Moshe Eliahu. It may seem
an odd mixture at work here, but in fact the opposite is true.
The minimal patterns played on the traditional instruments mingle
quite nicely with the electronic music of Slavin, which is not
always glitch like. He employs rhythm through rhythm machines,
which he processes by digital means. Of course the hotbed of cracks,
hiss, static and such like is present, to make sure that this
is the world of glitch. There is however something quite warm
about this CD, almost like a lazy tropical afternoon, such as
in 'Jericho 6AM' (although the title suggest a different time).
The music is not unlike that of Thilges, who have been working
on this kind of merging of western digital techniques and middle
eastern instruments. This CD fits quite nice the Cronica label,
who have been before bringing special themes to the world of glitch
and not being an ordinary label for ordinary glitch. Slavin's
disc works with traditional approaches, both in computer music
and in oriental music but the combination thereof is quite new.
Very nice work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.cronicaelectronica.org
ADRIAN MOORE - REVE DE L'AUBE (CD by Empreintes
Digitales)
ELECTRONIC MUSIC VOLUME III - MUSICA VIVA COMPETITION PRIZE WINNERS
2004-2005-2006 (CD by Miso Records)
In the world of composers like Adrian Moore things do not evolve
around making CDs, but on playing concerts, preferable on multi-speaker
systems for a seated audience (with an arty facial hair, thick
glasses, sipping wine. I'm joking here, right?). So it's been
a while since we reviewed 'Traces', his previous CD by him - see
Vital Weekly 298 and 'Reve de L'Aube' has pieces from the years
2000-2004. Moore deals with electro-acoustic music: from the power
tools in 'Power Tools' (not software, but let's say real hardware
such as a lawn mower) to field recordings of water, children,
Venetian gondolas, horses and the piano - how lovely it is when
these things are described on the cover. All of the sounds are
fed through a wondrous mirage of electronics and bounces back
and forth, up and down. Like music on Empreintes Digitales usually
does. It clearly defined style of music, which to my, perhaps
perhaps, not enough trained ears, sounds like working through
a formula. On one end you feed the sounds in and due to some trademark
apparatus the music as we hear comes out at the end. Having said
that, I think that Adrian Moore produces some nice music, especially
the closing piece 'Sea Of Singularity' is quite moving: horses,
ducks, the subway and in 'In Paradisum' (the separate parts have
titles) and perhaps the religious texture of that is what appealed
to me. Not a spectacular disc, but certainly one of the better
ones from the label.
Having heard 'Dreaming Of The Dawn' on 'Reve De L'Aube', we can
skip the opening track of 'Electronic Music Vol. III'. It contains
the prize winners of the Musica Viva Competition in Portugal from
the years 2004, 2005 and 2006. Ex equo winners, since the first
year has two and the other years three winners. They all have
their pieces on this CD. Eight in total from composers that are
new to me (well with the exception of Adrian of course): Joshua
Goldman, Panayiotis Kokoras, Pedro Almeida, Santiago Diez Fischer,
Ingrid Obled, Manuella Blackburn and Thomas Peter. It's a long
CD with each composer getting some eight to ten minutes, and played
right after Adrian Moore's CD, some fatigue leaped in. The bouncing
around of sound was all o.k., but the best piece I found at the
end: Thomas Peter's 'Neugut-Rand' seemed like an all electronic
piece of randomly recorded layers of synthesizer sounds, which
were carefully mixed afterwards. Very scattered and collage like,
this seemed to break with the genre well defined aesthetics of
the genre. (FdW)
Address: http://www.electrocd.com
Address: http://www.misomusic.com
SON OF ROSE - DIVISIONS IN PARALLEL (CD
by Dragon's Eye Recordings)
JAMIE DROUIN & YANN NOVAK - AUDITORIUM (CD by Dragon's Eye
Recordings)
WYNDEL HUNT - NK AK (CDR by Dragon's Eye Recordings)
The amount of new names is, as always plentiful. Here are a couple
of new artists on a label I never heard of. Dragon's Eye Recordings
was founded in 1989 by one Paul Novak and is a 'family run independent
record label that focuses on limited run and varied format releases
from a growing roster of sound artists, musicians and producers'.
Now his son Yann Novak runs it. The two CDs are in a limited run
of 400 and the CDR of 100.
Behind Son Of Rose is one Kamran Sadeghi from Seattle, who has
two full length releases before this one. Apparently he moves
to the world of 'electro-acoustics, paring digital processing
and synthesis with a grand piano'. The piano is much in demand
these days (think Fennesz/Sakamoto, Feu Follet, Red Needled Sea
and Krater), and now Son Of Rose, even when there is distinctive
difference. Kamran first records the grand piano and then feeds
it to his computer: as such we hardly recognize the piano, except
perhaps for some of the attack and sustain. What he does with
the piano sounds is purely improvised. Of the three CDs on Dragon's
Eye Recordings reviewed here, this is one that I was least attracted
to. The music sounded nice, and the sounds and techniques applied
are nice, but it seemed all to me a mere copy of Fennesz, but
then a bit slowed down or Taylor Deupree when he would be on speed.
Sounds bounce from left to right, keep ringing and sustaining,
are highly minimal in development and as such it's right on in
the world of ambient glitch - if that wasn't such a well explored
path. It made a fine listening, if nothing new.
Yann Novak himself teams up on the second release together with
Canadian born Jamie Drouin. They met last year at a conference
on sound art and shared a common love for field recordings and
spaces. This was the starting point for their collaborative work
which they recorded live. Drouin first recorded the empty space
of the gallery in which they were to perform. The various recordings
were superimposed over each other and Drouin inserted 'sonic pings
and rhythms' which come up during the piece. It starts out in
the familiar low end rumble, which will be present throughout
the piece, but Drouin and Novak create some sonic clarity later
on, and the sonic pings help. Imagine a collaboration between
the sonic depth of Francisco Lopez and some of the minimal rhythm
material of Alva Noto/Ryoji Ikeda; again Taylor Deupree (this
time with a clear head!) and also Richard Chartier are influences
that inspired these two. Again, a path in music that has been
well explored before, but Drouin and Novak move through various
shifts, patterns and textures and create quite a richly varied
mixture of these. Also not really top new, but also a somewhat
finer listening than Son Of Rose
Wyndel Hunt is an 'audio-visual artist living in Seattle'. Sometimes
no more in required, information wise. His release is on CDR (I
have no clue why two are real CDs and one is a CDR), but the eleven
tracks could have as easily been released on a CD, as far as I'm
concerned. Computerized blissful drones, that would be the most
apt description of this. What exactly he puts into the computer
is a bit unclear; occasionally I thought of guitars (such as in
'Nou'), but perhaps there is no input, and is everything inside
the computer, using software to both generate and process the
sound. Quite drone related material, which has a somewhat harsh
digital texture to it, and the material works best in pieces that
have a slight collage like building structure, that is not unlike
some of the early Hafler Trio work. It could have used a bit more
variation, but it's a nice work anyway. Perhaps even the best
of all three. (FdW)
Address: http://www.dragonseyerecordings.com
SUBSTANZ-T - BEYOND E (CD by Hymen)
Since 1991, the two German artists, Arne Stevens and Alex Lange,
have been collaborating under the project "Substanz-T".
Characterizing the project is their blend of down tempo rhythms,
industrial beat textures and atmospheric soundscapes. Four full-length
albums has been released since the birth of the project. Almost
four years between their third album "Electric opium"
(Hymen Records, 2003) and this newest shot from the project, "Beyond
E". If the title "Beyond E" refers to the "beyond
electronic music" it is a well-chosen title. Taking its starting
point in the electronic sound spheres the album floats into other
more rock-based territories. With the addition of bass guitar,
double bass, percussion and theremin, Substanz-T moves far beyond
your average e-music album. An important brick in the sonic architecture
on the album is the great vocals of female vocalist Verena Niksch.
With guest appearances of among others FM Einheit (ex-Einstürzende
Neubauten), the sound of the project can best be described as
acoustic-based trip hop drifting in dreamlike spheres of ambient.
There is great dark and nocturnal atmosphere on the album. A dark
and beautiful album that easily lives up to the ambitious title
"Beyond E". Excellent! (NM)
Address: http://www.hymen-records.com
HECQ - 0000 (CD by Hymen)
"My motivation as a musician is to process my various influences.
A digital diary". The description from the man himself, Benny
Boysen, reveals that the German sound artist Benny Boysen knows
exactly how to describe his daily impressions into deep expressions
that will then again end up as strong impressions on everyone
diving into the sea of Hecq. Discreet columns of clicking micro
sounds opens the fourth release of Hecq, titled "0000"
in quite an inaudible manner, but soon after the track, simply
titled "0001" (tracks are titled "0000" -
"0018") reaches landscapes of utterly beautiful and
warm ambience. A very nice way to welcome the listener to the
world of Hecq. If you haven't been introduced to this German wonderboy
of IDM, Benny Boysen is respected for his otherworldly blend of
IDM, clicks'n'cuts and ambient since his debut album "A dried
youth" released on Kaleidoskop in 2003. And this latest album
keeps the impressive quality levels of the previous albums. Characterizing
"0000" (and the previous albums) is the mixture of longer
tracks and the smaller intermezzos building up the atmospheres
that saturate the album(s). The works are complex textures of
rhythm and sound. But the complexity does not appear as an abstract
sonic painting: There is a fine line between complexity and beauty,
resulting in a touching album giving plenty of sonic food both
for the intellect and the heart of the listener. There is no one
like Hecq, and this a certainly a compliment to you, Mr. Boysen!
(NM)
Address: http://www.hymen-records.com
GENETIC SELECTION - WORLD OF TOMORROW (CD
by Ant-Zen)
This is Industrial simplicity in its purest form. German Industrial-artist
Boris Kasper, impressed with his debut album "Orbital Ground
Attack" released on Ant-Zen Recordings back in 2004. With
this third album, Genetic Selection continues in the fast lane
of full-throttle distorted beats with atmospheric soundscapes
in the sub-levels. The rhythm textures are the main ingredient
on the album, quite often with touches of early EBM-expressions
transformed into 21st century Industrial attack. Expressively
the album ranges from deep and emotional trancelike tracks ("Alive
but lost", "Poisoned water", "The beyond")
to the more straight vocal-based "slap in your face"-tracks
("A man and his droid", "Endgame"). Most tracks
carries some remarkable hypnotic trance-elements swirling inside
technoid sounds and beats, making "World of tomorrow"
an awesome album for the club-scene. Despite the album's screaming
for some physical performance of the consumer, "World of
tomorrow" also works well in the state of more passive listening.
"Orbital ground attack" was an impressive debut by Genetic
Selectino but "World of tomorrow" is even better. Power
Industrial par excellence! (NM)
Address: http://www.ant-zen.com
JOHN MORTON - SOLO TRAVELER: NEW MUSIC FOR
MUSIC BOXES (CD by Innova)
We are surrounded by electricity. You know the drill. But from
most things we have no clue how it works. When it is broken we
throw it away. Not so one John Morton, who takes small machinery
apart and builds it into new instruments: toy piano's, music box
comb, and a mbira - those are his main instruments. On this CD
you will find four of these compositions that sound slightly gamelan
like in 'Teetines' or processed through max/msp in 'Ta-wee' and
'Through The Wall'. The latter also includes 'field recordings'
- as heard 'through the wall' of his home. This music is not just
the result of live playing of these instruments, but rather the
careful layering and mixing of these sounds, but the result is
always sweet little music. Relaxed as in 'Teetines' or hectic
and nervous in 'Ta-wee'. culminating in a version of 'Amazing
Grace', on a set of no less than seventeen 'recomposed and altered
music boxes'. Highly minimal, but truly fascinating. However this
CD has five pieces and it's the fifth (second on the CD) that
I have some trouble with. It's the title piece, which has music
boxes and an ensemble of five voices reciting a poem by Cynthia
Nadelman. The serious music character of the piece breaks through
the somewhat naive charm of the four other pieces and I must admit
it took the CD down for me - although it's probably the prize
winning piece in a contest for 'serious new music'. Without this
piece it would have certainly been a great CD which also time
wise it could have been left off. (FdW)
Address: http://www.innova.mu
TIM HECKER - RADIO AMOR (CD by Alien8 Recordings)
NADJA - TOUCHED (CD by Alien8 Recordings)
Since the disappearance of Mille Plateaux, there is a whole world
open for daring minds to go and do re-issues. Or is some of the
music a bit dated by now? Tim Hecker releases these days on Alien8
Recordings and got his new mates to release this work from 2002
(and previously released by TJ Norris in Vital 365), who quite
rightly noted it has nothing to do with the dance floor, as opposed
to many other works on Mille Plateaux. The atmospheric crackle
of detuned radios being heavily processed offer a lullaby like
atmosphere. There isn't much separation between the tracks, making
'Radio Amor' almost like one piece, in stead of ten smaller ones.
Field recordings, static hum and a laptop running amok. Idea wise
it's perhaps not as strong these days as it was in 2002, but it
makes good sense in re-issuing this work. The highly atmospheric
character of the music still has many admirers, so there is a
new world to gain.
A hot new release is by Nadja, the duo of Aidan Baker and Leah
Buckareff. They have a couple of releases under this guise, although
not as many as Baker as solo to his name. Together they play guitars,
vocals, drum programming, bass and vocals and Alien8 calls this
'outsider metal'. I really do like it when musicians step out
of their usual habitat and play us something entirely different.
But in the case of Nadja, I must admit that their wall of sound/heavy
metal approach doesn't appeal to me very much - it's outsider
indeed. I was thinking we have not really a reviewer on board
to handle 'outsider metal' (anyone?). It's grinds, shakes and
rumbles in a slow mood, with an endless wall of guitars and slow
stomping rhythm patterns. Not unlike Earth or Sunn 0))), but like
their previous 'Truth Becomes Death' (see Vital Weekly 495) this
is a bit too blurry for me. Occasionally fine, this weight heavy
stoner rock, but as a whole not too well spend on me. (FdW)
Address: http://www.alien8recordings.com
BLIPVERT - SKR(EP) (CD by Trixy Records)
Behind the name BlipVert is one Will Redmond, who has been playing
music for fifteen years now, playing rock and metal bands, but
of course (??) turned towards electronic and experimental music
later on. Currently he's in Oakland. California, and plays with
all sorts of people from the Bay area and with various bands,
but BlipVert is his solo project. Here he sees himself as being
influenced by say Aphex Twin, Skinny Puppy, Squarepusher and Kid
606. This all can be noticed in the highly fucked up music that
he produces. Built around short loops, which he fanatically plays
in a highly disjointed manner. Breakcore is never far away, but
it's not an exclusive domain for him, even when he genuinely plays
a fucked up tune. In 'Gettem Irvan' the beat is rather continuous,
but the best pieces are the closing 'Cohesion Of Solid Souls'
with it's improvised cello playing and the opening 'Candycane
Man' which is almost like a real popsong, including robotized
vocals. To different ends of the music coin, but with the three
tracks in the middle, BlipVert shows you can get away with it.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.synapsecompound.com/
KORBER/WEBER/YAMAUCHI - SIGNAL TO NOISE
VOLUME 2 (CD by For 4 Ears Records)
KAHN/MÖSLANG/MÜLLER - SIGNAL TO NOISE VOLUME 3 (CD by
For 4 Ears Records)
It's of course with some envy that we look to the Swiss: touring
the world and making CDs all with 'thanks to Pro Helvetica and
the City of Zürich/Popkredit for financial support'. Like
a holiday advert. Following 'Signal To Noise Volume 1' (see Vital
Weekly 552), here are two further volumes in the series (with
two more to come) of recordings made at recent travels of a bunch
of Swiss musicians. Volume two is by Tomas Korber on guitar and
electronics, Christian Weber on contrabass and Katsura Yamauchi
on saxophone, recorded at the great location of YCAM in Yamaguchi,
Japan. In the first piece the three players play by the mighty
book of silence: a sound here, silence, a sound there, some careful
blow, a hiss, a crack and a strum. This is nice music for sure,
but it's also a bit predictable. Maybe they arranged it like that,
or perhaps it was the start of the evening? In their second and
last things are much more free and open. Sound is more present
and each of the individual instruments are more easily to be recognized.
It seems as if mistakes are allowed in here, which make a less
subtle piece, but I liked the open ended character of this one.
A great piece and one that is good. Not a bad score.
Volume Three is in an entirely different world. Here we find Jason
Kahn (analog synthesizer, percussion), Norbert Möslang (cracked
everyday electronics) and Günter Müller (ipod, percussion,
electronics) with recordings made, again at YCAM and also at Tokyo
University. Of course we know Kahn and Müller as people that
play some highly introspective music, it's however Möslang
who takes both players by the hand and lead them into a wholly
new area: that of rhythmic music - back to the roots of both Kahn
and Müller as it were. Möslang introduces Pan Sonic
like rhythms made out of cracking everyday electronics as a carpet
for the others to play their likewise more rhythmic outings. It
cracks, sizzles, hisses in every inch of the sound spectrum. Densely
layered, but always held together by the ongoing rhythm. Even
some 'real' percussion is to be recognized in here. This may have
caused a ripple or two in the audience, if they were true lovers
of improvised music, since the ongoing rhythm is a very uncommon
feature in that area. The very particles of the separate sounds
could make a great minimal dance piece, again not unlike Pan Sonic,
but these three players stay away from that, keeping it safely
floating around in a more free improvised setting, which is a
great move. (FdW)
Address: http://www.for4ears.com
SERAFINE STEER - CHEAP DEMO BAD SCIENCE
(CD by Static Caravan)
DANNY NORBURY - DUSK (3"CDR by Static Caravan)
The odd-ball award of this week goes out to Serafina Steer, who
already had a 7" on Static Caravan before, after meeting
the label through myspace - so it works... wow, how could we know.
Steer, nom de Sarah Scutt (I believe) who sings and plays harp
and harmonium (on one track). That 7" didn't made into Vital
Weekly (Static Caravan only sends whatever and whenever they want
to), but here is her full length CD. She cites The Cure, Kate
Bush, Leonard Cohen, Fleetwood Mac, Leafcutter John, Stravinsky
to mention a few, and that's wide apart as far as a music taste
goes. Her voice reminded me a bit of Björk, with all these
odd bending of the voice, but that's by far the only thing that
connects her Björk. The music is rather minimal, down to
earth (as opposed to her Icelandic counterpart), but also warm
and intimate. Definitely not the kind of music that spins here
everyday, but it certainly has a charming naive quality to it.
And we keep being trapped in moody land, with the likewise unknown
(at least in the part of the musical world) Danny Norbury, who
has a beautiful designed 3" CDR on Static Caravan. Does he
really play the violins himself? Or does he simply use some sort
of midi program - well, does it matter? I reckon' he plays it
himself in an ultra-fashionable modern living room music style.
The closest I can compare it with is some of Eno's Obscure Records,
more in particular Gavin Bryars ('The Sinking Of The Titanic'
in particular) and Micheal Nyman ('Decay Music'), but also the
likes of Gorecki and Pärt or, if this is all too much old
news for you, Johann Johannson. Chamber music for piano and strings.
Today is an official sunday here, even when it's thursday, and
the streets are empty. This music fits the feeling of a desolate,
a bit grey day. Norbury plays the perfect music for such a day.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.staticcaravan.org
HARRIS NEWMAN/MAURO ANTONIO PAWLOWSKI (LP
by Glasvocht Records)
So far Glasvocht Records released some CDRs and a CD or two onto
the world, but here they strike with a LP, a split LP with two
guitarists. Harris Newman is foremost a man with a mastering studio,
but also playing with Triple Burner, Hrsta and Sackville (all
bands from the Montreal area), as well as solo. The LP opens with
a lengthy and space like tune 'Early Onset Tourette's', a finger
picking piece, feeding through an endless reverb and delay, adding
that spacious character to the piece. A great opening piece. 'Sit
Down, Stay Down' is a fast piece, blues like and although much
shorter, it's also a fine piece. His last piece is the least one,
as it harks back to the opening piece, but with an overload in
the reverb department. But with two great guitar pieces.
Mauro Antonio Pawlowski might be known for his work with Club
Moral and Bum Collar, in the real world of real popmusic he's
known to be the guitarist of dEUS, a well-known rock band from
Belgium. I can't say wether he is a gifted improviser, if I should
be basing myself on his side of the LP. He plays ten short tracks,
all around two minutes, in a loose style, strumming some notes
on what seems to me a partly detuned electric guitar. Perhaps
a bit Derek Bailey like, but it doesn't match right up with him.
None of these tunes could really bother me, and it sounds a bit
tedious. (FdW)
Address: http://www.glasvochtrecords.com
THE NEW BLOCKADERS & PUTREFIER - SCHLIEFMITTELBÖGEN
(LP by Birthbiter)
It's been a while, even a long while since I last heard music
by Putrefier. Perhaps close to say fifteen years? Things went
dark for both Putrefier and Birthbiter, their own label, but this
LP marks the glorious return. Putrefier and The New Blockaders,
both bands consisting of a single person, team up for quite an
interesting work - and one that doesn't carry the word 'final'
in there somewhere, like it's used with the blockaders in the
past ten years. This is noise music for sure, but one of an entirely
different order than what we know as such - or at least, they
move into a territory that is a waste land (next to the overcrowded
land of people with distortion pedals). Putrefier sounded, in
my memory, like a good solid copy of Ramleh in the old days, and
feedback was also on the daily digest of The New Blockaders. Here
however they go back to the very early days of the blockaders,
using acoustic objects and field recordings. They rumble about
in their shed, kicking boxes, stumbling upon metal and other sonic
detris (roof tiles and sewing machines are mentioned). True noise!
Not because it's just plain loud - it's not - but because it defies
the laws of music. They don't care about such as 'structure',
'composition' or even 'improvisation', let alone 'loud music'.
They create a noise without a point, without beauty (or ugliness
for that matter) - anti music by it's real definition. The more
common territory of noise is on a CDR that comes with the first
100 copies. Here feedback plays a role, but also other loud elements,
which are merely the result of close miking and motorized objects.
It's the other side of the same coin. Perhaps a more common ground,
but one that fits the noise tag better - well, to some of the
more conservative minds. I can imagine that those who call themselves
true noise lovers will raise an eyebrow and dismiss this as a
joke but I think it's a pretty strong and pretty daring statement
of noise. A great LP! (FdW)
Address: <m.durgan@btinternet.com
KKH1 LOCK GROOVES (7" by Royal Records)
The lock groove pressed in a lump of vinyl is a great tool for
DJs, and of course we are all DJs... well, all but me (someone's
gotta give up). C.M. von Hauswolff seems also an unlikely figure
as a DJ, but on his initiative six students of the Royal University
College of Fine Arts in Stockholm produced this 7" - each,
plus Hauswolff making one lock groove. They are cut on side A.
On side B, Hauswolff produces a piece of music out of it. Also
it should be noted that all seven participants have now a group
where the lock grooves are mixed live on seven record players.
It's been a while since I heard such worn out ideas. But hey,
I'm not a DJ, so I don't need the tools. (FdW)
Address: http://www.kkh.se/royalrecords
GLAUKOM SYNOD - HYDROCEPHALIZER (CDR, self-released)
Our second encounter with Glaukom Synod from France. I am not
even sure if the thing I have here is the way it looks or just
a xeroxed form thereof. It says 'sampled, analyzed, distorted
and conditioned with cool edit and mad tracker' and just like
'Uczulony' (see Vital Weekly 540) the four tracks (which have
the odd length of thirteen minutes and three more of less than
two) here are heavily inspired by Dissecting Table and old In
Slaughter Natives, but it seemed to me more cut up and collated.
Throwing around the plug in sections to effectively transform
all sorts of guitar and drum like sounds into a heavy mixture
of noise rock music. It works well in the long title track, but
in the three short other pieces I'm not really convinced: they
are over before you even think they begun. It doesn't add much
to the previous work, but things grow slow perhaps. (FdW)
Address: http://glaukomsynod.site.voila.fr
NINTH DESERT - ZONE (CDR by Mystery Sea)
When we reviewed Ninth Desert's 'Collision H' back in Vital Weekly
560, we said we didn't know much about him, but some further research
learned us that he also worked as Lecanora, Exotoendo and Sechres
Mound, the latter in collaboration with Cedric Peyronnet, of Toy
Bizarre fame. Herry is also a designer who is responsible for
the cover of Taalem and Kokeshidisk. On 'Zone' he offers seven
tracks of string like sounds, which seem to be stuck in an endless
sustain. Chilling sounds, like a firm Arctic breeze. It's a bit
unclear what he does to create this music, wether this is indeed
long strings, processed feedback or analogue/digital synth and
a lot of effects, but the latter seem to me clear. The previous
release saw Ninth Desert in the field of Troum and Lustmord, but
here's it more likely to be Alvin Lucier on a musical night. A
pity that the seven pieces do sound kind a similar in approach
and structure throughout, which makes it just a bit too similar
throughout. But as a whole it makes a sturdy addition to the Mystery
Sea catalogue of daring, experimental ambient music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.mysterysea.net
DESERT SPACE (3 CDR compilation by Tosom)
No doubt the target for this compilation is not me. With sheer
endless amounts of music delivered to the HQ, it's slightly an
impossible task to go through three CDRs, filled to the top with
music - that is some 350 minutes of music. If I understood correctly,
there is a sort of thematic approach to this music: desert. An
empty place, arabic but also the site for atom bomb testing. A
theme with many approaches possible, although the emphasis seem
to lie in the ambient approach, most of the times, but occasionally
also noise based. I put on these CDRs one after each other, picked
up a big book and started reading, while playing these musics
in the background (I know, it should not be done that way), without
caring too much as to whose track is what here. Occasionally I
raised an eyebrow when things were a bit abrasive, but that was
only very occasionally. Most of the time this was a pleasant trip
through vast empty music. The track listing reads as a who's who
in the field of CDR business. To many names to name all, but included
are Aidan Baker, Oophoi, Netherworld, Tesendalo, Feu Follet, Atrox,
Cria Cuervos and loads of people I never heard of. Much like the
big box cassette compilations of the 80s (see 'Thee Book' or 'Sex
& Bestiality'), this is quite an useful overview of some of
the more interesting underground artists of today. Quite an achievement.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.tosom.de
PLACENTA POPEYE (CDR by Phaseweb)
PANAGIOTIS SPOULOS - TORPOR (CDR by Phaseweb)
Listening to Placenta Popeye (is there a secret contest for silly
names going on?) is like going into that time machine and set
the timer for 1983. A rock band plays in the parents basement.
They use guitars, a bass and something that might be recognized
as percussion, but it's not a drumkit, it seems (it's a blurry
image, probably super 8 time machine). The singer was recently
wounded in a stabbing and sings like he's not fully recovered
and he's desperate for being stabbed again. Their younger brother
is taping eight songs of their free improv playing rumble on his
first sony cassette machine, with that nice blue microphone. The
recording, made in French, is buried deep and after an earthquake
unearthed by Phaseweb, who burns CDRs out of it. Actually fun
to hear.
Labelboss Panagiotis Spoulos has already quite some releases to
his name of some unrelentness music and 'Torpor' adds to the mayhem.
He calls these "psychedelic noise / drone songs, ideal for
hypnotherapy". I am sure if you get a refund if the hypnotherapy
leads to adverse results. Spoulus plays the guitar, cranks the
volume up whilst playing the six strings with a bunch of objects,
such as a ventilator and a screw driver (the tool, along with
a drink of the same name). Occasionally he sings. Tormented songs
for demented people. Hardly a hypno therapy, the doctor in me
says so. But it's surely a good head trip this music, but be careful
if feelings of depression have already occurred. (FdW)
Address: http://www.phaseweb.tk/
JAZZFINGER - LISTEN AND VANISH (CDR by Cut
Hands)
POOR SCHOOL - VOOR NIETS IN ZIJN (CDR by Cut Hands)
WOMEN IN TRAGEDY - CONSTELLATIONS (CDR by Cut Hands)
I've been living on a diet of harsh noise lately, the kind of
thing where even with no instrument actually plugged in you still
get the noise of the feedback and distortioN pedals, both making
it and listening to it, it's a bit like vindaloo curries where
the spice is so hot your brain is not quite sure if its chicken
or lamb, or maybe someone's pet! Eating becomes self inflicted
torture which strangers don't understand, never having the bliss
of what is known as the curry rush, the release of endorphins
as a reaction to what the body thinks is death by chili, noise
is similar if not more intellectual in its catharsis.
What is this to do with the above and the other reviews here is
that suddenly I'm presented with a diet of what perhaps if not
roast beef and dumplings is more like Vietnamese or Thai, with
delicacy and subtly and only the occasional hot spice, so I'm
having to come to terms with tasting my food, as in listening
to parts and not being swamped in a whole ontological wash of
noise. So what did I think of Jazzfinger AKA Hasan Gaylani and
Ben Jones et al. As on the old maps where it said "here be
dragons" here be guitars and saxophones, I love saxophones,
especially improv sax playing, they are like dragons not musical
instruments, its no accident that where as Mr Blair AKA Mr Bean
AKA Mr Clean strums his Stratocaster, Bill Clinton gets down and
dirty and puts his instrument into his mouth or Monica Lewinski's.
If only George Bush Junior could acquire the modicum of brain
cells needed to hold a stick he could take up the drums and form
a trio with Tony and Bill. There is someone tinkling on the ivories
in Listen and Vanish, this kind of tumbling jazz reminds me of
being warm and drunk in an Amsterdam brown bar.
One of Holland's great gifts to humanity apart from Van Gogh is
the comforting brown bars of its capital. I'm wandering like Listen
and Vanish, there are occasional shards of static, like in a bar
when someone breaks a glass. Track one ends like a drunk hitting
the floor, and track 2 begins its echoy voyage, will they spill
their wheat beer? So what is it like, not Chinese, no MSG reverb
which is a little overdone in some other offerings, the Dutch
do things with mash potatoes and sausage (double entendre intentional)
which is in a similar way delicious, wholesome but at the same
time somehow wonderfully excessive. A tip of the hat to all concerned-
including the wonderful feedback guitar work - no Mr Clean! or
Mr Bean. This review is getting long and sounding like its sponsored
by the Dutch tourist board, sorry Frans.
So after beer how about a Chinese or what? Poor School is a trio
featuring Bryan Ramirez (Ex-Cocaine), Nathan Hoyme and John Niekrasz,
that's the boring bit over - now what does Voor Niets in Zijn
taste like. . well its wholesome improv again - if anything even
meatier and simpler than Jazzfinger, more like meatloaf (I'd better
explain!) the homemade thing with minced steak, not the fat pop
singer! I said steak and not beef for a reason, its very good,
this is very rich food, musically it has a splendid aesthetic,
I'd almost say beautiful quality. - More straight instrumental
than the processing of Jazzfinger it sets of like a camel train
of sax, guitar a plundering drums, a very musical journey. God
stuff. Finally what does Bob McCully offer. Synths! Drones! (De
ja Vu!),on track 1 getting harsher on track 2 and noise by track
3, with track 4 again quieter and gentle droning.. and 5 even
more droney and church organ. So I suppose it's a kind of sandwich,
of pastrami and spicy hot pickle which at least for me doesn't
work. (jliat)
Address: http://www.cuthands.net
PYOGENIC/SWAMPS UP NOSTRILS - CHASERS/SCREAMERS
(CDR on Krakilsk)
CARLOS AND GUIDO - BOLENAT (CDR on Krakilsk)
PSYCHEOUT NACHSPIEL NOISE - BANNED ROOM (CDR on Krakilsk)
If I can continue my analogy across reviews, I've been very praising
of the Dutch so I should get away with it, bibs on, slipping the
Cd in the Walkman (Sony sponsor me as well ) and see what we have.
I think now we may be into Thai, and I should say vegetarian Thai
on the grounds of balance, definite taste of lemon grass and star
anise. In Chasers at least. Screamers is more like a fondue party
that's got out of hand, blazing food, table and guests. Chasers
screamers is a movie genre and Pyogenic's 7 tracks are dark echoy
delicate soundscapes, or better noodlings - get it! Swamps up
Nostrils, is it only the Scandinavians that make up such names?
two tracks are quite different. Track 8 is what it says on the
can - a screamer - of electronic feedback and noise, surprising
with track 9 we are back in some underground echoy place.. the
noise of track 8 then a little out of place.
My Walkman (T.M!) had problems with Carlos and Guido, as did I.
It seemed to think the CD had 1467 tracks, an impossibility I
know as 99 is I think the max. My problem was more in the mix,
like a cake mix but with everything in it, flour, water, sugar,
butter, noise, conventional drumming, noise, apricots, jazz, feedback,
rumba, they are South American, Lama then, static rain, noise,
if you're feeling quezy so am I, is it Carlos and Co or all that
red meat from the improv Jazz? Anyway more noise and bongos! Add
to this they make a thing of it being recorded in London even
having a picture of the changing of the guard on the front cover,
oh the bongos are back playing over a waterfall, and mutating
into tabla, whilst a tap is pouring? I not saying its bad, oh
Guidos is now singing over the tabla and feedback, I think they
should for a start change their name and lose the bongos. By that
not their names - but the bands name- something with Nostrils
- no - how about Lamas on Acid - or The New Delhi Lamas! Now when
I was vegetarian, oh yes I was, not even eating fish, we went
to a Chinese in a place called Attlebourgh, not worth a visit,
(the town I mean) in a restaurant which was more like someone's
front room, we had a dish of fungi which would frighten the horses
and should certainly not be served to young ladies of an impressionable
age, the young lady I was with happened to be my wife, even so
it was a little embarrassing eating what looked like penises or
was it the sight of seeing my wife eating what looked like penises,
or was it more scary than embarrassing? In the end of course we
both could not stop laughing, the Chinese waitress regarding us
curiously, why should home cooking promote such mirth. Well that
restaurant wasn't called the Banned Room, but it should be. Why?
Well on another occasion at some particular friends we sat down
to eat to find the table laid out with hammers, the meal it seemed
was crab, but only the legs, hence the hammers to smash them open,
a no win situation, the effort expended greater than the protean
obtained, or another time when they served wood pigeon that everyone
else thought was boiled bat. Banned Room again - I hope you get
the picture, this stuff is like the things rolled down by the
angel to St Peter, strange wonderful, intriguing, disgusting,
funny...in the Banned room. (jliat)
Address: http://www.krakilsk.org
BLACK SPARROW - LEGS HEAVY WITH POLLEN (CDR
by Dead Sea Liner)
(VXPXC) - CHINATOWN NOSE-CUT (CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
R.S.R. - BLACK BOX (3"CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
A short peek at the website of Dead Sea Liner learns us they released
a bunch of CDRs, mostly by people I never heard of, such as Textured
Bird Transmission, Cel, Another Enough Chairs, Damno Te but also
Thirdorgan, Bjerga/Iversen and Mutant Ape. The three releases
on this desk are all by people I never heard of and unfortunally
the website is not very helpfull in providing us with information.
The label describes their music as 'drone, noise, lo-fi' and that
seems to me a very appt description of what it is.
Whoever Black Sparrow is, we don't know. There are four lengthy
pieces on 'Legs Heavy With Pollen' of, indeed, drone and noise
recorded in a lo-fi manner. Sligthly distorted humming, part tribal
sort of chanting and wooden percussion. All of which seem to me
recorded by lowest form possible, in order to enhance (!) the
lo-fi tag on this. I could all to easily assume Black Sparrow
are from New Zealand (which they are most likely not), but it
has that certain quality of lo-fi which is always so charming
about the anti-podes and that is also charming about Black Sparrow.
Nice one.
One more track has the release by (VxPxC), a trio of Justin McInteer,
Grant Capes and Tim Goodwillie. They too have learned the recording
skills down under, but play music of a somewhat different kind.
Their drones are played on an organ, alongside with percussion
- I would tend to think two of them play percussion and one the
organ. Occasionally there is some sort of vocal use, which might
go down as singing. A guitar is played in 'Gentle Rolling' - which
serves the title well - it's gentle rumble rolling here. All recorded
in 'Echo Park, Los Angeles, California', but it sounds still like
a shed. This is the American leg of the world wide movement of
lo-fi noise makers (and of course the country where all of this
music is hailed as the next masters of the genre). Also alright
this one, but not as great as Black Sparrow.
One track only on R.S.R. and not even a single piece of information
beyond the title, label name/number and labelwebsite. Here it's
full on drone and noise, and from a source that is kept well hidden,
in the black box maybe. Or maybe it's a black box that produces
the sounds? A heavy weight piece of, let's assume here for a while
played on a bunch of guitars, feeding through a wall of amplifiers
and colored boxes, this piece actually moves back and forth all
the time. It changes throughout in shape, color and weight. A
highly psychedelic piece of music, but not for the space heads,
only for those who carry the weight of noise. Perhaps the best
of these three. (FdW)
Address: http://www.deadsealiner.co.uk/
MIRKO UHLIG - THE RABBIT'S LOGBOOK (3"CD
by Field Muzick)
For me Mirko Uhlig is one of the better and unfortunately lesser
known drone masters of Germany. His last excursion was a trip
into noise land - it is forgiven, as we haven't forgotten his
'VIVMMI' work (see Vital Weekly 525) or his work with Aalfang
Mit Pferdekopf. 'The Rabbit's Logbook' is a very recent work,
recorded on April 30th of this year and the cover says 'with five
sounds for every finger'. What these five sounds are, we don't
know. We hear drones, made out of highly processed organ chords
as well as of an orchestral nature, with deep atmospheric and
dramatic effect. Early in the piece there is also some vague obscure
acoustic rumble. I'm not sure if I counted five or more, or less.
However it's a pretty strong, perhaps too short piece of drone
music, using just the right amount of sound effects, field recordings
and the other usual ingredients of drone music. Uhlig's work here
can easily match with the best in this field, especially Mirror.
It's about time someone made him a real CD and launch his career
properly. (FdW)
Address: http://www.fieldmuzick.net