HOWARD STELZER – NARROW ESCAPE (CD by Obsolete Units) *
MARSEN JULES – SINFONIETTA (CD by Dronarivm) *
LANA TRIO – LIVE IN JAPAN (CD by Vafongool)
UELI DERENDINGER – TSURU NO SUGOMORI(CD by Percaso)
OLA PAULSON – RETURN, SERENE SKOARRI (CD by Konvoj)
LOTTE ANKER & JAKOB RIIS – SQUID POLICE (CD by Konvoj)
MANINKARI – L’OCEAN REVE DANS SA LOISIVETE (CD by Three:four Records) *
K. LEIMER – THE GREY CATALOG (CD by Palace Of Lights) *
ELISABETH FLUNGER & STEFAN SCHEIB – PASSAGE (CD by Chamafu nocords)
MUU FOR EARS 12 (CD compilation by MUU)
NICK HOFFMAN – NECROPOLIS (CD by Organized Music From Thessaloniki) *
VA AA LR – NEWHAVEN (3″CDR by Organized Music From Thessaloniki) *
FRANCISCO MEIRINO & JAMASP JHABVALA – ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (CD by Gerauschmanufaktur) *
THORSTEN SOLTAU X COMRADES – ROMAN FEAST & A GRAPE FROM THOR HEYERDAHL’S TABLE (double cassette by Gerauschmanufaktur)
CHRIS FORSYTH & NATE WOOLEY – THIRD (LP by Rekem Records)
HHY & THE MACUMBAS – THROAT PERMISSION CUT (LP by Silo)
JANEK SCHAEFER – INNER SPACE MEMORIAL IN WONDERLAND (LP by Dekorder)
JANEK SCHAEFER – UNFOLDING LUXURY BEYOND THE CITY OF DREAMS (LP by Dekorder)
MATTIN & HONG-KAI WANG – COLLAPSING OURSELVES (LP by Avar Mkhw)
HAARVÖL – HEBETUDE (CDR by Pad Online) *
THE IMAGINARY SOUNDSCAPES – FIELD FACTORY (3″CDR by Taalem) *
RYOSUKE MIYATA – IN A DARINAGE OUTLET (3″CDR by Taalem) *
KISSY SUZUKI – EXPLORING THE SEAS OF CONSCIOUSNESS (3″CDR by Taalem) *
THE TOBACCONISTS – THE ULTRA ECZEMA SESSIONS (cassette by Powdered Hearts) *
HOWARD STELZER – NARROW ESCAPE (CD by Obsolete Units)
Like I said in Vital Weekly 944, when discussing ‘Brayton Point’ by the same composer, I am (probably) the most wrong person to write about this release. To quote myself “Partly because I know mister Stelzer personally for quite some time, but that may not be the only reason (I know more people for a very long time). Stelzer and me exchange lots of ideas on the creation of music, so I get to hear much of his work way in advance of a release. I am not entirely sure, but I may have heard Narrow Escape also before.” Oke, I changed the name of the previous work to the new one, but then Stelzer grants me on occasions rough versions of pieces he’s working on. ‘Narrow Escape’ (no doubt not called after the local blues band I saw 35 years ago) is another long, fifty-four minutes, piece of ‘cassette music’. Curious it says on the cover ‘percussion recorded at Tsongas History Center & Western Avenue Studios’, but I must I heard very little what could be called ‘percussion’. It’s never very clear, actually, what Stelzer records on his walkmans but I think, in this particular new piece of music, he taped the inside of some large rooms, with ventilators humming in the background. He takes his time for a build-up, and the first fifteen minutes are relatively soft, but slowly building. At the twenty-minute mark deep bass rumble has entered the composition and that adds a great, spooky flavour to the piece. Maybe there is percussive debris in this part, I wondered, but it could also be nocturnal activity in a near plant, picked up by the highly sensitive microphones of the walkman (that can’t be true). From here on the piece remains ‘loud’, not ‘noisy’, and slightly reminiscent of the world of ‘industrial’ music, on all dynamic level, in which the mid frequencies are mostly present. The very bit at the end sounds like it was taped direct to cassette, but of course that’s not true. This is very much a work that Stelzer does: multi-layered in it’s use of sounds, cleverly working with frequencies and slow building/development of the piece. It’s a fine work, but not his best work to date. It’s firm, it’s solid, and it’s good however, and may serve as a fine entry point if you want to hear more of his music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.obsoleteunits.com
MARSEN JULES – SINFONIETTA (CD by Dronarivm)
While I was thinking of Leos Janacek’s ‘Sinfonietta’, I learned from the labels website that “Aristotle referred the term “symphony” to music of the spheres that embraces the concept of a ethereal harmony. Sinfonietta, which lasts 45 minutes, is a very first element of cosmic architectonics, the miniature universe model”, something I did not know. It’s not a remix of the Janacek piece, but in Marsen Jules’ world things might sound easily a bit ‘classical’ anyway. I might not be surprised to learn that in the ambient music of Jules sampling of orchestral bits is part and parcel. Here he has one monolithic, forty-five minute piece of slow passing dark ambient clouds. Coming and going in majestic waves; I may not have been impressed with his Ina-Grm work (see Vital Weekly 955), but this icy landscape is very nice. It sounds like sustaining stringed instruments – more violin than cello actually, more treated organ than synthesizer: that’s how it sounds; it might be something else entirely. This lasts forty-five minutes but as easily could have lasted four hours for all I would care – except of course four hours is not easy when there is so much more to hear and review. But it very much says all there is to know about the whole ambient music thing. It fills up your ambiance with nice music, which doesn’t force itself upon the listener but in stead provides a nice backdrop for the listener. But which is also no dull aural wallpaper, or, worse, elevator music. With this ‘Sinfonietta’, Jules works perfectly along this path, doesn’t add anything new to the notion of ambient music and doesn’t subtract anything either. Just one long gorgeous droning piece of music. Great stuff for a winter’s day. (FdW)
Address: http://dronarivm.com
LANA TRIO – LIVE IN JAPAN (CD by Vafongool)
A second release by this interesting Norwegian trio of Kjetil Jerve (piano), Andreas Wildhagen (drums) and Henrik Nørstebø Munkeby (trombone). They started their collaboration after meeting at Sund Folk College in 2007. As a young bunch of players they succeed in making a fresh and experimental start in the field of improvised music, which is quite a thing as we have seen so many examples and approaches of free improvised music in the last few decades. Overviewing their whereabouts, Munkeby seems the most experienced one: heplays also with improv trios As Deafness Increases and Virvl (with Tobias Delius), a.o. outfits and released in 2011 his debut ‘Solo’ for Creative Sources). Wildhagen has his own quintet and is associated to numerous other projects. Jerve is member a several other improve trios, like the electronic Terpentil trio. As Lana Trio they show different faces. The improvisations range from open, abstract excursions to very intense, loud chaotic outbursts. But whatever happens, during their trips they demonstrate good interplay, never losing focus. In three, around 20-minute improvisations they weave solid carpets with unusual, fascinating patterns. By result we enjoy coherent improvisations, tight playing, and not to forget many original ideas. (DM)
Address: http://www.vafangool.no
UELI DERENDINGER – TSURU NO SUGOMORI(CD by Percaso)
Derendinger studied flute at the Music Academy of Basle and has been studying Shakuhachi since 1980 in Switzerland but also in Japan where he received the title of of Shihan and the professional name Fuyûru from shakuhachi master Kawase Junsuke III of Tokyo (Kinko school). The shakuhachi is a bamboo flute that came to Japan from China in the 8th century. Over the centuries it became an important instrument for wandering monks. In 2001 he released an album in collaboration with Balthasar Streiff, who plays a typical wind instrument from Switzerland, the Alphorn. Earlier, in 1995 he recorded a fist solo album for Percaso, thus making ‘Tsuru no sugomori’ his second onel. Derendinger plays traditional works, of Japanese origin, except for three titles that are by his hand. Everything was recorded on june 1, 2014, at the auditorium in Waldegg Castle in Feldbrunnen. Although mostly traditional music, at the same it is close to improvised and new music, to standards of our days. Derendinger gives passionate interpretations of the pieces that are a lot about timbre. Each piece is like a poem or a meditation. I guess Derendinger also learned about the spirituality behind this music, as one feels the presence of it in his playing. An inspiring album. (DM)
Address: http://www.percaso.ch
OLA PAULSON – RETURN, SERENE SKOARRI (CD by Konvoj)
LOTTE ANKER & JAKOB RIIS – SQUID POLICE (CD by Konvoj)
Konvoj is a small Malmö-based label run by Swedish saxophonist, composer, improvisor, soundartist Ola Paulson as an outlet for productions by his Konvoj Ensemble. A label that is new to me, as well as these musicians. But with these two releases they have become precious to me. Lotte Anker (soprano, alto and tenor saxes) and Jakob Riis (live electronics, feedback, processing), both members of this ensemble, make their first duo statement. ‘Squid Police’ is a next step from their project ‘Motion Picture’(2008) with visual artist Marlene Bach. Anker is a player and composer working in new music as well as improvised music territories. Riis is a composer, laptop musician and improviser. He works mainly in the in the context of electronic music, soundart, sonic webart, improvisation and contemporary composition. Electronics and acoustical instruments combined in improvisation, is not an easy thing. Electronics often do not have the moveability and physicality of acoustical instruments. Anker and Riss however make a strong and convincing statement. With electronics and sax the musicians create fine sound works that are absolutely one. Anker has a beautiful sound that combines well with the moving structures and sounds that Riss creates. We have here a case of beautiful and effective intertwined electro-acoustic improvisations that have depth. Listening to solo improvisations on cd is not something I’m often looking forward too. But afterwards, sometimes I have to admit there are exceptions. And the album by Ola Paulson is absolutely one of them. A beautiful album. In each improvisation Paulson chooses for a particular extended technique or approach. But far more than giving an overview of his technical possibilities, he uses them for expressing his musical visions. He does so successfully. A very soulful and expressive player. (DM)
Address: http://www.konvojrecords.com
MANINKARI – L’OCEAN REVE DANS SA LOISIVETE (CD by Three:four Records)
The two brothers Charlot who call them selves Maninkari have been reviewed a couple of time before in these pages and their music is always build around percussion, but not solely consisting thereof. I must admit I didn’t quite get the wordplay in the title: “around the theme of the ocean symbolising the subconscious, the hidden world and a very personal concept of ‘loisivete’ a combination of idleness ‘oisivete’ and law ‘loi’, Maninkari continues exploring a weird and dreamlike world”, I read in the press text. This duo has recorded a few soundtracks, but this works stands by itself. Manikari uses a variety of percussion instruments of oriental origin such as the bodhran, cymbalom, santoor and zuma, but also stringed instruments played in a percussive way. That’s something that creates overtones, which accounts for the humming textures. I am not entirely sure what is played live here and what is added by way of editing and post-processing. There is surely a bit of reverb added to create more drama and more moods, or perhaps this was recording in a more empty, open space. There is a tribal aspect to their music, but Maninkari doesn’t force this upon the listener. There aren’t any signs of sigils and Crowley quotes. The music of Maninkari reminds me of Rapoon, Muslimgauze (less political of course), but also Desaccord Majeur, to give a French point of reference. I thought it was a bit odd Maninkari doesn’t use any titles for their pieces, but perhaps I liked that. No reference which clears your head and think of titles yourself for these dark sound scapes. It is surely another fine addition to their already impressive catalogue of works. (FdW)
Address: http://www.three-four.net
K. LEIMER – THE GREY CATALOG (CD by Palace Of Lights)
It’s always a pleasure to hear new music by K. Leimer, who has been creating ambient music since more than thirty years now. Since a few years, it seems, even more active than before. His new album, ‘The Grey Catalog’, was recorded with digital synthesis, electric guitar and bass, sampled sources, field recordings, percussion, prepared piano, treatments and signal processing, which seems like his more or less usual set-up. He received input from various other musicians including Greg Davis and Ron Schepper. Leimer has quite a unique voice when it comes to ambient music. His pieces are mostly short, somewhere between two and four minutes usually, some a bit longer, and he’s not shy of using a distorted guitar or bass, such as in ‘Europe’. The other thing he doesn’t do, is just over a few layers of stretched out sounds and present that as ‘ambient’. Leimer rather composes his pieces, deciding on objects and instruments to be used and as such, occasionally, sounds more modern classical than electronic. But he can, as easily, throw in an element, which sort of disrupts the tranquil space of a piece. An odd sound, a strange mover or mood, but that makes his music quite distinctive and different; and great actually. Leimer’s music is not all about easy living room music, but one that requires attention (and hence perhaps is not ‘ambient’ per se?). It’s all quite melodic and gorgeous stuff. An excellent release. (FdW)
Address: http://www.palaceoflights.com
ELISABETH FLUNGER & STEFAN SCHEIB – PASSAGE (CD by Chamafu nocords)
How adventurous can an improvisation be? “Passage”, an album by the duo Elisabeth Flunger and Stefan Scheib, is very adventurous. The combination of percussion and double bass has been done for many times in several occasions. The combination of the minimal bass lines, experiments on bass and the experimental percussion created by just “normal” instruments, but also by found metal materials, which sometimes refer to musique concrete is harmonic in a disharmonic way. The duo play together since 2007 and their different musical background create lots of possibilities. Stefan Scheib has his roots in improvisation jazz and classical music. And Elisabeth Flunger has her own style, free from any direction, although she has her background in improvisation music. The album Passage has a wide range of atmospheres. Sometimes the music is like a monster in which the bass roars like a bear. Another time it is like a soundtrack for a horror movie in which the tension is growing by screaming bass-scratches and an ongoing minimal drum and scratches on metallic instruments. Or it’s like two playing musicians who create their own rhythms and melodies and they meet each other and after a while they disappear and clash with each other. Each piece has his own atmosphere with a lot of diversity. The album is released by Chamafu Nocords. This non-profit label is specialized in non-specialization, because specialization is a kind of slavery. Freedom that is what’s all about and that is what you can find in this album. Freedom to improvise and to create musical worlds. Anyhow… “Passage” is a beautiful album, highly recommended! (JKH)
Address: http://nocords.net/
MUU FOR EARS 12 (CD compilation by MUU)
MUU releases since 2009 compilation CD’s with music from the north of Europe. The 12th edition is full of musicians who are also members of the Artists’ Association MUU from Finland. Roberto Pugliese is born in Rome in1980 and is sound and media artist and lives since 2009 in Finland. The first track is created by digital noises and with strong rhythms. Beautiful clear music with sounds which split you brain. The second track is also created by digital noises, but played as chords. The track is more massive and overwhelming. His last contribution “Ostia” is based on the strong emotional bond between Roberto Publiese and this town in Italy. The old town is well-known by the killing of the Italian artist Pier Paolo Pasolini. The track is melancholic and the ongoing sounds are pitching higher and higher and becomes more and more uncomfortable. Paevey Hirsiaho works and lives in Pori – Finland and she is artist, animator and musician. Her four tracks are like little stories. The second track “Swimming with my cat” starts with the sound of a purring cat and develops into a sweet melodic piece of music. The others songs without words are also like small stories without any words. Beautiful fragile combinations of field-recordings and harmonic melodies. Harmony and disharmony can also be found in the music of David Muth. He is born in Austria and lives since 2010 permanently in Finland. The track “Robin” is an experiment to explore the tonal qualities of an acoustic guitar by custom-made software. “Berit” is also a track by guitar and combined with electric noises and is recorded at an early morning in Berlin. The last track “Pixeldance” is composed for a performance by a Vienna based art group. Nice riffs, minimal beat box and strange disturbing sounds can be found in this optimistic musicpiece. James Andean closes this great compilation CD. He was born in Ottawa – Canada and lives since 2005 in Finland. “Between the Leaves” is by favorite piece of this CD. It is written for the birthday of John Cage. Sounds are coming up and fade away, like a squeaky door, but highly processed by electronics. Sometimes at the background you will hear some voices, a choir or whatever. A track with a lot of tension. “Mahtavaa” is like the first tape compositions of Steve Reich and is based on the sentence “Mahtaava – nyt se pulputtaa tuossa” (“Wonderful, now it’s burbling here”). The sentence has been looped and some parts of the sentence became a rhythmical beat. Great interpretation of Reich’s music. “Radiate” is composed from a single recording of a leaky radiator and highly processed by electronics and software. The result is abstract piece of music, which refers to electronic flutes. MUU for Ears 12 is a great follow-up of the other editions and gives a wide acquaintance to experimental electronic-based musicians.
(JKH)
Address: http://www.muu.fi
NICK HOFFMAN – NECROPOLIS (CD by Organized Music From Thessaloniki)
VA AA LR – NEWHAVEN (3″CDR by Organized Music From Thessaloniki)
The currently very productive Nick Hoffman comes up with another new release, this time on Organized Music From Thessaloniki, a label from London. His work seems partly rooted in the world of doom & gloom with these dark titles, and there is always an element of noise music, when not direct in your face, it’s surely lurking around the corner. Hoffman uses the collage form to create some pretty intense musique concrete. Sometimes piercingly high tones cutting into what seems to be total silence (but of course it never isn’t) Sometimes he builds up his stuff and everything seems to be staying in relatively the same way, but change below is always constant. These days he’s a student of computer music in Oregon, so maybe we are to see everything in here as pieces of computer music; which it could very well be (and not some kind of dirty, analogue sounds, which I assumed it was until now). Lots of crackles here, the noisier end of granular synthesis I would think. It’s not unlike the Gintas K from a few weeks ago, or Spruit last week, but I prefer Hoffman’s music to those. It’s just seems the better composer of the material at hand, and stays away from pure improvisation. In Hoffman’s hands everything is melted into a composition. Again: this is the noise that I like.
The trio of Vasco Alves, Adam Asnan and Louie Rice, also known as VA AA LR, grows and grows on me. I have no idea what one should expect from a performance by them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was along the lines of Dutch group BMB com: site specific, unusual sounds, in this case signal flares’, on odd locations. This fourteen-minute piece was recorded at Fort Process (great name!), Newhaven and I think it captures all: the sounds, the environment. This is not the kind of electro-acoustic music that relies on the use of sound processing (analogue, digital), but playing acoustic sounds in strange places, such as using signal flares – a lot of them it seems. This is a great recording, one of the first (I think) that captures their live sound – without any editing, or the use of any speakers, unlike what I think is their studio work. This is a work that is not only great, but made me even more curious to see them in action one day. (FdW)
Address: http://thesorg.noise-below.org
FRANCISCO MEIRINO & JAMASP JHABVALA – ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (CD by Gerauschmanufaktur)
THORSTEN SOLTAU X COMRADES – ROMAN FEAST & A GRAPE FROM THOR HEYERDAHL’S TABLE (double cassette by Gerauschmanufaktur)
The CD I may have played 10 times by now, and every time it seems to pass me by. I have no idea why that is. Once I fell asleep, but usually I was too distracted to give this a lot of attention. I never heard of Jamasp Jhabvala before but I understand he is a violin player from the world of improvised music. Somehow a setting was created by Meirino, I assume, in which Jhabvala could play and it was picked up by binaural microphones, custom electromagnetic field recorders, electronic PVDF stethoscopes, stereo condensor microphones, hydrophones and piezo transducers. That may account for the fact that the violin is something we hear in here a few times, or maybe more than a few times, but it sounds all… processed? Strange? All of those notions are true here and it makes not very easy music, but once, and I did, you open up for this, a refined work of beauty unfolds. It’s not the usual Meirino cut n past job, which is something I like very much and as such I may have to adjust very much to a more continuous, crackly, drone work with these highly processed violin screeching, but it’s something that works wonderfully well.
For whatever odd reason I was thinking that Thorsten Soltau was one of the guys from the old cassette network, but in fact he started to play music in 2009 and on discogs it says about his work that he works “exclusively with concrete material, plundered data carriers and vinyl sources and leaves his first proper use of digital manipulation behind. Influenced by first electronic music and the avant-garde cut-up of musical and non-musical sources Thorsten Soltau decided to teach himself a form and musical language of strange, two-dimensional musique concrete and jarring rhythms.” He works with other people a lot, I think, as this excellently designed double tape proofs. The comrades are people like Max Kuiper, Marina Stewart, Mihkel Kleis, The Dead Mauriacs, Roman Feast (all on the first tape, sometimes with more comrades per track), while Kuiper and Kleis return on the other tape along with Gildas Brugaro, Susan Matthews and Fluorescent Grey and Rainier Lericolais provide a remix. A vivid little scene, as The Dead Mauriacs also release on this label. In the first four piece, all on cassette one, I must admit I heard some great music but hardly something that translated to concrete material, plundered data carriers and vinyl sources, but rather something that sounded like ambient inspired synthesizer work, despite whoever was collaborating. These pieces were all quite dark, quite heavily layered with synthesizer like sounds and didn’t sound surprisingly new, but they did sound surprisingly good. Music that fits the dreary grey day, ending with a boom and a clap in the Lericolais remix.
On the other tape we find more what discogs (at least) promises: plundered sound sources, vinyl work and such like. First through a live recording (Soltau/Kuiper/Brugaro/Matthews) which opens with the crackling of vinyl and ends with noise and we move in between through these ends.
Thereafter is a piece by the first three but with the addition of Kleis and it’s quite a lovely piano sample being repeated over and over, but shifting back and forth, going the all out of phase way from Steve Reich and slowly morphing into a marimba or glockenspiel. He would be proud of the simple yet highly effective piece of music. The Fluorescent Grey remix doesn’t much add to this beauty, it just makes it a bit noisier. ‘Plagot 2’ is a nice faint technoid like piece, but also seems a bit superflouos. Otherwise: excellent release. (FdW)
Address: http://geraeuschmanufaktur.bandcamp.com/
CHRIS FORSYTH & NATE WOOLEY – THIRD (LP by Rekem Records)
As the title already indicates, this is the third release by these two, following releases on Creative Sources and Chocolate Monk. Wooley is perhaps best known from these two (at least here he is) and his trumpet playing has been released on over 100 recordings, having played with Evan Parker, John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, and Thurston Moore. The way he uses his lips in combination with feedback makes him a remarkable improviser. Forsyth is a guitarist of whom I never heard and he was a member of Peeesseye (along Fritz Welch and Jaime Fennelly), as well as improvising alongside with Tetuzi Akiyama, Nate Wooley, Shawn Hansen, Koen Holtkamp, Chris Heenan, and choreographer Miguel Gutierrez. The recordings on this record were made in Philadelphia on March 16, 2013 and contain some pretty intense, yet quiet work. Forsyth plays his guitar carefully, just a few notes every once in a while and with Wooley adding his own fine touches; maybe he’s the one that makes most ‘noise’ here. At times, such as the opening of side B, ‘Evening Rage, Part II’, it sounds like an electro-acoustic composition. In other places, such as further down the line of this part, it’s more like a piece of free noise rock, less any drumming. Forsyth and Wooley take you on a vivid, free trip of sounds, loud, quiet, beautiful and ugly, all seemingly played in one master stroke. It’s like a painting: big brushes, small brushes, lots of paint and sometimes no paint at all. Highly abstract of course, but the more you look at it, the more you see. Great record of expertly performed improvisations. (FdW)
Address: http://rekemrecords.tumblr.com/
HHY & THE MACUMBAS – THROAT PERMISSION CUT (LP by Silo)
Hhy & The Macumbas is one of the musical projects of Jonathan Saldanha, a Portuguese composer, musician, etc. based in Porto. ‘Throat Permission Cut’ – an uneasy title these days – is their first album, released on Silo a SOOPA-related sublabel, curated by Saldanha and his mate Res Mesinai. The opening track is called ‘Isaac, The Throat’, adding a biblical connotation to the album title. Referring to the story of God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. But let us turn to the music. We hear three percussion players: João Filipe, Frankão, Filipe Silva, Brendan Hemsworth, as well as three hornplayers, Álvaro Almeida, André Rocha, Rui Fernandes, plus Rui Leal on bass and Saldanha responsible for electronics. The pieces have in common that layers of heavy percussion dominate, with simple melodic motives above it played by the horns, that are repeated and repeated. This evokes a hypnotizing effect. No wonder their dub related music strongly evokes tribal, trance-like atmospheres. The album is produced by Saldanha and Mesinai and marks another collaboration of the two that started with the movie ‘Tunnel Vision’ directed by Mesinai with a score by Saldanha. Musically not that much is happening here. But they do create a strange, unearthly sounds that impressed me, plus some moments where I felt pulled in their imaginary rituals. (DM)
Address: http://www.silo-records.tumblr.com
JANEK SCHAEFER – INNER SPACE MEMORIAL IN WONDERLAND (LP by Dekorder)
JANEK SCHAEFER – UNFOLDING LUXURY BEYOND THE CITY OF DREAMS (LP by Dekorder)
Two records, released at the same time, by the same person. Where to start? One record has a piece per side, while the other one has a few shorter pieces. Now Janek Schaeffer is someone who we know can do long, atmospheric drone pieces, so perhaps we find those on the first and something surprising on the other? I decided to test that, and started with the record that had two long pieces on it. Record one, side one opens with ‘Inner Space Memorial (For J.G. Ballard)’ and this is the very template of Schaefer’s music I had in mind. Sustaining on end, organ like sounds, coming and going like sea waves, quiet but not too ambient; it’s something that would sit nicely along the Marsen Jules CD reviewed elsewhere. ‘Wonderland’ on the other side is also sidelong and has similar organ like sounds, but it’s overall a bit darker and it comes with a lot of street sounds. This piece is an offshoot of ‘Asleep At The Wheel’, a large installation piece Schaefer did. Both pieces are great, but perhaps also very much trademark Schaefer pieces.
The other LP has seven pieces, shorter pieces of course and it’s a pity that there are no clarifications printed on the cover. They are in the press text, so we know why there were created, so we know, for instance that ‘Luxury’ is ‘an orchestral drone piece featuring an old French lady singing to her cats with an extra celestial chorus’, or that ‘Skyline Ascending’ is ‘a Carpenters LP piano loop is layered again and again over a high sky recording, which was recorded using a helium balloon floating in the clouds over the city, with raindrops’. Shorter these pieces may seem, they essentially are not unlike his longer pieces: multi-layered sound events that create a beautiful dense, atmospheric field of sound. Careful crackles, computer processed sustaining loops (from instruments, vinyl, field recordings, nothing is sacred in the hands of Schaefer), and carefully placed field recordings in their raw state. There is obviously no reason to pick one over the other, but I think I prefer the second LP to the first, great as that one is. The second LP had more variation and the compositions were better worked out, unlike the more endless stream of sounds approach of the first. The differences are small I know, and it’s probably best if you get both at the same time. This is Janek Schaefer at what he does, and what he does best. No surprises here, pleasant or otherwise. (FdW)
Address: http://www.dekorder.com
MATTIN & HONG-KAI WANG – COLLAPSING OURSELVES (LP by Avar Mkhw)
Mattin takes matters to another conceptual high end. Here he collaborates with one Hong-Kai Wang of whom I never heard. They don’t play music as such but rather talk about it, in public, very soft, and these talks last an hour. They record that and play it back the next time they are working/playing/talking together, another one. Each hour is on top of the previous hour. Here we captured the fourth phase, on May 18 2013. The first one was on March 28 2013 at EMS in Stockholm, so seeing this happened in a very short time-span, it may mean (but one can never be sure) that the project has been terminated now, and these four-layered pieces of people talking for an hour is the end of it. It’s quite fascinating to hear, even when you could wonder how often you would want to hear such a record. Sometimes phrases pop up and you can hear them explaining bits of the concept to the audience, and sometimes it’s just mumbling. Quite fascinating actually. A record to enjoy or scaring away unwanted visitors. Or simply to enjoy as a most unusual collaboration. (FdW)
Address: http://audiovisualarts.org
HAARVÖL – HEBETUDE (CDR by Pad Online)
Although the name suggests otherwise, Haarvöl is from Portugal and despite how it sounds – drone like – it’s actually a three-piece group. ‘Haarvöl’s music is conceptually developed in the exploration of the properties of sounds in order to achieve cinematic and imaging environments. Hence the emphasis on non-illustrative interaction of sounds with images, which is evident in the videos purposely prepared for certain compositions’, in which respect, I guess, it’s perhaps a bit odd that their first release is a CDR and not a DVDR. But the films can be found online. Inside a black cover (nice print), we find nine lengthy pieces of music that is, as far as I can judge, created with the use of computers, granular synthesis and sound effects. It’s hard to see what went into the machine as for source recordings; again my best guess would be these are field recordings of some kind and/or material that has it’s origin in acoustic sound sources, such as cello and piano in ‘Playful Ambivalence Of Shadows’. Haarvöl do a fine job in creating this music, which sounds a bit dark, but which is well made, owing to the world of musique concrete as well as electronic improvisation. As the disc continues the role for more traditional instruments seems to be bigger than in the first few pieces, but throughout there is a nice balance in these pieces. Perhaps not the most surprising release, but certainly one that is made with considerable care and deliberation. Refined production on the crossroads of all things good and experimental. (FdW)
Address: http://pad-online.com
THE IMAGINARY SOUNDSCAPES – FIELD FACTORY (3″CDR by Taalem)
RYOSUKE MIYATA – IN A DARINAGE OUTLET (3″CDR by Taalem)
KISSY SUZUKI – EXPLORING THE SEAS OF CONSCIOUSNESS (3″CDR by Taalem)
In the ever-expanding universe of Taalem, now over 100 releases, three new additions, reviewed in order of appearance in the Taalem catalogue. The first one is by French duo Stephane Rives and Frederic Nogray. They already had a release on Ruptured (see Vital Weekly 802). Rives normally plays saxophone but on this release he is responsible for ‘mixing and editing of recordings from his daily life and sound environment, sometimes using samples of his own discography’ while Nogray creates ‘feedbacks caused and moderated by three effects pedals, general mixing and editing in real time’, recorded in Beirut, where Rives lives. Now this is something different than the usual release on Taalem. It’s dark, it’s drone like – that is not strange – but The Imaginary Soundscapes add an element of noise to it, although perhaps noise is not the right word. It’s perhaps more abstract than much of the ambient releases on Taalem. The processed feedback makes up a fine, sustaining field of sound and the field recordings in here do not come in some long form but rather in a more collage like form
The second release is by Ryosuke Miyata, from Tokyo. He worked Miche before and Japanese net labels as such released his music. As a young man he played the piano and these days cities as inspirations ‘classical music, video-games soundtracks and healing music’. I am not sure which video games that might be but it does not translate to some dirty 8bit computer noise. But somehow the computer does play a role in this music, along with indeed the piano. There are four pieces on this release, all inhabiting the world of drone music but in all of these we hear the stretched out sounds from piano or guitars, treated with software, in combination with field recordings. A bit dark, but not as dark as some of his peers, this is all rather gentle music, staying on the ‘nicer’ side of drone and ambient music.
Kissy Suzuki sounds Japanese but it’s name chosen by David Teboul, who also works as Linear Bells, which had releases on Twice Removed, Subterranean Tide and Soft Recordings, his own label. This is his first physical release as Kissy Suzuki and here too time stretching plays an important role, but Kissy Suzuki leaves in the ‘mistakes’, the crackles and the hiss and the deep end drone bass sound that goes along with these things. Added is the reverb, that ambient drone-enhancing tool which makes all sound all right. In the second piece we also have some field recordings. Like the previous release by Miyata, this is very much textbook ambient drone music. All the usual ingredients are in there, they do it by the book and while that is nice enough in itself, it’s also nothing that surprises me. That I thought was a pity.(FdW)
Address: http://www.taalem.com
THE TOBACCONISTS – THE ULTRA ECZEMA SESSIONS (cassette by Powdered Hearts)
The Tobacconists is a duo and consists of Scott Foust and Frans de Waard and they known each other since the late 80s. In 2005 they started to play together, Frans de Waard joined the band Idea Fire Company in which Scott Foust played during a tour they did in Europe. In 2009 the duo started The Tobacconists and they toured in Europe. During another tour in 2012 they had a day nothing much to do in Antwerp and they recorded six tracks at the studio of Ultra Eczema label. They used synths, radio, bottles and cans. The first track is very intense. It starts with some open rhythms, but after a while some on-going synths will go on and on and are penetrating like a drill. The second track “Urban” starts also with some rhythmical sounds and more sounds join in. Also in this track we find a penetrating sound takes all attention and in the background you will hear some urban sounds. “Home” is more intimate and create by a mix of electronic sounds, repetitive and non-repetitive field-recordings, which are still pure or edited. Side B of the tape continues with sounds of the last track of side A. Some flanger sounds join in and the track “Waiting” develops into a restless atmosphere. “Locked” is a beautiful track with on-going synths, some abstract electronic sounds and a small relaxing melody. The last track “Limits” is a unlimited track with a various amount of sounds. Some noisy sounds are alternated by some high tones, like a bird and the intensity is growing and growing. Although… the tape is not for easy listening, but is intense and varied in structures of sound and weird rhythms. (JKH)
Address: https://powderedheartsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-tobacconists-the-ultra-eczema-sessions-cassette