Week 20

SEQUENCES – ALUXES (CD by Audio Visuals Atmosphere)
GRODOCK – GESAMMELTE HINTERGRÜNDE (CD by Krater Recordings)
B°TONG – ZENIHILIST (CD by Krater Recordings)
DIRK SERRIES – THE MIGHT OF STARS SUBLIME (CD by Audiophob)
ANNE-F JACQUES – CONTRE-MONTAGNE (CD by Unfathomless)
E. JASON GIBBS – FISH POINT (CD by Unfathomless)
SOLARIS (CD compilation by Eighth Tower Records)
SOPHIE AGNEL & JOKE LANZ – ELLA (CD by Klanggalerie)
JUDITH SCHWARZ & MANU MAYR – PRCDR (CD by Klanggalerie)
CHANGES TO BLIND – VOLUME NINE: I WAVE ON A FINE VILE MIST (CD by The Mucal Studio)
PETER GARLAND – PLAIN SONGS: LOVE COMES QUIETLY (AFTER ROBERT CREELEY) (CD by Cold Blue Music)
SERGIO ARMAROLI & STEVE PICCOLO – LISTEN! MADE RADIO ART ANTHOLOGY (2CD by Gruenrekorder)
PIETRO GROSSI – BETWEEN SCIENCE AND MUSIC (WITHOUT MUSICIANS) (CD by Gruenrekorder)
ORGONE – PERSPECTIVES IN PERCUSSION (3CD by Fibrr Records)
DANGOLOID – ONEHUNDRED LOCK GROOVES ON A WHITE 10″ (10″, private)
DAVID LEE MYERS – STEPPING THROUGH FINE STRINGS (CDR by Pulsewidth)
APPÄRET ! (GORISSE / GOUSSINA / LEVALLOIS) – TRISTESSE APOTROPAÏQUE (CDR by MMLI)
JEANNE GORISSE – IMMERSION LIBRE (CDR by MMLI)
ERMETE (cassette by Sud Afternoon Tapes)
HALI PALOMBO – SPOTSYLVANIA (cassette, private)

SEQUENCES – ALUXES (CD by Audio Visuals Atmosphere)

It has been a while since I last heard something from Sequences, the Antwerp, Belgium-based music project of Niels Geybels. He’s also the person behind the Audio Visual Atmosphere label, which is a most appropriate name for the kind of music it releases. He sometimes extends beyond the audio format, for instance, in book form. While the label releases mostly cassettes, this new work by Sequences (granted, not the most original name) is released on CD. Instrument-wise
equences utilises a guitar, zither, magnetophone, and Eurorack modular system, and the field recordings he taped while cycling some 120 days in Mexico, “from south to east, from north to west, along the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.” Geybels went from “one site of Maya ruins to the next, through jungle, mountains & desert. A notebook, camera, and audio recorder are always on hand. Two wheels, a tent, and always searching for something to eat. Alone or with other travellers, looking for the paths less trodden”, which all sounds very adventurous. The CD has ten pieces, of which the last is at 21 minutes by far the longest, and a bonus track only available on CD. “(from Wikipedia): An alux (Mayan: [aˈluʃ], plural: aluxo’ob [aluʃoˀːb]) is a type of sprite or spirit in the mythological tradition of certain Maya peoples from the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize and Guatemala, also called Chanekeh or Chaneque by the Nahuatl people.” The field recordings seem mostly to be aquatic, seashores splashing about, but also some jungle sounds, insects and birds, I assume, and Geybels adding a fine blend of ambient sounds. Whereas before I thought his music was a bit lo-fi (by accident or design, or even my imagination, I don’t know), these pieces come across as more refined, delicate and at times smoother. Slow music, majestically unfolding, with some excellent darkness, but never pitch black. It’s more that twilight hour feeling, day turning night (which in Mexico takes not a lot of time, but you get my drift), than full-on bright daylight or nocturnal hours. Some pieces are relatively short, sketch-like, but also long enough to offer a clear, small story. There is quite a bit of variation, and this creates an excellent aural experience. (FdW)
––– Address: https://audiovisualsatmosphere.bandcamp.com/

GRODOCK – GESAMMELTE HINTERGRÜNDE (CD by Krater Recordings)

The German label Audiophob has been in operation for over two decades, and one of its side activities is Krater Recordings. Krater is a bit more experimental and noisy than Audiophob, and as it has fewer releases (21 up to now, versus over 100), but this week it’s all about Krater. The most recent Audiophob releases will be reviewed in the coming episode.
So, this is a new album by Grodock, who is David Leutkart, the man behind the label Grubenwehr Freiburg. I had reviewed something by him before, but since that was a collaboration, it’s not fair to use it as a comparison or inspirational material. So yeah! New stuff, new names! Grodock is a noise/ambient project so that it can go anywhere. This particular release is a compilation, featuring backgrounds that David created for performances over the past 12 years. And no (I can hear your thoughts !!!) this is NOT a ‘leftover’ release of any kind. This is a well-thought-out compilation, where the basics leave ample space for interpretation.
There are 13 tracks, and the timing ranges from 90 seconds to almost 6 minutes. The total playing time is just under 50 minutes, making for a great listening experience. The source of the sounds is a combination of field recordings and ‘real’ instruments heavily manipulated, of course, in loops of some kind of synthetic sound.
What all tracks have in common is that they’re atmospheres, built and created for Grodock to form the basics of a performance, as said earlier. But the real power is that they are strong enough to form a track without those previously considered live additions. With that in mind, the CD has two faces too. It can be played in the background as an ambient sound to create unity with real-world sounds, as Eno described what ambient music is all about. But on a higher volume level, the different compositions are strong enough and have more than enough dynamics to be listened to as a drone or minimal noise piece. In a way, you’re getting two albums for the price of one. And because of the variation in all the tracks, it’s also interesting enough to play more often, each time a new sonic reality is created or discovered.
To make a long story short, this is something that ticked all my boxes for being a powerful release. Compliments to David and the Krater Guys for putting this one out! (BW)
––– Address: https://krater.audiophob.de/

B°TONG – ZENIHILIST (CD by Krater Recordings)

Not too long after the changing of the century, I was introduced to a band called NID. This Swiss-German project had something in its sound that I loved. And while writing this review of one of the members of NID, I am deciding that tomorrow I will get everything I have from NID and reply to it. Just to see if it’s still as magickal to me as it was back then. When NID broke up or ended, two new projects were born. Feine Trinkers Bei Pinkels Daheim and B°Tong. And I admit, I still kinda follow both of them when possible. So, when I was given the promo for a new B°Tong album, I was happy without even hearing it. Me? Biased? So what?
B°Tong is the project of Chris Sigdell, who, in addition to B°Tong, is also active in Bu.d.d.a and Leaden Fumes. His B°Tong project is where experiment, ambient, drones and music concrete touch each other and are moulded into truly majestic art. With a deeper meaning, being the power of zenihilism. According to the promo txt a zenihilist believes in seeing life as a joke. Chris’s songs display a wicked sense of humour and rely heavily on the concept of instant spontaneity – or composition on the spot, as written in the same promo. If I’m honest, I disagree with the humour part. After several plays, I can’t find anything ‘funny’. The four long tracks (between 9 and 15 minutes) may have had Chris giggling while recording, but there is nothing in your face slapstick. So, the question remains: Is it serious music? Yes, oh hell yes.
Slow-evolving depths and perfectly placed samples. Synthesised sounds as well as field recordings. Objects with sounds. Harmony and dissonance. However, for me, a key word in this release is resonance. From the first moments of the album up to the final moments, Chris manages to push the resonant frequencies of objects through equalisation to the point where it seems that even the hardest slab of concrete resonates. Put those frequencies into a reverb and you get the most beautiful drones and tapestries you can find. At the same time, those sounds are so hard to control, but Chris proves, especially in the first three tracks, that he is the master.
If you follow the music of B°Tong, I have news for you. This album is available now (release date April 25th), and you want to have this. If you like drones and minimal noise and have never heard of B°Tong before, you should be slightly ashamed and get this album (or give it a spin on Bandcamp), because it is that beautiful. (BW)
––– Address: https://krater.audiophob.de/

DIRK SERRIES – THE MIGHT OF STARS SUBLIME (CD by Audiophob)

This time, I will refrain from expressing my surprise about Dirk Serrries returning to ambient music, playing guitar with lots of effects, and such, because there are a few of these albums, and it’s a steady stream. If Serries is on a roll, there’s no stopping him. His improvised music side is nice, even when, most of the time, not my thing. I always preferred his work as Vidna Obmana and Fears Falls Burning, and these days doing a crossover between those previous projects. There are the highly atmospheric, sustaining patterns of Vidna Obmana, without the refinement, coupled with the rock-like guitar drone approach of Fear Falls Burning, but without the rock context, if you get my drift. The previous release had a bit more of a crumbled approach, almost like aliens playing the residue of a guitar, but on ‘The Might Of Stars Sublime’, the guitar returns to being a guitar and even howls like a drone-rock guitar e-bow solo. Here, too, the element of sustaining plays a significant role in the music, with the five pieces ranging in length from seven to ten minutes. Each of these is a well-rounded composition, and the five pieces are alike, yet different. They’re from the same composer, who nailed his approach down and sticks to the plan. Of course, Serries understands the need for this approach; to make an atmospheric album most enjoyable, it is essential to have no distractions, no out-of-place elements, and to do what he does best: play this kind of music. Whereas the previous release reminded me of Manuel Mota, this new one reminds me mostly of Dirk Serries, and that’s also (!) a great connection. Another refined work! (FdW)
––– Address: https://audiophob.bandcamp.com/

ANNE-F JACQUES – CONTRE-MONTAGNE (CD by Unfathomless)
E. JASON GIBBS – FISH POINT (CD by Unfathomless)

As I am slowly winding down Vital Weekly, I am thinking about the days to come and what I will miss and what not. I have written numerous reviews about various styles of music, and releases featuring field recordings are among them. Here we have two examples of them. As always with Unfathomless releases, the location is mentioned, and usually nothing else. I had not heard of E. Jason Gibbs, but I do know Anne-F Jacques, mainly from a collaboration with Tim Olive and others. She also ran the Crustacés Tapes, which could be obtained by sending something in return, other than money. Jacques hails from Montreal, a city, she says, that was “created by digging holes: removing stones from the ground, then building with them.” These holes were used as dumps, and the Francon quarry became a snow dump. It’s here where she made her recordings. She did so in three different months, August, November and January, using recorders (not flutes, I assume), microphones, rope and battery-powered contraptions. It’s easy to hear the snow and ice sounds here, which Jacques walks upon (I presume), hits and breaks. There is also the remote hum of the city. As with many of the releases by the Unfathomless label, one never knows to what extent there is editing, and what is a straightforward aural picture of a location. After probably all of the label’s releases (this number 89), I can safely say all of these use editing in some way, and it’s perhaps in the way these edits are made which becomes a deciding factor. If there are edits, and it still sounds like a small journey around a site, then I think it’s a great release (but hard cuts can equally work very well). It’s a fine, solid release, full of life and action.
E. Jason Gibbs is a new name for me. According to his Bandcamp page, he’s a field recordist and guitar player and has releases on 577 Records, Open Systems Records, Industrial Coast and Confront. He made the recordings used on ‘Fish Point’ in Portland, Maine and South Portland, Maine. I assume he made his recordings near water, a lake, a pond, a harbour or the sea, judging by the title and the sound. Reflecting on what I just wrote about the Jacques release and editing, this raises the same question here. In this release, it is much more difficult to discern what the edit is and what is possibly a genuine and unedited event. In both pieces, there is minimal action, and everything seems straightforward. And possibly isn’t. I enjoy minimalist music and field recordings, but I must admit that I found Gibbs’ music a bit challenging to access. Especially the tranquil second piece was a bit too much for me. The most action occurred in the last few minutes, when the recording device began to malfunction. In the first part, the aquatic events take centre stage, but here too, without too much apparent action. Towards the end, some electronic current starts to act up, adding an interesting different texture to the piece. Oddly enough, this release reminded me of the Mystery Sea label, which was Unfathomless’ predecessor, and I always wondered why that label suddenly ended. The Gibbs release could have also been on that label. It’s received with some mixed emotions. Not bad, not great, that kind of feeling. (FdW)
––– Address: https://unfathomless.bandcamp.com/

SOLARIS (CD compilation by Eighth Tower Records)

In 1961, Polish writer Stanisław Lem wrote the novel ‘Solaris’. That book was such an amazingly dystopian thrilling piece of literature that it triggered Boris Nirenburg to make a movie from it in 1969 which probably – in combination with the book – triggered Andrej Tarkovski to create a remake. And THAT Solaris movie forms the inspiration for this sampler album. And, like the sampler based on Philip K. Dick that I wrote about just a few weeks ago, it’s been released by Eighth Tower Records, which is working on a nice series of dystopian literature-inspired music.
Like the Dick album, we find many artists of known and lesser-known origin. Mark Hjorthoy and Psychophysicist (Adi Newton) are two names we also saw at the Dick album and hearing those tracks explains why they were invited again. Another big name we see on here is 400 Lonely Things, who seem to have fully returned after their hiatus from 2012 to 2020. In March, they released their latest full album on U.S.G. after two releases on Cold Spring. Of all the other artists, I admit, I know none. So it was one big exploration, which, as you know, I like. However, there was also a problem with this album in that aspect.
Problem, you said? All their artists focused really well on the subject, so even though there were a lot of differences between the tracks, the atmosphere was well captured and translated. With a little bit of fantasy, it could have been written by one artist with a very varied palette of sounds. Of course, there are differences between all the tracks. But if you let your mind be directed by a movie like this, and beneath the surface, it connects with other Tarkovsky movies, such as Stalker, you’re guided towards an ambience with technological influences, and you’ll hear pads and sounds with arpeggiators and bleak notes. A few exceptions still are the highly dissonant track by Mario Lino Stancati and the melodic approach by Michael Bonaventure.
But wait, there is more! This project also gave rise to a book featuring stories and essays, which is available through U.S.G. The book includes stories by Andrew Coulthard, Chris J. Karr, Chris McAuley, Glynn Owen Barrass, J. Edwin Buja, Michael F. Housel, Sarah Walker, and Simon Bleaken, as well as essays by Lorenzo Lasagna and Stefano Santoli. If you are a listener AND a reader, best you pick up the combo package. I’m curious how this dystopian journey by Unexplained Sounds continues. (BW)
––– Address: https://eighthtowerrecords.bandcamp.com/

SOPHIE AGNEL & JOKE LANZ – ELLA (CD by Klanggalerie)

French pianist Sophie Agnel and Swiss-born, Berlin-based musician Joke Lanz team up for a second release. Their first was with American drummer Michael Vatcher, based in Amsterdam. That one was reviewed favorably by Frans in Vital Weekly 1378. Now, without percussion, we have an even more outlandish musical affair—eleven short and shorter pieces in roughly forty minutes, each with a distinct atmosphere. Agnel plays in and outside the piano, with or without preparations. A tradition that started with avant-garde composer John Cage in the 20th century. Lanz does his thing, whipping up an improvised sound world with a broad range of samples, all played on turntables. Not unlike what Amsterdam-based DJ Marcelle does with three or four turntables without live musicians. This is contemporary (improvised) music at its finest. Fresh, funky and punky. Just as with the previous record, the pieces are relatively short, brimming with ideas that come and go, and sometimes linger a bit longer. Excellent stuff, with a lot of unexpected twists and turns! (MDS)
––– Address: https://www.klanggalerie.com/

JUDITH SCHWARZ & MANU MAYR – PRCDR (CD by Klanggalerie)

Judith Schwarz is a drummer and composer from Austria, and PRCDR is her project with Manu Mayr, a fellow countryman, double bass player, composer, and producer. On her website, Schwarz lists several bands she is a part of: other:M:other, chuffdrone, Beyond the Beat, Mel*E, Little Rosies Kindergarten, and Schülande Engaling. She has collaborated with Sylvie Courvoisier among many others. Mayr mentions the following bands: schtum, PRCDR, 5K HD, TEARING, Gabbeh, Kompost 3 and Trio Trara, Radian(since 2025), Studio Dan, Synesthetic4, Synesthetic Octet, Dorian Concept Trio(2025 – 20 years of DC), Mona Matbou Riahi’s “Nebulift”(Jazzfest Saalfelden), Mona Matbou Riahi’s “Diving Into The Wreck”(Artacts St. Johann), Monobrother Live Band(2025 live at Konzerthaus), The Sound Of Entanglement. He was also a guest musician with contemporary music ensembles: Klangforum Wien, PHACE, Bit20 Ensemble Bergen, Nouvelle Ensemble Contemporain and Ensemble Reconsil. For both players, an impressive list, meaning they both know how to play in both smaller and larger settings. PRCDR is a small ensemble of just two players: double bass and extended percussion. But lo and behold, they create a vast sound world to get lost in. PRCDR are (I’m guessing) the consonants of the word procedure. All seven titles of this hour-long record are matter-of-fact: scheme, grind, agenda, routine, practice, measure, and mode. Taken together, it good be from a book to make the most perfect espresso grind. What we get is atmospheric music with a lot of grooves, repetitions with sonic variations on both double bass and extended percussion (cymbals “bowed” with a drum stick with different sonic results, strings plucked with different intensities). It’s pretty captivating and mesmerising, without becoming boring. And, as always, the recording, mixing, and mastering are key. What a lush production! All the small nuances can be heard here if you pay attention. Attention is key. And yes, some might call this minimal music, but it’s not. There’s too much going on with too many nuances and intelligent phrasing, layering and keeping it interesting for themselves and by extension for the listener. I’m hooked. (MDS)
––– Address: https://www.klanggalerie.com/

CHANGES TO BLIND – VOLUME NINE: I WAVE ON A FINE VILE MIST (CD by The Mucal Studio)

Despite this being volume nine, I only reviewed one previous volume, eight, in Vital Weekly 1433. Changes To Blind was once a trio of Phil Zampino, Mortimer deSquid & Heraldo deSquid and now just Zampino, merging acoustic instruments with electronics, field recordings and curious sounds; maybe the later includes a 10″ from Zampin’s childhood, called ‘A Day At The Circus”, used on this new release. No guest musicians on this new release, but it continues where we left off in the previous one. Heavily layered collages of found sounds, old vinyl, spoken word, some electronics here and there, and in his approach, he reminds me, as before, of some of Nurse With Wound’s older records, even, perhaps, without some of the refinement. Zampino’s primary instrument, however, is the computer, and it’s here where all organisation takes place, in good old musique concrète fashion. By meticulously editing and rearranging, Zampino strikes a balance between chaos and order, fun and seriousness, while maintaining a playful approach. Things never get too serious for Zampino, who has 14 pieces in 51 minutes, of which two almost fill up half the release. In those pieces, he explores the notion of minimalism, and he does it quite well—his playful approach results in what could also be seen as a form of surrealism in sound. The whole album is best enjoyed as a continuous piece of music, going from one strong place to the next. (FdW)
––– Address: https://changestoblind.bandcamp.com/

PETER GARLAND – PLAIN SONGS: LOVE COMES QUIETLY (AFTER ROBERT CREELEY) (CD by Cold Blue Music)

I reviewed various works by Peter Garland, and it’s his ‘The Landscape Scrolls’ (Vital Weekly 1151) that I still rate his best work. Spoiler alert: that won’t change now I heard ‘Plain Songs’. This new work is a commission by organist Carson Cooman, but simultaneously also a wish by Garland to compose something for a pipe organ. In my (non-existent) book of record labels and their releases, Cold Blue Music is described as a serious music label, mostly releasing minimal work, yet with a summer’s breeze, which is something Californian. I made all of this up, as you are no doubt aware. That might be the case on this release; the minimalism surely is, but it’s throughout a moody set of pieces. That’s not a strange thing, as such is the nature of the pipe organ. The music is inspired by poet Robert Creeley (1926-2005), and Garland admires his “simplicity and clarity”, something he wanted to capture with his music. It’s not a poet I read (never read much poetry; my bad), but the music seems indeed to have that transparency. Dark and sustaining at times, or dark and shorter attacks on the keys, and throughout these seven pieces are highly reflective. Perhaps not conveying that summer’s breeze that I imagine to be part of the label’s catalogue. However, the music is also not pitch-black and certainly not endlessly droning away. I have no idea what kind of musical tradition this stands in, other than, again, untrained ears and all that, this sounds religious in some way. That’s no doubt thanks to the territory of the pipe organ. Music for later in the day, at night, and to be played without any company. (FdW)
––– Address: http://coldbluemusic.com

SERGIO ARMAROLI & STEVE PICCOLO – LISTEN! MADE RADIO ART ANTHOLOGY (2CD by Gruenrekorder)
PIETRO GROSSI – BETWEEN SCIENCE AND MUSIC (WITHOUT MUSICIANS) (CD by Gruenrekorder)

There is some text accompanying the release by Aramaroli and Piccolo, but no information about the composers. The words we get, however, leave much to guess, or something I don’t understand. I refer the reader to the website for judgment. Let’s assume this has something to do with radio, radio art, or radio play; at least, if we look at the title of the album. As far as I can see, it’s not a collaborative work, with the first disc credited to Armaroli and the second to Piccolo; the first has 21 tracks, and the other 30. Short pieces of electronic sounds, spoken word (in French, Italian, and English, or with no discernible words), sampled sounds (many of them) from unknown sources, and the relationship between all of this eludes me. By my estimation, this is not an album of random tracks, showcasing musical proficiency, but rather some sort of concept, and that’s where I am in the dark. I am not aware of what this concept is, so there is a lot I’m missing here. Some of this sounds like sound poetry, more so on Piccolo’s disc than on Armaroli. I played both discs with interest, and there are some fine songs (not the right word, I assume) to be found on them, and probably much more for those who have a better understanding of what goes on here.
A lot more text comes in the booklet of the CD by Pietro Grossi, but dark blue on a black background doesn’t enhance readability. Luckily, the text is also on the website. [wiki] “Pietro Grossi (15 April 1917, in Venice – 21 February 2002, in Florence) was an Italian composer, pioneer of computer music, visual artist and hacker ahead of his time. He began experimenting with electronic techniques in Italy in the early sixties”, and in 1967 he created his first piece of computer music. In the 1980s “Grossi started to develop visual elaborations created on a personal computer with programs provided with “self-decision making” and that works out the concept of HomeArt (1986), by way of the personal computer, raises the artistic aspirations and potential latent in each one of us to the highest level of autonomous decision making conceivable today, and the idea of personal artistic expression: “a piece is not only a work (of art), but also one of the many ‘works’ one can freely transform: everything is temporary, everything can change at any time, ideas are not personal anymore, they are open to every solution, everybody could use them” – again a wikipedia quote, even when the booklet says it better, but also uses more words. The same Sergio Armaroli is the music performer here, playing the piece ‘OSTN’, for vibraphone and tape, and he is “attempting to enter Pietro Grossi’s sound spectrum of six Ostinati (OSTN) intended as moving soundscapes, maintaining the specific grain of each field as the centre of sound gravity. The vibraphone motor was conceived at different speeds for each field in the search for a vibrant and luminous sound, maintaining, within a sound unit of organic character, two dimensions: figure and background in the dialectic relationship of listening”. The performer is, perhaps, absent, even when he thought of the idea to perform the piece. The text relating to the six ostinatos is a bit lost on me. I love the vibraphone, that distant ringing of sound, and whatever is on tape, colours this distance even more. I like the music here when it’s minimal, such as in ‘OSTN #1’, ‘OSTN #2’, but a lot less in ‘OSTN #6’, which is very chaotic. The tapes certainly add a different quality to the pieces, best exemplified in the long ‘OSTN #3’, which sounds like sea or white noise. It’s a most curious release, mostly great, but also with some tracks,I didn’t care for very much. (FdW)
––– Address: https://www.gruenrekorder.de/

ORGONE – PERSPECTIVES IN PERCUSSION (3CD by Fibrr Records)

One thing I do before playing a new release by French Fibrr Records is check the volume and turn it down a bit, as I know their releases often contain loud, noisy music. Much to my pleasant surprise, that is not the case here. There were more than a few instances when I turned the volume up because the music was tranquil. That, too, may be a surprise, as Orgone plays percussion music. Orgone started in 2013 at the instance of Julien Ottavi, the composer and percussion player (I had him down as a composer of computer music!), and they aren’t highly trained musicians (not my opinion, but quoting the booklet), with an open mind towards percussion and open-ended scores. Percussive music, so they say, is something everybody likes and is easy to access, and a worldwide phenomenon. They are named after the “hyperthetical energy discovered by psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich and the recovery in several books by William Burroughs. As they say, I never got to the bottom of this. The group is based in Nantes, and the late Z’EV stored some of his percussion pieces there. One of the pieces was created using those recordings, but another release featuring Z’EV’s recordings is planned for later. There are ten pieces on these three lengthy CDs, and Ottavi is the composer of four of them. One is an automated performance, one is a piece by composer Jenny Pickett, three are a collective composition (another word for improvisation) by Orgone and Burundi drummers Ikiyago Legacy, and one is a piece using Z’EV’s instruments, without a composer, so also an improvisation. The pieces with the Burundi players are surely the wildest on this release, stormingly present, which is a welcome 40 minutes of something else, as the other pieces are quieter explorations. ‘Poussiere de Metal’ is for “symphonic tamtams and wind gongs”, and the result is a different kind of storm; more enduring and sustaining, which during its 30 minutes slowly dies away. It’s interesting to hear seven musicians playing Z’EV’s instruments and realise that Z’EV did all of this solo.
On the first CD, we find the very quiet duet of various percussion players and a bass (the name of the player is not mentioned). This is an excellent reflective piece of music, again emphasising the sustaining aspect. This is followed by a piece for “percussion and Pseudo-AI”, whatever that is, but it works very well. This piece had a quality reminiscent of field recordings, such as the sounds of a factory being disassembled. A slightly industrial feeling can also be heard in the piece for motors and percussion, which is the most minimalist piece, but with some delicate overtone ringing. This is one I liked very much, which is to be expected. With over three hours of music, this is quite a lot, but especially when played a disc per day, it becomes most enjoyable. (FdW)
––– Address: https://fibrrrecords.net/doku.php

DANGOLOID – ONEHUNDRED LOCK GROOVES ON A WHITE 10″ (10″, private)

I was thrilled when RRRecords invited me to contribute to the 100 Lockgrooves 7″. I was more interested in being on a record, especially one from this label, than in the notion of a lock groove. I submitted two under two different names and had fun locating my work when I got my complimentary copies. Nobody was a DJ as we understand the profession these days. Still, everybody dabbled in radio programs spinning many records and cassettes simultaneously, something we picked up from RRRadio – there’s some influence not to be underestimated. I contributed more loops to RRR 500 and one by the Staalplaat Sound System, but by then I no longer had a radio show, and for me, the interest wore out; the Staalplaat Sound System incorporated the records they produced in their concerts, which surely serves the whole purpose.
It’s interesting to see people still make records like that. Dangeloid, from Cologne, Germany, for instance, who presents 100 (“in words: one hundred”) loops on a 10″ record, telling us we can play them at 33 1/3, 45 or 78 rotations per minute (what about 16 rpm?), and there is a heap of different sounds to be found in these 100 grooves, electronic sounds, acoustic sounds, field recordings and lots less easy to define. Although I wouldn’t mind returning to 1987 and finding myself in that basement down in a squad and doing radio mixes so that I could use this record too, in the current age, this is a bit lost on me. If a review is a way to spread the word about its availability, then I hope these words are enough. (FdW)
––– Address: https://dangoloid.bandcamp.com/

DAVID LEE MYERS – STEPPING THROUGH FINE STRINGS (CDR by Pulsewidth)

According to his Bandcamp page, this is the 80th album by David Lee Myers, either solo (as David Lee Myers and Arcane Device or in collaborations. I could believe that to be the reason for him to do something different, but knowing Myers a bit (did I hear all 80? I don’t know, but I am sure I am close) and his love for experimentation, he picked up a Fender Stratocaster and Stagg fretless bass to play the five pieces on this CD. Even when he gave each piece a distinctly different title, he also calls this a five-part suite, and that’s very much thanks to the nature of his playing and processing of these stringed instruments. As for the technique behind this, I have no idea what he does, but he does a great job. Myers also mentions this music is “Intentionally produced at moderate sound levels”, which is right up my alley, a I like my music at moderate sound levels, which is the result of many years of listening and reviewing, I guess, and a personal preference. In these five pieces, it’s not easy to detect a guitar and a bass, as Myers uses many layers and many sounds. Perhaps only if you know, you may recognise them. He also takes a very ambient course in his music, more than in many of his other works, though not for the first time. Slow and minimal, with a dark tone. As I write elsewhere in the review of music by Ermete, this might not be my soundtrack of choice, going with the amount of sunshine we’re having, but then, the sunshine takes a bit of the energy away, and a solid ambient album is always welcome. Perhaps because I know it’s guitars, I am thinking of Robert Fripp and his Frippertronics, and that whole ambient approach, and no doubt Myers has a different one, but in terms of relaxing music, very much in the same field. As before, Myers continues to surprise me, which is a great thing. Onwards to album 100! (FdW)
––– Address: https://davidleemyers.bandcamp.com/

APPÄRET ! (GORISSE / GOUSSINA / LEVALLOIS) – TRISTESSE APOTROPAÏQUE (CDR by MMLI)
JEANNE GORISSE – IMMERSION LIBRE (CDR by MMLI)

While I understand the need to be obscure (for the fun of it all, to be out of the box), the reviewer has to suffer. There isn’t much information on these covers, and in the case of the Apparet CDR, the handwriting isn’t helpful either. With some Googling, I learned that APPÄRET “is the manifestation of three instruments that came together by chance one December afternoon: Jeanne Gorisse’s double bass, Julien Goussina’s piano and Marina Levallois’ setup of a synthesiser, pedals and a soundboard. There was magic in this spontaneous association—magic and a touch of childhood, too, with the rediscovered joy of playing for the first time with grown-up toys. Joy never is that far away.” Which is fancy words for three people meeting and playing improvised music. On Bandcamp, it’s a single track, but on the CDR, there are six pieces, each exactly 4 minutes and 19 seconds long, and one piece that’s 1:46. Why not cut all of them to 4:33? There is no connection to John Cage; it is possible, however). The piece(s) have a sort of post-rock chamber orchestra feeling, like Town & Country (if I remember their music well), slow and pastoral. The synthesiser sounds at times like wind instruments, and throughout it sounds pretty nice. Sometimes this trio bends towards a more improvised sound, such as in the third piece, but it remains on the quiet and reflective side of things. Very lovely, very elegant.
The other new release by this French label is by Jeanne Gorisse, who plays the double bass with a bow, “without artifice, recorded almost at once”, whatever artifice may mean. No help, maybe, just total freedom. Recorded in the musician’s room with Aline Gorisse, “on the other side of the microphones”. Along the lines of the APPÄRET, this too is improvised music, for a solo instrument. While the bass is usually a darker instrument, it lacks the orchestral feeling of APPÄRET. I enjoyed the release to some extent, but it also had something to be desired—a slight sense of unfulfilled promises. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly that is, but I was thinking these four pieces might work better when witnessed in concert, preferable in a small, darkened room, so the bass sound gets an immersive quality. Without the presence of the musician and the instrument on a bright spring day, it isn’t easy to maintain concentration. (FdW)
––– Address: https://mmli.bandcamp.com/

ERMETE (cassette by Sud Afternoon Tapes)

Behind Ermete, we find Luca Umidi, and the label calls it an “ambient/drone project that blends sonic exploration with dark, retro-futuristic tones, unfolding over a fluid and immersive droning foundation.” I had not heard of him before, I think, and not much other information was given. I strongly suspect Ermete loves to use synthesisers, and nothing else. The geographical location mentioned in the first title, 29°00′n 13°44′w, refers to Lanzarote, and one might expect some field recordings, but that does not seem to be the case. Instead, the three parts of deep synthesiser music use very slow melodic lines. For whatever reason, I was reminded of the music of Matthias Grassow, with its similar darkness and abstraction versus melody. Classic ambient music, with, towards the end, a touch of cosmic music. An excellent piece, and well worth 24 minutes. The second side consists of two pieces, each ten and seven minutes long, and features equal parts of deep ambient music. It’s interesting to read that this album was recorded live, as it could have been the result of carefully constructing layers of synthesiser sounds. Still, equally, a lot of time was spent setting everything up and playing it live. I can’t say I heard the mentioned spontaneity, as the music comes across as composed and serious. This cassette is one to keep for dark and long winter nights, and not necessarily for long, sun-soaked days as I’m experiencing right now. Great release! (FdW)
––– Address: https://sudafternoontapes.bandcamp.com/

HALI PALOMBO – SPOTSYLVANIA (cassette, private)

In the previous issue, more or less last week, I reviewed a cassette by Chicago-based musician Hali Palombo, all about Mother’s Day. There’s a new cassette this week, ‘Spotsylvania’, which is also he name of a county in Virginia. There are two pieces of music, 40 minutes in total, and Palombo writes, “i features recordings of Japanese ’78s from the 1940s, binaural tones, recordings taken from stethoscopes, field recordings of steam locomotives, speech recordings from medical patients with removed larynx, Haitian Vodou drumming, electronics, and many more miscellaneous field recordings. It was inspired primarily by Scott Walker’s record Bish Bosch”. I admit Scott Walker’s encounters in the world of experimental music passed me by; I heard one or two (perhaps following Steven Wilson’s mentioning of him in a podcast), but not my thing. I also admit I don’t hear a lot of what Palombo lists as sources in these pieces, and that’s neither good nor bad. Some of the rhythmic parts are surely Haitian Vodou drumming, no doubt processed, and in general, Palombo does what she does best, and that’s creating an excellent collage of sound. Small and big sounds, short and long in duration, and she does a fantastic job in abstract audio narration, or what you can also call musique concrète. ‘Flying Kitchen’, on the first side, is the quieter piece, more subdued and some dystopian-like synth parts towards the end; drums are used throughout various parts of this piece. ‘Permanent War Economy’, on the other side of this cassette, is the louder side of Palombo, featuring processed voices and drums, and growing in noisy crescendo for some time before ending on a lighter note. Maybe, there are some political connotations (thinking of the title here), and perhaps that warrants a noisier approach? Anyway, an excellent cassette. (FdW)
––– Address: https://halipalombo.bandcamp.com/