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Vital Weekly 671 & 672

  Tobias

MEERKAT - KAPNOS (CD by Afe/Grey Sparkle/Nigthawks Tapes/Crtl+Alt+Canc)
PLAY TO: BN CHORA. JUGEMENT (CD compilation by L.A.F. Org/Jeringas 5cc)
Following 'Nefelodhis', an album between Maurizio Bianchi and Sparkle In Grey, and 'Erimos', which was by Bianchi, Hue and Luca Bergero/Fhievel, there is now 'Kapnos', for which Bianchi supplied no music, just the concept. Meerkat (they call it a cryptic word, so I won't spoil its meaning in Dutch) is a kind of Italian underground big band. Here we find Adriano Zanni (Punck), Matteo Uggeri (Hue), Luca Sigurta, Luca Bergero (Fhievel), Davide Valecchi (Aal), Andrea Ferraris (Ics), Fabio Selvaflorita, Paolo Ippoliti (Logoplasm), Laura Lovreglio (Logoplasm) and Andrea Marutti (Amon, Never Known). If you have been paying attention in the last few years, you may recognize these names as Italy's finest in the fields of ambient, electronics, microsound, post guitar - well, anything but true noise. Its a bit unclear how the music was conceived - 'recorded all over Italy', it says on the cover - as the cover does also provide with some information but not as much to really know what went on. The music is excellent - a fine mixture of styles and interests from these guys. All the elements one would expect are there, the field recordings, drones, ambience, microscopic detailed sounds. Great stuff here.
In the same parcel there was also a compilation CD, which was a highly unclear thing - at least, if like me, you don't read Italian. There was a short press text along with this that said this is 'part of the soundtrack created for the 'BN Chora. Jugement' installation by Massimo Indellicati/Progetto Sperimentale Chora and is Sil Muir debut release. Sil Muir contribution is one long track inspired by 'The Wild Blue Yonder' by Werner Herzog'. There is no track list on the CD cover itself, but according to the information, there are two short pieces by Anna Maria Giordano and two long pieces by Gianluca Becuzzi & Luigi Turra and Sil Muir each. The Sil Muir piece is a long flow of synthesized guitar sounds, whereas Becuzzi & Turra stay on the ground armed with the guitar doodling. Its all a bit vague this compilation. (FdW)
Address: http://www.aferecords.com
Address: <eicoolsat@alice.it>

CIROTTEAU & LACASSE & MASSICOTTE & NORMAND - FACE À LA DERIVE -
TAXONOMY (CD by Ambiances Magnetiques)
LAUZIER & MARTEL & MYHR & TÉTREAULT - DISPARITION DE L'USINE ÉPHÉMÈRE (CD by Ambiances Magnetiques)
TAXONOMY - 10 TAXINOMICAL MOVEMENTS (CD by Ambiances Magnetiques)
With an imperturbable pace Ambiances Magnétiques continues releasing interesting releases in the field of jazz and new music. From the beginning they released jazz and improvised music on the one hand, and the rock-inspired chamber music of Lussier, Duchesne and many others on the other side. Later their scope became broader, by embracing music that concentrates on discovering the world of pure, abstract sounds. Three of their new releases are exponent of this development. Taxonomy is an italian trio of Elio Martusciello, Graziano Lella and Roberto Fega. '10 Taxonomical Movements' is their second release. Again this is an exploration in techniques and structures on a very abstract level, avoiding much intellectual blah blah. The first piece is called "Ouverture", the last one "Epilogue", suggesting an unity between the 10 pieces. Tracks in between carry titles as "Adagio", "Andante" and "Crescendo". A piece like "Crescendo - Maestoso" I like most because of the dramatic impact. "Solenne - Vivo" is a mysterious sounding piece with deep drones, completed with other sound material.
Each piece is structured differently from the others. Another difference, in "Tranquillo - con fuoco" laptops and electronics dominate, in "Larghetto - appasionato (tema)" conventional instruments are preferred. All this makes it a varied CD.
"Face à la Dérive" is a soundportrait of the Saint-Laurent-river, painted by four young musicians that are new for me: Sébastien Cirotteau, Brigitte Lacasse, Catherine S. Massicote and Eric Normand. They made field recordings along this big river, including voices of people who live close to it. These recordings play a dominant role in the two lenghty pieces on this CD. Besides we hear small musical structures played on acoustic instruments as piano, accordion, violin, bass, etc. For my ears this combination did not always work. But is is an engaging piece of work if you are interested in how to evoke an environment in a sound work.
"Disparition de l'usine éphémère" is a first collaboration between Philippe Lauzier (alto sax, clarinet), Pierre-Yves Martel (viola da gamba), Kim Myhr (acoustic guitars) and Martin Tétreault (recordplayers). Surprising it is to hear a viola da gamba in such a modern undertaking. We hear long sustained tones combined with chaotic scratchy sounds from guitars and viola da gamba. In their long extended groups improvisations they successfully combine old and new instruments. The musicians share a common approach. Speaking the same language of sound and noise they develop several fantastic musical conversations. (Dolf Mulder) Address: http://www.actuellecd.com/

ISRAEL M - NAREAH (CD by Aagoo Records)
Hailing from Mexico is Israel Martinez, of whom I never heard (but then I never look into who ever the honorable judges of Prix Ars Electronica pleases with their honorary mentions). Martinez creates sound installations, site specific sonic projects, is a member of Lost Martinez, Vlow Ensemble and has received various commissions. 'Nareah' is his first full length CD, following two EPs. He works here with field recordings and synthesized and sampled instruments and arrives at some odd cross road of micro glitch music and sampled orchestral music, in forceful passages of sound like clouds. To this orchestra he has added some more computer processing and throughout it makes an odd combination but one that works quite well. Usually I am not that keen on sampled orchestral sounds, perhaps because its loaded with other information and has connotations I don't like, but Martinez creates some intense music, which is 'Mitah' reaches its peak. A curiously interesting work here on Bevin Kelley's label, who also released 'Gular Flutter' by Blevin Blectum, which they also send. A nice CD boys and girls of Aagoo, but its our policy not to review material older than six months. But the electronic music of Blectum bounces nicely about here in the vital head quarters, as we finish up this week's issue. A nice uplifting release. oops. Almost a review. (FdW)
Address: http://www.aagoo.com

GARETH HARDWICK - AVERSIONS (CD by Low Point)
Hardwick is, I believe, the man behind the Low Point label, and plays his own music, even when we only heard a bit on his split release with M. Rosner (see Vital Weekly 592), which was nice but short. Still we don't get a proper chance here with 'Aversions', which I have no aversion against, but these are 'a versions', remixes by some of his friends. Steinbrüchel and Machinefabriek are people whom we know very well, and also Xela has had a record reviewed here, but there are also some people I never heard of (I think), like Library Tapes, Apalusa, Strategy and Chris Herbert. I have no idea of the two tracks which don't say anything about remix are the pieces that were remixed, or simply should be seen as interludes, as they are quite short. The remixes are all great, I must say, lengthy affairs of swirling electronics, sustaining piano sounds, with the longest being Apalusa, with a deep drone end thing, which works very, very nice, or the more micro sounding Steinbrüchel remix. My favorite however is the one by Strategy, with a nice, subtle bass underneath and some fuzzy guitar, seventies guitar effects. But as said, throughout this is a great album, very coherent music fitting together very well. (FdW) Address: http://www.low-point.com

JOHN BUTCHER - RESONANT SPACES (CD by Confront)
GRAHAM HALLIWELL & LEE PATTERSON - TERRAIN (CDR by Confront)
MARK WASTELL - AFTER HOURS (3"CDR by Cathnor)
These three releases where delivered together, although I am not entirely sure what links them together. Two of them are on the Confront label. The first is by saxophone player John Butcher. I am known, I hope, as someone who is not particular keen on the sound of the saxophone, but there are exceptions, of course, and John Butcher is such an exception. This CD contains recordings he made in the northern parts of the Scotland, and which brought him to unlikely places, such as caves and turbine halls and water towers. Butcher plays the instruments as much as he plays the space in which he is performing. There is a variety of saxophones and in some cases even 'feedback soprano'. Butcher plays sustained notes on his instruments, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, but with a very sensible ear to both what he is doing on the instrument as well as listening to the space he is playing in. Long reverberation is in place here, and normally I don't like reverb very much, but when its all natural, its great. I particular like those pieces in which the saxophone doesn't sound like one, like in 'Wind Piece' or 'Sympathetic Magic (Stone)', and less pieces as 'Calls From A Rusty Cage', which sounds like a lot of things I don't like about the instrument. They are however in minority here, and this is simply a great, minimalist work.
Butcher's CD was recorded in 2006 but now released, and the same goes for 'Terrain' by Graham Halliwell (saxophone feedback and processing) and Lee Patterson (field recordings and amplified devices). No location is mentioned (not even a website on both releases for the label), but lets say its a live recording. And an excellent one at that. A very refined disc of long minimalist sine wave/feedback sounds, the chirping of insects and the crackling of objects and contactmicrophones. The music is throughout very soft, but if you care to put up the volume a bit more, you will find a lot of beauty buried in these sustaining sounds. Minimal but covered with great beauty.
Mark Wastell is, I believe, the man behind Confront, but his own 'After Hours' was released on Cathnor Recordings. It was recorded six months before mixing it, and then fifteen months later it was released - and on the day Wastell approved the cover, the shop he worked for, Sound 323, closed its doors. The fifteen minutes that cover 'After Hours' is hauntingly beautiful. Wastell plays gongs or cymbals, with some sort of electronic treatment - or not, that isn't quite clear - but the sounds are played majestically and nothing is to be touched until the sound has died out. Slow, moving, sustaining. An excellent work of meditative drone music. Packed in a great cover. An excellent small work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.cathnor.com

STROM NOIR - LUVYOO (CDR by Ambsine Records)
Outside its raining - the typical March rainfall. Grey autumn like weather. Inside its warm and on the stereo we hear have Emil Mat'ko, also known as Strom Noir. He pleasantly surprised us before with his ambient drone music. He was a member of a down-tempo/trip hop band Mind Map and has its own label Black Orchid, which releases ambient, industrial and experimental music. As Strom Noir he picks up the six stringed instruments and synthesizers along with field recordings and electronics. Some of the pieces here were previously releases, but together they make a strong bunch of tracks that fit any rainy day. Slow, elegant guitar music, with an wealth, sometimes too much, of echo and reverb, and the guitar usually at the core of the music. Synths and field recordings are more ornamental in the music, they place accents on the music. Quite a lengthy release of lengthy pieces, all around five minutes of minimal changes, and its perhaps better to enjoy this as one long flow, one piece divided into various smaller bits. Not an earth shaking new release, but otherwise a fine one. (FdW) Address: http://www.ambsine.sk

NICK HOFFMAN - STRATAGEM (CDR by Herbal Records)
JULIEN SKROBEK & MIGUEL PRADO - AMERICAN NIGHTMARE (CDR by Herbal Records/Why Not Ltd)
So far the music by Nick Hoffman has been pure electronic affairs, working with laptops and sine waves. Perhaps I mentioned however he is graduate in music, and on 'Stratagem' are three works for a small chamber orchestra, which includes, although I'm not sure if all at the same time, four piano's, percussion, trumpet, guitar, and electronics. I am sure I mentioned this before but true, modern classical music is one of those I find very hard to review. Of the three pieces here, I think 'Clearing' is great. It has modern classical feel to it, but its also acoustic with pipes being blown and there are small bits of electronics. I must say I liked that a lot, whereas the short opening piece and the title piece were also alright, but perhaps it didn't have the same impact on me.,
A duet of Julien Skrobek on synthesizer and Miguel Prado on prepared cello (first piece) and prepared piano (second piece). Both seem to me new stars on the front of improvised music, department 'soft' and 'silent'. They play their music with 'gaps' in between. A sound, maybe two or even three, and then some silence. Its a method they apply in both tracks here, and it works well, even if perhaps both could have been a bit shorter. Or perhaps just the second, which lasts twenty-five minutes, would have been fine enough, I think. Its music that demands quite a bit from the listener and requires full attention, so even at just under forty minutes, this is still on the long side. But as said, especially the second piece I really liked. (FdW) Address: http://www.herbalinternational.tk

ENRICO MALATESTA - STANDARD (cassette by Presto!? Records)
Presto Records expands to the world of cassettes, or perhaps that should be 'limits to the world of cassette'? Inside there is a code mentioned by which you can get digital access to the material, which is a great move. Enrico Malatesta is a percussion player, who has worked with Claudio Rocchetti, Eugene Chadbourne, Tristan Honsinger and loads of people I never heard of. Here he plays 'handmade china, classical bass drum', without overdubs. Twenty-six minutes of improvised drum sounds. Its hard to say how he plays his drum, perhaps with the china? Both sides open with a zero second track, which is quite funny of course, and then it starts. In all of the pieces that actually have music, things are built on resonant frequencies of the surface. Deep end rumble of 'something' over the drum skin, which make things rumble and shake. Only the final piece on side B (no titles here) is something different, maybe its the china alone talking here, but it sounds quite high in frequency range. Quite interesting this one, top heavy on all accounts. Excellent improvised music. (FdW) Address: http://www.prestorecords.com

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