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Vital Weekly 711 + 712

  Tobias

DONEDA/TOULEMONDE/DESMARCHELIER - LE TERRIER (CD by Monotype Records)
HAUTZINGER/OKURA/AKIYAMA - REBUS (CD by Monotype Records)
Two CDs of each three players from one musical corner: improvisation. Like Musica Genera, the likewise Polish label Monotype, is specialized in improvised music. The first disc is by Michel Doneda (sopranino, soprano saxophone), Olivier Toulemonde (amplified objects) and Nicolas Desmarchelier (acoustic guitar). Its a recording from 2005, divided in seven parts. This is hardcore improvisation. Lots of objects are being rubbed, touched, scratched to form high end tones, shrieking sounds of objects in danger. This is music that requires ones full attention, even when there is hardly a single second of silence. All of the instruments are used as objects, rather than as instruments. The saxophone may still sound like a saxophone, but the guitar is a resonating body to produce sounds with. Definitely not easy listening, but one to make your hair stand up.
Franz Hautzinger (quartertone trumpet), Ahiko Okura (reeds) and Tetuzi Akiyama (tape delayed electric guitar) have a recording from 2004, from Tokyo and compared to the previous one, this is a more 'relaxed' work. All instruments sound at times like they are supposed to. We hear a guitar! We hear wind instruments. But this trio cleverly combines that more or less old fashioned way of improvising with some of the 'newer' techniques to treat instruments as objects that are capable of producing any kind of sound. For some reason or the other which I am not exactly can point out, this all sounds a bit more easy to access than the Doneda et al release. Not just high pitched sounds, shrieking and terrifying the objects, but with some more deeper end towards the low end sounds. Both of these discs require ones full attention, but both of them are highly rewarding musical improvisations. (FdW) Address: http://www.monotyperecords.com

HUNTER COMPLEX - HERE IS THE NIGHT (CD by Narrominded)
Lars Meijer is the active man behind the Narrominded label, but also as a musician with Living Ornaments and Psychon. He also recorded solo music, which I didn't know, as Hunter Complex. Early 2010 he will release his debut album 'Hunter Complex' and stir up interest he now releases a CDEP 'Here Is The Night', along with remixes by Garcon Taupe, Spoelstra, Coen Oscar Polack and an extended instrumental piece. He started doing his solo music a long time, behind a piano and recording them onto a four track, until he reached the limitations of those methods. Now he sings again, uses analogue synthesizers and no doubt uses the computer to record it on. Its no longer Larz (as such he recorded two lo-fi pop albums) but Hunter Complex. His piece here is an uptempo electro piece, with influences of italo music and electro-pop. It could as well have been on any 'Snow Robots' compilations from Suction Records (whatever happened there, I wonder?). A great piece. In the three remixes, each of the remixer takes one or two sounds that they like and expand on that. Distinctly more 'dance' oriented tracks at work here, with a stomping version by Spoelstra. Polack's version is the morning after chill out remix. Meijer's own 'Fashion Street' is a laidback jazzy tune with a leading part for saxophone, and may seem a bit out of place but it made me altogether very anxious to hear his album. His two pieces are different from eachother, but could make a great album. (FdW)
Address: http://www.narrominded.com

FRANCISCO LOPEZ - MACHINES (2CD by Elevator Bath)
FRANCISCO LOPEZ - UNTITLED #228 (LP by Ini.Itu)
Every now and then Francisco Lopez is in for quite a surprise. While a vast majority of his work is called 'Untitled', followed by a number, there is a smaller part of his work which have a title. 'La Selva', or 'Buildings [New York]' for instance. Here he comes up with with four pieces, recorded between 2004 and 2007, and the subject is field recordings of machines. A field recording doesn't necessarily have to be in 'the field', or perhaps that never occurred to you? In each piece a specific location - or locations, if the sound matter is the same - plays a central role. Clocks, elevators, or various laboratories or factories are recorded to create pieces from. If you still think that music by Lopez only deals with silence in all its various appearances, then you are wrong. The two works mentioned aren't exactly silent works, there has been a sort of 'hard rock' work, I believe 'Untitled #104', and now 'Machines' is an ode to industrial music, in the more literal sense of the word. Its not easy to say, well impossible really, wether these sounds have been processed or altered in any way, or wether they have been heavily layered and presented like a collage. Somehow I think its the latter. We hear all the fascinating aspects of the factories and industrial sounds. Unlike say Vivenza two decades who used the Putney synth to create machine sounds, Lopez uses the real thing. In 'Labs' he almost reaches towards minimal techno with a short repeating sounds, almost Pan Sonic alike. The only piece that seems to have some additional treatment is, perhaps perhaps, 'Fabrikas'. This is a Lopez release that is distinctly different than many of his other works. I am a big fan of all of his work, so its hard for me to criticize it, but I can imagine there are people out there who would just a few Lopez works, and they should all be different somehow. If you consider looking for such different works, then 'Machines' is surely one to add to your collection. The best industrial music release I heard this year (ignoring here it says 'produced 2010 elevator bath'!)
At the same time there is also a new solo Lopez LP, the first since 'Untitled #92' by Mego in 2000. You could think its strange to have his music on vinyl, but here he is also not silent. In the meantime I learned that Brussels based label Ini.Itu releases only LPs, always limited to 250 copies and there is always a link to Indonesia. Here Lopez worked with field recordings provided by Blindhead (who were also responsible for the first LP, and perhaps is also responsible for the label). Lopez works here in two directions. On the first side he creates a densely layered pattern of those field recordings, using loops of the material, which he seems to be continuously be filtering, thus altering and changing the sound material. Its not just calls from the rainforest, but also those of people and cities. Of course one could argue wether this sounds Indonesian at all, but its a very nice side. On the b-side he uses gamelan sounds. What he did to those gamelan sounds is very hard to say, but its a damn great piece. It seems like he has cut out all the attacks and uses the decaying sound which he has set around in loops and then puts on some extreme filtering, making the whole thing into a very gentle, almost ambient piece. Very musical, with some heavy microtonal shifts. One of the best Lopez pieces I heard. Two highly different Lopez releases and both are great. (FdW) Address: http://www.elevatorbath.com

DOC WOR MIRRAN (CDR by Miss Management)
More celebrations here: also Doc Wor Mirran exists for twenty-five years and they decided to start a series of remixed recordings of early works, starting with their first self-titled cassette from 1984. We have the original line of BH Worrick, Frank Abendroth and Joseph B. Raimond, the latter the main man behind Doc Wor Mirran. Over the years, up until now, the music has been remixed and added too by other people who played a big role in the music of Doc Wor Mirran, such as Ralf Lexis, Jeandra Raimond and Peter Schuster. Primarily this is electronic music, perhaps the best known side of Doc Wor Mirran, who can easily sound like a rock band too. The original tape cover, also on the cover, says 'electronic music by Joseph B. Raimond' and we hear lots of analogue synthesizers playing a sort of heavy duty cosmic music, and with the revival of that kind of music this is quite a nice coincidence. Music history is a like wheel: it all comes back one day. This quite an accomplished work, nicely made. Its perhaps rather a new work than an old one. I don't think I ever heard the original 1984 cassette, but I understand from the press note that the additions made over the years, means that this is a new work. Atmospheric yet with a nice bite to it. Doc Wor Mirran has proven to be a very consitent band over those twenty-five years and their more than one hundred release (this is #107), and it started well. Let's hope for twenty-five more years. (FdW) Address: http://www.dwmirran.de

BEN OWEN - TWO (CDR by Gruenrekorder)
So far we came across the name Ben Owen as the person behind the Winds Measure Recordings label, but sometimes he records his own music. Here on Gruenrekorder he deals with field recordings. The first four tracks were recorded on the coast of Jacob Riss Park, Far Rockaway, Queens, NY and the last two at the Caroll Street Bridge, Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York. The title 'Two' probably refers to these locations. Its hard to tell what exactly he recorded in these locations, but it surely sounds quite fascinating. The microphone comes very close to whatever the events are that are captured here, as think they are events. Winds blowing through a pipe in the 'Gowanus 2', maybe rain drops upon contact microphones in 'Soft Magnetic Se'? Since I don't know what it is, its hard to guess, but its also were the beauty of the recording lies I think. Beyond the 'ordinary' capturing of recordings out there, this is quite a fascinating release of crackles, cuts, hiss, almost electro-acoustic in execution, like a turntable left outside in 'Atlantic Jetty S-N 1'. An excellent release! Totally captivating! (FdW) Address: http://www.gruenrekorder.de

JAMES MCDOUGALL - DISPOSSESSION OF PERIPHERY (CDR by Mystery Sea)
One of the rising stars of field recordings and microsound is James McDougall. He has already quite a number of releases, under the guise of Entia Non, on labels such as Test Tube, U-Cover, Dataobscura, Resting Bell, and then also under his own name on labels as Compost And Height, Q-tone and recently Ripples. He searches for the most rusty form of field recordings. Either he finds them in the field, or he treats them to sound rusty. I don't know. I do know its hard to tell, but it leads to some great results. Everything is pitched down to the darkest of dark, with all the bass frequencies up front. The 'sea' element that is common with a lot of the releases on Mystery Sea, isn't that much present on this one, although, perhaps, it all sounds a bit sub-aquatic, like being recorded 'under the surface of the water', but without any sea or rain sounds. Scratching the surface of the sea, rather than being part of the CD, I'd say. 'A Clearer Firmamental Blue', the closing piece, has a faint trace of a melody, which is a nice feature - and uncommon for many of the Mystery Sea releases. Excellent release. (FdW) Address: http://www.mysterysea.net

BJNILSEN - THE INVISIBLE CITY (CD by Touch)
By now BJ Nilsen (or rather BJNilsen) is a mainstay on the Touch label. He is not a man of many words, or big concepts. I am not sure what the title 'The Invisible City' refers to, but it does have a detailed list of all of his sound sources per piece. Its an interesting read of 'amplified chair dragged across floor, window shutters, steel whistle coffeepot, dead trees leaning against each other, train, footsteps in snow, crows, rain' but also acoustic guitar feedback, tapeloops of found sounds, pitch regulated viola, B&K Sine Random Generator Type 1204, virtual Hammond Organ and such like. The titles of his pieces do not give away much either: 'Gravity Station', 'Phase And Amplitude', 'Scientia', 'Virtual Resistance', 'Meter Reading', 'Into Its Coloured Rays', 'Gradient' and the title piece. If necessary at all, one could consider Nilsen to be part of the crowded scene of people who create atmospheric, drone based music through all sorts of means, but at the end of the chain there is always the computer: all pieces list 'various DSP' at the end. That renders some of the sounds, if not all, beyond recognition. As said this music is highly atmospheric and finds its origin in drone music. This is a fine disc, don't get me wrong. There is some excellent music on here, that is at times more daring then the usual 'field recordings and drone music', with some nasty frequencies here and there, and some sudden changes. That is what sets BJNilsen apart from many of his peers. But somehow I also had the impression that 'heard it already' is also part of this. It seems to me that BJNilsen created some fine work which is already in his line of work, rather than making the next move. That perhaps is the only downside to this release. If you are not familiar with his work, then this is good release to get to know his work, and perhaps if you can never get enough, then this will proof no disappointment either. An absolute great disc. (FdW) Address: http://www.touchmusic.org.uk

FRED BIGOT - MONO/STEREO (CD by Holy Mountain)
Sometimes it seems as if people disappear. You just forget about them. I would have probably never thought about Fred Bigot or his Electronicat project if this CD would have appeared. Not that he is no longer active, but maybe he moved onto a different radar screen. You have no visual on him anymore. I do remember liking his music as Electronicat. Poppy, electronic, strong rhythms, vocals. Rockabilly electronic. I am not sure, but perhaps I never heard his work under his own name. In 1999 he released a 12", which can now be found on this CD along with various unreleased cuts from the last ten years. Its very much music from that late 90s, early 00s era. Deep bass rhythm of drum machines being filtered through analogue synthesizers, minimalist and repetitive, on top heavy, sine wave like sounds that pierce right into your brain. Music that reminded me of the early works of Alva Noto and Frank Bretschneider, some of Mego earliest releases, Ryoji Ikeda, Goem and above all Pan Sonic. Using a Roland TR 808 and a Waldorf and Sherman filter, Rat distortion and Lexicon Jamman, this is some heavy weight minimal head nod music (in stead of taping feet) music. I am not sure if this aims at the dance floor, but my suggestion would be to put this on your MP3 player (discman would be better, but who uses that these days?) and play this at ear-splitting volume. Or at home at full volume, until all your furniture starts moving. Though nothing new, this might be the start of a revival of this kind of music. Would be about time! (FdW) Address: http://www.holymountain.com

VIRIDIAN SUN - INFINITE IN ALL DIRECTIONS (CD by Hypnos Recordings)
SEREN FFORDD - STELLAR NURSERIES (CDR by Hypnos Recordings)
STEVE BRAND - CHILDREN OF ALCYONE (CDR by Hypnos Recordings)
Although Hypnos may not seem to appear as prolific as they used to be, its always good to see their releases. M. Griffin, responsible for the label, doesn't set out to innovate the world of music, but has carved out a niche of his own, which he likes to explore, either through his own music or that of others. Together with David Tollefson he plays music as Viridian Sun. They both take credit for playing guitars, bass, percussion, looping, procession and Griffin also for voice. Not that I detected many voice on here, but no doubt one could say that for guitar, save for some obvious point here and there. Everything they play is transformed into lengthy washes of ambient sound. Like the title suggests about the universe, it can also be said of the music. It expands in all directions, moving slowly, elegantly forward - or backward, or downward, side ways, up, down - and perhaps all of it in the same time. Time? Another relative thing - although I am not educated to say such things that deal with nature, or in any philosophical ways. Seven tracks, clearly apart, perhaps that's the extent of these things that make them time based. According to the cover, this was all recorded live in the studio, which made me think that these boys should be on the road and play all night concerts, endlessly improvising and exploring the depths of the synthesized ambient music. Warm music in cold days.
I never heard of Seren Ffordd, who has one hour long piece of music on his 'Stellar Nurseries'. The cover has some words regarding space, stars and how they have influenced this release: 'once born the planets spiral round and round creating new notes chords and harmonies' - it seems a bit too easy for me as points of reference. This work was recorded in 2004 and first released by Umbra. The music was recorded with a Korg 016 and a Yamaha PSA 262 keyboard, in case there are gear freaks amongst the readers. The space music by Ffordd is not unlike that of Viridian Sun, I think, but its a darker and seems to me more drone based, certainly in the first half hour. Then slowly it moves in a slightly lighter tone, with a more clearly played chord sequence on the keyboard. From these three the one that is the least ambient and the most 'dark drone', the isolationist one.
Things have been long quiet for Steve Brand, since his 'The Quiver Of Dreams' (see Vital Weekly 414 - and whatever happened to XZF?). Before that he had released under the guise of Augur with releases on XZF, Alluvial and A Pyrrhic Victory. As noted in that previous review, it seems that when working under his own name Brand works more in the field of drone music, rather the zoviet france inspired electro-acoustics of Augur. The sounds here are sustained longer, and seem to be played on looping devices, which get bell sounds or other acoustic objects as their basic signal. Maybe that's the difference with his older work. He still uses the electro-acoustic side of things, but the results are more long form and sounds simply better. This release seems to me the missing link between the gentle spacious ambient of Viridian Sun and the drones of Seren Ffordd. Brand's music is partly based on the ideas of massive drones, but work out a bit more gently than Ffordd's heavy drones. The perfect order to play a trio like this would be to start with Fford, then Brand and have a great chill out with Viridian Sun. In all three there is nothing much new under the sun (stars even) in the field of drone music, but that aside, this is some great music. (FdW) Address: http://www.hypnos.com

ANDREAS BRANDAL/IAN HOLLOWAY (cassette by Agharta Tapes)
BIG CITYY ORKESTRA - YMIR (cassette by Agharta Tapes)
Agharta Tapes is a cassette label from Lithuania, but on these two releases there is nothing from musicians from over there. This is more like a label from the 1980s: the international hometapers releasing their music all over the world on cassette. The first tape is a split tape between Andreas Brandal from Norway on one side and Ian Holloway on the other. I must admit I am not Brandal's biggest fan. His music seems to be based around loops a bit too much and a bit too obvious, with some sparse electronics to go along with that. You can hear he has put some time in his music to create it, think it over and reconsider, but in the end its not very engaging to hear. On the other side we have Ian Holloway, previously Psychic Space Invasion, but since a couple of years under his own name active. His music didn't change that much, in this name shifting process. Drones is what it is. I think he has some cheap organ, some effects and some field recordings. I must say that there are some differences between this and some of his self-released works. 'The Prescient Machine' is a bit more louder, angular than his previous works, and has bits of feedback coming in. It seems to be the result of some process while recording. It slowly decays over the course of the piece. It shows a somewhat more experimental version of Holloway and its actually quite nice.
The other tape - in an edition of 70, instead of 60 - is by Big City Orchestra, and apparently its their 79th tape. Thirty years and still going strong. Upon listening to this cassette, it seems to me that Big City Orchestra use the medium of cassette to play out their more spacious, experimental, improvised work. They have their own radio program, and this tape sounds like a jam session on the airwaves. A bit unfocussed, sounds going on a bit too long, spoken words, number stations and such like. But its nevertheless also a nice work I think, floating freely in space, with a bit of rhythm here and there, synthesized sounds floating about and in general just pleasant to hear, without asking a lot of the listener. Quite nice indeed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.arma.lt/agharta

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