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Ampersand Etcetera - 2001_6
ambient & microwave & electronica & experimental & lowercase &
postclassical & minimal & techno & etcetera
A bit of a broader/label focus - the origami republika group, a couple of empreintes
DIGITALes, the Kohvirecords sampler and A Pyrrhic Victory, plus a couple of other
reviews scattered between.
And a plea - if anyone wants to send me any feedback please do! Artists and labels
occassional comment, but I would love to hear from any readers who find this interesting
and or useful: and any suggestions or comments. Ta - don’t want to think
I am murmuring off to myself.
jeremy@pretentious.net
&
http://ampersandetc.virtualave.net/ampersand.html
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T H Boe
Origami Republika
Another pointer to some great free (see the note at the end of the next paragraph)
music - this was going to be ‘editorial’ but thought I’d put it
in the body, so they get in the title. Many moons ago I came across an on-line
release by Tore Honore Boe called ‘The Meeting Album’ which was 6 minutes
of fascinating electronica/collage, subtle and complex. A mention on Vital recently
pointed me back in his direction, which drew me to the Origami Republika, the
‘collective/flexible’ unit he is part of. They are based in Norway,
but have units and agents (apparently subgroups of the broad main set and friendly
associates respectively) worldwide. At their site there is a wad of music in the
Komkol Autoprod Audio Art Archive from various of their combinations and individuals
across time (at http://www.kunst.no/origami/audio/index.html) plus a double album
(in MP3 form, with cover art) ‘The Free 10 year Anniversary Album’ (http://www.kunst.no/origami/komkol)
split between their main group on disk one and international collaborators/friends
on disk 2. The grouping has released alot of product, listed in the KomKol Autoprod
catalogue (the album is number 100) - but mainly on other labels. (Such as the
Morte Aux Vaches reviewed in v2.09 where ‘Origami vs Manipura by:b9’,
which is also Autoprod 106). The album is very varied - as you would expect from
a collective over 10 years - the first disk ranges across musique concrete, trance
techno, world ambient, post-folk and noise, and the second is perhaps even more
wide ranging - glitch, guitar and voice solos, noise, lo-fi singersongwriters,
ambience, freeform, concrete - you name it. As usual with a review of freely (easily)
available material, I can only suggest you go, download, listen and enjoy: a site
well worth exploring.
In addition to ‘The Meeting Album’, Boe also has a new online album
‘Promotion’, this time nine short pieces (about 19 minutes). Generally
quieter than the first (although it builds to a noisey climax), it is a beautiful
gentle meditation as simple sounds are introduced, manipulated and layered - close
miked material, gongs, voices, soft tones, environmental sounds. As Vital said
- much too short. You can find it either at the Autoprod Archive, or at Tore’s
site (http://www.kunst.no/alias/tore) which also has some fine artworks and other
materials. Note: OR direct you towards an online charity, and ask you to pay for
your downloads through a donation (http://www.thehungersite.com).
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Berlinertheorie
live
Staalplaat STCD152
http://www.staalplaat.com
A short minialbum and a short review.
‘Miles’ (6:08) is based on two vocal loops, sounding like ‘day
one’ and ‘jah’. These are echoed and phased as they loop, loosing
focus and returning, interfering and overlapping, cleverly manipulated: reminiscent
of Reich’s ‘Its gonna rain’ (and a reminder that that is more than
the out-of-phase shifting tapes it is often described as). Behind is a light,
bloopy synth. For a while the vocal is just a warped version of ‘De ja’
with a whistling wind, but then returns in full. ‘Intro’ (12:40) seems
to be a collage of sounds in the underground or a train yard at night. There is
a light wind, shifting noises, then a huge train rumbles, billows and squeaks
past; lonely organ chords, perhaps we are at sea, drifting, the rigging ringing;
but then another train, winds and horns play. There are chittering drums for a
while, an echo which could be a guitar. It has a strange sense of place, but where?
A great piece of shifting, unsettled/unsettling ambience. Things are, appropriately,
much simpler in ‘Bruce Willis’ (5:13) as a windy pulsing drone dances
with a fastening click (knocked sticks? insects?) which ebbs and flows and takes
the fade. Relaxed.
Recorded in 95, 00 and 99, this is an interesting, varied minialbum that leaves
you wondering why there isn’t more from this 5 year period on it.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Various Artists
Sampler 2001.01
KohviRecords
http://www.kohvirecords.ee
The second sampler from this label (see v3.04) which, as it is available for MP3
download, is eminently reviewable. To recap, Kohvirecords is an Estonian dance,
light to experimental techno label, which is interesting in its own right, beyond
the somewhat exotic state of origin. 7 groups get a guernsey on the this sampler
- most with one track, a couple with 2 and one with three. Information provided
also starts to give some shape to this part of the Estonian music scene - three
‘groups’ are solo projects for the duo that forms Uni.
After a short intro from Kuivati - almost a fanfare shifting from groovy beats
to atmospherics, we get the first of Galaktan’s three tracks. Taavi Laatsit
from Uni creates smooth and complex beaty atmospheres. ‘Klavestra’ has
lovely beats with some chops over and drifting waves which support a melody which
comes and goes, ‘Sulase sum’ (Farmhand’s death) builds from a vibraphonish
melody with a bumpy chht and some very deep bass, through some scifi synth, and
finally into a faster beated ending with some vibrattoed voice. His final track,
‘Ax’, is primarily complex rhythm layers with a little melody sneaking
in later. Galaktan have a full album on the release schedule.
The third track (yep, I’m jumping about) is Uni’s ‘Kolmas planeet’
(Third planet) which reminds me of 808state - dreamy synths over a metallic tinged
beat and cycling bwowbwo, some voices talking at times in it and deeply resonated
ending. The other half of Uni is Hendrik Luuk and as St8 he produces complex layered
material which could easily fit onto a BipHop collection: ‘Pilev suurse linnas’
(Day in a city) builds its layers of tones, blips, chickchicks, beats and synths
in a very measured manner, while ‘Une naod’ (Dream’s face) has
some scratchy loops with a very slow moody melody, deep thuds and a faster kick
later. His other outlet Njuu gives us ‘Klaasnaine’ (Glasswoman) which
is a romp of a closer to the album - stuttering loops and a fast D’n’B
rhythm pattern under some wacky 60’s keyboards.
Ataka use a chopped, processed (computer) voice, big synths, slow beats and a
bass synth to good effect on ‘Track 03’ which has a subtly retro feel.
The final act is Pastacas, a painter, and like the other compilation, he takes
us in some different directions. I’m not sure about the tone of ‘Minu
naar’ (My laughter) which starts with some giggling girl voices and then
shifts into an almost cocktail singer over a loungey keyborad and fastish beat,
a break, the voice returns and ends with some scat. The language is a confounding
aspect, it edges to the verge of comprehension, but hovers as nonsense (to me),
and the voice is rather odd (but again, it could be an Estonian accent). The title
suggests some lightness, and it is enjoyable. His other track ‘Pysikud’
is also light in effect, with a gentle rhythm some deep smeared notes and a thin
high melody.
Altogether a very enjoyable collection, well worth popping to the site and getting
- and to seriously consider some of the albums, as Kohvirecords artist roster
appears to be producing some very interesting moody techno.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
M’lumbo
The Nine Billion Names of God
Multimood MRC032
http://www,multimood.com
M’lumbo - multimedia, multiinstrumental - keyboards, saxophones, trumpet,
percussion, drums, guitar bass and vocals, plus more obscure: squeak toys, ectoplasmic
radio, fortune cookies. shoes, egg slicer; and add some samples. An electric eclectic
jazz world fusion that takes on a dynamic musical journey.
The albums strong point is also its weakness - the songs have a hyperactive kinetic
energy , shifting and changing rapidly and often, returning to a mode and then
darting off again. Underpining it are rhythms and the combined horns, providing
some thread through. This movement keeps you listening and interested, but over
time you long for some stillness or stability. ‘Voodoo music’ is the
extreme of this, a shifting collage that never finds a centre, the cut up samples
(a feature of all tracks, and source of their names) loop and weave. A more structured
piece is one like ‘Transformotto’ where a Bavarian bar band - clarinets
and drums - opens the proceedings and recurs later, but in the meantime there
has been some loose jamming, childrens voices, someone cooking: on its return
the bar around the band is heard, then a piece of drama around a door knocking,
before an afro rhythm break, a train then a fairground before the band ends proceedings.
Most tracks emerge out of swirling samples and band noises, the words ‘Dopehead’
for example prominent among the other samples in this track, then out of the beat,
sax and drugs a full ensemble piece develops, collage voices over: a middle moody
section, then back to structure before a South American rhythm takes us out. ‘Brain
parasites’ almost loses it a couple of times, but M’lumbo manage to
pull it back together with some strong rhythm sections, while the song samples
of ‘Vacation in heaven’ provide a safety net as it swings between moody,
musichall, big band and big rhythms.
Somehow ‘God’ is both very labile and yet seems to have more stability
about it, but ‘Fun with the blues’ ends the album as it has continued
since its opener. And what an opener - ‘Take out the accordion’ is the
best ‘song’ (and perhaps the only one) on the album: from a shimmering
beginning the title vocal emerges, guitar and rhythm join in and cohere as the
horns ring in for a big brassy beltout.
Again, the hyperactivity is stimulating and gives a certain frisson as you wonder
if M’lumbo will wander over the edge - which they approach but never tumble
over. The underlying rhythms of percussion and various wind instruments offer
a measure of stability and focus, and the album is exciting and engrossing. I
would have liked, though, a few more stable periods to provide more balance.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Louis Dufort
Connexion
Adrian Moore
Traces
empreintes DIGITALes IMED 0051 & 0053
http://www.electrocd.com
A first for &etc - two disks from the renowned musique concrete/electroacoustic
Quebec label, in their unique cardboard constructed boxes. It also presented me
with a challenge (which I hope I have achieved): to find a description appropriate
to their work. It has struck me in the past when looking at ‘academic’
electroacoustic work (such as Philip Samartzis or some of the Metamkine) that
these artists are working in an area which has its own theory and language, recognised
across the ICAMs, departments they studied in and competitions that appear to
be awarding prizes all the time (4 of the five tracks on ‘Traces’ received
‘mentions’ or ‘places’). Yet my methodology of reviewing seems
to me as even more inadequate than usual - the gestures and changes are so small,
precise and rapid that the forest is lost for the pine needles. So I will immerse
myself in them and try for a bigger picture. A quote from Moore seems appropriate
- one of his tracks ‘reverts back to more abstract electroacoustic material,
shaping form continuously and using gesture as the primary means of communication’
which seems a pretty good description to me: and also leans towards some glitch/laptop
artists.
A great way in for me is Moore’s ‘Study in ink’ - as a lecturer
I often enjoy dragging out the line of a whiteboard marker if it squeaks, and
it seems that Moore noticed the sound as well, and applied his training. This
track has one sound source - the marker pen. And what a web he weaves from it:
generally you can hear the marker as it makes a gesture, but then the processing
comes in to play - long echoed tones, pulsing beats, squeal, groans, trawls and
sweeps, together with percussion and voices. There is an almost synaesthesia as
you see a trail of movements follow and envelop the pen, sometimes hiding it all
together, at others shrinking back into the image. Primarily entertaining, it
demonstrates the possibilities available to the sound artist. The following track
‘Foil-counterfoil’ uses close-miked tin foil together with glasses,
bottles and balloons: the whole thing shimmers and shifts, periods of intense
small fragment activity, periods of relative stasis as things bubble away, streaming
to the surface. Recognisable sounds shifting to manipulated echoes of themselves
or pieces thrown together. A movement possibly discernable in the changes, a fascination
in the drama.
The first two pieces ‘Junky’ and ‘Dreamarena’ are both ‘abstract’
works - described with the quote above. ‘Junky’ is more structured with
‘three main sections…and a more detailed structure…in each of the
primary sections’. Electronic sounds (processed primary sources taken beyond
recognition) play blippy, sqirly games (at times sounding like speech) over a
sustained organ tone in the slow section, things speed up in the next section,
the drone pulsing and the surface activity becoming denser, and finally an interchange
between the two parts. The shifting structure works very nicely, giving an overall
feel to the piece. Complex layered and drifting, ‘Dreamarena’ lives
up to its name and has that narrative feel you get from a dream - semirecognisable
elements forming structured units which then slide into something else, providing
some stability before sending you along new lines. It is not chaotic (in the original
sense, though as with many pieces like this the fractal side of chaos science
sometimes seems appropriate) but, to quote Robert Fripp (quoting Blake, I think)
‘resplendent in divergence’.
And finally ‘Sieve’ - a surreal soundscape. Sounds are taken from their
natural environs, manipulated and thrown together: bird sounds and passing motors,
complex swirling processed sounds, bells and horns layered and echoed against
each other, breathing, coughing into a flushing, hubbling voices. The mind tries
to extract a narrative, to ‘sieve’ out the main details, but is overwhelmed
by the sheer volume; which nonetheless makes a dramatic auditory experience -
sheer exhuberance, reflecting the feel of this disk. There is so much activity
and all exciting and enticing.
Louis Dufort, born in 1970, is a year younger than Moore (god, that makes me feel
old), and from Montreal rather than the UK. He also has a different general approach
- his pieces have more variation in volume and density and he has a strong interest
in using the voice - usually sampled and stretched, but recognisable. The variation
within the pieces again emphasises the difficulty in description per se.
‘Transit’ is a piece ‘that makes use of continuous discontinuity’,
and it does shifting between high ringing tones with cluttering and rushes behind;
into a descending tinkling and ringing with voices; machinelike rhythms, unstable,
clickings, tones and a buzz; banging and the voices of a lost chorus; clatter
quiet; slow wind, rebuilding, more voices to a squeaky climax and then quiet fade.
Unstable and decentred. The mode of ‘Point-aux-Trembles’ is more obvious
in this ‘impression of the refineries of East-end Montreal’ with its
regular ebbing and flow - we are getting periods of factory-like loud rhythm with
noisy loops of machines, sirens and trains (is that a voice in there?) interspersed
with quieter sections, perhaps between the refineries with soft high tones. There
are programmatic titles which approximate to the changes I noted - and a nice
long fade.
With ‘Zenith’ the voice becomes more prominent - high singing tones
open it, and the main body of the piece uses voiced notes throughout. It builds
slowly from the almost solo start adding soft tinklings to a first climax of voice
and ‘orchestra’, cymbals crash, horns swirl. Some mouth-sounds shift
into a loud, aggressive phase which includes some growling voice which is a cross
between death-metal and Mike Oldfields Neanderthal man on Tubular Bells. And it
seems way out of place here (it reappears on ‘Decap’). The ending is
surer, with an angelic choir of voices.
Finally ‘Decap’ at 24 minutes, described as ‘a study for wrist
and ankles’, is partly excerpted from a dancepiece, and is more rhythmic
in both its overall structure (like ‘Point…’ it shifts between
active, loud phases and quieter contemplative ones) and in the local approach.
The opening could be from a glitch collection as strong attack whooshes with long
fades, pulsey percussion and whispering drive us into the piece. From here we
alternate between percussive active parts and more moody, tonal components. In
addition to the gruff voice, there are also voice loops where syllables are repeated
into nonsense and layered interplaying choirs. The whole builds through some minor
climaxes to a big percussive shimmering looped conclusion.
So two complex albums, sonically fascinating. The similarity in their descriptions
‘continuous discontinuity’ and ‘shaping form continuously’
should prepare you for the active and involved listening expected of you. Not
for easy-listening background pleasure, but for focussed attention.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Jeph Jerman Beach Tree and Birds … apvcdr2
Hands to Turn Back The Sun apvcdr3
Augur All The Smallest Granules of Time apvcdr4/augurcdr4
A Pyrrhic Victory
http://www.manifoldrecords.com/pyrrhicvictory.html
To balance the Origami opening, a look at Manifolds CDR label. In an effort to
bring you the most interesting music around, I tried for promo copies, but none
came over the seas to me (and admittedly Manifold said they didn’t promo
Pyrrhic) so I got this job-lot in the Dorobo sale: whose Pyrrhic victory I am
not sure!
A bit more on the label - it produces 100 cdr of each release, generally in a
hand made cover. Jerman features a section of map (mine has Richmond in the centre)
with other littlebits of map, a deepsea topological image, and the side of a head
with an ear stucking out; Augur has a photo from the family album on the front
(mine is different to the website, so I assume unique) and a photo and negative
in the tray; while Hands to has a 16 page book of text and B&W images. The
cds have no labels or names (except Hands To, with a white plain label) so it
could be possible to get them confused physically, but the content distinguishes
them. These three all have 2 tracks, another confusing aspect: it also suggests
they may have been designed originally for tape, as the 2 tracks are about the
same length.
Jerman’s disk reminded me briefly of Giancarlo Toniutti’s ‘*KO/USK-’,
reviewed ages ago (v108) as it opens with clattering rock sounds, but here with
birds in the distance. The parts are called ‘beach tree and birds’,
‘bamboo and birds’, ‘sycamore creek’ and ‘puget sounds
and stones’ - and the names are pretty indicative of what you hear; the creek’s
running water, birds singing, waves crashing, wind, cluttering bamboo. There doesn’t
seem to be much obvious processing or editing, but possibly some ‘real-time
manipulation’ (and it is here we can see possibilities for the artist’s
involvement: did he knock the bamboo together creating the active/quiet periods,
rumble on the beach, change the flow in Sycamore creek by adding rocks?) Much
thought has gone into selecting the source and the sounds used, and there is constant
movement within the stasis of the environments and is intriguing without being
intrusive. Each element is about 15 minutes long, and it provides an hour of subtle
environmental ambience.
Same artist, different name: Jerman/Hands To originally released ‘Turn Back
The Sun’ in 1993 on G.R.O.S.S. Aube’s tape label and it has been reworked
for this disk. Again the raw material is environmental sounds recorded in various
places: colorado springs, chaco canyon, mussentuchit flats and los angeles. Here
there is more emphasis on change and also more human intervention - in addition
to the natural sounds, there is machinery, engines and people talking, and not
all calm and peaceful - there are some sections which are appropriate to an Aube
label. Also the manipulations are more obvious, echoing and looping, layering
and cutting. Back to the change - while ‘Beach…’ gave you 15 minutes
of an environment, this one swaps from rocks, to motors, to talking, to thundery
noises to … quite rapidly: not jump cuts but only a short while for each.
The pace is well planned, though, as the move from quieter through louder, active
to peaceful, is well managed diving the whole a coherence. Elements overlap and
intercut managing the narrative pace. The sound is quite lofi - appropriate to
its original medium - and the softness of some sounds, the rumbling hiss at times
when you have to turn it up and general sense of simplicity work well. Complex
and invigorating, it is an exciting soundscape.
Augur (Steve Brand) and APV both thought of the idea of doing a soundtrack for
old pictures (Brand of his family, APV of some they came across) and this disk
resulted (hence the packaging). The tracks shift between manipulated old vinyl
records and soundscapes constructed from elements both noisey and environmental.
Segment 1 is ‘Ain’t she sweet’ which, after some banging and noises
shifts into a swinging song (‘Where is your heart’?), the vinyl speeding
and slowing, words slurred and then squeaky. A white noise buzzing tries to interrupt,
eventually taking the foreground with a noise-based swirling, the song still spinning.
A radio squirl and some banging, we have shifted into an abstract soundspace -
the percussion and activity builds until some ringing noises - are these phones,
modified music makers? - deep drums and squrls are joined by a breathygrowl which
all wander for a while then stop. A fairground version of ‘Ain’t she
sweet’ wobbles around, becomes distorted, electric noises, then water running.
Slowly elements build around it, a buzzingfeedback (modulated and swirling), metallic
bangs, a voice humming. As the track moves to its conclusion, another voice sample
speaks out, intoning a passage about death, metallic and distorted. A soft tone
opens ‘She’s my sunflower’, gently swirling and immerses us into
a beautiful 12 minute piece where blowing winds, rubbing ropes, organ tones and
other subtle noises slowly build and shift hypnotically, before passing on to
a pulsing sine wave and building voicedchord. And another passage of palpable
subtlety built on the voices layering, a noise like cards being turned, and an
undercurrent of soft machine tones and mirages: there is indeed a sense of the
examination of memories interstices. Out of silence a drumroll emerges (though
probably more a mechine sample) gradually building in volume, surrounded by a
sussurating wind, the density of percussion builds, and another oldsong emerges
to compete with the percussion - ‘She’s my sunflower’ - slow/fast,
distorted and also skipping. A rumble behind and a monotonous banging create a
strange climactic cacophany. A fascinatingly varied piece.
I have looked more closely at Augur’s disk only because more describable
happens - all three are intense soundworks, well worth pursuing.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
And of course, all past issues, with hundreds of reviews, on site.
Copyright for these reviews remains with me, Jeremy Keens. Artists and labels
are free to use and quote them as long as they acknowledge Ampersand and don’t
mess with my words! And if anyone else happens to mention one of these reviews,
do pass on the web address or my email address so new readers can find me. Thanks.
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