click ampersand banners to return home

Ampersand Etcetera – 2003_e
taming power (3) & idx1274 & the gray field recordings & svstriate & nad spiro & d/form & parra & VA mrw44 (2) & VA early morning records
Ambient & microwave & electronica & experimental lowercase & postclassical & minimal & techno & etcetera
A nice mixed bag, opening and closing with vinyl, some compilations and an interesting variation, I hope. And it seems to have got quite big as I clear out a lot of the draw – but could have been bigger.
On other fronts, I indulged myself with a copy of New Order's 'Retro' box set. While I would rather have the whole back catalogue on cd, the cost/time equation doesn't work for me, so this is a nice option. As with any box set, it is not perfect – there are missing tracks and some tracks are present in too many forms (the original, remixes and/or live) and it would have been nice to have more rarities or out-takes (though the way New Order released singles there may not be many, and I did get a copy with the extra disk in). But, besides all that, it is great to hear those beats, bass and synths on a fine format in all their glory. I caught the cusp of Joy Division – in the post-Curtis publicity and release of 'Love will tear us apart' and then climbed on board and followed New Order along. There is something about the music combined with the design aesthetics which is so appealing and maybe helped shift along my packaging fetish (after the Talking Heads 'Speaking In Tongues' missed opportunity which The Edge finally gave closure to for me, the other release I missed was PiL's 'Second Edition' or metal box – again I got it late, when the double disk came out, and it seems a seminal recording to me). But Factory in so many ways was the look of cool. (Though I won't disavow my love of Hipgnosis covers, including George Hardie, and the wonderful Roger Dean – I still have my copies of their books: Walk Away Rene, The Goodbye Look, and Views). Anyway, that strange sight you see is me grooving away to the acceptable face of disco (or as younger readers may say, clubbing)!
And somehow there developed a thread running throughout this issue – the vision of sound: so where it didn't come up naturally you will find some brief comments. (And a second theme emerged – mentioned somewhere in here).
To come – some more Zenapolae, hopefully the Aesova, two from Perhaps Transparent, Stasisfield, Cremaster, Melusine, a Muslimgauze remix project, Verhagen and more.
Jeremy
ampersand@pretentious.net
&
http://ampersandetc.virtualave.net/ampersand.html
&&&&&&&&&&
Taming Power
Selected Works 1992-98
Selected Works 1997
Selected Works 2000 (excursions for tape recorder)
Early Morning Records EMR 10"005, 006 & 007
Earlymrecords@yahoo.no
Taming Power (Askild Haugland) made an & debut in 2003_b with a 10" electronic ambience. In the review I mentioned some of the other vinyl that he has released through EMR, and this review looks at the triptych for tape recorders. Again, each heavy vinyl disk comes in a minimalist sleeve – single image in the front centre (photo, archival picture, engraving) and another in the back centre with hand-lettered disk information (plus numbered limited edition). The vinyl release is a fine object! (I put the earlier review under the name Haugland, and the album title 'Taming Power:…' which was incorrect. The artist is Taming Power – by their chosen names shall we know them).
The first disk experiments with tape recorder and instruments recorded over an extended period and previously available as a tape (if 20 copies can be called available). The title is a little misleading as all 11 tracks were finished in 1998 and only 2 have been redeveloped from earlier recordings – but that is by the way. Of the three disks here it is the only one comprised of a number of shorter tracks, so will get a longer 'description'. A1 combines a casiotone with tape recorder and high ringing feedback pulses and deep tones interplay with casio eruptions. This high material settles into a softer tonal siren with rumbles, crackling feedback, pulsing over a more stable base that has musical touches, febrile sirens around. The track sets the tone for the albums to follow. A2 is another longish one, clicking and a changing pulse tones and a more stable base, whooos some sliding to a burr, buzzing crackles (a buzzsaw) building to a storm. The saw rips along as tones pulse, becoming a cutting-pulse to high shimmering end. Three shorter tracks – A3 continues the pulsey percussive movement, low pulsing very high tone and stable middle shifting to spacey echoing spirals; A4 tones playing out an echoey tune; A5 fast whipping high tones and woozles to pulse.
The second side opens with an almost classical melody from vibrato notes shifting to whipping blurts, fades and then returns echoed and distorted to long wavers. Playing with high tones held and then whipping up and down (B2), while B3 rumbles and scrambles, blurts out and then percussive, varying tones. There is a very twittery pulsing skewed sound to B4, with a high scream in the middle to an echoed fade, followed by the completely different B5, which is a strummed and plucked electric guitar solo while a radio plays white noise skitters. And finally quite subtle deep tones in B6 become shaking and then layered sirens echoed pulsing and crackling out.
1997 originally was also released as a tape (only 12), and consists of a single piece on each side. These are based on tape recorder feedback juxtaposed, transformed and rerecorded during composition. This was the first disk I put on, and I thought – uhoh, this is just messing around. Side A is woozy pulsing, squeals in layered complex formations. There are deep tones, looping pulses, shifts more wooziness, a wild storm. On side B a scrabbly growl has shaky whooshes over, chugs and strange sqwarly cries, pumping. A softer pulsing, with higher spirals, then feedback with buzzing before looping buzzy squeal. After a time it comes together in your mind – these are intricately structured and dynamic pieces of unusual ambience.
Then to 2000, where the tapes are used both as sound source, through feedback, but also recording the result. The outcome could be called haugland-tronics as the sounds loop, vary and are overlaid with new ones. Side A opens with a short piece with high variations over a puttering beat, warbling, edgy blurts. The second, longer work is woozy high musical, very feedbacky atonal but some stability forming strange attractive music; percussive pulsing bloopy signals over, then high whistling, soft, which I confused wiith the birds, rebuilding spacey yearning. On Side B the first track is very active and spacey, going up and down the 'scales' shifting to high and pulsing; while the second is lower, blurts cycling with high squeeking and pulsing, soft tones and putts, squarls, becoming a soft spooky wavering tone with squarty undercurrents, then back to pulsing.
Three strange and strangely attractive albums – exciting rides on waves of sound, dramatic monologues on sonic possibilities. The albums reflect and bounce off each other, highlighting aspects of each other – yet the approach of each is different enough to make them have a unique identity. It is perhaps Quixotic to produce 10" vinyl in Norway, particularly of such confronting ambience, but there is plenty of pleasure and interest to go along as Sancho Panza for the journey.
&&&&&&&&&&
IDX1274
Nail Bomb, Break Fast!
X-ZF X-ZF06
http://www.idx1274.jeeran.com
http://www.pretentious.net/the_label
'Nail Bomb, Break Fast!' was originally released by IDX1274 as a cd-r. When Terry 'The Label' Bennett told me he was releasing the album, and sent me a demo (which impressed), I had a look at IDX1274's site. He has quite an extensive catalogue of self-described 'experimental noise' split between two styles 'Arab based noise or noise with an Arabian feel & Noise of my own style emulating (emanating) from my love of industrial, noise, experimental, ambient, etc etc'. His output has been divided between a couple of MP3 releases, limited release cd-rs available from his website and readily available download tracks. He is also interested in music exchanges, and 'Nail Bomb…' was originally given away (some via Soleilmoon which was how The Label found IDX1274). Anyway, explore the website to see the full range.
I contacted him and various items arrived in the mail, one of which was a limited edition, there was a special burn and 'Nail Bomb…'. While I want to focus on 'Nail Bomb…' as the current available release, its interesting to touch on the others to get the full flavour of the artist. Firstly, as well as an interest in the music, he considers the packaging. 'Euro Traveller', a 20 edition 3" cd-r comes with 4 numbered inserts – part of a photo, map and letter from Wey Nagrom who was travelling in Europe and a folded card hand written liner. Each release is therefore unique. The first 50 of the IDX1274 version of 'Nail Bomb…' came with a postage stamp, and the compilation he made for me as a 'super press kit', 'Flight Recorder', comes in a black box (case) with a handwritten list of the tracks (spiralling around a card disk) and a personalised liner card (and was going to be bound in wire). Very impressive in an issue which as noted in the intro seems to have gravitated to presentation aesthetics. The Label will release 'Nail Bomb…' with new artwork, including a gatefold cover, and the first 50 get a bonus disk and a piece of the cymbal which was used on 'The 5 pillars of islam'.
'Euro Traveller' opens with a track that combines some music and rhythms with long tortured metal tones, twisting and burning. Then a slow soft dark ambience as a voice tells us repeatedly 'President bush smokes marijuana regularly' amongst other things, sliding in some vocal distortion scrawls. Finally a longer track of more direct electro-noise: swirling buzzes and twitters, droning and pulsing electronics in the background, intense and becoming loud and quite insistent: music that will either drive you mad or entrance you!
'Flight Recorder' presents a range of styles which will be reflected in 'Nail Bomb…' and the bonus disk, and a lot of these tracks are available as free downloads from the site (others are tradeable – see the sonography). There are longer ambient noise pieces which shimmer or drone, long tones and swirls leaning towards darkness: 'Black box boogie' (an imagined flight recorder tracing from a doomed plane), 'Fort patrick biological weapons' or the intense 'Sexual miseducation of yellow 5'. Many of these pieces are centred around the voice – directly like 'God event' which uses sex education tapes or 'Tibetan mind trick' which plays a hypnosis tape, slowed and significantly out of sync in each speaker (the right gradually slows more), sometimes manipulated speech as in 'Isn't it about time' (to give it an abbreviated title) which weaves organ sustains and ringing singing distortions of the phrase (and others, and includes organ sustains recorded in Switzerland – IDX1274 sent me some explanatory notes which have minimally enlarged this overview), and many others have tones and rhythms that sound as if they were extracted from speech (and apparently were, from the notes – though I would challenge anyone to extract the origin of '11 or the deluxe 15'). There are a variety of shorter ones – some ambient ('Mrow syew' or the musical 'Coned-in', one of a number of collaborations/remixes), playing similar voice games ('I'm not good with names'), some getting closer to noise ('Lansarenee's evil twin sister', 'Sikh's of the golden mustard fields of punjab' or 'Index finger removal' – a couple of names with a Muslimgauzish feel) and a couple that are more like tape-collages – 'Obscene call' with a cartoonish enthusiastic collection (his first 'heard by others' piece) and 'Tickle party #2' layering a looped laugh, slow tones and a voice. The other notable method is extreme channels – the left and right carry totally different signals which are merged only when the balance is centred which leads to some dramatic and disturbing effects. Overall impressive hypnotic ambient experimental noise – though not much of the Middle East influenced – that is collected on the album.
So after one of the longest digressive openings to a review (even for me), a flute plays through vinyl crackle, sliding into looping percussive noises that drive the track, accompanied by a whirring clatter that sounds like a movie projector (are we meant to see as well as hear these pieces?) There is a rubbery bass figure and an anchoring double beat, and through out a chant appears and disappears deep in the mix. The driving beat shift phase, there is some manipulation, and eventually it fades back to the flute. 'Nail Bomb…' opens with this mid-length track - 'Ghamdi fathima flute scratch' at 11 minutes. The rest are long (16-18) or short (less than three) and almost alternate.
The 'Juxtaposition in janta' places jittery loopings like little cycling machines or animal calls over an Arabic speaker (probably from television), with the machines getting more insistent. Puttering irregular rhythms run through 'The five pillars of islam' together with a shattered cymbal (and possibly guitar) which create reverb-echoed shimmers. These layer densely at times, at others leaving the putter alone, seemingly threatening to start into something else, but staying themselves. Every so often a buzzing builds or a drill rises to a futzing, breaking in briefly; and other sounds are in there – I am sure I heard a siren. It goes on, almost too long, but then again could go on forever – finely balanced.
Twangy percussion followed by an announcer, slightly distorted edges, who could be 'The punjabi standup comic' as he shifts around and changes volume. There are edgy buzzing click scrapes in each channel, and a second voice enters near the end. For the first minutes of 'Work visa from allah' a percussive loop and a shimmering metal drill play together to be joined by a male and female singer in each speaker and a spirally squirl. There is a more relaxed mood as the voices play almost untouched, just some light filtering, with the rhythm elements continuing underneath. Occasional other sounds pass – a creaking tap, clatterings – and then in the final minutes the voices fade to leave the loop and shimmer, somewhat softened, echoey and crackling, with more small phone noises dropping in.
There is a drama, almost operatic, in 'Presenting the gayantari ladies' – over a fuzzy drum-percussion loop a male voice talks – in English which you can hear clearly at time – while a duet between female and male singers take place. They are phased and modulated – slowed down or sped up – and have solos. However, a fourth element intrudes at irregular intervals – a backward pulsing usually accompanied by an aggressive voice making a point forcefully. However, the singers are triumphant, leading to a male-solo climax.
In 'The aftermath of janta' the loops are harsh edgy swirls, sounding like cicadas, echoed, as a female voice speaks, shuddering. Then a few seconds of slightly modulated laughter for 'Innocence is the greatest victim' followed by a couple of minutes silence and then the extra 'Sikh's of the golden mustard fields of punjab' a minute of vicious static futzing pulses and the end.
This is a very impressive album – and it is an album as the pieces, great in themselves, add together to create a stronger work and sound world. The interweaving of noise, voice, manipulation and musical elements is beautifully handled, as is the balance between shorter pieces and those finely extended ones. It is great that The Label has been able to make this more widely available as IDX1274 is forceful voice worth hearing – I haven't heard all those listed in his influences, but those I have heard have obviously been listened to, digested and provided nutrients to his own unique concoctions. Highly recommended. (This slated for release in May so keep in touch with The Label for ordering etc).
The bonus disk is the extendedly titled 'The Iraqi League Of Democratic Women Voters Public TV Prime Time Special'. A rumbling of musical loops with pulsing percussives, crackling across with voices in is 'Opening theme and credits'. Tones are rising through and there is a phasing in each channel, with the voice becoming clearer and stronger in the last minute as the music fades. Then the first part of the title track (written with Yellow5, and together about 50 minutes). Some whip thumping electronica with a dragging pop are in initial base for a spiralling female voice which nasally-whines vibratingly (I was reminded of the voices in The Residents' 'Eskimo'). The voice continues as the axis of the two parts, rising and falling, weaving in and through-out, a semi-instrumental focus. The background shifts through a range of states – rumbling, crackling, quieter and atmospheric, industrial, pumping, echoey and woozy tones before a big banged crescendo before the break.
There we have 'And now a word from our sponsors…' with a cycling percussive loop, an arabic speaking voice (that hissingly distorts) and a chant with some crackles sliding over, and 'We return to our broadcast' a few seconds of backwards voices. The second part opens with a more metallic feel, the voices still there but a high whine and rumble squeal surrounds it. This part is perhaps more stable than the first, but is also harsher, building to a percussive crescendo before a long wind down which is quite sensuous. And finally a more relaxed piece – we are at the airport hearing the tannoy and site sounds of 'Air islam security check point, gate 6b' which is combined with a tabla loop, whirring and futzing tones, ending with a man talking about the 'company of the righteous'.
By turns and simultaneously hypnotic disturbing confronting and absorbing, this is a fascinating disk, part atmosphere part soundtrack. It is worth getting of its own accord, and makes a handsome bonus for perceptive early buyers of 'Nail Bomb…'.
(As with all The label related material, I must note Pretentious email address. My views are, of course, independent and my own.)

&&&&&&&&&&
The Gray Field Recordings
Sing 99 And 90
Ethedrone ac021
http://www.ethedrone.com
On the whole I try and review 'chronologically' – a first in first reviewed policy. But every now and then something falls through cracks and gets delayed or something turns up which fits the current set of reviews better than things already in. This is one of those – I thought I had bedded down the content of this – had removed a couple of items cause it was getting long – then R Loftiss mini-album arrived. First it fits the aesthetic theme: a simple hand-mass-produced folded card envelope with grainy grey images (mandalas created from an inner mediaeval-ish image), but tied in red string that is held in place with a wax seal. Unfortunately broken to open the case. Then the music fell in with a second theme that has developed - manipulated tape, site and voice pieces (Haugland, IDX, Parra, Svstriate, Nad Spiros).
Loftiss works with voice, synths, various wind instruments, guitar, music box etc to create these pieces (plus a couple of collaborations we'll come across that add violin and viola). Almost as a challenge she opens the album with 'Every earthly pendulum', by far the most abrasive piece on the album (and almost a quarter of its 30 minutes). Tending to noise there are rumbles, sustained high and building tones, reaching various crescendos before dropping back, there are harsh edged tones, a little bit of voice. The changing state seems to settle somewhat, then a growl/thud loop runs under some high tones which are less impactful and lightly modulate before an extended period of high ringing feedback bells with stutters under, it breaks, returns to be replaced by a building hissy rumble that pans across the sound space, building to a sustained swirling growl then into a stuttering fart before fading away. It coheres more with each listening revealing its electroacoustic structures, but is a surprising opener.
A brief interlude of chant-like layered voice notes with some speaking in ('Vls od q cocasb') leads to backward cycles and hard edgy noises (which decrease as the track progresses) as an echoed voice talks. Surrounding it are layered voices, reminiscent of the Swingle Singers but more serious (and extending the chant of the previous track), the title 'Destroyed' is a looped distorted climax before simple voices loop out.
The next three tracks seem to form a short suite: strings take part in 'Inexhaustible caricatures of beauty' where they play achingly beautiful lines (I am a sucker for the strings) with some flute accompaniment and very subtle electronica tones and clatter way behind. 'ColdSpace' seems to take some of their notes as samples for an atonal piece that builds and layers them, brings in (or creates from them) horn-like tones, oboe and flute, has a short period of silence and then some seconds of a mad purring. For 'Green-going' the strings return, layered and looped, with more obvious electronics – some twangy percussion, light processing of the strings, sampling – joined by a box-thud percussion that is initially hollow-reverberant but becomes more compact. And again the strings play wonderful lines.
A pair of spoken pieces follow. 'Songs unsung' is intimately recorded, the voice and melodic guitar seem very close, an almost soft feedback hum surrounding it all. The flute initially harmonises with the voice, then play melody. Light touches of looped phonemes and breaths, soft drillings, and then as it eases to a finish the final notes are dragged out and shimmer metallically. Creaky crackling tones that reveal themselves as flute form a cold background for 'Wait in silence', another poem, step-percussion and voice tones join, it simplifies and settles through its length.
'Swan's lake' plays on a music box, simple synth that slips straight in, the cycling of the boxes machinery and a scraping soft percussive loop, some backward tones. A melancholy mood to conclude on.
This one caught me totally unawares – the PR referred to her grandfather's folk music, but gives a hint with 'the auditory experiments her father created' and then her own auditory excursions with spliced tape etc, plus the moody photo. But I had prepared myself for something more monochromatic and, yes, modest. What it is is an extremely impressive collection through all the styles it delves into. Quite astonishing.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Svstriate
Stilled Life
Glare.con.st/ruction glare04
http://glare.con.st/ruction
The ambient noise of Svstriate was last heard in 2002_18 and returns in this 10 track album that comes in a plastic sleeve with colour printed from and back inserts, including a simple but dramatic painting of a horse buried up to its chest on one side and a more blocked front, and a minimal detail insert – telling us there are 10 tracks of 43:03 duration.
And while they are separate tracks, with no segues and in fact abrupt transitions, this is a terrific album – a collection of pieces that work excellently together. The mood is subdued – while there are some intense or noisey periods they are minimal – with a maintained focus. At the base of many (all?) tracks there sounds like some site recordings from life (that have been stilled in terms of both captured and held but also distilled). There are dogs in the first track, birds (or an analogue equivalent) in a number, seabirds in the final track or sounding like a huge flock in the ninth. At times music is heard, filtered through the overlay – again the first, or the short fourth where we hear a club through an airvent, organ in the third. And also spoken voices throughout, but not foregrounded except occasionally – the outro to two.
The main element is the filter – drones and hissing of vents that suffuse the atmosphere, crackles and hisses, tapping, soft and maintained tones, drifting keyboard melodies. And while the tools are constant the tenor changes. Three longer opening tracks develop a mood of subtle change and focus, light and drifting. The short fourth leads into the dark heart of the album – machines crackle, music is heard and a voice loops sighs or is it 'help me'? then opens out fast beats and edgy drones. In six we enter a brief madness as the track jumps between samples, drones, fuzzy tones and drills after which the drones settle to a soft wind in seven with organ tones and a gentle creak.
For many the eighth track would be the opener as it focuses on a mad loop 'are you ready? Here I come' running through the pulses and horn tones. The penultimate track is a more steady ambience, settling the listener down and into another softly pulsing piece, with the seabirds and bagpipes, again restrained to a easy end.
I have had a chance, and desire, to listen to this disk a few times – in bits and continuously. It is very impressive, holding together strongly as a work and has sounded fresh each time as it mixes elements which could be noisey or harsh with samples to create an engrossing ambience.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Nad Spiro
Fightclubbing
Mess/Age Geometrik GR-M/A 01
http://www.mess-age.com
http://www.geometrikrecords.com
This album is from Barcelona, and is really titled Nad Spiro's 'Fightclubbing' (Nad is the project of Rosa Arruti). I was wondering how to respond to it when it struck me that it is the soundtrack to a dystopian future vision: while there is some guitar in there supposedly, the sound is primarily a glitchy electronica that crackles with distortion and edge. It was produced with Victor Sol, who also had a hand with some fx and manipulations.
So 'Mrs cranium lectures on phrenology' is a slow crackling pulsing electronica with interferences beats and some improv guitar into which Nad delivers the lyrics in a voice that reminds me of Laurie Anderson and Nico plus some squeaky derivatives. The moody atmosphere spirals and pulses as the guitar fades in and out. In 'Gravid gaz' we shift back and forth from a complex rhythm bed (drums, crackles, radio sample) and twingly note melody, some soft voice, into gentle beats and childish voices, finally a cycling vent ends it. A brief interlude 'Antenna funtasy' loops crackles and a rolling sound (which could be dropping balls or frying or something totally else) with soft sirens and echo/reverbed vocals.
Slowed and distant voices in 'Marv.in.put' and a pinging rhythm that builds to full pulsating swirls, a squelchy melody and panning distortion, the melody hidden within reveals itself as violin during the fade. A sitar-ish synth opens 'Spirotechnics' which grows into a processed scifi groove with restrained click-loops throb and guitar, opening for a burring break (with an orchestral sample) before regrouping. 'Addaire' is another short break, long tones over a slow beat, into the cracked 'Second story' where feedback edgy tones are lifted by a deep pulsing drive, spoken-vocals shifting sliding scrapes and brief horn crackles.
The titletrack is a sampling wonder – Pop/Bowie's 'Nightclubbing' with vocals removed, and the pumping drive overlaid with glass breaking (I love the sound of) crashing (always in the same car) squeals and noises. The two 'Motorschiff': 'corridor' is a weird accumulation of spiral frogs, pocks, little noises, processed voices and mechanical clicks, distorted horns to shimmery pulsing squarls softly fading. While 'Deck (guitar only)' has guitar sounds in –shimmering strums – but ratchets and eventually simple tunes. There is a long break before 'Enigmo helix', the final track. Again, a strange combination of spacey sounds, boobling, a voice, machine rhythms, thumps, a chinese melody and mall music.
In any dystopia there has to be light and this is not a bleak album. The moods and textures come together to create a certain lightness, but with depths into which the mind can wander.
(A jewel case with colourful blurred photos of a fencer)
&&&&&&&&&&&&
D/form
What Are You Thinking?
Zenapolae Zen001
http://www.zenapolae.com
Some time ago I came across Zenapolae (the last two letters are actually a digraph) and their fairly extensive collection of cd-rs available through the web. In addition, they have some standard releases, the first reviewed here, and another two in the next issue.
D/form comes with a cover that looks like random blobs of colour, then I saw it from a distance and it's trees in a field or some such. And a mirror to how to approach the disk, if not music in general – while there is interest in the details sometimes we need to step back and look at what the whole is saying.
The 60 minutes of music is broken into 10 tracks, untitled, which slide into each other but do represent changes in mood or texture – and both of those are important in the largely tone/drone ambience with its occasional beats. It opens with deep tones and a talking pulse, higher drifts over. A bubbling and key loop emerge with longer high tones and deep dropping elements. It fades to the high tone and pulses, into which vents and rhythmic boobles drift, along with descending highlights. Rolling swelling tones slowly change as an under-rhythm builds into the next part. This minimally develops a hiss, tone spirals and shimmers with a long-tone melody that gradually emerges. The pace lifts as an undercurrent and throb build into a stately shimmering dance. After the minimalism we move into a slowly burning groove of sonar bloops and echoed guitar, lined by descending horn tones.
Elegiac echoed metal squiggles bass and synth wash, filling as strings move to the foreground followed by a combined spacey stately, with low looped notes, echoed dits and spirals that ease to a high ringing rumble that is a journey through deep space with noises chittering across a complex rising and falling background. The seventh part has a pastoral feel after a radio crackle pips and drone is rejoined by the rising and falling background that fades to a rhythmic cracklepop and developing synths. A buzzing then emerges over, busy with long tones, bursting pulses drift, gather as a bass starts. Building steam, a tonal melody, vibrato rises from the deep and voicey chords; and finally a humming thickens and speeds up, tings and slams, radio spirals and ringing tones. A stepping note beat builds, shifting out of phase, a synth in the distance to a climax which suddenly fades, two beats and gone.
OK, that’s the trees; the forest is a finely balanced shifting ambience, darker but not dark gloomy or tense, some beats or rhythms popping through, moving density and tone to create an overall engaging atmosphere.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Arturo Parra
Parr(A)cousmatique
Empreintes Digitales IMED0264
http://www.electrocd.com
Another guitar based album from Empreintes Digitales, not only that but the guitar is dramatically obvious! This is quite an surprising and unusual album - Parra is a classically trained guitarist who has become interested in 'performance, creation and composition of contemporary pieces', and electroacoustic music. He commissioned five well known composers to create tape pieces for him (largely from his own playing, I think) and then has played a live guitar solo over the top. The result is astonishing in its beautiful combination of the chopped microscopic drama of the tape with the skilled guitar playing; unusual in both its conception and its label – this is one of the more melodic works released through Empreintes Digitales.
A fiery skittery opening to 'La basilique fantome' with Stephan Roy a cloud of tiny fragments, the guitar is slick and smooth in comparison playing a strong rhythmic melody; another crescendo before an extended guitar solo over a density of notes that sounds like an organ; another climax before some rapid picking and improv playing over a little noisey tape before returning to the opening melody. Throughout there are occasional vocalisations.
Another big electroacoustic in-yer-face opening after which Maurice Bejarno's 'D'or et de lumiere' becomes a more settled array of clicky creaks echoed stretched and hisses (including some notes) with spanish guitar. A lovely solo over soft cracking and clicking emphasises that these composers have considered the pieces not only as stand alone, but also taken in to account the requirements of a duet. A restrained climax includes some short string picking.
A more obvious tape backing to 'Sol y sombra… l'espace des spectres' from Francis Dhomont swirls and slides skitters and scintillates with a rapid strumming guitar; a melodic solo over scraping electro-environment, and there is a confusion between tape and guitar as they seem to trade improv licks to a rapid guitar and string scrape conclusion.
A slow burning development opens 'Soledad' droning and thudding with rapid soft scrape guitar, then rapid extended sounds from Gilles Gobeil that builds to a couple of very noisy climaxes with dramatic guitar, with whispering and breathing that creates a dramatic contrast to the opening.
'L'envers du temps' with Robert Normandeau lays creaking taps spiralling smallnesses as a cloud against rapid guitar, both easing, then developing again in parallel with strange whizzing and guitar to a chittering scrape end.
The premiere performance appears to have featured both the acousmatic pieces and the duets, and this would have made an interesting double release with the taped pieces alone on a separate disk. However, as it stands it is a remarkable performance by all concerned and represents a powerful introduction to acousmatic (and all the synonyms) music. A complex album and wonderful, while maintaining the genre's intensity.
(Presented in the Empreintes distinctive cigarette box)
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Various Artists
No Rewind (August of mrw44)
No Rewind (September of mrw44)
Mrw44 mrw44#1 and #2
http://www.mrw44.freeserve.co.uk
(NB – this address was mis-typed in the last issue – a rogue comma displaced a dot.)
Mrw44 popped its head up last issue with their third release, the Hex solo album. This Edinburgh label started its run with these two compilations from what is intended to be an ongoing series, combining lesser known bands from anywhere (but with a Scottish focus) with similarly sited unknowns.
Neck Doppler drags us into August with the weird 'Listen to me' from his solo album on Consume – weird frightening vocals invoke your attendance underlined by tapping percussion, ray guns and plinking keys; and we are prepared. Two tracks from Late Night Foreign Radio offer a combination of heavy guitar jazz: 'Pythagotron (beyond the reach of)' has a twangy guitar/bass/drum improv feel which acts as a verse to a heavier metal guitar, ending with drones and a 60s feel. Then 'Searching for gorlan' a mellow swinging tune, with trumpet, and a nice vocal, alternating structure again leading to a forceful climax before easing to the end.
Servo, from France, give us 'Empty' a psychedelic garage phased vocal sliding into some heavy pop and 'Instru#1' a wild instrumental driven by the drums with solo crazy guitar. 'The baron' is a kraut-surf-rock piece from Guapo where bass, effects and drums slowly builds, rough, squealing, eases and then breaks looser then into a drone period before a big wind down.
Black Sun take 'Body to body' through a number of stages – a gothic poem forming the focus. The first part has slow piano, a beat and a distorted voice that sounds like a phone sample, building a slow portentousness and rhythm; then a clear presentation of the poem with strong loops rumbling and spacey; finally the full NIN dense and shouted ending with slowed voices. Which all comes off quite nicely.
Layers of sound in Aethr Flux '…and then, the fireworks' with piano, drone, dense chinging, phasing with a vocal in there, panning sounds churning lofi guitar working to restrained percussion. And finally '11th August' sees Death Cat recorded live in a 20 minute electronica set that combines distortion loops sqrls samples (distorted slowed) beat (with a musicorhythm drift) tones slowdrifting singing feedback scratch plinging, much with a seeming guitar base and bass included, building intense and then more restrained slower melodic sections to a wild churn and organ fade – a wild ride to conclude on.
In a nice link, September opens with a piece from Death Cat, 'Theme from…', a live recording of a piano sample with scratchy swirling over, some big feedback, a voice sample some nice keyboards, morphed guitars and squarling – a fine introduction. The Consume connection continues on this album as Opaque offers a semiambience in 'What if, OK?' – a soft whooshing wind, relaxed drums and night guitar, a fuzzy guitar emerges with feedback tones that drifts into a building density full and shimmering. Drum and bass break in to the climax and fade.
A couple of bass guitar drum trips follow. Hex's 'Dr Stangelove' is pulsing powered and jangling moving to noise that appears on their album, while 'Aforementioned' opens with a melodic guitar picked solo, bass comes in, then drums up the ante and the guitar gets bigger, driven by the bass, finally fading through feedback to guitars. More forceful and melodic music from Milgram, speeding up for a chorus, shifting into louder parts in 'La poule d'eau geante du canal des moeres' while there are some machine-gun firing and fancy guitars during 'France 5 ecosse 0'.
Changed direction from March of Dimes, who play Takamines (some sort of string instrument), and are let down a little by the poor recording of 'March on john' but the attractive folky picking, voices and claps make it through, and are better represented in the catchy 'Two leos' with a complex picking that beats along behind the vocals in the verse and opens up in the chorus. Then back to the lofi garage with 'Polaris' which pumps along with an open jangly guitar, has various breaks (wahwah, woozy) then a fuzzy part that continues to the end.
And then a finale of psychedelic weirdnesses with three long tracks. Serious Naan (another Consume released act) outline the 'Mental state of nothing' combining slow percussive rhythms, vents, descending tones, percussions, key boards blurts and wavering horn calls that spiral around. Fiend's 'Spacetime (live)' slowly develops echoed loops, voice pulses and samples with a bass loop, whispered reverbed vocals, slows and recovers, pulsing and flutters. To be followed by Nimrod 33 collaging chopped vocal samples, occasional beats, noises, song samples (love don't live here any more), sticky cds, guitar and swirls that remind you of The Orb, even more so when you read the title 'Song of the endless wandered on grim paths with ecstasy on his brow', but travels their own route. A drifting defocussing trio.
Before the unnamed/credited real final track a sweet swinging blue-grassy guitar solo, which concludes a nicely balanced and sequenced album that provides plenty of listening pleasure.
So two collections well worth following up to get some tastes of music from Leith, Scotland and beyond – or just for an interesting mix of styles that make for a good listening combination.

In terms of presentation, simple booklets with some information, images including local photos taken by Clare-44 (label boss), in plastic envelopes. (As to the label, apparently the w is pronounced in the singular, and the first disk has, at the top of the address MaRitime vieW 44. 44 is the phone area code. Not sure what it all means!).
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Various Artists
Sonorities De La Vie De Boheme
Early Morning Records EMR comp-7" #1
Earlymrecords@yahoo.no
In addition to releasing Taming Power, EMR have also ventured into compilations. This 7" brings together 4 4 minute tracks – and of the 300 pressing each was given 75 for which they created their own cover (so the true collector would want one of each version!). Mine is the Taming Power version, with an aesthetic reflecting the 10" format
German Byart, the only non-Norwegian, opens with 'Carfugue' a building whistly wind that has distortions in it that sound like modulated voices, with cracks and building pops, it fades away. On loud, this spooky track disturbed my partner some rooms away. Organiser Taming Power provides the self descriptive 'For typewriter, glockenspiel and tape recorder/25-5-01' where some rhythmic typing sets a regular loop that builds and is echoed, eventually pulsing; over which is a stepped feedback which reveals itself as glockenspiel tings. The whole reverberates in your head, building and pulsing, high recorder-feedback tones, concluding with a popping metallic end.
On the other side, Obscure Tapestries offers an edit from 'Konstatic' where an underpinning of simple organ melody looped is joined by distorted shimmering tones that pulse out, emergent and powerful. Then Empty-Ass Noise…What! start banging away on something (it could be the inside of a piano, as there is a distinct resonance) with a strange twangy plucked melody. This gets into a loop (played, not recorded) with a second plucked tune, and behind there is a spiralling radio. The two build in intensity and speed, almost tribal rhythms at the climax, followed by simple bass and steel guitar. This must be the 'Happy ending'.
A simple compilation, enjoyable and direct. Hopefully it will make its way out of Norway into the world. If you contact Askild he will most likely sell you the Taming Power version, but would also (I am sure) point you in the direction of the other three (though I don't think they are all available yet).
&&&&&&&&&&&&
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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

click ampersand banners to return home