Ampersand Etcetera Home

click ampersand banners to return home

Ampersand Etcetera – 2003_I
j.frede & cornucopia & ellende & kiritchenko & undecisive god & dellaria/sonderberg &
akiyama/francis/kneale/neville/watkins & oscuro & magic box & godal/fontana & VA tensile & davis & zeitkratzer & books on tape & jirku & martusciello & tricoli & bosetti/vowinckel & sciajno/prinsLooking for a hook for this issue, and the guitar and strings seemed appropriate – Pascal is, on this set, very guitar based, its what Undecisive plays, and we have the Tensile collection. From Absurd one album definitely includes guitars and strings, as does j.frede recording the piano tuner. Less obvious in the Zeromoon group, but there is probably some in there as there would be in our No Type selection.
And then, as 'publication' got delayed, I added a couple of big ticket items that were in the list for the next issue – so a bumper one for y'all.
Coming up – Asmus Tietchens remixes Crouton, is JAR jarring? (No, by the eay), Muslimgauze and Innova
Jeremy
ampersand@pretentious.net
&
http://ampersandetc.virtualave.net/ampersand.html
&&&&&&&&&&
J.Frede
Unprepared Piano
Currentrecordings 001
http://www.current-recordings.com
Last hear in 303, J.Frede returns at last with a new recording on a new label (there is also a nice live work on Stasisfield) – the Crest Series from current comes in a hand stamped and assembled envelope with a postcard insert with details and a fine photograph, all 'inspired by vintage mail that has seen the wear and tear of travel' – it looks great.
The concept is similarly intriguing – taking recordings of David Nereson tuning a piano, and then selecting, editing and arranging the results. 'Uncut' seems to be just that, a repeated note, sometimes changing as the tuning spanner turns, sometimes secondary/reference notes, a little of the banging and tapping in the box – sounding surprisingly like an improv. With 'Low pres non' there is a soft really deep pulse and knocking, simple with some minor changes, and few associated notes – subterranean, almost the harmonic vibrations. There is a slow progression and some overlapping notes, slight burrings. The tapping loops and changes, shifting to a more sampled sound, stretching and then a final decay. The deep ambience slips into some bass end stepping in the brief 'Untreated bass'.
Full processing in the long 'Unpre n' – deep notes roll, a pair of clacks loop left and right, a light whistling behind. Very minimal, rolls - some tapping develops, ringing reverby almost singing, notes echoed and looped. With 'Untitled' there is more rapid movement around the keys, some notes tuned, improv. Soft long notes, wavering, with the sound of the stops in 'Treated 1 (revised)', ringing loops, minimal variation again, some playing with the notes. Picks up tempo and gets groovy (in this context) collecting chitters clicks and twangys. Another improv of notes played and tuned, mainly low but some high in ''Treated bass 10 (revised)'
'Random movements in A minor' is a waterfall of notes, fuller, ringing, playfully processed – a deep pulse and higher twinkles: is there a relationship between pitch and tempo in the processing? As it progresses the filter eases back and single notes emerge. The final track 'Uncut (revised)' revisits the first track, unchanged, but then shifting into looping and quicker note repeats, a metallic buzzing, developing complexity with an almost industrial underscore that become more prominent, whooshing then fading through a rumble to click crickets, end.
Concepts can sometimes sound like a good idea but then don't sound so good. This is not one of those – j.frede has carefully selected and sampled, cleverly processed and artfully constructed an absorbing album. It is good to hear from him again.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Cornucopia: Interprets Mystery Hearsay (011-R)
Ellende: The Proof Is In The Pudding (012-R)
Andrey Kiritchenko: Bees And Honey (003)
Zeromoon
http://www.zeromoon.com
We heard a series of 3" disks from Zeromoon in 2003_h, and already a couple more (with the –r suffix) and a standard size album and remixes by/of Kiritchenko.
The two short albums are somewhat dark and overwhelming. Cornucopia open with a tidal wave of chittery noise, some voice, eventually tones emerging and an underlying rhythm. Long drones with an overall rumble and jittery rhythm becoming more voicelike – an auditory vision of purgatory as it rumble/drones. It eases a little, voice calling, swirling pulsing hisses, swaying from ear to ear with tapping. A high scream, piano, continuing assault with deep bass tones, squiggles. Eases, pulses ringing, tuvanish drones, rebuilds into a landslide. Noisy crackles drops away. Dramatic and impressive.
Ellende give us a tone pulse and wave, adding layers and some notes, a scrape and guitar. Then they play with the varispeed, slowing and speeding it up, synths notes in there. A high shimmering swarm, a musical twanging, lies over the varying base, a whistly shimmer that sounds like a bowed saw. There is an eerie mood. A change to rumbling roll with long low tones and bloops, voicelike noodles building. A bussing that has speech rhythms with a dark rumble under – bleak and troubled, wavering being used again. A slow ambient drone takes the foreground while a distant chatter drops, becoming more equal, then easing. A bubbling synth and tingles takes over, some warbled tones, a drifting melodic, mysterious long metal and voice tones, dronal to fade.
Intense short works that flow like thaw fed rivers.
&
Deconstructing Kiritchenko's title, the bees are the glitchy clickerings crackles and buzzes, while the honey is the long tones and drones (evocative word) in which they are placed and provides contrast and balance. 'Moonshine', for example, is an active warm ambience that balances the sputtering glitches with long descending tones that become a humming, while there is a building whooshy drone over which tuned-percussion-like notes echo, becoming more frequent with hiss and crackle. The notes continue in 'Bees scattered' with rolling drones and chittering chatter, very busy with voicey calls and clicks.
After these three short tracks, 'Hive' is amore extended with a pulsing keychord and building buzz, crackles tones and a dropping then building burr. An unplaceable noise – a brushing, blowing or scrape – passes by occasionally as a diminution of activity occurs, and like a hive there seems to be a separate entity created from the parts. The first third of 'Flower and fields' is a magical mystical combination of spatters, swooshing across the air, guitar twangs, swarming tzits and ringing tones, backed by rising and falling sines. Then, at what would have been the end if this was a 3" disk, there is a climax followed by a long wonderful minimal exploration of pulsing tones with some splatters and additives, fascinatingly stretched.
Then there are the remixes – by a welter of names – Lavelle, Scanner, Cray, 833-45, Violet, Cascone, Freiband – and ones others may know – Maeder, Kotra and Moglass. They each work from the clearly Kiritchenko material but adding their own twists. Scanner for example adds voice samples and highly musical tones, 833-45 brings in radio sounds and samples and a cracklesd beat. Kotra moves through a few fun variations, Lavelle is cycling stuttery, Violet is harsh and crackly then pulsing softness before crunching again. The Moglass sings and pulses, distant clatter and samples while Cray provides spirals and transformations and Frieband is slow, extractions chittering and building, Cascone buzzing hissy minimalist.
So the extrapol(in)ations through the remixes broaden an already intriguing minialbum onto a complex mellifluous swarm. This is a clever move from Zeromoon - if you hadn't heard of Kiritchenko you would have heard (of) most of the remixers and your interest should be piqued. And it would be a temptation worth following up. (You won't get stung – alright, enough already with the bee puns)

&&&&&&&&&&
Undecisive God
Offering
Shame File Music SHAM023
http://shamefile.tripod.com
Clinton Green/Undecisive God appeared in 2003_jk and returns with his first full length release in 2 years. An a dense sprawling guitar album it is.
Unnamed tracks as far as I can tell – the first is dense swirling drones with some clicking in it at various speeds, ringing pulsing, keylike at times, an entrée into. The long second track, with layer on layer of tones: ringing, high, deep – just flowing on and on. There is some lovely high ringing, some voiceish parts, ringling notes, things emerge and are submerged. Chimes keypulses horns – hypnotic.
Then the guitar strums and smacks, echoed and reverbed, percussive over a drone-like voice. There is some light play, then some stronger notes, sounding like guitar, over a continuing warbly drone. Pulsing and echoed, some squeaks, twangy guitar, scrabbly scrape, deeper notes – dancing.
Tentaive shimmery ecgoes in the fourth track, thwangs guitar notes and chords, reverbed and echoed, some distant, some wahwah. Gently mysterious with lots of echo, twittering zings and rubbery bass notes. The final track opens noisily, then the guitar plays a simple melody, and we get sung lyrics – reminded me of the Incredible String Band somehow – then to a strained electric guitar-feedback solo over other guitar, eases back to more lyrical and relaxed over drones.
This was a recent arrival at the &etc 'office' but very appropriate for an issue that was coalescing around the guitar, as it explores and demonstrates the instrument from the straight(ish) musical instrument through various effects to layered tonal ambience. A fascinating and varied album – Shame File has a back catalogue of Undecisive God CD-archive releases (the fourth of which includes the 'war against sleep' tape reviewed last time) which are probably well worth investing in on the basis of this album.
&&&&&&&&&
Sam Dellaria and Adam Sonderberg: Fold Your Arms And The World Will Stop (#29)
Akiyama, Francis, Kneale, Neville and Watkins: (Untitled) (#28)
Absurd
http://www.anet.gr/absurd
The other 2 Absurd mentioned last issue.
Dellaria and Sonderberg have created a 42 minute sonic arc. The first act starts as a humm with flutters and soft clicks in, a high tone softly joins, there is hiss, rumble and gentle puttering for 15 minutes, slowly changing, engrossing, a developing humm in at 10. Then the second part, a drilling buzz, modulates, with other high humms (almost harmonica). Active layering, changing. It starts to get pulsey, an organ joins (the drilling is still going on, swirling – it’s a subtle drill!) An easing occurs to a drone and buzz, vibrates, then a swelling note/tone over a bubbling background. They all modulate and interweave. A hollow drone enters, rumbling (now about 30 minutes in). To the final section, easing to long tones, organ, a bit of mike scrape, peaceful and pulsing a little, tones becoming dominant, but warm and rolling. In the last minutes it opens out as if filters are being lifted, clicks and scrapes, colder and more distant, to fade.
It is very enjoyable following the slow development of this piece, and revisitable.
&
The quintet is from New Zealand and play a variety of instruments – electronics, guitar, microphones, amplifier, ukelele, Turkish flute and guitar strings. As with Dellaria and Sonderberg they create a single 40+minute piece. This sounds improvised as strings are scraped, there is rattling and pattering; at various times the instruments 'solo' through this – electric guitar (very restrained), the uke, bagpipe-like tones from the Turkish flute, a little bit of feedback, resonating picked notes. This ebbs and flows a little, becoming more strident towards the end before fading.
As a contrast, there is electronics thoughout – drones and long tones, some blurts, crackles from an intercom, rainlike spattering, distant percussive electro-explosions. Again these become more assaultive in the final minutes when some nasty feedback, quite intense, develops and is played with. Drones build over though, before electrosplatter and fade.
This is not a demonstrative piece, nor overtly aggressive or confronting, a drifting distraction.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Oscuro: Oscuro
Magic Box: Bliss Of A Madman
Erok Godal/Mark Fontana: Gacy – original motion picture score
Pascal records PSC 88007, 8 & 9
http://www.pascalrecords.com
From California a label which, on the basis of these, is mainly instrumental outfit. The first two albums of this batch are guitar-based, featuring a sound which could be considered the Californian guitar, redolent of old surf music and the Shadows – that full electric guitar sound directed to melody and music and not theatrics.
Oscuro is Steve Denny on guitars and 'sonic landscapes', with a little assistance from a couple of drummers, horn on one track and symphonic accompaniment on two. There are samples scattered throughout – repetition of 'L.A.' here and there provides continuity after its introduction in 'Daigoro', the second track which succeeds a brief percussive and synth-horn 'Intro'. From here on we get a broad range of styles and moods: slow beat and safari guitar on this one, pulsing and swirling 'Ragafari', light airy and lyrical 'Phantasma', fast spanish appropriately for 'Spanish holiday'. And so on. They are joined by rhythms tones and loops that do create broad soundscapes and support the guitar. More indicators – 'Somewhere near morocco' is snaky and spanish, with a Wakeman sound to some of the keys, 'Riviera' is fast and a summer hit, 'Triana' includes site recordings, mysterious synthsm horns and slow guitar.
There are some 'western' moments – 'Sombras' with sinuous horns, slow guitar and voice, with horse neighing, similarly in 'Tyme travel'. A suite of tracks towards the end are somewhat united, but not more so than the overall album, and includes the pastoral 'Axiom'. And it all ends in '12:09' with long loop tone effects.
Instrumental albums, especially varied ones, are difficult to convey (but, hey isn't everything!). This is atmospheric and evocative – easy listening if that hadn't gained negative associations. Anyway, a pleasure for the ears, relaxing and transporting.
&
And those last thoughts could be directed as easily to Magic Box – and here I must admit a problem – I lost the cover insert to this so I can't tell you who Magic Box is (though they seem at least to be a drummer and a guitarist) nor track titles (and the web-site didn't have the details). But the album speaks for itself!
Shakers, backward tones and melodic guitars give a slow intro with some chimes that slips into a big crowd sample – and a feature of this album is that the tracks are merged into each other by samples and electronics. Crisp electric guitar, bass and then jazzy groove over the crowd in the second track, followed by African rhythms and singing guitar in the dramatic third, big tones and chimes ending it. More backward tones, rimshots and a slow build in four, desert drenched guitar, easing out.
A Satie piece works very nicely as the fifth track, a simple guitar and drum transposition with a little phasing; while there is a horn-like quality to the dense guitar on the next track, complex developments over a melody with rhythm chords. Another classical – here the Bolero – emerging from dense swirling guitar and drums, that breaks down then goes off in a different direction. Private-eye guitar, echoed and backwards in eight before a brief chugging sampled piece.
A Spanish feel to ten, but with a drum solo and then some exciting guitar; lyrical layered surf rock feel in 11. Then an extended piece to conclude with – the others have been around the five, this is 12. In a way it seems to sum up the album as different guitar moods and styles are worked through – lyrical, eastern, backwards tone-drones, layered samples, scraping – as the percussion builds and changes, samples work their way in, a mumbled chant and drumming build and then finally an Irish singer over birds, a final percussive flourish. An excellent ending to a very enjoyable album
&
'Gacy' is a soundtrack to the movie of the same name by two people from The Blue Hawaiians (I haven't heard them). As such it is a collection of 29 short tracks, so don't expect a blow-by-blow. Gacy's story is generally known, and the sound here is what you would expect in its telling – there is a mood of dread or tension, rather than fear or surprise. The instrumentation is mainly strings, occasionally strident and atonal but mainly long and moody, some guitar striking through here and there and a suprisingly restrained use of a fairground sound – the clown image could have tempted more such by ways. Each of the moments is well crafted and invested with atmosphere, but it is too fragmentary. I think of some of the dark ambient moodpieces – Shinjuku Thief, Lustmord, When to name too few – their power comes from being able to manipulate the mood through longer time frames and with a freedom to switch tensions as they see fit, not in line with the story. Here a response starts to gel and then we slide into another piece – although the overall mood is well maintained. And while I can se some ironic intent in the song over the end titles, it didn't work for me.
But despite those comments, the album is interesting in relation to that overarching development and the sounds and variations of the tracks – it is evocative and enjoyable. And as a further reflection, it reminded me of the Bill Nelson theatre works 'La Belle…' and The cabinet…' both in structure and mood.
&&&&&&&&&&
Various Artists
Tensile
Labile Music 13
Mvfarley@aol.com
Jimsande@earthlink.net
Farley and Sande asked a heap of people (mainly US & Canada) to provide them with an experimental, acoustic guitar piece, and 19 tracks from 17 respondents are arrayed here. The tacks taken by people are quite different, but sit (perhaps) in a few categories, which is how I'll cover it.
There are a few with limited effects – Aidan Baker's first where there is a rhythmic pick/strum and echoed filters; Bill Jarboe pulsing drones with scrapey twanging guitar; or Jim Sandes two tracks, the first rapid picks and bowed drones, quite pianistic, while the second sounds like harps and voices. The next category – ambient – overlaps as Baker closes the album with swirling shimmers, bowing scrapes and piano-sounds; Glenn Bach hiss and crackles over tape loops, guitar emerging from the sounds and voices; Gydja's rain sounds, billowing tones and calls, a twittering climax with no obvious guitar; and Will Soderberg with soft deep rumbling and bubbles or Jarboe/Thomson pulsing swirling clicking builds.
Dale Lloyd takes us into guitar improv with tappy percussion, stretching, hit strings and chimes; and Brekekekexkoaxkoax sounds like it is played on a toy guitar with a quite sensitive solo, building in pace. Another group works with effects to produce a duet – Greg Davis plays against a backdrop of buzzes tones shimmers and bleeps that sound like triggered effects, as do Blunderspublik which has delicate percussive components as well as the shimmers and squelches, developing some glitchy loops.
A few people create electroacoustic collages – Living With Eating Disorders drones crackles and scrapes with light strummimg, shifting into a very echoedringing swirl; Mark McLaren's electroacoustic construct supports his solo, big pulses blurring figure and ground; and the very intricate piece by Farley low rumbles, ringing, chords and then twinkles added, random jumping, filtered & processed, some tunes and spatters.
Finally the more experimental – Jliat whips a guitar with beads, backwards samples fragments and twitches from Jarboe and Glenn Bach's pulsing tape loops, crackles, hisses and distant voices, guitar emerging scrapey scrabbled and pulsing. And then Olaf Rupp with a storm of mad scrabbling, chords and notes through, seemingly multitracked but apparently a single live overwhelming take.
A excitingly varied and constantly interesting compilation that demonstrates the diversity possible on an acoustic guitar.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Greg Davis: Mort Aux Vaches
Zeitkratzer: Mort Aux Vaches – Random Dilettantes
Staalplaat
http://www.staalplaat.com
Davis gets first go alphabetically and 'cause he plays guitar – which, though a late inclusion as this issue burgeoned, means this fits the theme. Anyway, he plays guitar and lap-top with Max/Msp software, so we can expect a combination of glitch stuff with some lyricism thrown in. The album is divided into 6 named tracks with seven 'Fields' between them which are shorter improvisations
The first 'Field' has samples (rain and birds) with some effects onth which more diverse material is added – warbles and scribbles, tones burrs and loops cycling and sliding into 'Bells as angels' that continues twittering and shooshing from ear to ear, crackling, and not dissimilar to the surrounding 'Fields'. Which in '2' are mouth-organ like pulses with splattered electro and chopped voices around, with a long undertone added as it shifts into 'Cumulus' which has more consistency (and length) as the tone pulses and gentler scritvhes and slurps build a rhythm with clicks and pops. There is some straight guitar playing and computer chatter behind, breaking down to a swirling zits to 'Field 3'. Here metallic voice rhythms fade into a playful interaction of chimes, lightly max-ed, with higher chime-tones added.
In 'Serein' hissing and gentle organic notes, chimes and a gentle rhythm reminded me of Durutti Column (unfairly dismissed, along with A Certain Ratio in '24 hour party people', to my mind), and later blurts into shaker rhythms and some more max-twitters. 'Field 4' is a brief shaker gong buzz excursion before 'Good morning amanda' where a hollow tap builds a scrape, percussive bells and guitar solo, and then building density of Fx creating a delicate balance into the abstract layered samples of 'Field 5'.
Out of that emerges 'An alternate view of a thicket' which has a crackling cloud hiss with an embedded percussion and out of which emerge tones combining the lyrical and glitch. The penultimate 'Field' plays with the tones and adds a Theremin-like warble, which is appropriate for the next track – 'At my window' is a Brian Wilson cover. Pulsing organ, bird samples and acoustic guitar play through. Davis sings, a soft and light voice, layered for the harmony chorus. A harpsichord comes in too, and the latter half gets a bid messed around and chopped. Which continues in 'Field 7' with some chipmunk-y voices, swirls and dripping.
Davis strikes a good balance between the chatter and dissolution that Max/msp can offer and more ambient musical structures, to present a satisfying whole.
It comes in a more reader-friendly cover printed on lovely purple floral-embossed foil with a card insert to provide some stability.
&
Zeitkratzer are supposedly well known – will have to do some searching – anyway they have put together this release for the Mort series. There may be more info on the cover, but I am loathe to find out. Again, the typical folded card held with a metal clip, but this time it has a grey plasticy look/feel – and it appears to be like the surface of a scratch lottery ticket – some underprinting is showing where there has been some rubbing/scratching, but I don't want to rub the whole lot off!
Anyway, there are 50 tracks in less than 50 minutes here, so the parts are small, none more than two minutes and many under 1. For this project they (whoever they are) swapped instruments and played ones they are unfamiliar with (hard for the vocals!). A scatter gun improv approach, designed to be played at random, as there is not(much of) a program.
The instruments are percussion of various forms, strings (violin and bass probably, bowed and scraped), perhaps some synth, accordion, probably some brass, sax and objects (toys and things). There are explosive passages, contemplative or subdued, pulsing, slow, spattery, some are edgy and a few have a beat. And composed of varied sounds extracted from the instruments – never totally untrained (after all these are musicians and therefore somewhat au fait with various instruments) – always with a sense of fun and exploration though. I also wondered if some Oblique Strategy format had been used – lets scrape in this one, percussive now etc – as there is consistency. Most tracks fit as small works, but there are a few passages where they seem to have gone on longer but decided, what the heck, let's chop it!
A fun album, especially if you are not after a consistent musical mood.
(Reading a review by someone who had more info, or scratched the surface, there are 10 members of the group who do acoustic versions of modern music. For this they played 10 brief improvs, then swapped their instrument with the person next to them, etc until they had 100 tracks. They then selected the 50 and set them in a sort of order.)
So as usual, the VPRO team have curated some more interesting and diverse music.
&&&&&&&&&&
Books On Tape: Sings The Blues (IMNT088)
Tomas Jirku: Bleak 1999 (IMNT0311)
No Type
http://www.notype.com
http://www.electrocd.com
No Type has admitted that they are moving more to hard-copy as opposed to on-line delivery, primarily due to workload – and here are 2 more.
BoT offers a full length 'ep' – I'm not sure how they determine which gets the numbering-from-the-web-label and which the year/release and associated cover formats. Anyway, Todd Drootin creates/constructs material from loops, whether sampled or self-created, into a dancing dramatic techno. The first time I listened, a bit fragmented, it seemed somewhat monochrome, but subsequent excursions have shown it to be a fun filled time.
'Laptop blues' opens with a short guitar strum loop that wobbles from ear to ear and then varispeeds away. We get really going with 'Republic of' setting the tone and structure – varied loops, percussive and melodic (including guitar), layered onto each other crackles and changes, slowing and returning and slowing right back. This has a jolly rhythms that reminded me of the Clash in its dubby sections. They returned later 'Girls up front' where the fast samples drums and loops with a strong bass, recalled 'Armageddon time'. With 'See you in tokyo' there is a building percussion from simple tap, plus cymbal, bass, snare and organ to a fast beachy sound that is part B-52's rest sci-fi weirdness, emphasised through some changes.
The album then goes through all sorts of moods with these tracks – 'She's dead to me' is fast and furious (a few are) gunge with strong drums; 'Pointe du pied' has a popcorn feel but slower, simple synth melodies, finally a bit dubby; white noise pulses , organs and synth sound Russian in 'Death in the sex shop' and there is a continuing Cossack feel with 'Siberian soundsystem' that also includes some wailing voices amongst the layers; jangly samples, voice loops rubbery and stomping 'Circus animal battle rap (instrumental)'.
The mood changes with 'Frisson' a slower backward toney more ambient track that has some distorted and spooky elements to it, followed by a more dirty and rocking 'Bicycle beat', pulsing and crackling after which 'Shape that' is somehow more 'studied', slower with voice loops and slowing tones, trumpet and drum. The pace rebuilds for the clarinet-drenched 'The crucial' a long and involved piece moving through a few states and chopping in organ and piano. 'Unlucky bounce' is solid with some dirty guitar and a piano melody over computer bootling. Choppy and slippery Sidekick' is followed by the buzzing and sinuous 'Church bus' whose heavy rhythms close the album.
A fun excursion, worth reading.
&
'Bleak 1999' is an unreleased album from a couple of years ago, which should have seen the light of day then, but somehow didn't. So we have an early Jirku, a more restrained beated ambient (in brief). I wonder how much interpretive store to put on a cover – actually the cover itself doesn't tell you much (could be an agar plate) but the tracks titles are all medically associated (various prescription drugs, t(emperature) and r(espriration), and even the dates of some X-rays I think (they are small but look like chest). Which sort of suggests a medical drama – which does not end positively, hence the name and the albums mood, and the sound on some tracks which occasionally resembles ICU.
The 16 tracks are relatively continuous – in fact the early ones sound as if there has been some mis-indexing as the change comes a few seconds before the end of one track and the start of the next. The overall feel is of a moody ambience, slightly dark but not bleak, combining tonal synths with various beat loops. Some examples – 'Input fluid' has clicking cycles and warm moog tones, breathy scraping rhythm loop, echoed beats, sorrowful ambient; 'Lorazepam' warmed reverbed sines pulsing; '3.24.93' deep vibra-tone, pulsing buzz scrape, echoey key pulses and beats – dubby, spacious and propulsive; 'Cefuroxime' gentle beat develops with soft pulse, scrape, ringing high and long tones, drift beatedly, shivering pulse into 'T' pulsing simplicity. '04.1.93' crackles and backwards voices into some semiclassical synth. Ticking beats, drums and more layers added, changing the mix – stately. 'Ca' has melancholic long chords, hissy changes, becoming active pulse warbles before 'Tranylcypromine' a strong slow beat and organ pulses, twanging to a sort of groovy feel, a slow melody emerging from a metallic swirl, with some gravitas – and suggestive of recovery?
Despite its time spent in the vaults, this is a very satisfying album and one worth seeing the light of day. Thoughtful and moody, with interesting depth.
&&&&&&&&&
Elio Martusciello: Aesthetics Of The Machine
Valerio Tricoli: Did They? Did I?
Alessandro Bosetti/Antje Vowinckel: Charlemagne, La Vue Attachee Sur Son Lac De Constance, Amoureaux De L'abime Cache
Domenico Sciajno/Gert-Jan Prins: The D&B Album, featuring: do shine & prinsjan
Bowindo 01, 02, 03 & 04
http://www.fringesrecordings.com/bowindo
A new Italian label, dedicated to new experimental electronic music, founded by a group of 6 musicians 4 of whom are represented here.
&
The first album is a hard one to start with. There is a mini-essay in the cover, suggesting musical research, audio frequencies beyond hearing, an art of the medium and that 'even the resulting audio wave images in this work are very anomalous'. When we listen to it we hear a seemingly random array of sine and related noises – there are pure ones at various frequencies, clicks as they come and go, some harsh crackling distorted components, lovely deep thrumbles, piercing high ones, a couple of passes through the frequencies. The sounds are short or long, can come on their own or overlap, move through the sound field, vary in volume. There is also some variation across the tracks – some are more active, some harsher. Listening in different environments supposedly reveals varied aspects.
Which makes for intense and somewhat difficult listening. It can't be left as background as there are some loud eruptions, and grates at times, and its unpredictable nature keeps dragging you back in, with few soothing passages, but often engaging. I feel it needs more structure, but enjoyed it more on later listenings where I definitely kept it out of the front space
&
Valerio Tricoli was not a lot easier!
Soft noises, clatters, movement but with noise eruptions like sprung switches. Little dits, chiming sounds and a rolling ball, electrohumm and rumble, more chimes and oral noises. Then there is metal tapping and electrosplatter, hollow echoed tapping and more scrapey noises. A baby cries and there are distant voices, the chimes and then tubular bells (or xylophone) long decay. Playing, and then transformed to a drone with more notes over. A soft patter crackle. Clicks, low drones, xylophone, tuning forks, scrabble and tone pulse drone, all building. Eases to soft spatter and pulse, dropping away further. Tones and rolling ringing (the chimes slowed?) A tone builds, cycles round, activity, lots of clattering, high tones, breathing, eases, softly to fade. A complex and intriguing piece of electroacoustic collage, quietly mysterious.
It is described as running for 19'19", which it does: but wait, there's more. After a minute of silence, the cd continues for over another 20 minutes of open mike recording, with an empty ambience, child crying, distant talking, singing, shuffling, a cough, hollow banging on table. The intrigue continues – is the first part, the 'named' work, a reworking manipulation of the second part – but there are missing things like the tubular bells, but the electronics these days; or is it a comment? Either way, it is not very engaging as little happens (except for being engaging in that sort of voyeuristic way); however the first 19'19" make up for it as the focus of this work.
&
I am not sure why the two artists are combined on the third disk, nor what the title means.
Alessandro Bosetti has the bulk of the disk. His 'Sardinia and japan are islands' is a disjointed compendium – there are lots of short segments that run into each other – crackling then samples; tones and water drips, pops and crackles; soft pulses, high tones, flutters and crunches; soft rumble; pulse rattle/scrape moving around; high and low sines plus hiss drops to shimmer; voices, some in English listing islands, layered; tapping and shimmers. Building finally to a sine with taps that gets somewhat earsplitting and scrapey, wobbling then easing back. Disjointed but there is a flow and connection. His longer 'Kitchen piece' (22.5 minutes as against 18) is one of the growing number of culinary samples we have hears here (such as Sonic Catering last issue). As with 'Sardinia…' there is a particulate feel – the first two thirds works with little pieces, clattering, soft tones, scrapes, bowl-gongs, drains, frying and mechanical scuttering. In the final third this becomes an extended tonal play. War layered ones that roll along and subtly vary, with chimey rattles drifting between the fore and back ground before a pop-crackle final fade. Both works combine samples and manipulation creatively, and while not focussed or extended (other than the final parts in the kitchen) the details and flow are captivating.
'NIPPS' is 9.5 minute piece that is worth having in its own right, but sits strangely here – an unbalanced split disk. Antje Vowinckel opens it with an instrumental passage – scraped metal, twangs, messed piano and swirly tones chopped and build to a noise burst before easing to the second section. Here cycling, with some bloopytwangs and humm is a base for layered and chopped Dada-ish voice loops, almost a chant. A quieter passage as a cycle becomes a panning hiss, breaths, builds and drops to another exciting voice passage, chopped and building, burbling and rolling before the too soon fade. A dramatic piece that pushes a lot into its short time.
&
'The d&b album' is a glitch fest that offers passing reference to drum and bass – only really the title. On processing, electronics and fm/am Scianjo
and Prins produce some vibrant electronica.
'Cascocity' shows the way with a combination of squeaks, scrapes and electro shlushes with some drum-like figures that builds and then chops, a futzy glitch rhythm with sqkyscrtchs in the second half. It is going to read oddly, but we continue in 'Stonone' passing from high tones with slowly developing soft sounds (cycles scrape hiss buzz) that starts to change as crackle and radio build, sweeps of tones, tweets, puttering – active and quite driving, almost noisey, crackle propelled.
Various tones develop through 'Diamonds will do', plus tapping and ringing, developing but gaining interference. Computer beepling, clicks, tone-notes, a slow groove, buzz crackling with radio later. In 'Tablerock' a farty-futz and soft whipping build, blowing pitters blurt scratchy, a deep pulsing drone driving the track onwards. Finally clickey interference, cycling and visceral scrapes in 'Vinexology' provide an edgy fast jumpy breaking down of voice and song.
Not D'n'B but exciting electronica from a label which is voicing some intriguing explorations into experimental electronic music.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
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