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Ampersand
Etcetera - Volume 2 Number 7
ambient & microwave & electronica & experimental & lowercase &
postclassical & minimal & techno & etcetera
The theme of this issue - lowercase and plunderphonics - just grew. I had the
Behrens waiting to be reviewed, the lowercase compilation came my way, and then
Dave Knott sent me his album when I made my way to the e-group. So those three
fell together. John Wall's new one was asking to be listened to, and when The
Tape-Beatles came along these two Janus faces of appropriation had to be drawn.
And as a light touch of beauty, a Kucharz release provides a nice coda.
Enjoy - and please if you have any comments, questions, responses, disagreements
- I would love to engage in dialogue.
Jeremy
jeremy@pretentious.net
&
http://ampersandetc.virtualave.net/ampersand.html
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Various Artists
Lowercase Compilation
bremsstrahlung recordings blung001
www.lowercasesound.com
jcrussell@dowagro.com
A project spawned by the lowercase e-group (www.egroups.com, look for lowercase-sound,
amongst other groups), this two-disk set brings together some of the main 'names'
of this genre, together with some less well-known artists (I won't display my
ignorance by identifying who is which). What unites them is an interest in creating
pieces where the sound is nuanced, requiring close attention (earphones are recommended
but not mandatory), and the artists ego or persona is less attenuated. Microwave
and glitch electro are related genres. I have avoided using the term 'music',
rather most of the pieces are soundscapes or soundsculptures which are not interested
in the norms of music: there is very little melody, regular rhythm, development.
But there is much to listen to, and worth it too.
The packaging is less than minimal - inside a folded card box (which is, I think,
while attractive, a little flimsy, somewhat untidy, and won't take much usage)
we find the two disks in slip cases and 30 cards - three illustrations by Chartier,
Roden and Russell and one for each track giving details such as bios, recording
information, releases and contact. All beautifully printed. And then a surprise
(well not really, it says so on the cover) but an unusual move - a second set
of the disks in an envelope with track details on the front, for you to give to
another 'curious listener'. A very generous and smart idea.
Reel Meelkop opens with a piece that rumbles and whooshes, rings and rustles,
suggesting the mode which will carry most pieces - glitchy microwave electronica,
delicate and thoughtful. Artificial Memory Trace serves up a typically complex
and involving concrete, interestingly related to Cage's 4'33", with clicks
and pops, subtle noises, drones and hisses, in part derived from recordings of
the piece, which requires close attention. Which, as usual, is necessary for Bernhard
Gunther's piece for/of his dachshund/terrier - mastered very quietly, listening
loud or on earphones picks out her breathing and rustling with various environmental
noises happening in the distance. More glitchy noises from Richard Chartier -
puffpuffs, clicks whistles and high pitches followed by *0 with a piece which
varies with reproduction - like one of the tracks on 'Site and Sound', at work
(through the computer) it sounded like beeps and clicks at extended time intervals,
but at home, when the volume is above 5, a pulsing humm is audible between the
signal pops. Odd - if anyone has an explanation I would be interested.
Both Jason Lescalleet and Howard Stelzer create pieces that shift through volume
levels - Lescalleet with speaker swirling crackles and clicks that build and fall,
Stelzer with silence then a rumble that grows to become an almost-noise work.
Steve Roden follows with layers of gently percussive ticks and blips and metallic
drones shifting seductively against each other. A long piece by Josh Russell rumbles
and beats and rings and clatters while deep resonances boom engagingly. Rubbery
burbling clicks echo through the driving beat of Pimmon's track before Brekekekexkoaxkoax
gives us a jumpy-cd piece where random noise becomes grounded by some strumming
loops. Disk 1 ends with Michael Northam's mine-site piece where whistling wind
and droning metals create a quiet atmosphere.
Disk 2 opens with Taylor Dupree serving a nice entree of clicks and phuts, cd
jumping blips, which shifts into a shimmering high tone and crackle, before a
short sharp burst of disjointed aggressive noisey pulsing and buzzing from Oren
Ambarchi and Matthew Thomas, and a similarly short weird computer squargle from
Quackenzocker which sounds like birds. Ios Smolders produces about the beatiest
track through clicks pops and glitchy loops with some distorted voice later, followed
by Kid 606 with a gentle melodic work based on swooping treated guitar that builds
nicely. The annoyingly named (a)d(r)i(a)n(l)e(e) (his track is (u)n(-)t(i)t(l)e(d)
!) puts together a dreamy drone and click piece with a sample running through
the central section, and at times quite spooky. A standout track comes from Warsaw
(1921) - not so much because of the quality (which is high across the set) but
the method, a live recording of a group playing with a Polish overtone singer,
that creates an unnatural ambience, and is followed by another one out of the
box. Colin Jenkinson and Kevin Mcscwartz's track is from their unusual album where
the second six tracks are the first played in reverse (though I am not sure if
that means played backwards or the order of notes reversed, if you see the difference).
Either way it is arresting with dramatic siren songs (the stick) and trumpet.
The shifting styles continues with Lt Caramel's acousmatic piece which starts
out as a concrete piece with gulls and village sounds and then swings into a more
electronica middle before a frenetic end.
Another very quiet track, by Joseph Zitt, with a live recording of vocal improvisations
as picked up by mics on his thorax, leads into a glitchy final selection of pieces.
A gently percussive piece from Ecclesiastical Scaffolding on things such as a
neon tube and a spring; melodic pulses, waves and washes by Richard Cochrane creating
an open resonance; Dale Anderson with a low rumbling drone with surface static
that rolls along; waves of crackle and drone by Rod Stasick that coalesce into
background sounds, or suddenly emerging space-synth; and then Tone Speak offer
a noisy rushing climax as distortion and feedback pulse crackle and hum out of
the speakers over a rising tone which emerges victorious and then is replaced
distant machinery and a voice-tone - and doorslam and it is all over.
As expected the soundsources are broad but often not identifiable, or perhaps
relevant, so in general I haven't mentioned them. Included are 'borrowed' material
stretched and filtered, sine wave, tape and trumpet, prepared guitar, chapman
stick and effects, synthetic shakuhachi, computers and various programs, recordings
on or in a car, lab equipment, battery operated aquarium, mineshaft, dog, village,
water, and finally the group (voices, sonorous objects and dilruba). Despite this
range, there is a unifying mood to the set through method and objective.
The quality across the compilation is strong and high - there are very few tracks
that don't work for me, and while some may be more immediately attractive than
others, all offer something interesting. As with most of the genre (or music in
general), there is more happening than can really be described - I could go on
and on trying to describe the layers, complexity and variations occurring. If
you are at all interested in the styles, this is perfect introduction or extension
of your collection, and its also great to see an internet discussion group stepping
beyond the virtual.
&&&&&&&&&&&
M Behrens
Contraction
Digital Narcis Ltd DNCD06
dnarcis@jxa.jumbo.or.jp
While a compilation such as the lowercase one is an opportunity to hear a diverse
range of artists working within an area, it doesn't give any participant a chance
to demonstrate their range or to explore sounds and methods in more depth. Mic
Behrens album allows him to do just that. There are three parts spread across
the 9 tracks, each with an individual approach.
The five parts of 'Scenes for contraction' cover the first 25 minutes. It is here
that Behren's glitchy side comes to the fore. Each part is different - the first
builds through speaker swirling scratchingcrackle layers into a beaty climax.
Part 2 is more spacious with random spatterings which are joined by a matchstrike
sound and a clockwork tic, and ends suddenly. A rolling rise and fall in density
and volume carries through 3, which has more earthy growling sounds. Rapid clicks
change and whirl through the noisy 4, while the short sharp part 5 is full and
rocky with a clumping beat. These work best for me at a medium volume - there
is an almost organic way in which they develop and change, whose subtlety emerges
at this intensity - louder and they can shift into noise.
The next three tracks form 'Scrutto', a symphony for shakuhachi, insects, frogs
and cars. The first piece is the flute and insects. Behrens' shakuhachi is a crackling,
humming choppy beast - not the gentle sonorous meditation instrument - and reflects
on the modes of 'Scenes…'. However, the flute is generally recognisable,
with echoes pulses and overtones. The accompaniment is restrained and sounds almost
like electronica or string gently playing behind. In the second part the insects
and frogs are more foregrounded - providing the opening chorus into which a restrained
flute enters. This mood is maintained for an extended period, before a ringing
tone moves into the soundfield, becomes dominant and leads to a beated playful
climax. The final part is insects, frogs and cars, and is beautifully modulated
piece - very quiet at first, it builds slowly and surely to louder and more complicated
layers and sounds, concluding with a marvelous frog chorus. While I said this
was not meditative shakuhachi, it is nonetheless a very meditative piece - the
mood is one of contemplation and restraint, and the sounds are integrated and
manipulated to create a dense and engrossing atmosphere. The sampled sounds are
never gratuitously thrown in for effect, but selected and arranged to create the
mood.
Finally 'Secular air', another 'nature' piece here owl recordings inspired by
a passage by Thomas Pynchon. A distant track, whose hootings echo and call, often
sounding more like some synthesised tones, sometimes manipulated, and accompanied
by clicking, perhaps of the rain. The track ebbs and flows, quite melancholy at
times, and always much more than a field recording.
A masterful example of this style of music - it is on the whole a very sonorous
album - the subtlety and restraint, coupled with glitchy exuberance, is a winner.
Highly recommended to me, I pass on the recommendation.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Dave Knott
"Natura Naturans"
Anomalous Records NOT1
www.anomalousrecords.com
Another alumni of the lowercase compilation, Knott plays string instruments on
the Warsaw (1921) track. And unique instruments they are too. This album is performed
on an installation he created at the Anomalous Records shop in Seattle, and is
an edit of a 90minute tape of an afternoon session at the end of the period the
instruments were in place. From the picture and description, it was a big thing
- created from wires stretched over many distances (1 to 10 meters) on boards,
walls and banisters: 10 instruments were the main part. This was a development
from Knott's interest in creating string instruments, called (not surprisingly)
string boards - usually of a more standard size I would imagine.
The final mixdown of the session to cd is divided over a generous 21 tracks, and
many of them are further broken up by index points into sub-tracks (track 5 has
17 spread across its 8 minutes) and often the tracks flow into one another. Each
of the resulting 80 parts is named, reflecting the mood, method or ambience (and
there is some of that as sounds occuring during the recording have been preserved
- the street, things falling, a cleaner next door). So there are titles such as
'friction is beauty, tone follows', 'rang and pop', 'the autos b(e(l))ow' or 'its
decay a sigh'.
With so many tracks, I am not even going to try a blow by blow description, rather
move into impressionistic mode. Firstly the sound strikes you at first as simple
or naive as the wires are plucked - remember the sound of that toy guitar? Then
you hear some 'world' echoes as a sound like a thumb piano plays a passage. The
atonal random feel passes as you start to hear the different tunings and the movement
across the instruments.
The playing itself shifts between simple melodies, percussive zithers, great booming
long strings, cascades and shimmering flows of strangely tuned harps. The wires
are plucked, banged, scraped, stretched so that the notes bend and quaver. Some
wires have no resonance or vibration while others echo, string boards are dropped
and things are dropped on them. And at times Knott vocalises in a scat language
that at sounds rather Pythonish (no not Pynchonish - that was the previous review)
as he plays away.
The mood swings through contemplative to excited, often over very short spaces,
but always with an enthusiasm and joy which gives the album an energy and brio
that draws you in, even in discordant moments. You wish you had been there to
have a chance to pluck some of those wires - it sounds such fun.
A lovely surreal image graces the cover - a snail stretching a wire around a curling
(vinyl?) plywood sheet, rendered in photorealist 3d with staples, screws and ivy
(and reminding me of Peto's or Harnett's letter rack paintings from the turn of
the 19th century - looking at them again in Robert Hughes' book I am surprised
how modern they seem). There is a nice tray shot of some string boards and one
of the installation, and the extensive liner notes provide broader context.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
John Wall
Constructions I-IV
UtterPsalm CD4
John Wall's releases on his UtterPsalm label are a delight - they come in a hand
made case rather like a hardbound book, with fabric on the cover, and inside the
disc sits in a sleeve in a card sheet with all the details, which is slotted into
a pocket on the inside backcover. All delivered in a plastic envelope. The music
inside is less seductive and more challenging.
Wall constructs his works from fragments of recordings - and I mean fragments,
these are not recognisable at all on this disc (there were some almost memories
on the last ones) - which are stretched, looped and damaged with material from
improvisations which are similarly manipulated. Not easy listening as they take
on a more concrete structure with rapid fire loops, glitches and high tones.
'Construction I (stat/unt/dist)' {I've no idea what the subtitles mean, perhaps
suggestive of the moods or methods} opens with a blown noise followed by squeaks,
a guitar, then there are clutters and clicks, jumpy scratching over a looped continuous
orchestra, hornsounds, rapid clickfire, high bleeps over, squeaking strings and
distant notes before a percussive end. That is lots of interactions and changes
over the 9 minutes. With 'II (taut serenatic)' there is a more relaxed approach
and the sounds are allowed to stretch over longer periods, and there is greater
sonority and harmony. Notes swirl, string tones develop, pianos appear, slower
tones create an air of mystery.
There is an obvious percussive origin to much of 'III (rumble/hard/abrupt)' where
toms can be distinguished and rhythm elements occur throughout. Squeaky sliding
strings appear (as throughout) and there is a dramatic climax. 'IV (dro/ickt)'
reminds me of an Ikeda or similar work - a high tone (quite annoying) runs throughout,
and the fragments are pared down to pops clicks and ringing even more so than
in the other tracks. Again it is slightly longer and there is more of a sense
of development, and low extended notes that support the more dramatic upper reaches.
I would probably recommend 'Alterstill' or 'Fractuur' as first adventures into
the Wall's sound - they are more relaxed, less frenetic and overall more melodic.
However all of them are on the leading edge of explorations of sounds that could
be music, particularly the extreme edges of plunderphonics. Definitely not background
noise, focus: and not when you're tense!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The Tape Beatles
The Grand Delusion: synthety No.3
Staalplaat STCD065
www.staalplaat.com
Initially released in 1993, Staalplaat have rereleased this 'plagiarism (R)' work
with additional material that was prepared during at the same sessions but unfinished,
and not previously released. Their compositional technique was a development from
the feeling that 'in late capitalist society … there is "nothing left
to say", a feeling made more potent by the theoretical possibility of access
to all knowledge.' Following from this premise, the piece (synthety is a nice
portmanteau/pun) is created from fragments of music, film dialogue and speeches.
And the method is put to a didactic and dramatic purpose - a political statement
about the Gulf War which can be broadly read as concerning imperialism in general.
Patriotic bluster, political speeches, psychologists and more are given free rein
to dig themselves horrific holes, accompanied by looping and suggestive music.
And rather than just being a political meditation, it is also a very evocative
and effective musical work.
The story opens with speeches about America's great heritage accompanied by suitable
stirring music. Moving swiftly to the (then) current situation, statements about
control are supported by looping fragments of 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' which
makes repeated appearances as a unifying element, and further underscored by talk
of 'moral right' including crowds cheering in 'America is confident' where we
hear subtle delay, echo and looping of the voices, adding a feeling of dread.
The instrumental 'Lament' is a thoughtful looping and layered piece, perfectly
situated.
The old heated frog story - representing the publics acceptance? - is followed
by Zarathustra and an evangelical psychologist declaiming about the monkey on
your mind. 'Love' introduces some Middle Eastern percussive elements to the looping
vocal fragments, and is unsettling, before the violent drumming, calling and blowy
loops of 'Home problems' - social issues in the American home. The short 'Behold
a republic' very nicely juxtaposes Reagan, Churchill and a speech on equality,
deconstructing all of them.
'Grave implications' features some fine music based around a violin loop and simple
percussion, while the 'Great difficulties' of a Jimmy Carter speech are layered
over martial music. The disparity between the cocktail jazz and military and peace
developments described in 'Chilling' is dramatic, and fades into distorted horns
and Middle Eastern vocals, seguing into a slowed and wavering funeral march in
'You have to participate', the aftermath of war. Pulsing horns and Zarathustra
fragments play as a psychologist talks about anaesthesia and amnesia - of a nation:
the tympani crackles. The final act of the battle occurs in 'Flowers for dead
heroes' as the vocalist returns, and sounds of war are joined by words of justification,
until it all breaksdown with slowed voices and wild loops.
The penultimate track on the original release is 'Thus' a plunderphonic version
of the piece which has underpinned much of the album. 'Back to the start' follows,
showing The Tape-beatles humour - a piece from a BBC documentary on the Beatles,
which has been edited so it refers to the tape-beatles, about orchestra recording
on Sgt Pepper, and ends with the great final chord from that album.
The additional material - the four tracks of '15' in search of peace' (which runs
for about 20 minutes) - revisits the themes, and some of the moments (talk of
moral righteousness combined with crowd cheering), of the longer piece. However,
it is different enough to provide interest in its own right, and is perhaps more
pointed due to its shorter length. Together the two parts create an effective
and thought provoking whole.
As a politically inspired work to listen to, it is moving, coherent and cogent
- it could relate to many wars. In addition, unlike many spoken word pieces, this
stands independently as a piece of music - the themes and structure do make it
a 'symphony'. And while the presence of voices always makes a piece hard to not
listen closely to, the music tends to be foregrounded, so it can work as a piece
like an opera, which can be enjoyed, even if you aren't really attending.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Larry Kucharz
Unit25: Dark Red
Audiochrome International IA25
intaudiocr@aol.com
We looked at two of the Kucharz catalogue in &etc v2.5, and this is another
in his series of electrocomputer music. As I guessed, he is the sole artist on
the label, which started at IA23 - Unit 23 (I had thought there must be some earlier
ones). The seven tracks here are all titled 'Dark <someshadeofred>' and
were composed in '94/'95 except for one from the seventies, and like the other
releases, are based on long drones.
Voice-like tones create a swimming ethereal atmosphere in 'Dark coral' where shimmering,
percussive elements provide glancing highlights. 'Dark crimson' which follows
is a long and intricate piece, based around extended deep drones which provide
a base for more exploratory and almost playful adventures in the higher tones
- occasional hints at melody appear stretched before you, and while there is always
something happening, the density varies throughout and drones shift into pulses.
At times, and throughout Kucharz' oeuvre, you sometimes feel as if a marvelous
self-sustaining composing machine has been set running, and that the pieces could
keep running and running. And then you hear a shift, as a tone sustains for a
longer period, and you are reminded that there is an insightful mind behind controlling
these blissful waves of sound.
Pulsing organ notes introduce 'Dark sanguine' which continues with short tones,
mainly in the higher registers, developing note sequences that expand and repeat,
pierced by one which sounds like breathing or vocalisation. This is rather like
a slow Glass-piece, though more rapid for Kucharz. Longer tones reappear in 'Dark
magenta', a majestic based around deeper resonant notes, at times sounding like
brass playing over deep string sustains. Again, the old material reworked for
synthesiser is a treat, as it captures a different style. 'Dark rose' from '76
is very sparse - string-like chords emerge from the dark silence, shine and fade.
The spaces between these flashes of sound varies from very short, almost overlapping
to edge-of-the-seat 'where is it?' extended silences. Then a series pulses out,
a signal into the aether. Again the end is not celebrated with a climax but simple
passes by after 15 zen minutes.
Sweet pulsing tones are used to construct 'Dark carmine', a low dreamy work, whose
extended space allows the development of a languid relaxed mood, almost a pastoral.
An atmosphere which continues in 'Dark ruby' whose simple structure of long tones,
nestling sparsely, provides a perfect coda.
Kucharz treads a narrow path, but finds much variety, interest and intensity along
it. At the risk of repeating myself, it is melodious and quite captivating while
avoiding new-age cliches. Music which you can let wash over you, surrounding you
with warmth, while also intellectually rigorous.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
&etc v2.1 rapoon&art of noise& hacca note VA&isbin:verbeke
&etc v2.2 thermal/freezer/cue&atoi&thermal/seofon&pacifici&stavostrand&eric
m&johnny pinkhouse
&etc v2.3 soundscapeVA&the quiet american&moreigne&aube&c41&dna
le draw d Kee
&etc v2.4 m bentley and the foundry: label special
&etc v2.5 ayers/everall/harris&ayers/greif/storey&kucharz&murder
legendre&thompson
&etc v2.6 maenad&figure&le_forbici_di_manitu&molokoVA&obmana/tanke&king_crimson
see volume 1 for
ombana:tiechens&parkin&nocturnal emissions&samartzis&burrs:sverrisson&bass
communion&det wiehl&systemwide:muslimgauze&sound secretion&ekstasis&memeVA&blue
hour&twine&pacificaVA&obmana&laboratory of modified perceptions&mould:thomas&kwi&md2&verhagen&muslimgauze&steve
roden&site of soundVA&toniutti&yamamichi&jliat&pacifici&xenon&…&zammuto&tunnel
singer&kwi/amt&planeta&muslimgauze&bass communionVmuslimgauze&kwi/amt&roden&roden&rootsman
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