The second in the two labels' collaborative series of collaborative works, Reciprocess 02features duo, solo, and reciprocal remix tracks by Stephen Mathieu'sFull Swing and Douglas Benford's Si-cut.db. The series' goal is easyenough: to explore the "process" of collaboration in a morecomprehensive way by including evidence of the artists alone, together,and at conscious remove from each other. The most interesting thingabout this set-up is the way it questions the assumed ideal of anycollaboration. By anticipating the range of synthesis and clashavailable to any two artists, Reciprocess assures that thedecision of "which combination is better?" becomes both well-informedand harder to make. Sometimes the points of divergence within aparticular union can be the most interesting, as was the case withvolume one, Komet +/vs. Bovine Life. Conversely on 02,Mathieu and Benford transcend even "complimentary" status by focusingtheir contributions into such a sleek, consistent product thatdistinguishing between remix, joint effort, and solo work will no doubtrequire a second look at the liner notes. Those already familiar withFull Swing will find Mathieu's two solo tracks echo much of theclick-less, bass-driven dub Benford has perfected throughout his yearsunder the Si-cut.db name. His simple and immediate melodic approach,something Mathieu's idiosyncratic output has often rejected, becomesthe disc's support, a skeleton filled in by Full Swing's vibrantglitch-ist accompaniment. Mathieu is one artist whose reliance onglitch or microsound method never seems to result in the same tireddeconstructionist route; he can atomize sound with the best of them buthis reformations always reach further than the simple end of exploitingmusic's ephemeral qualities. Being forced to accommodate Benford'ssolid, even danceable structures only further enlivens hiscollaborator's technique, encouraging dense, swooning textures thatwill inevitably recall the work of Christian Fennesz. In fact, Reciprocess 02would not be a bad recommendation for anyone curious about the resultof a collaboration between the Viennese artist and, say, someone fromthe ~scape label. As with anything Mathieu has a hand in, though, it isspecial on its own terms, fusing the distinctly modern elegance anddelicacy of his music with Benford's more extroverted and romanticstyle in ways that reveal each must have had some affection for theother all along. Read More
