David Jackman's release schedule obscures far too many of his best recordings, apparently to the extent that some his best work goes unreleased for years at a time. Die Stadt's 3" release of two never-before-heard 10" records exemplify why Organum has always been one of the most consistently excellent and intriguing projects of the last twenty-plus years.
Die Stadt
Both Die Hennen Zähne and Maus are included on this 18 minute disc and both are ten inch records that David Jackman had just lying around in his archives. The opening, "Die Kralle," is described as a David Jackman track from the early '80s, separating it in some ways from Jackman's work as Organum. As the assumed A-side to "Die Hennen Zähne," it is the calm before the storm, demonstrating Jackman's ability to subconsciously insert melody and rhythm into tracks that sprawl and yawn like consumptive deserts. The musical components that vibrate and stretch across the track are stunning, blistering with reservation and acute suspense. The dynamics between the low, bellowing wind instruments and Jackman's kitchen-sink rhythms are powerful and mark a space where music and non-music meet beautifully without sounding contrived or completely amateur. It's a testament to Jackman's abilities as a noise-maker and a writer. Compositional power combined well with abstract temerity is so rarely exhibited as it is on the opening track. "Die Hennen Zähne" is a far more confrontational work composed of shattering glass and moaning horns. It isn't as immediately striking as "Die Kralle," but the energy it manages to accumulate is impressive. If "Die Kralle" shines darkly, then "Die Hennen Zähne" is the realization of all the brooding minimalism kept hidden before.
"Maus" reserves the position as the central piece on this disc. Its duration and volume forces the other tracks to swirl about it, as though it were the musical cousin of a massive black hole. The constant whistle and Druidical ohm that permeate its body has a whirlpool effect, rotating in the darkness perpetually, ominously, and without reason. As enthralling as it is, it seems out of place with the rest of the disc, especially considering how short most of the other pieces are and how they each bare some sign of musique concrète's influence. Aside from the shattering glass on the title track, "Kazi" features metal pipes and objects being dragged about as its main sound sources. This live performance featuring Emma O'Bong and Michael Prime highlights Jackman's ability to successfully record and use object-made sounds without treading over too familiar ground. The pipe-like instrument that can be heard rolling about throughout the track becomes the focal point for the piece until a large crash ends the track and the whole improvisation fades away gently.
Jackman's exemplary reputation stems from his ability to use strange sounds musically, without touching on anything too conceptual to be enjoyable. Despite his sometimes radical release schedule and his reputation for releasing pricey, severely limited runs of 7" records and obscure CDs, his work is nearly always worth the patience it takes to find. Die Hennen Zähne is limited to 600 copies, however, and will likely move quickly given the fanatacism that often and perhaps justly surrounds Organum's catalogue.
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