Sublime Frequencies' first double CD continues with the amateurtravelogue aesthetic that's infused nearly all the label's releases todate, and to my ears it is the most successful, in its transportingpower and focused depiction of the rich sound world available in acountry whose cultural legacy has long been consciously ignored byWestern media. Essentially an audio scrapbook assembled by Mark Gergisfrom field recordings made during two trips to Syria near the turn ofthe century, I Rememberperfectly accommodates Gergis' cut-up skills, so essential to hisprevious work in Porest and Monopause. His creation distances itselffrom Alan Bishop's radio collages by assuming a considerably morerelaxed flow, one that allows for the development of some nice thematicundercurrents. Though I Remember contains plenty of radiocaptures, there is little that compares to Bishop's schizophrenicdial-spinning, and the amount of shortwave noisemaking is surprisinglysmall given Gergis' background. A good portion of the two discs comesfrom talk radio segments of political or socially progressiveorientation. The first disc begins framed within the introduction to aprogram called "Syria Today;" later on, reports of theIsraeli/Palestinian crisis emerge alongside light-hearted Youth Radioproductions and one enlightening broadcast entitled "Arab Women inFocus." Some of the most interesting moments are the fragments ofconversations Gergis has with a variety of citizens, including a35-year old homosexual in Aleppo whose wife remains oblivious to hislifestyle, several people eager to share criticisms of America, and agentleman who sounds like a head official of Kazib, a newly-discoveredunderground city. There are recordings from mosque interiors, weddings,nightclubs, street musicians, outdoor markets, even the competingsounds of distorted cassette kiosks. One woman performs a "maternalbedouin" song about Saddam Hussein, presumably at Gergis' request asher hesitant, giggling delivery shows signs of embarrassment orindulgence. The collage is spliced with the expert blends, fades, andjuxtapositions that have made Porest's work so well-liked, and itcovers an immense amount of ground, seamlessly, and without anyalienating jump cuts or premature endings, something that does not holdtrue for all of Bishop's creations. Its increased notation and clearinterest in engaging the rich history and contemporary social andpolitical climates in Syria make I Remember one of the most valuable and listenable items from this great new label.Read More
