06 May 2012

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A large portion of this album was recorded in two great bastions of European electroacoustic music, namely INA-GRM in Paris and Stockholm’s EMS. While Peter Rehberg and Stephen O’Malley have always brought avant garde electronics to KTL’s sound, there is a much tighter focus on the sort of textures and structures that I would expect from composers like Bernard Parmegiani or Tod Dockstader. Even Mark Fell’s colorful artwork is reminiscent of INA-GRM’s own designs for their box sets of Parmegiani and Luc Ferrari. This is nothing short of a perfect meeting between KTL’s metal tinged atmospheres and the great electronic music experiments of the 20th century.

Editions Mego

From the opening moments of "Phill 1" (perhaps a nod to Phill Niblock as well as the City of Prague Philharmonic who appear on "Phill 2"), it is clear that the duo will not be revisiting the wintery studies of previous recordings. Sustained tones, softly and slowly overlapping and phasing, reach out of the stereo like tendrils of new growth. The vague threat present throughout KTL’s back catalog is still here but whereas earlier albums were like a stiletto in the back, V feels more like being in the presence of a large, powerful creature that does not view you as a threat and will probably leave you alone. Probably.

The music comes close to O’Malley’s work in Sunn O))) during "Tony." The guitar becomes more prominent and the full, wall of amps sound that O’Malley is best known for comes through in spades. The addition of bass makes the low end rumble even more pronounced and before long, I forget that this is KTL that I am listening to. However, when Rehberg’s echoing computer generated sounds appear, I am quickly reminded of who this is.

The aforementioned "Phill 2" is undoubtedly one of the stand out pieces on V, the City of Prague Philharmonic playing an arrangement by Jóhann Jóhannsson to accompany O’Malley and Rehberg’s modular synth work from the EMS studio. The violins emerge suddenly from the gloom and at first it is difficult to tell where the synthesizers end and where the orchestra takes over. As the piece develops, the elements become more distinct and complex; the strings are tense and soaring while the electronics bubble and hum beneath the surface. When the brass cuts through, it shines brightly like a beam of divine sunshine in the darkness.

V finishes where KTL as a concept started, with a soundtrack to a Gisèle Vienne work. "Last Spring: A Prequel" ties in beautifully with the electroacoustic influences dotted throughout the album as it sounds very much like the sort of experimental hörspiel works practiced by the European avant garde and it even nods toward the music theater works of Einstürzende Neubauten or Nurse With Wound’s monologue pieces like "A New Dress" or "I Was No Longer His Dominant." The text is in French and difficult to follow with my rusty French and unfortunately there is no transcription let alone a translation in the sleeve notes. The monologue performed by Jonathan Capdevielle is given center stage; the incidental music is minimal, mostly concrète sounds and cavernous ambiences. It is creepy stuff, especially given Capdevielle’s strange vocal contortions.

In addition to the main album, the first 300 copies of the vinyl version of V come with a bonus 12" of sessions from INA-GRM. The four pieces (entitled "Study B" through "Study E") are looser than the main album, the duo obviously experimenting with the various bits of equipment in the GRM studio. Each piece has its own character but none of them fit entirely with the bulk of V; "Study E" sounds more like Fennesz than KTL. As a result, I can see why these pieces have been relegated to this 12" yet, that is not to say they are throwaway extras. They are bloody good tracks and would have made a nice EP on their own.

Since KTL’s inception, O’Malley and Rehberg have followed a singular path in terms of composition and mood. With V, they surprisingly break the mould and create something entirely unexpected. This is a great album, possibly their best one to date. With any luck they will continue along this path and develop this take on electroacoustic music further into realms unknown.

This review was made with a copy of the album on vinyl, so unfortunately there are no sound samples. Apologies for this inconvenience.

 

06 May 2012

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Albums and Singles

Following his long-overdue release from Nigerian prison in 1986, Fela Kuti launched his first-ever US tour and performed at the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit, which in prior years had played host to career-defining concerts by Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. This 3-disc archival release was lovingly assembled and remastered from bootleg tapes of Fela's concert that evening, which was riding high with expectations and overflowing with positive energy.

Knitting Factory

For me personally, Live in Detroit 1986 has served as an ideal introduction to Fela Anikulapo Kuti's recordings with his Egypt 80 band. Fela's discography is massive—he lived and breathed music, recording more than 18 studio albums—and aside from common entry points like Expensive Shit, Zombie, and Coffin for Head of State, I had trouble figuring out where to head next. Obviously, Live in Detroit wasn't quite as eye-opening as the first time I heard Fela: as a college freshman leaving the safe haven of guitar-based independent music nearly a decade ago, I ventured not only into early electronic and industrial music (thanks to Brainwashed), but also into funk, soul, and jazz. Hearing Fela draw influence from those genres, as well as traditional African percussion, on pieces like "Expensive Shit" and "Zombie" was a revelation. The tracks on Live in Detroit are a natural progression from Fela's '70s material: lengthy, expansive, and freeform (Fela having been a voracious marijuana user, I suppose that only makes sense), frequently emphasizing the jazzy aspects of Fela's sound over his well-documented James Brown and funk influence.

Live in Detroit is notable for several reasons. Chief among them, it represents the first new Fela material to be issued since his 1992 swansong, Underground System. At the time of this concert, Fela had been granted amnesty from a prison stint on false charges of "currency trafficking" (he was freed after two years with help from Amnesty International) and was finally able to launch a debut US tour with Egypt 80. Detroit's Fox Theatre was perhaps the most anticipated stop on the tour: the performing arts center had hosted Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye in their prime, as well as legendary performances by Elvis Presley even earlier. For Fela, this was one of his first big performances on US soil—his Africa 70 band never made it across the pond—and a triumphant return to the spotlight after his prison release. (Though not really "popular" by most measuring sticks, it is impossible to argue with Fela's status as one of Nigeria's best-known and most enduring musicians.)

With a keen sense of humor, Fela comments on his misfortune as he kicks off the concert: "You going your way, mind your business, you didn't do shit, didn't do nothing... next thing, you're in prison, man—just like that." The crowd roars in agreement, and Fela continues: "In my country, things happen just like that," and clarifies that he's referring not only to Nigeria, where he was wrongfully imprisoned, but to all of his "country," Africa. Fela's music was almost always politically charged, a voice of protest in the face of human injustice across Africa, but that's easy to forget as the music kicks in. During "Just Like That," the persistent rhythm section of Fela's Egypt 80 band lays the groundwork for a sprawling performance that cycles through keyboard vamps, trumpet and saxophone solos, poly-rhythmic drumming, chanted background vocals as if from a church choir, and call-and-response interaction with the elated crowd. The performance is brimming with tangible positive energy due to Fela's showmanship. The man who recorded the show, Bob Teagan, recalls that Fela was "dancing all across the massive stage and inciting the crowd to move with him. [...] It was like seeing Bob Marley, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown all rolled into one."

As the evening unfolds, it becomes apparent that Fela is placing focus squarely on his new and then-unreleased material. Each of these songs was among the first Fela wrote upon gaining his freedom: "Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense" and "Just Like That" were released on his 1986 album Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense. The show's energetic, 35-minute closer, "Beast of No Nation," was eventually recorded for 1989's Beasts of No Nation, while "Confusion Break Bones" finally saw the light of day on 1990's O.D.O.O., one of Fela's final studio albums before passing away of AIDS complications in 1997. This focus on all-new material in the set list shows a man unafraid to push forward with his music. Fela clearly considered Egypt 80 to be a wholly separate entity from Africa 70 a decade prior, with which he recorded his best known, and most politically provocative, music.

The sound quality on Live in Detroit is rich and nicely mastered, especially given its prior status as a bootleg crowd recording. Quieter moments are shot through with occasional crowd chatter and clapping, and at times throughout the performance, the crowd roars in approval while the music stays constant, and it's clear Fela is engaging with the audience in ways that would be better captured on film, not an audio recording. Though never dull, the sprawling nature of Live in Detroit can, at times, seem like an endurance test: four songs, two-and-a-half hours, and a couple spoken-word interludes from Fela. My inclination has been to play one of the discs on repeat: for example, getting engulfed in 40 minutes of "Confusion Break Bones" as if listening to ambient music that just happens to encompass elements of funk, jazz, and African music. None of this is to say that Live in Detroit isn't worth picking up—especially as a gateway to Fela's less canonized '80s music—but that listening to these CDs, as with all live recordings, isn't quite the same as being there.

Samples:

• Just Like That
• Confusion Break Bones
• Beast of No Nation

04 May 2012

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Albums and Singles

Shockout
The first essential compilation of the year for me has come in the form of a Shockout Records retrospective that collects tracks previously released only vinyl. It couldn't have come too soon because tracking down the 12" and 7" records these songs are from has been alternatingly frustrating or impossible. That the brand of mash up ragga jungle breaks that Shockout deals in is not more widely accepted is a crime. This, to me, is what pop music ought to sound like in 2004. I'm not deluded: I don't expect the Bug and Wayne Lonesome to achieve Britney or U2 status, but there's no good reason this stuff hasn't broken out of its fringe niche market. When I think about the perfect pop song, there is a pretty standard formula that weighs down on just about every pop song ever hummed in a car or slapped on a mix tape. It has to be short; GYBE is great, but it's beyond the attention span of the pop audience. It has to have a catchy rhythm or melody, and by nature of the ragga/dub/jungle fusion, all of these tracks have that. It also needs a vocal hook, because no matter what the cutsey, instrumental electro-pop discs that fly over from Germany like to think, a pop song is anchored by the vocal. While I can't understand half of what the MCs are saying on these tracks, they are nevertheless some of the best hooks anyone has put to music in the last few years. I don't know how many times I've walked out of the elevator in my building singing "Killer" or "WWW" to myself. By bringing together the raw grit of hardcore hip hop, an experimental studio approach to production, the rhythms and mashed up collages of jungle and breakbeat music, and the soul of ragga and dancehall the Shockout artists are essentially creating the recipie for the perfect multi-cultural distopian pop of our generation. That this stuff gets resigned to relative obscurity and special-order status means that it's not likely that the sound or the scene will evolve as quickly as it should. When mainstream artists are producing some of the sickest and slickest beats and taking more risks than their underground counterparts, it opens up a whole new world of innovation and experimentation that inevitably leads to something even fresher and weirder. The artists on the Shockout roster should be approaching that kind of uncomfortable intermediate area where what they are doing is recognized enough to lead some of them into the neverland of major labels, but instead the whole thing is promoted with the zeal for the underground that limits its audience unnecessarily. It's a dedication that I admire on the one hand, but simply don't understand on the other. Surely there's a way to keep the artistic integrity in tact while getting discs like this into the hands of the millions of people who would no doubt love them if they knew Shockout existed. Look for the bandwagon to be rolling in 2005, and for Shockout to continue to lead the way.

• Soundmurderer & SK-1/Wayne Lonesome - Who Wan Seek War (Rewind Mix)
• The Bug vs. Rootsman/Mexican - WWW (Kid 606 Remix)
• Rootsman/He-Man - Killer

04 May 2012

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Albums and Singles

Piehead
Of all the Piehead releases this year, the ninth in the monthly series from Accelera Deck was the one I was most interested in hearing. Having loved some of his earlier work and then really despised his last EP, I waited for Hereafter wondering which Accelera Deck would turn up. As it turns out, I'm quite taken with most of the tunes here, and there's only one that leaves me scratching my head, wondering what the hell is supposed to be going on. For the first three tracks of the disc, the ambient drone, guitar noise Accelera Deck is in full play, and these pieces work well in creating atmosphere and momentum. Feedback and mic noise and guitar buzzing is easily coxed into a world of loops and textures that create a sometimes playful, sometimes menacing environment. "Fireflies" devoles from a pretty ambient excusrion into sputtering clicks and noise that lead into the disc's only real weakness. And for all its clicks and digital abstractions, I was even with the meandering "Wide Awake" until about the five minute mark when I threw up my hands and yelled "What is the point?" It sounds like the song just goes into algorhithmic auto-pilot and while the programming and synthesis at work might itself be interesting on a conceptual level, it's just not a fun listen. Experimentation and risk-taking like this is commendable, but artists who bank on it need to be able to recognize when it works and when it flops. After the all-out glich assault of "Wide Awake", the melody of "Immacualte" sounds almost overly-sentimental, but it's a beautiful and welcome rest from the noise. The record closes with soft, reverb-drenched chords that echo out into the ether, brining the journey of Hereafter to a purposeful and appropriate end. The disc clocks in at only 37 minutes, but the great majority of those are minutes worth exploring and embracing.

• Fireflies
• Wide Awake
• Immaculate

04 May 2012

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Albums and Singles

Room40
Buoy, the latest from DJ Olive,is a strong departure from the blunted beats and urban soundscapes for which he is most well known. Following closely on the heels of his participation in another Room40 release, the Melatonin compilation that was centered around themes of sleep, Buoy provides a single 60+ minute track of sleepy alpha wave drones and dream state murmurs. This is womb music: syrupy liquid sounds humming and surrounding everything with a warm, fluid bath. There are faint noises from the outside world that occassionally trickle in, but the vast majority of Buoy is an isolated and insulated swirl that feels as smooth as it does effortless. Unlike the compositions for which Olive coined the term, "illbient," this piece is clearly centered around a comforting ambience that hints at both solace and protection. It's interesting in that respect that the disc is all drone and pulse and electronic tone, but it never sounds dark. A similar set of ingredients in Olive's hands many years ago might have given way to something a little more unsettling or disquiet, but Buoy remains calm and unthreatening. While his instructions on the inside of the CD case suggest playing the disc as quietly as possible, a dark room, a thick blanket, and the headphones turned up to ten would be my recommendation.

• exerpt 1
• exerpt 2
• exerpt 3

04 May 2012

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ICR
Steven Stapleton and Colin Potter's voluntary three-month banishment tothe icy realms of Lofoten, Norway has borne fruit in the form of thisdouble album on ICR. As was reported, these two prime movers ofexperimental sound were sent high above the Arctic Circle May throughJuly of this year, with limited recording equipment and no musicalinstruments, to record a series of audio responses to their harshenvironment, which were then transmitted to the local mariner's radiostation at unannounced intervals. Stapleton and Potter have furtheredited and processed the original broadcasts, ending up with a total oftwo hours of sound, seven lengthy tracks. Shipwreck Radioworks best when Stapleton and Potter seem to be genuinely interactingand responding to their alien, inhospitable environment, rather thanfalling back on familiar NWW strategies. The microcosmic sound world ofice slowly melting and cracking apart merge with the lonely, distantcalls of arctic seabirds on the compelling "June 17," which slowlybackslides into glacial crevasse where a mutually indecipherableconversation between Stapleton and a Norwegian child is repeatedlylooped and mutated. Each track is named for the date that it wasbroadcast, and a handy map of the Lofoten Archipelago is printed on thediscs themselves, showing the geographical location where eachrecording was made. When the artists seem to be most engaged with theirenvironment — forming makeshift percussion out of blocks of ice, partsof vessels and disused metal scrap and transforming recordings ofarctic creatures, water runoff and wind tunnel noises into organicdrones — Shipwreck Radio really clicks as an album and aconcept. On the opposite end of the spectrum are tracks like thealbum's opener "June 15," which renders the source recordingscompletely unrecognizable, digitally processing them into a distorted,post-industrial rhythmic dirge that wears out its welcome well beforethe ten-minute mark has been reached. Colin Potter's droning muse seemsto have exerted a stronger influence on disc two, which exploitsenvironmental noises and subtle looping and processing to createtextural expanses of beautifully chilly ambience. "June 5" sounds likean orchestra slowly succumbing to the pulse-deadening effects ofhypothermia, stretching out each chord to epic lengths, as ever moreminute bits of audio detritus pan around the stereo channels. As thealbum trudges on, things become darker, more menacing and moresluggish, perhaps as a result of the inevitable fatigue experienced insuch a hostile environment where the sun unmercifully shines for nearly24 hours each day. There is an organic, impromptu feel to much of thismusic that lends it an immediacy not usually experienced with NurseWith Wound music, which often seems rather painstakingly processed,mutated and generally tortured to within an inch of its life. Thishelps the album operate as a sort of freeform travelogue or audiodiary. The first edition of 100 copies came with a bonus disc, Lofoten Deadhead(a reference to the excerpted bit of Norwegian radio where a localexplains why the Grateful Dead is "the ultimate band"), which containsmore variations on the same audio sources, as well as a 30-minute trackof untreated recordings of Stapleton and Potter experimenting withdifferent methods of creating compelling noises from theirsurroundings, fussing about with objects and arguing with each other.It's unfortunate that this was not included on the album proper, as itis both entertaining and provides a glimpse into the duo's workingmethods that enriches the material on the other two discs. Takentogether, even with its momentary lapses of originality, Shipwreck Radio is a fascinating entry in both artists' substantial discographies.

samples:

• June 17
• June 5
• June 5 (Bonus Disc)

04 May 2012

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Albums and Singles

Knowing that there could be voices around us all the time that are simply very difficult to hear is a bit of an unsettling notion. A small essay provided on this release and written by Konstantin Raudive outlines how to record what he calls "voice-phenomenon."Andrew Liles

The essay details proper tape speeds and proper procedure for recording the voices of ghosts and it also goes on to classify three different kinds of voices that seem to be most numerous in his work. The third type of voice, the one that even a trained ear finds difficulty hearing and understanding, is the the kind that populates Andrew Liles' reconstruction of the excellent Bass Communion record, Ghosts on Magnetic Tape. Liles continues to make me wonder at his disposition, I'm always torn between supposing he's a very haunted, talented individual and the image of him as a medium between this world and that of monsters, demons, and phantoms. His music has always been on the creepier side of the extended tone and at times he can be outright disturbing in his presentation. His reconstruction of Bass Communion's album incorporates pseudo voices into a music whose soul was already suffused with essence of the unknown. Each of the five tracks is the owner of a unique voice; the reconstruction of "Ghosts on Magnetic Tape II" begins with the sound of a choir of angels echoing inside the belly of sunken cathedral — bells ringing, organ choking, and water crushing through each second. It doesn't take long before a whisper pinches in through the wall of sound, running its fingers over my ears, and passing like a wind through the smallest opening in a window. It's a shocking moment because it's so convincing: I'm led to believe this must be a genuine recording. Whether or not it's actually the voice of an individual who no longer touches the physical plain is questionable. Perhaps it's the soul of an individual through sound and perhaps it is a trick played on the self through the imagination. I prefer to believe in the former. At times I'm tricked into believing this record is safe; there is no trepidation in me and the almost liquid rolling of hums and sparks seem welcoming. Liles is not to be trusted because he will open up a chasm of fear so quickly that any apparent tranquility that follows will seem immediately imposing and capable of psychological scrambling. This album was limited to 1,000 copies, 200 of which came signed, numbered, and contained a special photograph. The music inside is far more rare than the record itself, however. I'm beginning to have trouble deciding whether this is music or a method for the living to come to know the dead. It feels almost religous at times and elsewhere it is tense and disturbing. It just doesn't feel like it belongs on the earth at times.

samples:

• Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Reconstruction) II
• Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Reconstruction) IV
• Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Reconstruction) V

 

04 May 2012

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Albums and Singles

North East Indie
This Rosetta Stone of the Shoal catalog is finally re-released viatheir ever loyal current label for the first time since its vinyl-onlypressing in 1995. Their first 12" LP, originally self-released at 1000copies, shows the band at their earliest stages: a noodling,hard-edged, and often very derivative ensemble. Influences are so clearthey're transparent, with vocal performances almost ripped off frombands that were their contemporaries or their predecessors, anddynamics that bring to mind seminal recordings that helped shape orredefine whole genres of experimental music. Not to say that the bandisn't speaking with its own voice even on these songs, as there aretinges and aesthetics present that are still in play with their oeuvretoday, some ten years later. There is something to be said, though,that they were still searching for the right mix of the elements toinspire themselves and win over the masses. Maybe searching for theright members, as well, since the band is famous for a rotating cast ofcharacters that changed at least from album to album and sometimes inthe midst of recording one. At any rate, there's still a few momentsworthy of awe or discussion, and plenty to keep the mind racing on acold winter night. "Elena" has bright melodies and spoken word buriedin its subconscious, where "Change" leaves nothing below the surface orto the imagination, with explosive guitars, screams, and loud "oohs"that howl on and on as the heat increases. The key track, though, isthe penultimate "Breakaway Cable Terminal," with a gorgeous mix of theold and the new, the odd vocal performance mixed with the rawaggression but quieter jam moments framing both. There's even a hiddentrack, released presumably for the first time, as an added extra forthe loyalists. Cerberus Shoal are vital, original, and extreme, anduntil now some might have believed that it hasn't always been this way.Finally the truth can be told.

samples:

• Elena
• Change
• Breakaway Cable Terminal

04 May 2012

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Albums and Singles

Morr
Collaborations have sometimes strengthened the work of the artistsinvolved, and have expanded their sometimes limited reach, but oftentimes they are also lackluster, producing yet more doubt anduncertainty as well as boredom in the clicks and blips that fly out ofthe speakers and through the air. Duo505 do not have such problems, asthe music contained on their debut is a perfect collaboration wheremaestros and messrs. B. Fleischmann and Herbert Weixelbaum take turnswaxing philosophical to transcend their own individual sound. One ofthe two will produce a track and send it to the other, where a secondtrack is added of the second collaborator's design. Two tracks, each anextension of the other — even though they were made at separate times —that merge in and out of each other's safe space in a truly dynamic andunique waver. Almost imperceptible is each man's part in theproceedings, but it's as though one handles the beat and melody, andthe other the trimmings, then vice versa on the following track. Thesetwo know each other so well that it is an almost effortless creation ofcerebral concoctions. "Nochwas" is ready for the clubs, a trounce andbounce frolic that soars and thumps at the same time; "Facing It" is ametallurgist nightmare of clangs and rolls that still mesmerizes.Through every track there is a connection that can't be underestimated,and live these two must be a treat to behold. On record, they arenothing short of a vision, or, like the Trans Am track title says, asingle ray of light on an otherwise cloudy day.

samples:

• Lsdj08
• Facing It
• Nochwas

04 May 2012

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Albums and Singles

~scape
For this jaded, disgruntled music critic, there is little more gratingthan a concept release that defines its intended strategy, executes iteffectively, and ultimately comes out sounding like a complete waste oftime and energy. With the aptly titled Nocturnes, False Dawns & Breakdowns,his second album for ~scape, Berlin-based Andrew Peklar quietly combatsthat all-too-common quandary with an ear-pleasing fusion of postmidnight jazz and electronic atmospheres. Drawing considerableinspiration from legends such as Miles Davis and Sun Ra, Peklarcomposes somber, mysterious noirish landscapes that both complement thethematic darkness and pay homage to his musical predecessors. The briefopening track "Here Comes The Night," a swaggeringly slow dirge, setsthe stage for the bulk of the consistently grim and pensive materialthat follows. From there, "Arches" leads with keyboard melodies anddrumming of increasing intensity, peaking with a near cacophony thatstill somehow maintains a sense of confident control. "Wait" introducessoft yet meaningful horn playing, treated with a delay that meshes wellwith the glitchy pastiche of percussive and airy elements. The quirkyand distinctly loop-based "Stardusting" specifically reminds of JanJelinek's work for the label with its sampler intermittently stutteringone specific section amidst the comparatively subtler cut-ups. "InCircles" toys with twinkling xylophone tones before fading into"Nocturne 3", where ambient noise bleeds through the deep bass anddisplaced voices, held together by a certain trip-hop sensibility."False Dawns" finds itself stuck between the preceeding tracks and adigital dub asthetic more characteristic of the ~scape roster, veeringat times into a soundtrack of the climax of some paranoiac sciencefiction film. Much like with labelmate Jan Jelinek's forward thinking Loop Finding Jazz Records,careful headphone-aided analysis of these tracks reveals approximateloop points and edit markers, though for true appreciation it should belistened to without quasi-scientific consideration of its technicalmake-up. While woefully concise at under 40 minutes, Nocturnes, False Dawns & Breakdownsacts as a brief window into a private world only found in the earlyhours, and only accessible to those willing to stay awake for it.

samples:

• Arches
• False Dawn
• Stardusting