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Kristian, Shalabi, St-Onge
You might imagine that if you combined the twisted electronics of David Kristian, the virtuoso playing of Sam Shalabi and demented avant fuckery of Alexandre St-Onge, the result would be an insane soup of aural mayhem. The first commercially available release of this Montreal-based improv supergroup is actually quite the opposite.
Taking the low-end route, the album's first tracks feaure nearly subsonic rumblings from Kristian while Shalabi and St-Onge — on oud and upright bass, respectively — are almost having a contest to see who can out-quiet each other while still tactfully coloring the music. Continuing on, the electronics seem to shift into a more vibrant mode, taking center attention as opposed to underscore, with a repetitious crescendo, almost like waves crashing while the stringed players do their best to keep up. This stops for a bit while the electronics take the wheel completely, but it soon returns to a clearly observable interactive trio, as the stringed instruments are bowed and plucked while the electronics return to a grumbling sub-bass hum. Fans of improv and Shalabi Effect, Kristian or St-Onge's stuff will most likely have this record already but those new to the scene wouldn't suffer having this in their collection.
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