Rui Gato - Chaosmos, released on Test Tube, is a collection of three tracks originally intended for an art venue last year. Each track adds to the complexity of the previous, making the first feel somehow pure. It’s as if the cosmos Gato is describing is awakening gently out of innocence, rather than a climatic big bang.
M1 has hidden depths that reveal themselves at louder volumes; there’s subtitles in the reverberations in the background, so that the distracting drone belies the complexity of the piece. Gradually, Gato introduces changes to the drone which appear to indicate a climax but then are rudely interrupted by the transition to M2 Extended. M2, with its ice-like sounds and bubbling parodies of strings that change chords in quite a lively manner, is very different from M1. For some reason, the complimentary sounds in M2 sound as if the laws of physics are being defied.
M3 Final crunches its way through several iterations, adding new elements, until it evens out into a house/dub-like progression. Gato uses effects here, mangling and filtering the sounds artfully, until there’s space to develop the harmonies more fully towards the end.
Despite each track being quite different, the description on Test Tube urges us to contemplate the entire EP as a whole. I found this release by accident on archive.org, but I’m enjoying it immensely and it’s urged me to listen to Rui Gato’s CD, Elastic Void.
Update: I originally thought that abrupt ending was on purpose, but apparently not! M1 was slightly broken, and there’s a complete version up now. I liked the mistake though, which reminds me of the aesthetics of accidents section in Iman Moradi’s glitch aesthetics paper.
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I noticed Matmos are playing in London on March 19th:
Long time Bjork collaborators and general left field experimentalist duo Matmos, aka MC Schmidt and Drew Daniel, will appear for a very special performance as part of Ether 2005. Having released their first album back in 1997 on their own Vague Terrain label, they have gone on to produce 5 studio albums utilising diverse sound sources including amplified crayfish, rat cages, life support systems and a 5 gallon bucket of oatmeal.
The Wire also has an excellent Invisible Jukebox this month with Drew Daniel.
I noticed these two performances on the Sonic Arts Network mailing list: Kronos Quartet performing the soundtrack to Requiem For A Dream and Ensemble Modern performing Steve Reich’s You Are (Variations).
Tue 18 Jan 7:30pm
Steve Reich’s influence on contemporary music is immeasurable. Arguably the founding father of minimalism, Reich’s music has touched classical, jazz, pop and world musicians alike. Grammy-Award winning Ensemble Modern returns to the Barbican to perform his work, including the UK premiere of You Are (Variations).
Sat 22 Jan 7:30pm
Kronos present the works of five composers including a world premiere by Meredith Monk, experimental composer, vocalist, choreographer and filmmaker. Kronos also perform music from the film score to Darren Aronofsky’s film Requiem For a Dream, composed by Clint Mansell (front man of British indie rock band Pop Will Eat Itself), and works by Michael Gordon, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Willem Jeths and Alexandra du Bois.
I went through The Wire’s MP3 library on Friday (prompted by their new email newsletter), and found a few things I liked. I wouldn’t have expected Douglas Lilburn there, which was refreshing next to the other music. It’s funny how some of the sounds in White Noise Study remind me of a few things I’ve heard on Skam in the last few years.
Douglas Lilburn - #1 (Five Toronto Pieces 1969)
Douglas Lilburn - White Noise Study (Five Toronto Pieces 1963)
These are from ‘Some Paths Lead You Back Again’, Highpoint Lowlife’s new compilation:
Accrual - Dodgson’s Pleasure
Daigoro - Sleepy Fish
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I noticed the London Musician’s Collective and Sprawl have events coming up in January:
IN NEW YEAR: our 29th Birthday Celebration: “about last night…” on the 8th January 2005: a gala concert featuring numerous special acts. At the Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’s on Old Street. And it’s free. Watch this space for full details.
January 05 and we are celebrating NINE YEARS of Sprawl: - 9 years of literally hundreds of different amazing acts and sounds, whether on a regular monthly basis (and the odd weeklies) or hosting special events at a variety of venues.
Wed 12th Jan 05
Pirandèlo (live)
Katzo (live)
J-lab (live)
o.acam (DJ)
As always, we are presenting a selection of oddbeats, impro, soundscapes & cutting edge sounds:
I got The Wire today, and noticed an article on Dälek (I posted about their collaboration with Faust recently). I was having a conversation with a friend recently about the state of rap metal, because we’d been listening to Faith No More, Tomahawk and reminiscing on Rage Against The Machine. It turns out that Dälek are signed to Mike Patton’s label, Ipecac.
Manual’s track on the Intelligent Toys compilation came on my iPod randomly today, and it was so good that I decided to find out more about him. I noticed that Manual & Syntaks - Golden Sun fuses noise and hiphop too.
After reading The Wire a little bit more during my commute, I found Afrirampo. Two crazed Japanese girls making rock/punk and performing, disturbing and entertaining people. They’ve played with Acid Mothers Temple too, which I keep listening to lately.
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My friend Todd was in Burundi a few years back reporting on yet another war there. He brought a little dictaphone with him and made a whole bunch of mini-recordings of interviews, music and the sounds of war. I recently listened to his “best of” CD of these recordings and picked a few of my favourites for the site.
The most interesting, in my opinion, are Burundian president Buyoya’s little speeches…
I found this weblog post yesterday, that strangely coincides with political debates I’ve been having recently. My argument was that the old style of investigative journalism that seems to have died will come back in full force with native people reporting on the situation in their own countries using modern technology. I’m well aware that not everyone has access to such expensive technology (or even electricity), but since the media and politicians continue to gloss over events in so called ‘civilized’ countries, things may begin to change.
I thought I’d posted about Stafrænn Hákon before, but I can’t find references on this site to him so maybe not. I’m pretty sure I heard him on one of The Wire’s compilations… He writes melodic and delicate music, and sometimes uses those 90’s post-rock tremolo picking guitar sounds that remind me of God’s Speed You Black Emperor and Mono (which I love).
Perhaps I’ll persuade someone to order me some of his stuff for Christmas…
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I’ve been a bit out of touch lately, a complicated love-life is to blame. My sister kindly offered to buy me a CD for Christmas, knowing that I love music, so I found myself making lists on Boomkat for things I’ve missed out on over the last month. I noticed they’ve got Phonophani’s CD now, which I’ve been looking forward to. I also found this, which sounds utterly delicious!
I read about this release on Igloomag, and it sounds like something I’d be interested in.
Fifteen years later than it should be, this debut album from the Secret Frequency Crew is one of those albums that bedroom IDM producers will be referring to in their influences lists for the next fifteen. It resonates like the founding fathers - early work by Autechre, Black Dog, Boards of Canada and Future Sound of London. Now don’t get me wrong, this is not derivative –this album is just beautiful and timeless in the same way.
My friend recently handed me an MD packed with early 90’s electronica. It’s perhaps one of the best mixtapes/discs I’ve ever been given! None of those amusing tracks or filler tracks, it’s just quality music - sometimes bordering on hangovers from the acid days and sometimes verging on the madness of contemporary electronica today. I’m really in the mood for those kinds of sounds again. In fact, I should post the playlist here. This Secret Frequency Crew release sounds like a great Christmas present for that friend of mine…