Entries categorized as ‘electronic’
01 Takehito Shimazu Zytoplasma (10:55)
02 Boguslaw Schaeffer Maa’ts (9:55)
03 Rolf Enström Fractal (22:22)
Total time 43:12
LP released on Edition RZ, 1985
Take a look at Berlin’s 1984 Inventionen Festival’s program and you realise how consistent the choices of organizer Robert Zank were: NY sound artist Yoshi(masa) Wada; Montreal’s electro-acoustic improvising group Sondes; François Bayle and Bernard Parmegiani from INA-GRM; composers from South America and Sweden. The works on this LP were showcased and sometimes premiered during the Festival’s 2nd edition, hence the ‘Inventionen II’ title. Takehito Shimazu (b.1949) is a Japanese electronic and computer music composer whose works have been well received in Europe. His track ‘Zytoplasma’ is build on a constant electronic drone, growing in pitch and intensity for the first 7 minutes. It will be the basis to a rigid grid of electronic bleeps and buzzes, an evocation of a primary soup growing in intensity and diversity, starting with simple sound cells morphing into more complex sonic organisms (white noise, sort of). Thanks to its fine synthetic sounds, varied textures and un-hurried pace, the piece is a joy to listen to. Boguslaw Schaefer was featured on vol. I already – please refer to previous post for info. Composed at Stockholm’s EMS studios by Swedish Rolf Enström (b.1951), ‘Fractal’ was premiered at Inventionen ‘84. It is an ambitious electroacoustic composition based on processed sounds from classical instruments as well as synth and computer parts. The inspiration apparently comes from processed photos. The music is purely electroacoustic with great care to timbre: sounds are included for their timbral properties, mostly like musical objects under the scrutiny of the composer. To no surprise for an Edition RZ LP, sound quality is very good, appropriately for this kind of music. Is this reason enough not to reissue it on CD? – I wonder.
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Categories: contemporary european · electronic
01 Steady State (4:27)
02 Metal (1:05)
03 Gone To Hell In A Bucket (6:00)
04 The Melting (6:32)
05 The One That Got Away (3:44)
06 Ships (1:47)
07 Bebag (21:20)
Robert Cox: marimba, guitars, keyboards
Total time 44:50
LP released by Cordelia Records, UK, 1985
Elaborating on 1960s’ Systems Music, Rimarimba aka Robert Cox adapted it to the 1980s’ New Aesthetic, ie bass+synth formula, programmed coldness and computer-repetition. In so doing he was part of an important trend in UK including: Andrew Poppy, The Dead Goldfish Ensemble, Peeved Records, and elsewhere Enrico Piva. ‘Below The Horizon’ was originally released as a cassette on Unlikely Records in 1983 (URT81), then reissued on Peeved Records the same year (PV007) and finally reissued on LP by Cordelia in 1985 (ERICAT 008). Now what’s so special about this album? The obvious answer is that Cox is a skilled composer able to coin ear-catching melodies, an apt guitar player and sensible effect pedal user at ease with complex yet square rhythms. The fact all this takes place inside the simple time-frame of repetitive synth loops is all the more remarkable. Track #05 The One That Got Away and #07 Bebag have more than one hint to Steve Reich’s Nagoya Marimba (c. 1994) played by a New Wave band. The acoustic-electronic balance is fine throughout on this remarkable album. [See 'In The Woods' here.]
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Categories: avant rock · electronic
38 tracks (including twelve 10-seconds silent tracks)
To play on shuffle mode.
Total time 66mn
Free CD published by pedagogical network Erasme and Rhône area, France, 2007
Lionel Marchetti is a French electroacoustic music composer (b1967) who started releasing discs in 1993 under the influence of Michel Chion. Since then he released highly original discs like ‘Portrait d’un glacier’(2001), ‘Noord Five Atlantica’ (2006) and my favorite ‘Train de Nuit’ (2002). The Musique.laclasse.com CD is the result of numerous workshops he conducted in schools with children from 12 to 16 years old. The composer helps the kids record source material then process it themselves with effects and montage. This CD is a selection of some of these musique concrète tracks and is meant to be played on shuffle mode with the silent tracks popping up here and there. Some of Marchetti’s own technique springs up here and there but with a fresh and naive take on musique concrète. The Musique.laclasse.com is also a cute website with updated soundfiles.
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Categories: electronic · field recording · french
01 Brain Pan Murmur Part I (0:45)
02 Cosmic Mariner… Destination Unknown (7:32)
03 Made Perfect Through Suffering (5:30)
04 Pink Sea (21:41)
05 Mainframe Collapse (12:26)
06 Brain Pan Murmur Part II (18:15)
Total time 1h6mn
CD-R limited to 50 copies, PsychoChrist Productions, 2004
Plethora is Seattle musician Stan Reed, a member of noise music outfit Blue Sabbath Black Cheer and The Broken Penis Orchestra, the latter a surrealist/absurdist one-man band and sometimes Nurse With Wound associate. Reed uses the Plethora alias to channel his more ear-friendly electroacoustic musical ideas. This extremely limited CD-R is noted as ‘deleted’ from Reed’s own label MySpace page, and most of Plethora’s dozen or so other releases (mostly as cassettes or CD-Rs) are either ridiculously limited, out of print or unavailable. ‘The Inner Workings…’ offers a series of minimal, electronic installations where a few creaking and groaning sounds are set in motion in front of the listener while the composer applies various sound treatments, a bit like a David Tudor at the mixing board. Tracks #4 and 5 are by far the most impressive of the set, their glacial and mysterious proceedings reminiscent of Brume, Ricardo Mandolini or Ricardo Sinigaglia. While the music certainly lacks stereo imaging and is rather mono-dimensional, it is indeed well balanced between electronic sounds and musique concrete (samples from a closing door or motor engine, for instance). Outstanding disc.
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Categories: electronic
01 Gebremster Fallschschirm (22:26)
02 Sammelpunkt (7:40)
03 Ping Pong (4:13)
04 Spiel Zigeuner (4:35)
05 Metallom (3:42)
06 Schlaflied (3:31)
07 Mönchhausen (2:30)
08 Aus Zweiter Hand (6:14)
09 Stimmen Der Dust (1:45)
Total time 56:40
Self-released cassette, East Berlin, DDR, 1987
Jorg Thomasius and Dieter Zobel were part of the East German cassette underground of the late 1980s. They released solo tapes, duos or collaborations on various labels like Audiophile Tapes, Prion or Epitapes. Both were members of the infamous Das Frei Orchester. Thomasius released his first solo LP ‘Tomato’ in 1988 on Generations Unlimited (USA), and later collaborated with Conrad Schnitzler, Guido Huebner, Doc Wör Mirran, Lars Stroschen and André Ruschkowski, etc. Dieter Zobel is a member of Perestroika Performance Combo and a programmer who creates many music softwares. The A side of ‘Freizeit’ is guitar+synth feedback with various sound effects with influences ranging from science-fiction movies to Richard Pinhas and german space-rock. The guitar solos can be described as ambient-Lord Litter. The B side is a collection of short electronic studies based on individual sounds, effects and loops. Tracks are varied and entertaining thanks also to the addition of some vocals.
Thanks to Don Campau [+] for the music+pictures.
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Categories: avant rock · electronic
01 Bird Variations #1 (2:15)
02 Bird Variations #2 (2:23)
03 Bird Variations #3 (2:58)
04 Bird Variations #4 (3:50)
05 The Black And White Cat (3:05)
06 Este’s Request (4:33)
07 The Fountain (8:38)
08 Equinox Weather (2:48)
09 Rico In The Birdhouse (5:41)
10 Retreat (5:30)
Total time 41:39
LP released on FUN Music, Albany, CA, 1982
A rare example of American musique concrète, ‘Neighborhood With A Sky’ was Philip Perkins’s first LP release on his own Fun Music label, after several cassettes including ‘Apartment Life’ (1980) and ‘Tapeworks 1975-80′ (1981) and a 7” titled ‘Tool’s Paint’ in 1981.The label was founded by Scott Fraser, David Ocker, ‘Blue’ Gene Tyranny and Perkins in 1979. For more info on Philip Perkins, see previous post. The LP is a collection of magnificent musique concrète miniatures based on massively processed location recordings. The effects (pitch modification, speed change, reverb, phasing) are so generously applied it is sometimes hard to identify the sound source. The latter includes a purring cat, water, clock mechanism, birds, construction noises (or street cleaners?), . . . Some synth and electronic effects are added here and there, merely enhancing the poetic and magical sound effects of some tracks. The music is very focused but un-dogmatic. Other examples of US musique conrète composers I can think of include John Wiggins and Richard Lerman, but not much more.
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Categories: electronic · field recording
01 Abandoned (5:00)
02 And… forgotten (4:43)
Total time 9:43
7” single released by The Ajna Offensive, USA, 1999
Ultra was an experimental music trio from Seattle composed of R. Stanford King, Wesley Mark and Jon Carlson with several LP releases on DOM America, the US branch of the German DOM label. They started recording their trademark deranged music in 1986 – an unusual mix of unsettling melodies, weird sounds, obsessive synth loops, occasional piano compositions courtesy Brad Anderson (on the remarkable Stain CD) and undecipherable vocals. On this single they were augmented by Eric Lanzillotta on ’stringboards and sound sculpture’ – the latter, founder of Anomalous Records, now runs the Bixobal zine. The pasted color pictures of Hans Bellmer and the gatefold sleeve with inserts give this release a real classy touch, while the 2 tracks are based on synth loops and weird background sounds. Their references quotes Surrealism, Roland Barthes’ erotic writings, Sade,… Their idea of surrealism ranges from the plain absurd to the greatly deranged, including deviant sexuality, scatology and spontaneous poetry. This 7” offers a pair of synth loops tracks, augmented by bass drones and obscure, hushed vocals, creating an unsettling feeling of witnessing some dark alcove secret.
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Categories: electronic · sound art
01 Tjandra (5:34)
02 Rawana (3:04)
03 Nadi (10:32)
04 Surija (3:43)
05 Ramayana (3:15)
06 Ketjak (2:18)
07 Agúng Raka–Dalang (5:40)
08 Gong–Gede (5:44)
Total time 39:30
LP released on Celestial Harmonies, 1980
A multifaceted German composer, Eberhard Schoener (born Stuttgart, 1938) studied classical music (violin and conducting) before broadening his scope through extensive Far East travels and electronic music. He even provided incidental music for Derrick in 1988. Bali Agúng was a German TV program about German musicians in Bali meeting a Gamelan orchestra, the latter later touring in Germany. This was the 3rd edition of the original 1975 Harvest LP reissued by Celestial Harmonies, a US label ran by German expat Eckart Rahn who moved to the US to distribute Popol Vuh and Henry Wolff & Nancy Hennings LPs from German catalogues. The music on Bali Agúng blends ambient synth, space rock, Raymond Scott-like early electronics, Gamelan orchestra and Ketjak singers. It doesn’t seem German and Indonesian musicians actually collaborated but the location recordings are used to good effect, counter-balancing the occasional synthesizer tracks. The result sounds original to this day. Eberhard Schoener’s project is quite different from Wendy Carlos’s own ‘Beauty In The Beast’ 1986 LP where she expertly programmed synthesizers to perform Gamelan rhythms. The electronics on Bali Agúng never tries to imitate Indonesian music, but they are used as a counterpoint. The last track, Gong-Gede, mixes Gamelan metallophones with fierce drum-kit solos and spacey electronics, coalescing together via studio montage technique. The LP is an impressive and unforgettable experience, not mere cross-over, but Westerners-meet-Balinese music experiments. [see official website]
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Categories: electronic · field recording
