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Hybrid Electronica
Robert H. King cut and pastes his way through some current experimental
CD releases.
Browsing through the racks of the more discerning record stores it is
heartening to see a renaissance in the fields of experimentation and collaboration.
Musical barriers and genres are becoming less divided, distinctions and
labels are becoming blurred, paving the way for a wealth of audio adventures
and electronic possibilities. Seemingly disparate musicians converge in
the studio and live arena; Improv veterans like AMM's Eddie Prevost
engaging with Kinetic sculptor Max Eastley and guitar loop-drone guru
Robert Hampson (Main), sax supremo Lol Coxhill fusing with the pacific
electronica of Australian Paul Schütze, the list is endless. The
results creating new cross cultural currents in music's textural paths.
This cross fertilisation is being embraced on an international scale and
has emerged from the (post) Industrial scene and the realm of 're-mix
culture'.
For a prime example of this new hybrid you need look no further than the
latest CD ep by ethno primitive percussionists O Yuki Conjugate. Sunchemical
(Staalplaat, STCDO96) is six radically different reworkings of this track
from their (highly recommended) 'Equator' album (an eclectic
fusion of tongue drums, marimbas, body percussion and other world instruments).
Highlights of this ep being the intricate droning soundscapes achieved
by the aforementioned Robert Hampson and a dancefloor reworking by Charles
Webster, the slow keyboards wash over delicate pulsing drum loops and
by the time the bass kicks in you can almost imagine a sea of hands held
high in dance anthem fervour.
Andrew Hulme is a member of OYC and has recently launched a mail order
only label (7°) with Paul Schütze. During a recent meeting with
Andrew he explained that "We just want to keep total control over
something for a change, this is our response to various bad experiences
with labels over the years, we'll (Paul and myself) be handling every
aspect of the releases on the label". Admirable sentiments that pay
off as is evident in their first release, Fell (7°, 960115) is a lavishly
packaged (foil embossed, hardback, cloth bound, signed and numbered limited
edition of 999) collaboration by Schütze & Hulme. Andrew is a
seasoned world traveller and has amassed an impressive digital collection
of environmental sounds, ranging from hi-fi markets in Bangkok to roadside
Gamelan in Bali. They have taken extracts from these recordings and woven
them into a seamless travelogue of electronic exotica. Repeated listening
to Fell continue to reveal the dedication that has gone into this work,
new sounds continue to emerge if you listen beyond the ebb and flow of
the electronics and attempt to follow the street noises or even the faint
strains of the gamelan. This isn't linear listening by any means,
the digital editing involved here has created many paths to follow, and
listening to this in the open air adds further depth to this remarkable
work.
Speaking of the outside environment, the latest release on the American
based Projekt label, Steve Roach & Vidna Obmana - Well of Souls
(Projekt 60) creates a sense of immense space over its two disc set. Roach
is best known for his early 'new age' synth epics and more recently
with his embracing of ethnic and handmade percussion works (including
using his Cannondale mountain bike) whist VO's Dirk Serries has emerged
from a post industrial background to a current approach of an almost minimalist
form of sound painting. Combined they have produced a stunning collection
of material that is a vast expanse of lush keyboards, disembodied voices,
didjeridu and percussion. Titles like 'The Quiet Companion'
and 'In the Presence of Something' hint at what they are trying
to achieve here, this music is meditational and contemplative and a welcome
change to the daily noise that pollutes our minds. In fact (as a side
issue), recent publications from the World Forum For Acoustic Ecology
have pointed to evidence that indicates that day to day noise is having
a detrimental effect on our bodies. The packaging for Well of Souls mirrors
the sounds within, warm ochre colours blend and almost reveal what appears
to be tribal paintings from some previously undiscovered race. There is
nothing 'solid' to grasp onto here, just as you start to identify
a sound it fades and moves of to allow a new texture to emerge. A release
that you will return to again and again.
The global ambient trio that is Tuu have been something of a personal
favourite since their first release a couple of years ago, so I was excited
to receive Maps Without Edges (Beyond, RBADCD16) by Stillpoint a collaborative
venture from Tuu's Martin Franklin, percussionist Eddie Sayer (from
Lights In a Fat City) and flautist, performance artist Nick Parkin. Similar
in many ways to Well of Souls the material contained here is a trance
inducing excursion to lost lands. Maps is a slow inward improvised spiral
of rich textures. A dense blanket of processed gongs envelopes the deep
pulsing tones of the water drums, whilst the quiet ebb and flow of the
percussion and incidental sounds is occasionally broken by peaks of fractal
electronics. A fascinating work.
If all of this sounds a bit too organic for your noise craving ears then
hard-wire yourself into the future courtesy of alt.frequencies (Worm Interface,
WI007) a compilation put together by Rockitt (DJ / musician and owner
of record store 'Ambient Soho'). This is the sound of a recombinant
digital culture morphing into new cell structures almost as soon as your
finger hits play on the CD player. Forget media hype buzzwords, intelligent
techno - drum 'n' bass - hardstep, alt.frequencies invents
new ones and watches them implode. Highlights include the hyper electronic
tempos of Freeform, the drill 'n' bass velocity of Tom Jenkinson
(aka Squarepusher), the smooth urban sprawl soundscapes of Coma (Astral
Engineering) and the crystal shard electronica of Gescom (Autechre). The
remaining seven contributions (from WI artists and friends) covers similar
ground and planted there are the seeds of new approaches to experimental
/ electronic music, all wrapped up in an exquisite hand finished textured
card sleeve, what more could you want?
Distribution:
7°, P.O. Box 2222, London W1A 1XD
Beyond - Pinnacle
Projekt - Cargo
Staalplaat - Vital
Worm Interface - Pinnacle / D.O.R. Infinity.
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