Vital Weekly 38 Week 19 Number 38 STARFISH POOL - INTERFERENCE '96 {CD by KK Records) Most of the stuff KK puts out I really don't care much about, however they also have some excellent bands under contract, like PWOG, Self-Transforming Machine Elves and more recently Unit Moebius. Starfish Pool had Borne releases before this on KK, which were a pretty monotonous affair. This one continues their monotone style, but to what a great extent! The beats are in some cases not danceable, but over the top distorted, with vicious Bound processing. This new album can easily compare with the best of anything on Sahko or PWOG. If you like minimal danceable stuff, with a lot of power, then this is the album. Address: Krijgsbaan 240 - 2070 Zwijndrecht - Belgium DEEPER THAN SPACE - :CURRENT (CD by Silent) A few years back (1994) ambient was the keyword, and Silent Records were taken their share. One of the better ones they released back then, was 'Earth Rise' by Deeper Than Space. That one combined both ambient with experiments on one hand, and housy rhythms on the other hand. DTS released one more CD, with remixes and now, or better late 1995, they release their new studio album. DTS updates their ambient sound with elements from trip hop and jungle. Most of the 6 tracks on this CD take a rudimentary look at music, just one layer of sound, with added rhythm on top. The first tracks 'Currents' goes into ambient-territory, whilst 'Uncomfortable To Be Alone' is more dubby and trip-hop alike, and 'Concurrent' experiments with jungle rhythms. In all it's a varied album, not as great as 'Earth Rise' , but still very good. (FdW) Address: DROR FElLER & THE TOO MUCH TOO SOON ORCHESTRA - WHAT IS THE POINT OF PARIS (CD by Fylkingen) My first musical meeting with the work of Dror Feiler was on the Anckarstrom series - and I was most disappointed with this CD of saxophone music. So when this CD dropped on my doorstep, I looked at with mixed feelings. On this CD the saxophones of mr. Feiler are helped by the Orchestra, who perform on a wide variety of instruments, such as drums, clarinet, synthesizer, but also a chain saw, grinding machine and jackhammer. The first piece is a fierce noise/improvisation piece, with obnoxious sounds. I was reminded of Borbetomagus. The second piece is much 'softer' , even though this is also in the field of improvisation, with careful bangs here and there. The third track is a continuation of the second... Not a bad CD, but not necessarily really good. Address: Fylkingen - P.O. Box 17044 104 - 62 Stockholm - Sweden JOHN ZORN -REDBIRD (CD on Tzadik) Zorn is most known for his more extreme forays into the edges of mostly improvised music. As stated on most of the sleeves of the recordings he has been involved with and so far released on Tzadik, his own label, his collaborations read like a who's who of contemporary music. Consequently it was with a certain sense of trepidation that I read the words 'ambient' and 'minimal' on the cover of this CD. The music was apparently inspired by the works of Agnes Martin, an intellectual who seems to deny the intellectual process in creativity, insisting that' ...the actions of all things are guided by a growing awareness of life, called inspiration. ' This philosophical attitude is a rather strange inclusion on a CD which contains a scored piece of music rather than an improvisation. For me, written music implies a careful consideration of the components. There are two tracks on this disc -the first is a slow, deep composition played by Jim Pugliese on Bass Drums, which despite it's limited instrumentation, effectively seduces the listener into a wide open space. It is rather like a slowly opening door which, because of it's low frequencies, fills the air, removing clutter like an effective banishing ritual. The second track, Redbird, slowly creeps in...it's a whole 13dB quieter than it's predecessor (and that's an undeniable indication of the composer's intention, I think) and definitely the most gentle composition I have ever heard by Zorn. The instrumentation consists of harp, viola, cello and percussion. Gentle clusters of notes fall like drops; what starts with a harp is sustained by the cello while in the distance the viola wails and moans like a strange creature searching for something it lost in a past life, suggesting to me the idea of something continually scrutinizing a distant horizon, shading it's eyes from the sharp sun. I was reminded of the tonal colors and tints of Messiaen in his ensemble pieces (e.g. Quatuor Pour Le Fin De Temps), except Zorn takes much more time exploring and defining his crystal. Missiaen's work always struck me as an expression of the dynamism in nature and this, by definition meant that he had to include moments of intensity sometimes bordering on the brutal. This composition by Zorn is comparable to the best Olivier ever penned and I hope he composes a lot more in this vein. It is an aspect of his character that I never would have thought existed and I cannot get enough of it. This CD suspends time... (MP) GURU MEANS SLAYER OF DARKNESS (CD by Manifold) Here's a CD comprised of three tracks by three groups, all with similar histories. In a way they deserve to be gathered together on a compilation, but there is something about this release that bothers me...it may be the playing order (which I can redefine, of course), but I suspect that it has more to do with the content of one of the tracks, as this review may make evident. The first track is by Illusion Of Safety. It starts with a familiar string drone with what could be synthesiser accompaniment. It is full of rich, thick, swirling harmonics which circle around the room before gathering together in a swarm and surging to a crescendo. The sound sources are not always apparent which is something I get off on (on off?). This is followed by the odd one, for me at least. It is a track by Hands To titled Remembering', which is appropriate because it comprises various location recordings: pub noises, distant children, footsteps, machinery... interspersed with what sounds like someone manipulating metal, water, wood and possibly earth. These sources are also included as straightforward recordings. It may be that this was constructed as some kind of dream sound track. I find it a disturbing inclusion on this CD, not because I don't grasp the content, but because it is too cluttered and I am unable to detect any narrative. In a way it sounds like a bunch of recordings stuck together in any order. It ends, after a brief moment of silence, with a deep wave of noise which acts as neat cross-over into into the frequency zone presented by Dutch group Beequeen, who used recordings of closely mi ked ventilation fans and a gas heater as the basis for this piece, titled 'Atem' ( Breath). It is a subtle, slowly changing rhythmic pulse...something like a sound track for a Mansonic creepy-crawly session which undulates out of the speakers, sighing, hissing and snarling like some huge slithering beast dragging itself closer and waiting it's moment. Two out of three ain't bad for a compilation...check it out especially if you're an IOS or Beequeen aficionado. (MP) Address: CAPTAIN BLACK -CRCKD (8" on Korm Plastics) CAPTAIN BLACK -MULTI-TONED MONO (10" on Korm Plastics) Here are two vinyl productions by the intrepid and tireless Captain, both of which are based on appropriated (read 'nicked' ) sounds. The first is a result of sampling and manipulating the work of PWOG, a band not unknown to regular readers of this screen and the second is a remodeling of some of the sounds distributed by the label 'incoming' when they were commissioning remixes of the Unitone HiFi CD. Both of the Captain's records are limited editions. Now...here's what I think... over the past few years there has been a trend in techno/electronica dance to veer towards the minimal end of the sound scale. The best examples of this kind of music are, so far, to be found on that naughty, high-spirited label Sahko, from Finland. There have been many emulators, but it is always the inventors of a particular style who are remembered longest. My favorite method of consuming this sort of music is to have two copies of each edition, a double CD or record player and a suitable mixer. I then cue up the same track, except I have the second CD paused somewhere further into the piece, lying in wait, as it were. Once CD number one gets to the designated time, I then release CD number two, and due to the slight distortions inherent in time and reflexes, the subsequent combination produces some unusual and interesting effects. Sort of like treating the sound carrier as an instrument, not a new idea, but certainly one that is not exploited enough in my book. Whether or not the Captain had this in mind when composing these records is not known, but my goodness me, how well these two releases are suited to this kind of treatment. Of course they are minimal...this always helps, and the fact that no two turntables ever really perform to the same specifications makes playing two copies of the same record all the more interesting. CD players are much more accurate. They are also perfect for scratch-constructions and in my opinion should be sold two at a time. (MP ) Address: Korm Plastics -P.O.Box 11453 1001 GL Amsterdam -The Netherlands Vital Weekly is published by Frans de Waard and submitted for free to anybody with an e-mail address. If you don't wish to receive this, then let us know. Any feedback is welcome . Forward to your allies. Snail mail: Frans de Waard -P.O.Box 11453 -1001 GL Amsterdam - The Netherlands All written by Frans de Waard (FdW) »ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T < visit us in Amsterdam or in Xyberspace Staalplaat's shop: Staalkade 6 -Amsterdam »ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LPL@@T@ST@@LP L@@T@ST@@LPL@@T <