Vital Weekly 43 Week 26 Number 43 JOHN DUNCAN & MAX SPRINGER -THE CRACKLING (CD by Trente Oiseaux) This new work by Duncan, recorded together with the unknown Max Springer, deals with field recordings made at the Standford Linear Accelerator in California. The StandfordLinear Accelator is an atomic particle research center. Electrons are moved through a tunnel and sped up for atomic research. According to the cover, 'the place is full of contradictions: structures built to dwarf and outlast their creators, designed to generate subatomic events that take place in a time scale that is experientially impossible to image, using forces and processes that are hostile or lethal to human life, yet are entirely human created. A 'city of the dead' that seems to have an existence of its own with or without its operators' .The electron must be understood as a metaphor for the process of life: isolated, compelled by a system that uses the electron's own energy to force it into path that leads at a constantly increasing pace to certain destruction -to a point of certain change, of complete resolution and the beginning of a new process". The CD has one piece, in which slowly these field recordings evolve, like, indeed, a growing organism. This results in a strong collage of ambient industrial sounds. Not as harsh as some of Duncan's previous works, and less shortwave sounds. But indeed a strong work. (FdW) Address: NAMANAX -CASCADING WAVES OF ELECTRONIC TURBULENCE (CD by Relapse) ATRAX MORGUE -SICKNESS REPORT (CD by Relapse) As a response to 'easy listening', the US label Relapse started their campaign called 'Uneasy Listening' .Here are the first two assaults being made. Namanax, the in-house band from Relapse, offer two pieces. The first one (about 11 minutes) is a pulsating beat, with the levels cranked up to the ultimate noise level. Over that nothing really happens -but was there any room for that? - so a hypnotizing drone appears. A pulse alike can be found on the second piece, but since this is a much longer track (47 minutes) a lot more is being done with it. Electronics swirl in and out, feedback drives along. The result is a varying mix, easy listening for industrial masses. Atrax Morgue have a past history on cassettes, and as far as I know this is their first digital effort. According to the sleeve these 9 tracks (total CD playing time just over 32 minutes) were recorded in hour on august 7th 1995. All tracks were spontaneously made, and, maybe it' 's short recording time on one day, I must admit they sound a like. If you don't watch your CD player, you might come to think they are one track. Wrong made wire connections, feedbacking along old analog synths are what this guy is using. Because of the relative compactness of these recordings, I must say that this pleased me from beginning to end. Hurray that this guy didn't go for a full 78 minute blow, as that would probably been boring. Now the shortness is its power. His shrink is also being thanked. (FdW) Address: RALF WEHOWSKY -NAMELESS VICTIMS (3"CD by Metamkine) ELIANE RADIGUE -BIOGENESIS (3"CD by Metamkine) Again two in the series of 'cinema for the ears' .Ralf Wehowsky was once the founding father of legendary German post musique concretists P16.D4 and has produced some fine solo CD's under the name RLW. This work, divided in 3 parts, uses the sound of a contra bass, which his intelligently treats with studio techniques. He shifts away from the analog stuff with P16.D4 and now works entirely digital. The result is a strong piece of modern musique concrete. Sometimes the sound is clean and dry and sometimes remote and wrapped. Eliane Radigue work is less known to me. Her CD on Experimental Intermedia is one of my favorites on that label, in which minimal electronics slowly decay. Her work with Robert Ashley didn't appeal to me at all. This one piece, was recorded in 1973, and is dedicated to her daughter Anne... and the daughter of Anne, Caroline. Keeping this in mind, together with the title, I assume she uses heart sounds, which are minimally treated with electronics. The heartbeats shift slowly back and forth, in which electronic drones slowly develop. This work was created by that other founder of minimal music, Phill Niblock, so you probably know what to expect here. (FdW) Address: Metamkine -13, Rue De La Drague 38600 Fontaine - France MICHEAL PRIME -CELLULAR RADAR (CD by Micophile) Prime is one of the members of Morphogenesis, and the member of that group with active background in solo works. This is his second solo CD. Unlike his work with Morphogenesis, which is very electronic but also very improvised, Prime composes his work. He uses many 'ecological' sounds, i.e. natural reverb from different spaces. The sounds taken from that treated in his studio, mainly (as far as I can judge) with digital means. The four pieces on this CD are all relatively long and take their time to develop. This gets towards ambient like musique concrete at times and it's a nice work. A good follow up to his previous solo works. (FdW) Address: CHIRS WATSON -STEPPING INTO THE DARK (CD on Touch) KALE ID -ZEN AND THE SURVEILLANCE OF BICYCLE MESSENGERING (CD on VOID WARE PRODUCTIONS) A joint review (as it was) for these two which are both sound effect documentaries, I guess. Touch, as I have said before, never fail to surprise me with their unpredictable agenda, if indeed they have one. This CD features natural field recordings by Chris Watson, formerly of Cabaret Voltaire and co-composer of 'Bang! An Open Letter', the first ( and some would have it, the best ever) release by The Hafler Trio. It is a beautifully packaged presentation, as always, but the potential impact of these recordings is somewhat lost on me. Perhaps it is a cunning attempt to gain entry into the potentially lucrative world of atmospheric recordings for TV or radio. I have heard far better recordings of natural environments on CDs purchased in incense/kaftan emporia. Chris details the circumstances of each of these mystic sessions, which occured in all sorts of poetically named places ranging from Scotland to Kenya, from Venuezuela to Germany and supplied most of the photographs which grace the booklet. Maybe it serves as a reminder that all we hear is music, if we are able to expand our concept of the definition a little. Following on this, it could be construed that Zen And The Surveillance Of Bicycle Messengering serves the same purpose and I am most surprised that this did not make it's way onto the market via a label like Touch, perhaps as another in their odd series of vinyl releases which document runaway trains, air-to-ground communications and VLF transmissions. Basically it is a recording made by a bicycle messenger of an eventful day in Chicago. Anybody who has spent any time in a large city will recognise the atmosphere present on this CD. It is a lovely recording of urban noise interjected by bike-to- base communications even including a request by our intrepid cyclist to go on lunch. It occurs to me that some of the sounds may have been intentionally produced but the beauty of these does not detract from the integrity of it as a statement of a specific time. I played it three times in a row and it did not take long for it to leave it's identity as a recording behind and insinuate itself into the space as the sound of that space at that moment. I rank this as an extremely successful CD...not to be missed if you enjoy the city and the peculiar melodies made by the instruments technology has provided. (MP) Address: THE SOUNDWORKS EXCHANGE 2 -VARIOUS ARTISTS (CD on Sound Work Recordings) Maybe it is an inherent danger with subsidized productions that the need to compile ( in this case) a completely stunning set loses it's edge...who knows. It is this release that caused me to think of this. It opens with an odd audio collage of people phoning a number listed in an issue of the NME which called for new ideas for D. Bowie, a not altogether untogether fella. It is a rather shabby attempt almost as thin as the white duke once was himself, which would have taken on a much deeper psychological and therefore satirical meaning in the studios of a band like Negativland or People Like Us, who, incidentally also have a track on this CD. Miss Bennett has assembled a sampler from two other pieces...my advice is: Get the originals and then follow the instructions here...to decline in a reclining seat and laugh sadistically at this riotous junk shop frenzy. Another track worthy of mention is a brief extract from the CD 'Permafrost' (on Barooni Records) by Tommy Koner which is indeed reminiscent of the shifting of desert sands, softly churning in all directions at once. Others included, perhaps for their commercial potential, are Kingsuk Biswas Bedouin Ascent, Peter Kuhlmann and David Moufang (chum of Jonas Sharp). The introduction to this booklet claims that the CD stands as permanent document of a selection of quality artists creating sound for dance, theatre, film, video, radio and clubs 'and traverses the zones of cut-up, fast 'dance' ( jeziz, why the quotation marks here guys ?) music, chill-out, filmic landscapes, low volume experiments and jazzy blues. So what's new in the Soundworks Zoo ? Save your shekels for another day...multi-syllabilic liner notes do not a record make, although I suppose they bring in Arts Council cash There's loads of other products of similar structure that deserve more attention. This one is bound to end up on the Sales stands. Sorry... (HP) Address: 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) and The Square Root Of Sub (HP) Visit us in Amsterdam or in Xyberspace Staalplaat's shop: Staalkade 6 -Amsterdam In August 1996 Staalplaat will be for one month in Berlin, opening a temporary shop and staging many concerts, performances and installations. Send an e-mail requesting the complete program that will include: Etant Donnes, J. Blonk, People Like Us, Oval Bad Sector, Kapotte Muziek, Co Caspar, C. Palestine, Deutsch Nepal, Karkowski, Fetisch Park, Muslimgauze, Spoke, F. Tan, BMB Con, TMRX, T. Koner, D. Petitgand and more! CD catalogue under the title 'Sonderangebot' with many of these bands will be available mid-july and only be available this period.