\ / | ----- /\ | \ / |== |== | / | \ / Week 46 \ / | | / \ | \ /\ / | | |/ | \ / Number 58 \/ | | / \ |--- \/ \/ |__ |__ |\ |__ | ACHIM WOLLSCHEID - MOVES (CD by Selektion) Achim Wollscheid may be known to the older ones as the person behind SBOTHI, who released records on Selektion (of which was one was an extensive collaboration with label mates P16.D4) but is working since some years under his own name. Wollscheid's interest lies not in the production of brilliant musical pieces but in the visual quality of sound. On his new CD he uses computer generated clappers that act like a poly-rhythm box. The clappers are attached to various objects, such as chairs, spoons, tea-cups and a water bucket. The result is a nerving sound, like sound going in and out of phase. Perhaps Wollscheid is not interested in me reviewing the audio quality of these pieces (since he will probably regard this as a demonstration of what the clappers can do), but I like the result. And why shouldn't it be possible? It is released on an audio format, well documented by photo's of the objects, but still... As a listener at home one is remote from both the concept and the direct visual qualities of the objects. Given this distance one should be able to enjoy this for it's audio qualities. (FdW) Address: Selektion - Hohenstaufenstr. 8 - 60327 Frankfurt - Germany M/S & TSUNODA - FUL (CD by Selektion) More conceptualists on Selektion. Here the sound of a room is heard through the attached contact microphone on a window. 'At this given time and situation the room and its resonating material was the instrument, which was played by the recording. The recording, which we can listen to was part of the material setting which helped to create it: a loop". Crank the volume of to 10, and you'll hear low end rumbling, birds, cars passing and very loud, but very occasionally a bang (which made me look up all the time seeing if something fell somewhere). An interesting starting point, but one may wonder if one hour is really needed to get the idea across. Maybe 30 minutes was enough? The people from the label would probably say: "it takes what it takes" however. (FdW) Address: as above OIL IN THE EYE - WITHIN (CD by Malpractice) New new new! New label, new band. Oil In The Eye is one Manuel Puyo who did everything on this CD and who got his inspiration from SPK to rvo Part to DAF to Buttgereit. The music floats back and forth to ambient textures, dark and moody (yet never into gothic areas - luckily) to up tempo housy pieces. Quite a wide variety of styles are present here as you can image, yet they seem to fit together in a way. Like I usually in these cases: if you try something new, then why not try this one? These bands and labels definetely need your attention! (FdW) Address: 34 Probyn House - Page St. - London SW1P 4BG - UK THE SIDEWINDER - COLONIZED (CD by Mille Plateaux) On to the intellectual side of dance music. Behind The Sidewinder there is one K. Mart (a.k.a Kevin Martin of God, Techno Animal) and J.K. Flesh (a.k.a. Justin Broadrick of Godflesh, Techno Animal). Here the Techno Animals team up for 22 pieces of heavy minimal techno dub rhythms, somewhere Sahko stuff with occasional guitar stuff. What can I add? Not much really - great CD! (FdW) Address: fax: + 49-69-252280 ILLUSION OF SAFETY - SCHMETTERLING (7" by Syntactic) Two tracks recorded by Illusion Of Safety during the May 1995 tour. Horrible xerox cover, but excellent picture disc of the subjects in question. Both tracks show I.O.S. interest in droning sound with occasional outburts in sound through the use acoustic objects. Interesting stuff but given the fact that these are live recordings and limitation of the record (111 copies and thus it's price) make this probably only of interest for the die-hard fans. (FdW) Address: Syntactic - P.O.Box 41 - A-1124 Wien - Austria DAVID SHEA & DJ GRAZHOPPA - DOWN RIVER,UP STREAM - (CD by Downsall Plastics/Lowlands) As usual I approached this CD with some enthusiasm, mainly because I like the little shiny things, but also because it contains work by Dave Shea, who has actually been quite prolific of late. Check out the stream of releases on SubRosa, which document a series of live sessions and include contributions by Rimbaud/Scanner and Hampson/Main. (Apparently the New York sessions which include Icelandic rap group Nus is now availible - hope it's better than the other two...please) David Shea works largely with samples from oyther peoples' work and he seems to take great joy in creating the strangest juxtapositions. Where else could you possibly hear the absurd sound constructions of Andre Popp overlaid on Ligeti's microtonal choirs ? This CD is the result of his collaboration with DJ Grazhoppa (whohe?), and if my memory serves me right, they have done a track which has appeared somewhere before. This is a most unusual release...first time I heard it I had to hear it again. So I did. AND YEA! It was better. It's playing now as I type and confirms my best suspicions. Somehow it really kicks in from track 8...before this is seems to meander like lost liquid on flat terrain. The credit goes to Dave for his amazing battery of sounds, plundered from everywhere (I think there's a track on here sourced almost entirely from SubRosa's brilliant 'Illuminated' compilation) which then punctuate and often carry the riddim section fabricated, presumably by Mr Hoppa. 'In Station' comes across like a mutilated piano piece by Karlheinz or Pierre Boulez draped across turgid drum programming. The last track '16 RPM' is bound to end up on vinyl somewhere...and so it should. A strange CD, worth checking out. Slightly less than full marks for this attempt. (MP) Address: