\ / | ----- /\ | \ / |== |== | / | \ / Week 47 \ / | | / \ | \ /\ / | | |/ | \ / Number 201 \/ | | / \ |--- \/ \/ |__ |__ |\ |__ | contents: OSSO EXOTICO - IMAGINACAO MORTA (Self released CDR) TOSHIYA TSUNODA - EXTRACT FROM FIELD RECORDING ARCHIVE #2 (CD by Hapna) ARTO LINDSAY/DJ SPOOKY - FORM OR FUNCTION(10" by Manifold) JANEK SCHAEFFER - OUT (CD by Kraak) C4I - COPENACRE (CD by Staalplaat) EDWIN vd HEIDE & ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI - VOLTAGE (CD-R by Bake Records) FIGURE - MY SPINE IS THE BOW THAT BREAKS (CD by Multimood Records) THE HATERS & SCANNER - DEAD BATTERIES (CD by Vinyl Communications) plus announcements... OSSO EXOTICO - IMAGINACAO MORTA (Self released CDR) Many people, especially those inside the music business, like to keep the CD recordables out. It's always safer to stick what you have. We at Vital of course think differently: the more music, the better it is. Take for instance Osso Extico: they proof what CDRs are good for. This is an almost 40 minute live recording in Paris earlier this year. Formerly known as a trio, now they are with. I am not sure if I fully understand what they did. But in my interpretation it's like this: first the write on an amplified table or paper, then (the majority of the 40 minutes) they play on long piano strings and glass harmonica (a guaranteed beauty of overtone feast) and at the end a bow shot from an arrow. It's all described on the cover, but the underlying concept is really beyond me. Like it is many times with things like this, I don't think it's important to know what it's about. The concert setting made it clear probably and all we get, all we need, is the documentation. And that is simply a beauty. I have been following the Osso's and the Maranha brothers for some time now, and I don't think I was ever disappointed. (FdW) Address: TOSHIYA TSUNODA - EXTRACT FROM FIELD RECORDING ARCHIVE #2 (CD by Hapna) The initiated already recognize the name: Tsunoda is a member of the WRK collective. A group of artists from Japan who are specialized in producing sound installations. To quote from the excellent Site Of Sound book: "WrK has attached importance to conceptual attitude that each member gives consideration to phenomena as shift/passage in time-space and to reception/perception of the phenomena". A strong conceptual approach, but nevertheless with a highly listenable result. Tsunoda placed microphones in hollow objects (bottles, drain hoses etc.), which act as an amplifier when placed outside, either in urban or rural environments. Whatever happens on the site is what you get. If they are placed under bridge, you hear the traffic moving over the bridge. It's that simple. The result are huge resonating tracks of vibrating ambiance. There is not the disturbing character one can find on some other WrK releases, but more 'ambient' (= environmental). Beautiful release with adequate descriptions of each track. (FdW) Address: ARTO LINDSAY/DJ SPOOKY - FORM OR FUNCTION(10" by Manifold) It has been quite some time that I heard music from Arto Lindsay, formerly of the No New York band DNA. Here is a solo split 10" as the second in a series of DJ Spooky organized DJ tools. Arto is on one side and Spooky on the other. The Arto side opens with some freely played snares before shifting over to more free improv playing which moves along the waves of distortion. Spooky opens euh with spooky sounds, which fade over in a blend of effects and synths. Towards the end a steady dubby trippy hoppy beat is added. I'd thought the Spooky side was the better, and certainly the one that is more appropriate for the DJ tool approach. (FdW) Address: JANEK SCHAEFFER - OUT (CD by Kraak) Ah the DJ culture... to be frank, I have not much with DJs. To bring entertainment to a crowd of people on a night, is perfectly legitimate. But those who present a CD with some vinyl played together with their own name bigger then the rest, I don't understand. Janek Schaeffer might be a DJ, but one who takes things a step further (and that in itself is a good thing!). With his turntable with three arms he plays records, but I don't seem to recognize a lot of it (of course my knowledge of records might not be that good). Two long tracks, both live (although one is an edit of two performances) of slowly developing music. He plays very abstract stuff, rather then techno or plunderphonica. Almost ambient like material with slow curves, with quite some tension underneath that totally captured me. Rather then a DJ to a crowd, Schaeffer is a DJ for the mind, and without attending the concerts were this was recorded, I can say: it works excellent at home. (FdW) Address: C4I - COPENACRE (CD by Staalplaat) This project from the UK combines the efforts of Ashley Davis, John Everall and Joe Banks (Disinformation), all of whom have long years of experience in experimental music. The music was inspired by a abandoned military underground compound near Bath, where the Royal Navy used to test radar, sonar and other electronic communications equipment. With a skull on the cover, the CD offers a less grimmer variety of tracks than could be expected. All the pieces are quite subdued, using a variety of different noises, created with electronic laboratory and military equipment, ambient/site recordings, sound processing and editing. The sounds are layered to create a dense, but not oppressive texture. There are no compositional highlights on this disc: things start, fade in and out, and then they end. This is really some kind of ambient music; they could be called 'noisescapes'. The overall atmosphere of the disc is maybe a little too suggestive, but that seems to be mainly due to the excessive use of a digital reverb and other FX (Yes, I know, here I go again, but let me assure you that I have nothing against the use of FX per se, as long as they serve a suitable purpose, which is not always the case on this record). So there you go; this is not a bad record, but I think that these guys can do better.(MR) Address: www.staalplaat.com EDWIN vd HEIDE & ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI - VOLTAGE (CD-R by Bake Records) Bake Records are starting a new series it seems: at least the cover says that this disc is released in the 'new music series'. The cover is very well done, referring to those old LP's by Philips and Wergo. It has a subtitle as well: 'computer music'. The one piece on the disc was 'created by connecting wires to the inside circuit of a computer and listening to the electrical signals as sound'. I wonder if that computer still works after this torture. Anyway, that's not our concern of course. What concerns us is what we hear and what we hear is clear: this is 'old fashioned' noise and it fits wonderfully with the 'old fashioned' cover. I cannot help but think that there is some mild irony or even sentimentality at work here, but that might just be me. The sounds are all distorted (basically, distortion is what they are made of) and seem to occur more or less at random. There is a strange quality to the sound, as if all of it is drenched in some kind of small room reverb. Pretty weird. The track lasts 52 minutes and as far as composition is concerned, this is not he most interesting piece of music. But of course that's not the issue here; the issue is simply the sound itself, being there. And of course showing us a new way to deal with computers. (MR) Address: www.staalplaat.com FIGURE - MY SPINE IS THE BOW THAT BREAKS (CD by Multimood Records) Well, the name of the label is certainly a good indication of what to expect from this CD: 74 minutes of wildly varying compositions, using an array of sounds that is simply too much (for me) to take in at once. So this one has to be played more than once to get to the full richness of all the presented works. Figure (born Brannon Hungness and raised in the center of North Dakota) won the 1992 Donald Key Award for Composers and has received numerous commissions from professional performing organizations such as the Group Motion Dance Company, the Eastman Percussion Ensemble and the Morpheus Chamber Orchestra. He is active in New York City's downtown scene (sharing stage with such acts as Philip Glass, Zeena Parkins and Ben Neil) and has performed internationally as a guitarist in both The Glenn Branca Ensemble and The Virgil Moorefield Ensemble. He is also a member of noise-rock band Hammerhead and founder of The Oblivion Ensemble. On this record Figure was assisted by Elliot Sharp, The Morpheus Chamber Orchestra and others. With 7 tracks from just over one minute to almost half an hour there is a lot to be heard and experienced here. My first impression of this disc is probably as full as the disc itself: some parts are very beautiful, some are irritating, some are boring, but nothing is just plain. Everything has been very carefully worked out and a lot of attention has been paid to details. The disc certainly shows Figure's experience in the musical arena. Maybe that is also part of my problem: it seems as if Hungness has tried to put all his knowledge, experience and influences on one record and that is simply too much too stay concentrated. But as I said: keep listening. (MR) Address: www.multimood.com or www.staalplaat.com THE HATERS & SCANNER - DEAD BATTERIES (CD by Vinyl Communications) About a decade ago I had the pleasure of being a Hater myself. Not that of a big thing, because so many people have been part of The Haters. It was great: we smashed bottles and wooden boxes. Violence is liberation of aggression or something GX said. I was so surprised to see this released. It's been a while that we reviewed something from Scanner (we do not surface on promo mailings from his labels I guess), but I am sure this is altogether a different cake. Three long tracks of pure intense drones, with sparse pulses. Most certainly more 'Haters' then 'Scanner' I'd say. This is sort of very minimal noise that The Haters produce ever since they started (and which is not likely to change in the next years to come). I wonder what the Scanner fans think of this. I think it's just brilliant! And goddamn, I hope GX will get his share in fame in certain areas were Scanner is hip already. (FdW) Address: announcements 1. From: DroneTroum@aol.com SPEAR & TROUM perform soon live in Poland: Nov. 26 - Lodz Dec. 1 - Warsaw Dec. 2 - Krakow other gigs may follow, but are not confirmed yet. For details contact Maciek at: spear@sensor.core.pl 2. From: "Nijdrop" Zoviet*France will be playing at Sint-Paulus church in Opwijk, Belgium. Doors open at 20:00 and fee is 400 belgium francs 3. From: Staubgold S C A N N E R (live) Klangwart (live) + Wolfgang Brauneis, Volker Wurth (DJs) Lichtbad (visuals) Thursday, December 2nd - 21h Gebaeude 9 - Cologne 4. From: "TIME STEREO" TIME STEREO and GOLD DOLLAR BAR presents THE LAST DAYS OF PLANET EARTH 2 DECEMBER 04, 1999 FEATURING: HIS NAME IS ALIVE PRINCESS DRAGONMOM THE "ON" NEW WAVE DANCE PARTY DJ'S UNIVERSAL INDIANS SOUND INSTALLATION WET BEGINNINGS MOVIE "THE STORY OF A WORM SWEPT AWAY..." RHINO-TOSS GAME 10:00 DJ 10:30 SOUND INSTALLATION 11:00 PDM'S "FEAR OF EVIL" 11:30 "WET BEGINNINGS" MOVIE 12:00 HNIA 1:00 THE "ON" NEW WAVE DANCE PARTY DJ 5. From: momsonig Keith Rowe Special solo concert 30.11. in Cologne at 19.00h the garage next to the studio of Marcus Schmickler: Piethopraxis Tonstudio, Vogteistr.18 (Hinterhof), 50670 Köln This will be a recording for a solo CD by grob, admission is free other events in Cologne: 1.12. Dial:Log-Rhythm - Jeffrey Morgan / Keith Rowe A Joyful Noise - Hans Koch / Martin Schütz / Christian Fennesz After Hour im Anschluss an die Konzerte im Studio 672: TV Power + DJ Wolfgang Brauneis 2.12. Electro-Acoustic Meeting: Richard Teitelbaum, Hans Burgener, Günter Müller, Carlos Zingaro Fennesz Solo Secret Measures: John Butcher / Phil Durrant jeweils ab 20.30, DM 24 / 16 Stadtgarten / Studio 672, Venloer Str. 40, 50672 Köln 6. From: STAALPLAAT-Berlin/musique korrekt Thursday 02.12.1999 TV Pow + Andreas Berthling (Chicago + Stockholm) @ STAALPLAAT-BERLIN AUDIO-GALERIE 22.00 Rosenthaler- 39 - 2.HH, 1st floor, 22.00 Thursday 09.12.1999 alvanoto (aka noto aka Carsten Nicolai) @ Schweiz 22.00 Marienstr. 1 Berlin 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 - Fagelstraat 40 - 6524 CE Nijmegen - The Netherlands All written by Frans de Waard (FdW), The Square Root Of Sub (MP, ), Ching-Chong Jing-Jong (CP), Radboud Mens (RM), Sister Clika (RTH), BAraka[H] (BAR), Howard Stelzer (HS), Heimir Bjorgulfsson (HB), Dolf Mulder (DM), Meelkop Roel (MR), David Cotner (DC), Rene van Peer (RVP), Jos Smolders (IS) This is copyright free publication, except where indicated, in which case permission has to be obtained from the respective author before reprinting any, or all of the desired text. The author has to be credited, and Vital Weekly has to be acknowledged at all times if any texts are used from it. Backissues may be found at: www.staalplaat.com 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: Vital Weekly/Frans de Waard - P.O.Box 11453 - 1001 GL Amsterdam - The Netherlands All written by Frans de Waard (FdW), The Square Root Of Sub (MP, ), Radboud Mens (RM), Sister Clika (RTH), BAraka[H] (BAR), Howard Stelzer (HS), Heimir Bjorgulfsson (HB), Dolf Mulder (DM), Meelkop Roel (MR), David Cotner (DC), Rene van Peer (RVP), Jos Smolders (IS), Brian Lavelle (BL, ), Gerald Schwartz (GS), Niels Mark Pedersen (NMP), Henry Schneider (SH) This is copyright free publication, except where indicated, in which case permission has to be obtained from the respective author before reprinting any, or all of the desired text. The author has to be credited, and Vital Weekly has to be acknowledged at all times if any texts are used from it. Backissues may be found at: www.staalplaat.com and www.earlabs.org (this one includes a search engine)