============ VITAL WEEKLY ============ number 405 ------------ week 2 ------------ contents: TROYER - ROSE DE SHIRAZ (CD by Deluxe) NATHAN MICHEL - TREBLY (CD by Mr. Mutt) FREDERIC NOGRAY - PANOTII (CD by N-Rec) HELLER - .09..03. (CD by N-Rec) LEVITATE - (CD compilation by N-Rec) MNORTHAM - MEMOIRS OF FOUR DISCARDED OBJECTS (CD by Edition...) NIKOS VELIOTIS - RADIAL (CD by Confront) THE HAFLER TRIO - KILL THE KING (CD by Korm Plastics) GANESH ANANDAN & MALCOLM GOLDSTEIN & RAINER WIENS - SPEAKING IN TONGUES (CD by Ambiances Magnétiques) THE HAFLER TRIO - NO MORE TWAIN, OF ONE FLESH: 11 UNEQUIVOCAL OBSECRETIONS (CD by Nextera) JASON KAHN - SONGS FOR NICOALS ROSS (CD by Rossbin) MOCHIPET - COMBAT (CD by Violent Turd) TROYER - ROSE DE SHIRAZ (CD by Deluxe) This disc has been kicking around and around for a while and I just didn't have the words until now. Guitars, samples, clarinet, multi-lingual vocal and lots of super loops make this an eclectic mélange of cross instrumentation. With pop hooks aplenty, Vienna-based Ulrich Troyer invites musical friends to join him in the cut-n-paste merriment. "Rose de Shiraz" has both studio and street savvy and drifts in and out of funky rhythms that are informed by Miles Davis and world music alike. Troyer has taken a herd of crunchy lounge-tinged vocals with field recordings and just sculpted something quite insightful as heard on the laid back "Muhallebi". It is as if he just recorded the sounds of random cafes he traveled to and seamlessly matched the warmth of the people to the sounds of the music. On "Teddystep" I expect a Madonna vocal to emerge, only to be more pleasantly surprised that he plays on territory in the air by the likes of Basement Jaxx and Daft Punk, not to mention the past influence of say Propellerheads. The electric diving pool that is "Brunnenmarktremix: Sirine" incorporates the casual spoken punctuation of Kurdish Naser Razzazi. For all its hooks and lines, throughout "Rose de Shiraz" we are reminded of the power of bass, and of how emotionally connected the low end is. On "Sono a Cozze" Troyer presents, in part, allergic reactions in the form of sneezing - now that was a first for me - and this disc is filled with so many clever rifs and tricks throughout one wonders how his next effort will fare in comparison. (TJN) Address: http://www.deluxerecs.com/ NATHAN MICHEL - TREBLY (CD by Mr. Mutt) Another limited edition in the ever-evolving, Mr. Mutt Live CDR Series (200 count) is"Trebly" by Nathan Michel and it is a bit of a departure from the earlier more cosmic-heady offerings from this Italian label. Something of a cut-up fest of spring-like animated samples with a fever for all is Kraftwerkian redux. Some rough end percussion sounds flatly practice-like, but the dynamic electronic sounds of 2001 (the future, not the year) make for a dreamy trip into the retrosphere. This is an updated, sort of futuretron version of Speak & Spell - like being at the Peppermint Lounge in 2025, ya know? This has something in common with works by Taylor Deupree, and even perhaps works on Sonig, but has its own personal vibe that dips rather casually into both old school sampling and some early UK techno. All tracks were opportunely designed exclusively upon a computer, and it shows as Michel forms an endearing universe where inclusive warm bubbly harmonies are harnessed by a dazzling digital world. (TJN) Address: http://www.tu-m.com/ FREDERIC NOGRAY - PANOTII (CD by N-Rec) HELLER - .09..03. (CD by N-Rec) LEVITATE - (CD compilation by N-Rec) You may wonder if it's really necessary that new labels arise weekly, but it's a pointless question: it just happens. Some will rise up and others will disappear. I am not sure to which category N-Rec will belong. I hope the first one, of course, but it will not be easy. They have three releases so far but claim not to have a defined aesthetic. Frederic Norgay is someone whom I never heard of, but apperentely he is well-known for his choreographs and video music. 'Panotii' is his first album and he uses in each track only one sound source: a sound generated by feedback processes from analogue devices (such as a mixing desk) which is 'then processed, sculpted and repeated until revealing all of its emotional potential'. Producing music with the use of feedback is nothing new (Arcane Device, 87 Central, Nakemura), and Nogray stands in this tradition. Occassionally he slips into a pattern of harsh feedback that is not pleasent for the ears, but in general he comes up with quite a nice set of bubbling tones, oscillations and what have you. His album is throughout an enjoyable one, but more one that stands in the tradition then creating a new tradition. The second release is by Heller, which is the collaboration between Sebastian Roux and Eddie Ladoire. The latter is unknown to me, but apperentely he composes soundtracks for experimental movies, 'with an easthetic close to electro-acoustic music artists'. Roux of course is more well-known through his work for 12K or with his band Oldine (see Vital Weekly 361). Roux' extended guitar playing through computer processings forms his input for this album. This work, nine parts in total, is one of refined ambient glitches. Things sizzle, click, crack and cut, and are fed through a great number of computer plug-ins and result in some nice warm, glitchy ambient sound. Rhythms are there but never seem to be playing an important role here. If they appear they are embedded in a tapestry of ambient glitches. Nine nice tracks for sure, but also nine pieces that aren't really the top of innovative computer musics, unfortunally. The final new release is a compilation with eleven pieces of various directions in electronic music. There is of course a fair amount of clicks and glitches here, such as Pep, Sogar and Sebastian Roux' collaborative track, Cylens (the man behind the label), Plimplim, Mokira, or are more noisy like E-di (which is the same Eddie Ladoire as in Heller), JPE (which is Juan-Pablo Espinoza from Argentina), Fabriquedecouleurs and Frederic Norgay or things move in a downright ambient direction like Coh (who uses sound material recorded on an airplane) or Main. Quite a nice mixture of known and unknown names which may attract a few people to this or the label and certainly this compilation can serve as a guideline for future music on the label. Nice and varied bunch here. (FdW) Address: http://www.n-rec.com MNORTHAM - MEMOIRS OF FOUR DISCARDED OBJECTS (CD by Edition...) The title of this disc with four tracks (varying in length from 10:05 to 12:32 minutes) is quite suggestive of course. It is easily assumed that the source material for these tracks was recorded from four different objects (there are some printed on the inside of the digipack, most of them seem to be metal). The tracks are not very different from each other: all have a great sound design and more or less the same composition, which is actually hard to define, floating somewhere inbetween ambient and structured noise. The general atmosphere is pretty quiet and relaxed and asks for attentive listening, but the music is not entirely able to keep the attention span tight all the way, although it is not far off. A very well done work of new music. (MR) Address: fenton@stonehenge.wrek.org NIKOS VELIOTIS - RADIAL (CD by Confront) Veliotis is a cello player from Athens, Greece, and actively involved in the new music scene there. His CD Radial is a recording of Veliotis playing his cello without overdubs or editing. There are three parts of sound and four parts of silence, all making up this work. The piece is extremely minimal: the first sound part is a dense tone being played swiftly and without pause. The duration is over twelve minutes and this gives the part its strength, toghether with the frantic playing. The second sound part is again very minimal, but the atmosphere is totally different from the first, very gentle and soft. The third sound part is somewhere in the middle of the former two, but has a lightness that the other two lack. It says on the cover that random play is encouraged and I can actually imagine this having a good effect. It would certainly shuffle moods as well. In all its bleakness, this work is so strong and forceful that one will have to surrender to it completely or probably throw it out right away. There seems to be no middle ground here. As the reader may have noticed I surrendered and thoroughly enjoyed this work. Very well done. (MR) Address: http://www.confront.info THE HAFLER TRIO - KILL THE KING (CD by Korm Plastics) Being one of the heroes of new music, The Hafler Trio have had an extensive influence on the work of many others, and not only because Mr. McKenzie has chosen to share his experience through workshops. The music itself has done that, more than anything else. 'Kill the king' is a rerelease, remastered for this CD. The remastering has in fact been so thorough that we can now enjoy this work for the full 73 minutes. There is one single track on the disc, but there are certainly parts to be distinguished (besides that, the separate titles suggest seven parts). The music is quite what one would expect from earlier Hafler Trio work: drony ambiences with overlays of other sounds and rythmic elements here and there, most of these based on loops. What is pretty amazing is the extensive use of FX, something I seem to have forgotten in the past years, but is absolutely worth catching up on again. One big advantage of this process is the fact that the origins of the sound material vanish, leaving the listener with only a more or less abstract result. The development of the parts is rather slow, on the verge of becoming ambient, but the timing is just right to escape this. So the music is doing the right thing. As with all Hafler Trio releases, this one comes in a very special cover with a booklet. Normally I don't spend a great deal of attention on this, but in this case I will have to make an exception. The booklet is black with white text, but covered in half transparent paper, also with text, also half transparent. I will not even begin to talk about the text, but the result of the white text on the black paper is almost identical to the one on the cover: after a while everything starts to shimmer and fade away! This hallucinatory effect adds to the music, so cover and content become quite entangled. Which is very well done of course! The text also adds to this, by the way. A must for every Hafler Trio fan (and all who are not, but simply like good music and a nice cover). (MR) Address: http://www.kormplastics.nl GANESH ANANDAN & MALCOLM GOLDSTEIN & RAINER WIENS - SPEAKING IN TONGUES (CD by Ambiances Magnétiques) Several years ago Goldstein (violin) and Rainer Wiens (prepared guitar) released 'Chants Cachés' on Ambiances Magnétiques. An album of authentic free music and outstanding collective playing. Then they were accompanied by John Heward on percussion. Now they are joined by Ganesh Anandan (frame drum, modified tambourines, metallophone, chneg, steel drum, kalimba, paou). Plus Frank Lozano playing sax on one track. Percussionist, composer and instrument builder Ganesh Anandan comes from Bangalore city (India) where he studied Karnatic music. In the 70's he settled himself in Canada where he further developped his personal playing style, combining the karnatic method with finger drumming techniques. Over the years he played with musicians and groups like Glen Velez, Oregon, slide guitarists Bob Brozman and Debashish Batacharya, Carlo Rizzo (polytimbral tambourine), etc. Since 1998 he has his own trio of frame drummers 'Fingerworks'. Recently he released a cd with Patrick Graham as percussion duo GaPa. One of the invited guests is Rainer Wiens. Wiens is an accomplished guitarplayer in the context of contemporary jazz and improvised music. As a composer he profiled himself with works for film, television, dance and theatre. Malcolm Goldstein (Brooklyn,1936), is a most fascinating improviser. He inspired composers like John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Hans Otte, James Tenney and Ornette Coleman, composing for solo violin. For this I can refer to his solo ce 'Sounding the New Violin'. Since early 60s he has been active presenting new music and dance. He is co-founder of the Tone Roads Ensemble and a participant in the Judson Dance Theater, the New York Festival of the Avant Garde and the Experimental Intermedia Foundation. Throughout North-America and Europe he gave solo concerts and is involved as soloist in many new music and dance ensembles. Because of the very different backgrounds this trio really is one of a kind. Especially the percussion techniques of Ganesh Anandan, and the indian musical tradition he brings in, make this one different from the usual western improvised music. But it's the playing of Goldstein that is most prominent and impressive on this new cd. His playing directly goes to your soul. But Wiens and Anandan are also very good and interesting players. So their is a good interplay of creative forces here. Their improvisations are very lively and emotional, and of a very high musical level. They proove once more that improvised music really is an art of it's own (DM). Address: http://www.actuellecd.com/ THE HAFLER TRIO - NO MORE TWAIN, OF ONE FLESH: 11 UNEQUIVOCAL OBSECRETIONS (CD by Nextera) This is the third part, completing a trilogy started with 'Cleave: 9 Great Openings' (see Vital Weekly 352), followed by 'Part The Second: No Man Put Asunder. 7 Fruitful And Seamless Unions' (see Vital Weekly 373). The big question is of course: does it go into a new territory? I wrote that the previous two releases were based upon cello playing, extensively layered, with small blocks being repeated through the hours or so work. But if you have been a keen follower of the Trio than you may be as aware as I am that it might not be a cello. The Hafler Trio never list any sources, but in recent times an extensive use of voices have been used on the newer recordings (like Brion Gysin on 'The Man Who Tried To Disappear' 10" or Blixa Bargeld on the 'Normally' double CD), so why not here, I humbly think? Maybe some people will be disappointed to read that this third work continues the sounds set forth on the previous two. Maybe I'd more surprised if it didn't do that. So is it more of the same? No, I don't think so. The first part had distinct movements, the second one seemed more austere and monotonous, this third part is more like the first part, ie various movements are to be recognized throughout. It seems some more extensive sound processing took place on the sources. But for the better and bigger part of this, this another majestic and austere Hafler Trio disc. Low in key, melancholic in approach. I can assume people will state that once is enough, but I am sure they miss a point here. You need all three to enjoy the completeness of the work (although enjoyment is probably not the right word: "all movement directed towards the preparation of ground and its consecration" it reads on the cover, which is rather a message of death than of anything else really). A sad but beautiful work. (FdW) Address: http://www.nextera.cz JASON KAHN - SONGS FOR NICOALS ROSS (CD by Rossbin) Maybe you, just like me, wonder who this Nicolas Ross is? I don't think it's someone we know very well, since he is the child of Alessandro Bianco, the owner of the Rossbin label. Jason Kahn, reknowned drummer and laptop artist, made this CD for the birthday of this young man, and has no less than twenty-six songs in thirty-eight minutes. Although songs might not be the right word: they are 'lullabyes' as Kahn calls them, I'd say they are 'sonic sketches'. In each single one of them a small event takes place, or a picture is drawn/a photograph is taken. Within these moments not much happens, but are rather single-mindely focussed on the sound itself. I have no clue how old Nicolas is, but I can imagine the impact that abstract sound has on young children (having one around sometimes): they fantasize on the sounds, and tell you what they hear. It would have been nice if Nicolas would have drawn up names for the tracks (which are now untitled) and see what would sprouted off his fantasy. The music, in as far as we can talk of music here, takes Kahn away from the clicks and drones material he is known for (with such releases as with Repeat or his recent one with Steve Roden in the Brombron series). Many outdoor, environmental recordings, car passing, cafe talk and taking a child to feed the ducks. In between the soft rattle and roll of sound sources unknown. A nice and intimate release, that if you don't have children (or do not care about them), could serve well for a repeat play in DJ set or random play at home. (FdW) Address: http://www.rossbin.com MOCHIPET - COMBAT (CD by Violent Turd) Allright, fasten seatbelts! For everyone tired of most mashups being a mixture of well known hits (Destiny's Child vs. Nirvana, for instance) Mochipet's Combat is pure heaven or ultimate hell. Forget about the gimmicky opener Mochi vs. Soulseek, which features Mochpet running amok in the mp3fields, destroying the works of Rod Stewart, Vanilla Ice, Beegees and Queen (We will, we will Mo-chi!), to name a few. The general idea behind the mashup is to combine songs in such a way that a new one is created, containing emotions, ideas and atmospheres that were not to be found in the separate originals. With the exception of Evolution Control Committee (remember their Herb Alpert vs. Public Enemy) most acts fail in this. Mochipet is definitely the second to succeed. It should be highly forbidden to even think about combining the harsh punk of Nomeansno with the polyphonic harmonies of symphonic rock giant Yes, but Mochipet dares, does and strikes. I hate Yes, but in this song the sugarcoated high-pitched male singing fits in perfectly. The a cappela sung Well from Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica is now backed by raw electronic noise, gabber and IDM, which sounds like it has always been intended that way. Other chaotic clashes are between Johnny Cash and Cash Money Millionaires, They Might be Giants and Lyrical Giants, Aphex Twin and Thompson Twins, Barry White, The White Stripes and White Lion, and Neil Diamond, King Diamond and The Lion King (Elton John that is). Most mashups do contain a lot of high-energy breakbeats straight out of the Kid606/Venetian Snares School as well. (RT) Address: http://www.mochipet.com 1. From: "Tu m'" Tu M'p3 web label soundtracks for images http://www.tu-m.com WINTER 2003/2004 with: .Ian Andrews .Ateleia .F.S. Blumm .Boca Raton .Frans de Waard .Thomas Dimuzio .Donna Summer .Electric Turn To Me .Heribert Friedl .Heller .Massaccesi .Rob Mazurek .Marco Messina .Mils .Mondii .Mr.Dorgon and Jamie Saft .Osso Bucco .Radian .Olaf Rupp .Sébastien Roux .Sawako Vs Hypo .Roddy Schrock .TV Pow .Dan Warburton .Wobbly 2. From: onoff@digitalkranky.de 8.1.04, 22:00 Xarifa at Octopussy, Guertelstrasse 36, Bln-Fhain ((S/U Frankfurter Allee, S Ostkreuz)) live: plankton [free-flowing nova-electronics with ambient touch and broken aestetics] king uboot [uboote sind die fahrstuehle der meere avec james bond on board] dj: manta | mildred the mad mermaid [some kinda daenz-µ-sick] 3. From: 17 January 2004 Eat This labelspecial with: Gescom (DJ) [Warp, Skam] Quench Endorphins Loden Koolfonk dj's Owen, Carlos, InterZone visuals by e.mijwaard and a.lemmens [videotroopers.com] location: Theater Kikker start 22:00 (live acts start early) admission: euro 8,- www.radiantslab.com/interzone -- 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 - Acaciastraat 11 - 6521 NE Nijmegen - The Netherlands All written by Frans de Waard (FdW), The Square Root Of Sub (MP ), Dolf Mulder (DM), Meelkop Roel (MR), Gerald Schwartz (GS), Niels Mark Pedersen (NMP), Henry Schneider (SH), Jeff Surak (JS), TJ Norris (TJN), Gregg Kowlaksky (GK), Roger Teeling (RT), Craig N (CN), Boban Ristevski (BR) and others on a less regular basis. 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