November News. Click For Infos.
ANGEL & HILDUR GUDNADOTTIR – In Transmediale CD Oral
CHARLIE ALEX MARCH – After the Clouds Clear CDep LOAF
CHRIS WATSON / BJ NILSEN – Storm CD Touch
GASTR DEL SOL – Twenty Songs Less pic-7″ Minority
GEIR JENSSEN – Cho Oyu 8201m CD Ash International
HANS APPLEQVIST – Naima CD Häpna
JULIAN FANE – Our New Quarters LP/CD Planet Mu
MARKUS REUTER – Trepanation CD Lotuspike
PIERRE A. TREMBLAY – Alter Ego DVD-A Empreintes Digitales
SEAWORTHY – Map In Hand CD 12k
THE WINKS – Birthday Party CD Ache
V.A. – Blueprints CD 12k
+ + +
ANGEL & HILDUR GUDNADOTTIR – In Transmediale
CD Oral 11
http://www.oral.qc.ca
Angel is the collaborative project of DIRK DRESSELHAUS (commonly known as
Schneider TM) and ILPO VÄISÄNEN (1/2 of Pan Sonic). In Transmediale Angel,
supported on cello by Hildur Gudnadottir, get in sync for a single unbroken
journey into Drone Noise. This CD, recorded live at the Club Transmediale,
Berlin in February 2004, is an intrigating introspection of the minds of some of
the most interesting noise activists these days.
Ilpo Väisänen is one half of the Finnish duo Pan Sonic. He is also recording
under the moniker Piiri. An infernal composer, his compositions are significant
contributions to the reserach of exprimental sounds. He has played with many
artists aside of Mika Vainio: Alan Vega, Bruce Gilbert, CM Von Hausswolff, Erkki
Kurenniemi and John Duncan.
Dirk Dresselhaus, Afer the Hip Young Things which ended in 1997, Dirk, aka
Schneider, has been an active member of the bands Locust Fudge, Pancake, Dr.
Drek and over all Schneider TM, his most elegant electro-acoustic project. He
also founded the intrtigating duo Mr. Schmuck’s Farm, an instrumental
electro-acoustic freeform project together with cellist Hildur Gudnadottir from
Iceland, who sometimes joins the drone-outfit of Angel.
Hildur Gudnadottir. Icelandic “angel” and cello player, she collaborated with
most of the well known outfits coming out from this isolated country. She is
part of the Kitchen Motors collective along with internationally renowned
composer Johann Johannsson. In 2004, after a few gigs with Angel, an album with
Schneider, she played live for the first time with Pan Sonic, and collaborated
on the last album of the duo.
+ + +
CHARLIE ALEX MARCH – After the Clouds Clear
CDep LOAF 03
http://www.l-o-a-f.com
“Suddenly, I didn’t quite mind not being modern…” – Roland Barthes
This quote from the late great critic seems somehow appropriate when describing
the music of Charlie March. Not to say that his music is any way old fashioned
but there’s an underlying depth, an emotional sensibility that you don’t hear
much these days and is all the more unusual coming from someone born only 24
years ago.
“After The Clouds Clear” is the debut EP from Charlie March. Charlie has worked
previously in The Toy Orchestra with Andy Ramsay of Stereolab/Europa 51 as well
as providing soundtracks for various short films and installations. For this EP
Charlie has gathered around him a diverse selection of talented musicians,
lending this project an unusual and distinctive charm.
Joe Mount AKA Metronomy, is a rising star in the electronica scene and has
produced, mixed and contributed a remix for the EP. Dominic Murcott of the High
Llamas, did the strings arrangements while the Elysian Quartet (Simon
FisherTurner, Killa Kela, Hot Chip and Max De Wardener) provided the lush and
cheerful strings.
Like a soft collision between Aphex Twin at his most melodic and Nick Drake at
his string soaked best or some hybrid of Steve Reich and Syd Barrett scoring a
Tim Burton movie, the music of Charlie March has a lingering, delicate beauty
that will be around for a long time.
+ + +
CHRIS WATSON / BJ NILSEN – Storm
CD Touch Tone 27
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk
During December 2000 several significant storm fronts developed across the North
Sea and Scandinavia.
Benny remarked to me that he had recorded some of these on the Baltic coast and
proposed a collaborative cd project based around our mutual interests in the
rhythms and music created when the elements combine over land and out to sea.
We spent the next few years gathering recordings on our respective coastlines
and islands during the very active weather windows during the autumnal equinox
and winter solstice. This was focused around our following one particular
cyclonic system, which veers over Snipe Point on Lindisfarne to the Isle of May
in the Firth of Forth, and finally descends upon Öland and Gotland where Benny
listened in with a favourite pair of Sennheiser omnidirectional microphones. –
Chris Watson (Newcastle upon Tyne, August 2006)
1. Chris Watson – No Man’s Land
Late October on the strands of Budle Bay where dense layers of transient alien
voices are swamped by a full moon tide creeping across the island’s silver
causeway. Now lapping out of the gathering gloom an immersive sea wash is
filling then draining away carrying slow currents from here to another place.
There are no reference points in this darkness. Glimmer dawn in the gaping mouth
of a sea cave below Tarbet Gulley where the siren songs of Cromarty, Forth &
Tyne ebb and flow with the swell. Draw in close but hear now a fresh voice from
beyond the horizon.
2. BJNilsen & Chris Watson – SIGWX
Viking, Forties; Cyclonic North East gale 8 backing North later 3 to 4.Thundery
rain, moderate to good. Mixed in Boston and Stockholm June & July 2006
3. BJNilsen – Austrvegr
Recorded on the southeast coast of islands Gotland and Öland, Sweden, using a
pair of Sennheiser 110 binaural mics straight to a Tascam DA P1 DAT during
December 2003 and July 2004. Locations used included cottages, sheds, barns,
fields and the coast. A black ruthless sea. Heavy winds making it impossible to
stand up straight, icy rain hitting your face like needles. Edited and Mixed in
Stockholm 2006
+ + +
GASTR DEL SOL – Twenty Songs Less
picture 7″EP Minority Records MIN20
Streetdate: November 20
http://www.minorityrecords.com
JIM O’ROURKE – electronics, engineering, editing
JOHN McENTIRE – drums
BUNDY K. BROWNN – acoustic
DAVID GRUBBS – acoustic guitar, piano
One of the most critically acclaimed experimental groups of the last decade,
Gastr Del Sol creates songs from pieces of disparate musical fragments (namely
haunting, repeated guitar and piano riffs and otherworldly tape manipulation)
and pastes these fragments back together with little regard for linear motion.
Gastr del Sol is an oft-cited stalwart of what is sometimes termed the
“post-rock” movement of the 1990s. Based in Chicago, Gastr del Sol explored
idiosyncratic sonic textures, veering from avant-garde punk to atonal songcraft
to Musique concrete to composition for small orchestra.
The group began as the brain-child of David Grubbs, an alumnus of the
Louisville, KY punk rock scene that produced Squirrel Bait and Slint, the former
of which he was a member. A few years after Grubbs’s arrival in Chicago, his
esoteric punk group Bastro metamorphosed into Gastr del Sol.
With the release of 1993’s “The Serpentine Similar” on Teenbeat Records, Grubbs
and his former Bastro colleagues Bundy K. Brown (bass) and John McEntire (drums)
traded the more traditional arrangements of punk rock for a literate, meandering
yet often poignant approach. The slippery tones of Brown’s bass provided a
counterpoint to Grubbs’s clean electric guitar and naked piano.
In the following year, the guitarist, composer and all-around production guru
Jim O’Rourke entered the fray and Brown (who at the time was busy enough with
his other projects, including-with McEntire-the seminal post-rock act Tortoise)
left the band. With O’Rourke’s arrival, Gastr del Sol became a more or less
equal collaboration between he and Grubbs. Although it is difficult spot
precisely who did what, it appears that lyrics were Grubbs’s domain and
production and tape manipulation were O’Rourke’s, with both of these able
musicians handling instrumental duties as desired, with the occasional
appearance of McEntire on drums and other musicians on an auxiliary basis.
+ + +
GEIR JENSSEN – Cho Oyu 8201m – Field Recordings from Tibet
CD Ash International Ash 7.1
Streetdate: November 24
http://www.ashinternational.com
http://www.biosphere.no
These recordings were made by Geir Jenssen while climbing ‘Cho Oyu’ in Tibet in
September and October 2001. Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world
at 8201m, situated in the Himalayas near Mount Everest, on the Tibetan/Nepalese
border. This album may be regarded as the soundtrack to the film of this
journey. This CD also contains some of the source material for his recent
Biosphere album, ‘Dropsonde’ [Touch 2006].
Geir Jenssen is better known as BIOSPHERE, who has released five albums on Touch
over the last ten years. His most recent, Dropsonde, has been called
“mesmerizing” by Straight No Chaser [UK], “gorgeous” [Word, UK] and “sublime”
[Urb, USA]. More information on Biosphere and Geir Jenssen’s other work may be
found on his website.
+ + +
HANS APPLEQVIST – Naima
CD Häpna H.31
http://www.hapna.com
“After two years of work since my last album ‘Bremort’, a new album is finished.
This time, the record is about Naima, an entity who in different ways is present
to the persons on the album. Sometimes she interferes with their lives and
speaks directly to them, sometimes her presence is only communicated through her
musical theme, Naimamelodin (Naima’s melody).
Somewhat pretentiously expressed, the album is an answer to a longing for more
fixed references. In less joyous times, I often wish for someone or something
that could tell me how to be and behave, and through this advice free me from
responsibility and thoughts about whether my acts are right or wrong. Someone
who says: ‘You ought to do like this, it is just the way it is.’ Imagine how
wonderful it would be if there was an entity with a pelican’s head who one had
endless confidence in and who one could ask for advice every time one did not
know what to do.”
In 2004 Hans Appelqvist released the album “Bremort” which got a lot of
attention and among other things won the Swedish Radio’s Pop Record of the Year
award. The record was staged in a fictitious small city in Sweden, where one as
a listener could follow daily life during three days for some of the people
living there. Hans Appelqvist has previously released “Att möta verkligheten” on
Häpna.
+ + +
JULIAN FANE – Our New Quarters
LP/CD Planet Mu ZIQ161
Streetdate: November 27
http://www.planet-mu.com
Vancouver based Julian Fane’s second album, “Our New Quarters” is the follow-up
to 2004’s acclaimed “Special Forces” and sees far more emphasis on vocal songs
than its predecessor. Fane’s new pieces are grounded in live percussion, great
swathes of strings, indecipherable high-pitched vocals and lush sweeping synth
effects which form their emotional core. The Moon Is Gone, for instance, wallows
deliciously in vast guitar-laden melancholy and achieves a pristine beauty
almost classical in tone.
+ + +
MARKUS REUTER – Trepanation
CD Lotuspike LS-0010
http://www.lotuspike.com
http://www.centrozoon.de
The psychoactive work Trepanation is Markus Reuter’s 6th solo album (and his
second release on a US label).
Alternately dense and sparse, disturbing and serene, Trepanation consists of
tonal instrumental foundations into which half-heard voices and field recordings
are embedded in order to evoke the disconnected floating sensation of the
subconscious state.
The word “trepanation” refers to the now-abandoned practice of removing a piece
of the skull to relieve pressure on the brain. This practice was used to treat a
number of psychological conditions. Markus initially visualized the music on
this release being a less invasive method of achieving similar goals.
The album marks Markus Reuter’s first release with Lotuspike, and is a typically
inventive example of his compositional style and unique instrumental dexterity.
As a pure guitar+laptop album, Trepanation shimmers with complex layers and
contrasts, combining soft atmospheres and pulsing rhythmic textures, while still
sounding quite different from other releases created in a similar vein.
Deuter (also known from his projects TUNER and CENTROZOON) continues to work in
diverse fields including production & songwriting, sound design (for Native
Instruments) and an increasing number of activities in contemporary art
(performance and installations). His current main interest is the use of
algorithmic composition in all sorts of styles (including ambient, pop, and
heavy rock) and generative approaches to sound design. He has performed in many
places around the globe, most notably the ARS Electronica Festival (Linz,
Austria), Tampere Biennale (Tampere, Finland), Museum für Angewandte Kunst
(Vienna, Austria), Golden Mask Festival (Moscow, Russia), SXSW (Austin, TX USA).
+ + +
PIERRE ALEXANDRE TREMBLAY – Alter Ego
DVD-A Empreintes Digitales IMED 0680
http://www.empreintesdigitales.com
Pierre Alexandre Tremblay continues to explore further musical endeavours in the
creative atmosphere of England at the beginning of the millennium. He was
awarded his PhD in Electroacoustic Composition from the University of Birmingham
(UK) in 2005, under the supervision of Jonty Harrison. Since then, Pierre
Alexandre Tremblay teaches composition at the University of Huddersfield (UK).
In parallel with his academic path, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay formed, in 1996,
the contemporary jazz ensemble [iks], which he still leads and with which he
continues to tour Europe, America, and Africa. With this ensemble, that has
released six albums to date, he practices improvisation on his instrument and,
more recently, on realtime processing devices.
Alter Ego features five pieces that are “proposing dreams fragments, paths for
wandering.”
+ + +
SEAWORTHY – Map In Hand
CD 12k 1040
Streetdate: November 30
http://www.12k.com
http://www.myspace.com/backgroundfrequencies
Seaworthy, a three piece collective based in Sydney, Australia that revolves
around core member CAMERON WEBB as well as SAM SHINAZZI and GREG BIRD, was
formed in early 2000 to explore melodic and experimental approaches to the
construction of minimalist sound scapes from looped guitar, warm drones, piano,
electronics and field recordings.
Map In Hand often blurs the lines of conventional categorisation with elements
traditionally considered part of “indie” or “post” rock blended with processed
musical and field recordings usually associated with electronic music.
Instruments and samples are often looped through amps and effects pedals, giving
the sound an organic feel. Avoiding the muscular approach of loud/soft dynamics,
Seaworthy concentrate on subtle shifts in melody, tone and texture to convey a
sense of time and place.
The core sessions for Map In Hand took place over a few days in early Spring,
2006 and were book ended by recordings of birds from outside the home studio.
There was little rehersal or preparation with many pieces featuring a strong
element of improvisation. Recorded initially to cassette and reel-to-reel tape,
the guitar loops and drones were then transferred to computer and assembled with
minimal processing, preserving the initial feel of the music’s performance,
complete with the happy accidents of errors, tape hiss and microphone overload
that became intrinsically part of the compositions as much as any sounds
produced by the instruments themselves.
There is a reflective quality to Map In Hand. A reminder that things don’t
always need to be changing, to be attention grabbing or distracting and that
there is beauty, not only in the object itself but in the process of
appreciating that beauty.
Webb has a PhD in environmental science and specialises in field based
ecological research where much of his time is spent in isolated wetland
environments. Many field recordings undertaken in these locations form the basis
for textural drones and rhythms from which guitar loops and percussion can be
blended. Similarly, these environmental experiences form much of the inspiration
for Seaworthy’s compositions and extend beyond the music into the aesthetic
presentation of live visual projections and CD/vinyl packaging of their limited
edition releases.
As well as many releasing limited edition material (CDRs & lathe-cut 7″es)
themselves, Seaworthy have worked with many local and overseas labels including
Feral Media (Australia), Black Lodge Audio (Australia), Celebrate Psi Phenomenon
(New Zealand), Misplaced Music (UK), 555 (UK), Marino (US) and Fat Cat (UK). Map
In Hand was originally released as a limited edition of 128 copies on Feral
Media. Also, Seaworthy was featured on the recent 12k compilation, Blueprints
(12k1039).
+ + +
THE WINKS – Birthday Party
CD Ache Records ACHE032
Streetdate: November 29
http://www.acherecords.com
An elegant blend of modern fervor with an old-world charm, Birthday Party
glistens with a timeless yet quirky pop panache. Primarily cello, mandolin,
vocals, and percussion, The Winks are entirely void of any of the instruments
traditionally used within rock music. Yet the structure, song writing, and
execution suggests a contemporary and pop spirit, rich with “hooks”.
However, Birthday Party is, no doubt, the darkest of The Winks creative output,
slanting the album title towards a moodier implication; a birthday party
representing the overwhelming, daunting, and powerful sensation of growing
older; celebratory, yet severe. It is an exploration of the bitter-sweet act of
life itself.
Essentially a duo, with the rest of the band in rotation, The Winks is TODD
MACDONALD on mandolin and vocals, and TYR JAMI on cello and vocals. An ambiguous
couple, Todd and Tyr have been The Winks for a number of years, initially an
improvised instrumental duo which gradually obtained more and more structure.
Other members, whether on a more permanent level or as a sit-in for the studio,
include Tim Sars on baritone saxophone, Paul Patko (Winning, The Red Light
Sting) on drums, and Juno award winning violinist, Jesse Zubot. The result has a
collective essence; a kind of open-door ease and sense of relaxation, like a
musical party, or laid-back cult.
Birthday Party is technically The Winks eighth release, the first five being
limited edition CD-Rs, followed by a full length on Swim Slowly Records, and a
split with their side-project (with Andy Dixon AKA Secret Mommy), Tights, on
Drip Audio Records. With each release, the duo harvests a sharper focus and
deeper sense of purpose, which garners an escalating amount of critical acclaim.
Enter Birthday Party, The Winks at their most luxuriant and spectacular. Full of
profound, vivid melodies, it chimes and lulls with a staggering originality and
mood. There is a focus to this full length so powerful that one can’t help but
feel that there is a ‘right place at the right time’ alignment of the stars.
+ + +
V.A. – Blueprints
CD 12k 1039
Streetdate: November 30
http://www.12k.com
Blueprint: a plan, a model, a template.
Over the past 10 years 12k has established itself as a label on the forefront of
minimalist music and has become home to some of the most important artists of
the genre. It is label that time and time again has not been afraid to release
debut albums from new artists, drawing on the new energy they interject into
both the scene and the label.
With the release of Blueprints, 12k presents 2 tracks each from 6 artists new to
its roster and showcases some of the new sounds and influences that will carry
the label into its 10th year (2007). The artists on Blueprints span the globe
and offer a variety of sound that both compliments and expands on the style that
12k has become known for.
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS: (US)
Christmas Decorations’ recordings tread a fine line between organic and
electronic, experimental and rock music. These tracks move away from the
structured songs of their debut Model 91 (kranky, 2002), with a more open-ended
exploration of order and time. Their forthcoming full length album Communal Rust
(community library, 2006) explores ideas somewhere between the two.
SEAWORTHY (AU)
A three piece collective that revolves around core member Cameron Webb as well
as Sam Shinazzi and Greg Bird, was formed in early 2000. Their compositions
often blur the lines of conventional categorisation with elements traditionally
considered part of “indie” or “post” rock blended with processed musical and
field recordings usually associated with electronic artists. Instruments and
samples are often looped through amps and effects pedals, giving the sound an
organic feel. Avoiding the muscular approach of loud/soft dynamics, Seaworthy
concentrate on subtle shifts in melody, tone and texture to convey a sense of
time and place.
As well as releasing limited edition material (CDRs & lathe-cut 7″s) themselves,
Seaworthy have worked with many local and overseas labels including Feral Media
(Australia), Black Lodge Audio (Australia), Celebrate Psi Phenomenon (New
Zealand), Misplaced Music (UK), 555 (UK), Marino (US) and Fat Cat (UK).
Seaworthy’s Map in Hand (12k1040) cd is being released simultaneously with
Blueprints in the autumn of 2006 on 12k .
AUTISTICI (UK)
Autistici creates audio narratives exploring the interchange between sound and
space. Space in this context includes the subjective response within the
listener’s head, where reflection and fantasy serve to bring personal meaning to
the experience. Autistici’s music incorporates a wide range of sources and
inspirations including obsessional microsounds, textural orchestration, near
silence and field recordings. Autistici has released tracks on labels such as
Audiobulb Records, Hippocamp and Kikapu.
JODI CAVE (UK)
Jodi Cave is a sound artist from West Yorkshire, UK. He was first introduced to
electronics whilst studying composition, and has since gone to learn computing
at the Ircam in Paris. Jodi is currently exploring the potentials of home-made,
MaxMSP based software, to extend, augment and re-contextualize acoustic sound in
composed works and improvised performance. He has full-length CD forthcoming on
12k in the beginning of 2007.
PJUSK (NO)
Pjusk is a project from Bergen, Norway consisting of two musicians and one
graphic designer. They create an electronic sound that is deep, dark and pulsing
that evokes a narrative and sense of other-wordliness.
LEO ABRAHAMS (UK)
Leo Abrahams is a London-based composer and guitarist. He has collaborated with
artists including Brian Eno, David Holmes, Ed Harcourt and Paul Simon, and
released two solo albums: Honeytrap (Just Music, 2005) and Scene Memory
(Bip_Hop, 2006). Using a laptop to process his guitar in real time, he creates
music which contains elements of folk, electronica and contemporary classical.
+ + +
LIVES
BARDO POND [ATP/R] 01/12 DE – Berlin, Festsaal Kreuzberg w/ Espers
BRANDON LABELLE [Errant Bodies]
23/09-15/11 FR – Paris, Bibliothèque-Discothèque Robert Desnos
Sound Installation ‘Public Jukebox’
dDAMAGE [Tsunami-Addiction]
11/11 FR – Saint Etienne, tbc
15/11 FR – Nancy, Azimut 854
18/11 FR – Montpellier, Festival a 100%
24/11 CH – Neuchatel, La case a choc
26/11 FR – Paris, Batofar
01/11 UK – London, Lifthouse
08/12 CH – Delemont, Le sas
15/12 CH – Geneve, tbc
16/12 CH – Le Tessin, tbc
11/01 FR – Lille, La condition publique
23/01 DE – Hamburg, Pudel
HUMCRUSH [Rune Grammofon] 14/12 CH – Geneva, L´Usine
MoHa! [Rune Grammofon]
09/11 NL – Utrecht, Theater Kikker
22/11 NL – Tilburg, Paradox
23/11 NL – Amsterdam, Bimhuis
25/11 DE – Koln, Stadtgarten/Studio 672
26/11 CH – Zurich, Overkill Party
29/11 DE – Frankfurt, Forum für Elektronische und Neue Musik
30/11 BE – Brussels, Atelier Mommen
02/12 UK – London, Corsica Studios
03/12 FR – Paris, Kliton
04/12 ES – Barcelona, Ozonokids
07/12 PT – Lisboa, ZDB
08/12 PT – Porto, Lovers & Lollypops
10/12 FR – Bordeaux, El Inca
12/12 FR – Marseille, Lemboineuse
13/12 FR – Lyon, Sonic, Zero Jardins
14/12 CH – Geneva, L´Usine
15/12 FR – Strasbourg, Les Mots
PETER REHBERG [Editions mego]
10-11/11 ES – Barcelona, Internacional de Teatre Visual i de Titelles
‘I Apologize’ (Gisele Vienne)
POHLITZ/THOMAS STRØNEN [Rune Grammofon] 15/12 CH – Geneva, Ernest Ansertmet
SUSANNA AND THE MAGICAL ORCHESTRA,
IN THE COUNTRY & SUPERSILENT [Rune Grammofon]
09/11 FI – Helsinki, Umo Jazzhouse
11/11 HU – Szeged, Youth Center
12/11 DE – Cologne, Stadtgarten
13/11 FR – Paris, tba
15/11 UK – London, Jazzfestival, Cargo
16/11 BE – Genk, Motives Festival, Casino Modern
17/11 IT – Sardinia, tba
18/11 NL – Haag, Crossing Border Festival
08/12 BE – Brussels, Beursschouwburg
Thanks for reading & best wishes
Dense Promotion
Reichenberger Str. 147
10999 Berlin
http://www.dense.de
