STEAMROOM 19 (2015)

A RECORD SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE VARIOUS INTERSECTIONS OF TAPE MUSIC, DRONE, AMBIENT, MUSIQUE CONCRETE, AND SOUND ART. ONE TRACK OVER 42 MINUTES THAT GOES THROUGH SEVERAL IDENTIFIABLE SECTIONS, EACH UNIFIED BY SHARPENED METALLIC TONES AND AN UNMISTAKABLE ATMOSPHERE AKIN TO WHEN A FRIDGE HUMS ANNOYINGLY.

THERE IS A SENSE OF AN ACTIVE HAND THROUGHOUT AS WE HEAR INTERLOCUTIONS FROM UNIDENTIFIABLE PERCUSSIVE SOUNDS (LIKE STONES GRINDING TOGETHER) AND THE SUBTLE RAISING AND DECAYING OF ATTACK AND VOLUME THAT COMES FROM THE ANCIENT ART OF 'KNOB-TWIDDLING'. 

ULTIMATELY THIS FEELS BEST AS SOUND ART IN THE BACKGROUND OF AN INSTALLATION RATHER THAN AS MUSIC, IN WHICH IT DOESN'T YIELD ENOUGH OF ANYTHING TO BE REMARKABLE.

ARCO (2015)

IN WHICH JIM COLLABORATES WITH GIOVANNI DI DOMENICO AKA THE PERSON WITH THE WORST BIOGRAPHY ON DISCOGS.

 

 

DESPITE BEING A WAFFLER AND A BIT OF A PSEUD MYSELF I HAVE THIS REAL AVERSION TO ARTSPEAK. WHAT DO I MEAN?

 

ARCO is born out of two necessities, strongly interrelated: 1) creating a sonic space where the concept of waiting (patience?) can turn into form, and 2) doing this together with Jim O’Rourke, a musician who finds in form and its use his true greatness; The structure of the composition is quite simple: it is based on a cell of four repeated notes (the “DNA” of the piece), forming a melodic/harmonic texture which slowly freezes into suspended, levitating chords, in which the passing of time itself becomes a sort of harmonic extension, and in which the strings and the splendidly rich sonic palette of the electronics fuse into the true essence of Form. 

1. THOSE THINGS AREN'T NECESSITIES 2. WAITING (DURATIONAL NON-PARTICIPATION) CAN NEVER BECOME 'FORM' 3. IT'S BASED ON A LOOP, FUNDAMENTALLY, IT IS IMPROVISING AND GENERATING OVER A LOOP, JUST SAY THAT. 4. THE NOTES ADDED MAKES THE THING HARMONICALLY RICHER 5. IT IS DONE ELECTRO-ACOUSTICALLY IE. SOME PLAY ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS AND JIM BURBLES HIS LAPTOP.

ARTSPEAK MAKES ME INCREDULOUS IN FRONT OF WORK THAT I WOULD HOPE, IN MY SINCEREST HEART, WOULD MAKE ME NAIVE AND CREDULOUS AGAIN. 

THIS IS A GOOD BIT OF IMPROVISING OVER A LOOP BETWEEN STRING PLAYERS AND ELECTRONICS. IT IS SLOW AND SPACIOUS AND GRACEFUL AND IT ISN'T CHALLENGING (I MEAN DISCORDANT) TO LISTEN TO. AT POINTS ARCO THREATENS TO BECOME STRAIGHTFORWARDLY EMOTIONAL, BUT HANGS BACK FROM IT, LIKE A TEACHER ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL WITH A CLASS THEY ACTUALLY LIKED SPENDING TIME WITH.

IF DIE SCHNACTEL (THE LABEL WHO RELEASED THIS) WOULD LIKE ME TO WRITE THEIR RELEASES THEN GET IN TOUCH.