HARD OFF (2017)

DELIVERY HEALTH IS THE NAME OF AN EARLIER COLLABORATION BETWEEN JIM, ITALIAN KEYBOARD WIZ GIOVANNI DI DOMENICO, AND JAPANESE PERCUSSIONIST TATSUHISA YAMAMOTO: HERE THEY DECIDE THAT IS THE NAME OF THEIR BAND DEVOTED TO ATMOSPHERIC GURGLES AND OPENING UP SPACES BETWEEN NOTES TO LET SHIT REALLY BREEEEEAAATHHHHHE.

I QUITE LIKED ARCO, THE 2015 COLLABORATION BETWEEN DI DOMENICO AND O'ROURKE: IT ORBITED THE PLANET OF GRASPABLE MELODY WITHOUT QUITE LANDING. THEY SEEM LIKE A GOOD FIT AS THIS KIND OF DOES THE SAME THING AND OCCASIONALLY LETS DOWN THE LANDING GEAR BEFORE THINKING 'OOH NO, ACTUALLY'. THAT MIGHT SOUND FRUSTRATING BUT THE ATMOSPHERES AND GENTLE TICKLING OF KEYS AND STRATEGIC PERCUSSION IS SOOTHING AND WELL BALANCED.

STANDARD FORM ON A LOT OF JIM'S RECORDS, I AM FINDING, IS 40 MINS OF MUSIC SPLIT INTO ONE OR TWO TRACKS. THAT'S PERFECT FOR THIS KIND OF EXPLORATORY DRIFTING. SIDE A IS A LITTLE BETTER THAN SIDE B, WHICH IS A LITTLE MORE UNSETTLED AND ANTIC AND PICKS UP TO MAKE FOR QUITE AN EXPLOSIVE CRESCENDO. BUT ON THE WHOLE I THINK THIS IS A GREAT LITTLE SET FOR THOSE WHO LIKE "AMBIENT" AS ACTUAL HUMAN INTERPLAY BETWEEN PERFORMERS.

CERTIFIED: GOOD.

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.