Vital Weekly 512
TobiasAALFANG MIT PFERDEKOPF - ICH HABE NUR NOCH 12 SEEPFERDCHEN IN MEINEN TEMPEL (CDR by Einzeleinheit)
FEU FOLLET - TOI ET LE SON (CDR by Einzeleinheit)
A
new label for me is Germany's Einzeleinheit (meaning lonely unity). Two
new artists on this label and the already somewhat known Aalfang Mit
Pferdekopf, aka Mirko Uhlig's project. The previous release, for
Mystery Sea, had to do with dark ambient music, but here it's something
different. Various of his friends supplied sound material which he puts
together. The guitar plays an important role, and not just those who
drone away. Simple strumming along Current 93 in 'Jaja Ungarinyin Und
Nun Zur Leiche Am Ufer' (the titles are to be translated, but it's
spoils the fun) but throughout the idea of a sound collage is the main
thing. Field recordings of voices do their thing and sometimes things
move below the threshold of hearing. Sometimes it's related to
Krautrock, but Aalfang Mit Pferdekopf plays seven fine tunes. Tense,
funny and surprising throughout. A bit like good HNAS, at least
carrying the same sense of German humor.
Behind Feu Follet is Tobias
Fischer, the man behind the label. He played with Aalfang Mit
Pferdekopf a couple of times and was introduced to the music of Nurse
With Wound and Mirror by Mirko Uhlig. Soon after that he started his
worn work in the realms of drone music. More Mirror than Nurse With
Wound (despite the various works of the nurses in this direction). Of
the two pieces on 'Toi Et Le Son' is the first the most minimal drone
music, and the most Mirror like. A single drone sound is expanded over
the course of the piece, and gradually grows in intensity. The second
piece is more a cascading sea wave piece with lots of harmonizing
sounds, making this is into a piece with more sudden changes, or rather
sudden shifting movements. Both pieces are quite nice, but also quite
standard in the known paths of drone music. But he could easily be next
up in the Mystery Sea catalogue.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.einzeleinheit.com
STAPLERFAHRER - (FOR KATHARINA) (MP3 by Earlabs)
Okay,
the site already mentioned Staplerfahrer as someone to watch out for
and they are right. This stuff is something quite stunning: four tracks
of noise at first listen, but getting closer one discovers tons of
interesting little details, almost hidden away in a wash of plain
noise. This is pretty strange, as if Merzbow meets Bernhard Guenter.
Mind you, Merzbow will obviously have the upper hand, but Guenter will
be the one that keeps you listening. Having made this comparison, I
must say that Staplerfahrer is in a category of his own without doubt.
The comparison just might give you an idea of what to expect, but be
prepared to be completely convinced yourself! Download now. (MR)
Address: http://www.earlabs.org
IDYL - ETERNAL ICE (CD-R, private)
A
short collection of "arctic ambience", a home-produced CD-R in a
plastic wallet with black and white printed inserts. It opens with "All
and Ever", a blending of lonely guitar and sampled voices punctuated by
bursts of cold, foreboding bass. Next we have "In Autumn", a dark
brooding drone-based piece with the guitar taking the role of the
gentle dripping of slowly melting ice, coupled with a distant and
subtle calling of crows. The third track is "Nebel Lichtung", a lighter
more subtle drone which evokes the biting arctic winds and the ever
present blanket of ice. "Dis" returns to darker drones, still layered
with the spectre of the arctic winds, this is coupled with the call of
a distant church organ recalling the norse myths of the world ending in
ice. The last track is "Is Vann" and highlights the contrasts
throughout the disk. It starts with a dialogue between lighter and
darker drones, which are then joined by a simple and very suspenseful
guitar line. If I HAD to make some criticisms, I would say that the
tracks are a little short, and each tend to end rather abruptly. But
all in all a very evocative release, with an excellent contrast between
lighter and darker moods. (AP)
Address: http://www.eternalice.de
ECHRAN (CD by Small Voices)
FABIO ORSI - OSCI (LP by Small Voices)
This
is a new name from Italy, of two guys that have made their own history
in Italian underground: Davide Del Col of Ornament and Fabio Volpi of
Otolab. They merge two different interests in this project: the darker
edges of ambient and the noise based psychedelica. Although the press
release mentions influences of Pan Sonic and Basic Channel, it's
influences that I found hard to detect. In most of the six pieces there
is indeed some sort of rhythm going, usually a pulse floating of
analogue synths, but the other synths play a much more sinister sound
than the more house related experiments by Pan Sonic and Basic Channel.
It's rather a slowed down and stripped down version of Suicide, but
perhaps also like many more experimental synthesizer music that was
released on cassette in the mid eighties, like Die Form or some such.
It has only faint traces of Pan Sonic, but lacks the aggressive rhythm
side of the Fins. It's fairly OK release, nothing spectecular, but
should go well with those who love their music to be dark, cold,
sinister and yet with a sense of rhythm, one not coming from a
rhythm-machine.
Likewise I never heard of Fabio Orsi, an Italian
artist. He plays guitars, samples, laptop and field recordings. The
latter he seems to have made at various folk music festival in the
Apulian folk tradition, but also outside in the country side. No big
city mayhem here. For reasons unknown Orsi 'composed and processed' the
music, but Kinetix 'reworked and produced' this LP. Wasn't Orsi not
good enough? Upon hearing this LP I'd be curious to hear his version of
the story, as what he hear sounds quite interesting, even when Kinetix
may provide us with a more reduced part (as he is known for his love of
the more minimal side of music). We are delicately lead around in the
country-side: faint drones, clicks, church bells, people and folk
music, but there is still a lot of peace in this country-side. This
happen with great slowness. Slowfood cooking was Italian too, right?
The music is something similar. Moving about in a slow manner. The
second part has more subtle drones than the first part, but in a
melancholic, Basinski kind of way, until it bursts into the most
stripped down click rhythm (no bass?) ever. Quite a curious record.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.smallvoices.it
The complete "Vital Weekly" is available at: Vital Weekly
Related articles
The talk of the town: ...
2007-08-09
This organic approach is a ...
2006-06-17