CD Feature/ Hans Fjellestad: "Kobe Live House"

Four factors have dominated the development of experimental music over the last decades: The increased portability of sound devices, the combination of electronic and “acoustic” instruments, the handshake with visual arts and the closing of the gap between “serious” and “popular” culture. Applied to practice, “Kobe live house” should therefore be the archetypical album in the experimental department.

After all, all four factors are in full bloom on this release: Hans Fjellestad, who spends just as much time directing pictures as he does composing, simply packed his bags and took his laptop, flew over to Japan and played two sets of impeccably intense and irrestible electronics on one night. A master of multi-tasking, he added live performances of a piano in real time to the plethora of processed noise particles emmited by his synth and powerbook. The result is a wonderfully fresh piece of music, divided into seven segments, which flow seemlessly in and ouf of each other, but are well capable of holding their own when listened to seperately. It is to be suspected that Fjellstad used video projections as a backdrop to the impro-composition, but these tracks have a strong visual component already: Sounds from the street, people talking, a monologue from a movie and heavy breathing are pierced by quantum-leaping keyboard sprints, precarious rumblings, light drones, a childlike cover of the Beatles’ “Here comes the Sun” and hints at rhythm. Sceneries change as fast as lightning, with dissonances dissolving into mellow harmony and almost timelessly drifting passages being torn apart by heavy aural artillery. Indeed, many professors will have problems following these arrangements, yet all the same, “Kobe Live House”, with its moments of utter romance, its breathtaking climaxes and wild stylistic collisions (there’s a totally freaked-out dance between the piano and a basketball team, culminating in an anarchic free jazz session), this as entertaining as a blockbuster:

To some, the album will seem like a lot of loose ends. You may indeed feel befuddled by the sheer spectacle of sensoric sensations, but never call this a random affair – each single element is carefull placed and adds to the greater picture. However exemplary this record may be in terms of experimental history – above all, it’s an inspiring piece of music.

Homepage: Hans Fjellestad
Homepage: Accretions Records