“Product 06” reviewed by Touching Extremes

Sixth in the “Product” series, here comes a beautiful split CD which is rather different from the usual criteria of this ever-so-surprising label, being mostly centred around hypnosis and bewitching soundscapes, with engrossing effects on the psyche as a primary consequence. Ireland-based, Poland-born Pawel Grabowski presents a long composition called “But I’m not”, where obfuscated resonance and electronic haze ensure a lot of room for the mind to roam; his music springs from pretty unrecognizable sources, a malleable yet quite mysterious matter generating what’s the most static piece on the album. Portuguese Jorge Mantas (The Beautiful Schizophonic) who – like Grabowski – has had a recent release on Belgian ambient label Mystery Sea, here offers his most accomplished work to date; “Love songs for a psychoacoustic girl” is made of ten interesting episodes where voices, environmental sounds and samples – even from thrash and death metal – find a unique confluence into an alien marine atmosphere in which subsonics and haunting repetitions get their due space without overstaying their welcome. But the disc’s masterpiece is “Natureza morta”: James Eck Rippie’s fascination with turntables playing looped snippets of classical music is finely balanced by Paulo Raposo’s puzzling digital disturbance and attentive processing. The couple takes our hand to lead an uncomparable dance towards oblivion, forgetting everything else around in almost 20 minutes of blissful indetermination.

Massimo Ricci

”Lengvai / 60 x one minute audio colours of 2kHz sound” reviewed by Monochrom

Gintas K presents both the most exciting and the most tedious example of what the label calls “experimental digital post techno” on this double release. But it is also sort of like the victory of the organic and naturally flowing musical structure over the completely structural and structurally constructed approach towards music. But, let’s get things straight beforehand and say first things first.

“Lengvai”, CD one in this double back, consists of five richly structured and multilayered pieces of evolving sounds that build, grow and rise from various subtle sounds into impressive walls of sounds, building up a beat and a groove together with an exciting transition of noises, however small they might be at the beginning, into big parts of accomplished electronic composition. Gintas K keeps the balance between the minimal monotony and the flourishing growth of sounds perfectly while he also keeps an eye on the development of the overall track. Within these rather long tracks (except for the title intro track) you suddenly find yourself groving to beats so tiny and reduced that they are almost inaudible. A stroke of genius far above the multitudes of superficial electronic acts within the cologne school of minimal techno and thereby probably the best electronic whatever release up to now.

From the strictly noise turned to percussion complexity of “Kalgrinda”, where sharply cut white noise, digital clicks and other ticks form a post electronic rhythm group constantly shifting and changing beat patterns, adding complexity and syncopation, to the long winding bleeps and peeps turning into harmony of “Koto” or “Early Set”, Gintas K shows one of the most audacious yet most harmonic approaches to sound experiments within this genre. When the electric guitar sounds in “Kalgrinda” add the opposing layer to the more and more frenzied percussions it is clear that the aim is a fusion of old and new approaches, forfeiting various styles and ways for blandness and conceptually going straight for the main pathway – even if the result is richly masked and adorned. Especially when that track turns into a burning thunderstorm of percussive noise after about a quarter of an hour before dissolving into nothing quite quickly. It is sharp, witty and keen on one side and natural, organic and harmonic at the other side, both at the same time, with a sharp does of eclecticism to round things up.

The other CD in this package is a completely different thing, though. It is exactly what the title says: 60 times 60 seconds of static electronica, changing after exactly sixty seconds into the next groove, layer, beat or whatever it will be. I never had much of anything for those legendary loop records, where every single line on a vinyl record was a single loop, and things like these. The single pieces don’t get their time to evolve, they stand next to each other like commodities on a supermarket shelf, with no life or development of their own. The transition from one to the next is arbitrary and sharp. Maybe some people like that. With a fitting dose of masochism, it is imaginable. On the other hand, lots of people like lots of things and even more things are imaginable. Anyway, in my book this kind of arbitrary strictness doesn’t count for anything, even if it is theoretically appealing and consequently executed.

Fortunately, “Lengvai” is over sixty minutes of great electronic experiments that sounds nothing like experiments and completely able to stand on its own. It bridges a wide area of electronic noise and groove without ever straying to far from its core concept, so that it has compositional precision and overflowing natural abundance at the same time. That may sound like opposites, but every good piece of art has its paradoxes and inherent discrepancies.

“Lengvai / 60 x one minute audio colours of 2kHz sound” reviewed by Balsas.cc

Gintas K (Gintas Kraptavicius) – one of the most renown artists in Lithuanian sound art and experimental electronics scene – had crossed another one nomadic circle through international internet and physical collaboration networks, and in spring of 2006 exported his new release. It‘s a double CD „Lengvai“ (eng. „Easily“) and „60 x One Minute Colours of 2kHz Sound“, presented by acknowledged Portugese label „Cronica“. The CD mirrors the developement of Gintas K style for nearly ten years – style, that is dense of kaleidoscopic post-techno rhythms (from hypnotic ones to those nearly inviting to dance), organized by compositions, based on strict and precisic logic. In a swinging pendulum manner his tracks balance on the boundaries of pure electronic minimalism and overloaden mass of sound, conveyor of synthetic noise. Melodic tunes, gainning uncommon variations and loaden by continuously growing tension, are thrown into the axis of constant rhythmic dynamics. Frequently pure sinewaves and wiggling of the air, sensed by the skin, in Gintas K music ties the high pilotage of sound amplitudes and turns the psycho-sensorics of the listener into the instrument of resonating acoustic adventures.

The Portugese label „Cronica“ is known as a label, specialising on digital experimental electronics and is quite well known in international catalouges of digital sound. Among it‘s releases are works by such famous sound artists as Frans de Waard, Paulo Raposo, Marc Behrens, Pita, Pure, Stephan Mathieu and others. The double CD by Gintas K is a nice discovery along another one path through the up-to-date digital sound aesthetics.

The structure of the release is quite unusual and gripping. It‘s a combination of two conceptually and musically differing CD‘s. The first one – „Lengvai“ – is rather typical for Gintas K style (called „Easily“, the album sounds really easier in comparison with his earlier works). From the very begginings – minimalistic intro presented in a track „Lengvai“ – lucid and bright atmosphere covers all five tracks. Masterly organised and leisurely prolonged rhythmic strands are developed in two longer tracks „Ilgiau ilgiau“ and „Kulgrinda“ (ancient Lithuanian word that describes a path in the middle of swamp). In „Kulgrinda“ the merry-go-round of the sound gets acceleration of rhythmic windings and makes speakers swing from intense mass of melodic sound, twisting around hypnotising chords of overdriven electric guitar (excerpt). However „Koto“ brings back minimalistic and ascetic pureness of synthetic minimalism (excerpt). „Early Set“ – the longest one – consistently dives through all over the scale of dynamics. From slowly running up rhythms of pure frequencies (excerpt) towards another one massive flashpoint – this time the last one. One of the paradoxes of the composition – after sensitively developed paths, leading towards the culmination, unexpected turns are following. This break of compositional stereotypes makes a listener a bit confused and tricked, but step by step compulsive intertwining of musical motives appears.

The second CD „60 x One Minute Colours of 2kHz Sound“ is a conceptually integral work, that consists of sixty compositions that are one minute long. They‘re all based on 2kHz frequency sound, which gets static transformations in every track or, speaking metaphorically, in every colour of pure 2kHz frequency. This CD is not designed for the easy listening. However it‘s full of variety – from microscopic silent passages to physically effective and sometimes almost unbearable frequencies. When listened to at home it can become a sound instalation for space. A possible recipe of listening here can be borrowed from Sachiko M: „Use your head as an instrument“. Moving around the chamber space you hear differing sound (which is quite static in a composition itself). The sound material of this CD was used in sound, light, and space instalation, that had been set up for the festival of electronic music „Jauna muzika 2004“ (Young Music 2004, Vilnius). On the other side, listening to „60 x One Minute Colours of 2kHz Sound“ leads to astonishing time perception. So what at least could be said as a summary sketch for the „60 x One Minute Colours of 2kHz Sound“ is that a spectrum of sixty colours of one frequency offers intensive acoustic experiences, unfolding during careful and quite meditative listening.

Tautvydas Bajarkevicius (aka audio_z)

“King Glitch” reviewed by Black

Release 18 und 19 des portugiesischen Labels Cronica Electronica beweisen, wie unterschiedlich doch Arbeiten im eigentlich doch sehr eng gesteckten Feld, was man gut mit “Glitch-Electronic” betiteln möchte, sein können. BJÖRGULFSSON und OHLSSONs “King Glitch” wirkt verspielt, teilweise sogar mit poppigen oder zumindest Songstruktur ähnelnden Anleihen, die Arbeiten von FREIBAND/BOCA RATON hingegen bewegen sich teilweise fast an der Hörschwelle, arbeiten mit sehr minimalen Strukturen und einfachen Sounds. Interessant, beide Werke gegenüber zu stellen und zu vergleichen, aber auch einzeln große Gebiete, um immer mehr Details zu entdecken.

CS

“Essays on Radio” reviewed by Autres Directions

Agé de deux ans, et fort de 19 références, le label portuguais Cronica a su séduire les amateurs de musiques électroniques expérimentales et bruitistes, du moins ceux qui réussissaient à se procurer leurs disques. De notre côté, la joliesse de Tilia nous avait charmés mais la plupart des compilations éditées par le label, nous avait parfaitement ennuyés.

Essays On Radio : Can I Have 2 Minutes Of Your Time célèbre l’anniversaire de la structure avec 39 artistes qui proposent tous un titre d’environ 2 minutes (de 1’56 à 2’02), titre inspiré par / – réflexion sur la radiophonie. Sur le papier, le disque cumule les invités de marque (Stephan Mathieu, Pure, Pablo Reche, Tilia, Pita, Pimmon). Cependant le format écourté des compositions suggère un grand zapping radio alors que le nombre de participants permet difficilement de s’attarder sur le travail de tel ou tel artiste.

Les intervenants se sont pour la plupart concentrés sur la saturation liée à la compression radiophonique et propose des variations plus ou moins bruitistes, plus ou moins découpées, de sons divers, dans la moindre intention mélodique ou même rarement fluide. La radio, c’est violent, c’est bien connu. On remarque facilement dans cette avalanche de travaux l’œuvre de Tilia qui utilise un sample vocal, Pal et Ran Slavin qui apaisent avec des compositions tranquilles et ambiantes, les sinusoïdes saturées de Christine Fowler ou les signaux électroniques de o.blaat, les grésillements de Autodigest, la poésie atmosphérique de The Beautiful Schizophrenic…

Evidemment indigeste sur la longueur, Essays On Radio compte son lot de confirmations et de découvertes. Bref, réservé encore une fois aux auditeurs confirmés, qui seront peut-être intéressés par un deuxième volume au format DVD.

Stephane

“Happiness Will Befall” reviewed by Octopus

Lawrence English ou l’art de cultiver les paradoxes, tel pourrait être le sous-titre d’un album étonnant. Car de toute évidence, la musique de l’artiste australien n’évoque jamais les plages pour surfeurs ou les zones infestées de crocodiles de son pays. A cent mille lieues de là, c’est dans les contrées froides et brumeuses que cet ami de DJ Olive, Tetuzi Akiyama et Janek Schaefer nous entraîne (alors que le disque est produit à partir de sons et de souvenirs collectés en Asie Pacifique) et de temps à autre, des rumeurs hostiles et effrayantes, sorties d’un lagon hanté de monstres carnassiers, évoquent plus un marais putride d’Estonie qu’un atoll polynésien de carte postale. Quant à savoir si vous aurez envie d’y replonger souvent, vous êtes le seul à connaître la réponse.

Fabrice Vanoverberg

“Happiness Will Befall” reviewed by Loop

This is the debut album on Porto’s Crónica Electrónica label of Lawrence English, a musician, writer and sound artist who is based in Brisbane, Australia. In his works he plays guitar, software design, field recordings, cassettes, turntables and other electronic devices. His sound approach it’s related with concrète musique, minimalism and noise. He creates spectral soundscapes and the improvisation is a method of work to explore new sounds.

He’s discography comprise eleven albums, plus a diverse of sound installations outputs and curated exhibitions worldwide. He has worked with outstanding artists like David Toop, Scanner, Oren Ambarchi, Marina Rosenfeld, DJ Olive, Philip Samartzis, Toshio Kajiwara, Tetuzi Akiyama, Janek Schaefer, among other artists.

The six tracks on ‘Happines Will Befall’ have from very noisy textures to minimalist spaces. ‘Adrift’ hold heavy keyboard notes that create certain tension. The environmental guitar of English hook trembling guitar on ‘Two Weeks I’ll never have again’, as well as heavy noise. This bordering dirty sound is the texture of ‘Within of glass’, alongwith drones as a background, in addition to guitar experimentation. In a clean atmosphere, only with keyboard notes and imperceptible sounds are on ‘I’ve been happy like this’. Treated voices, sounds from the sea to the distant spot, the noise of a train wagon passing, micro digital percussions, are the soundscapes on ‘Parallel [midgap]’. The last track ‘Relocated [UTC]’ it’s my favourite one, so delicate, with only few keyboard notes.

Guillermo Escudero

“Essays on Radio” reviewed by Bad Alchemy

Ein Konzeptwerk zum 2-jährigen Bestehen des portugiesischen Labels, das sich ganz um das Medium Radio dreht. Ein Medium, das einem seit Jahrzehnten die ersten Erfahrungen mit Betthupferln, Nachtmixen, Zapping, Detuning, Radiophonie, Kurzwellensalat, White Noise, dem Großen Rauschen beschert. Die Assemblage von 39 Beiträgen allein auf der Audio-CD, allesamt auf 2 Minuten begrenzt (Konzept!), stellt wie auf geheime Verabredung fast durchwegs nur Aspekte des Rauschens – Noise – auf der Senderskala ein. Mitgerauscht haben von @c über The Beautiful Schizophonic, Cáncer, Freiband, General Magic, John Hudak, Vitor Joaquim, Stephan Mathieu, o.blaat und Pita bis Steinbrüchel und Pedro Tudela Freunde des Hauses und gleichgesinnte Radiowellensurfer. Ich gebe zu, dass ich das Radio hochkant durchs geschlossene Fenster feuern würde, wenn dort nichts außer solchen 2-Minuten-Eiern gelegt würden. Me and my radio sind Freunde wegen DJs wie Harry Lachner und Karl Bruckmaier, wegen Sendungen wie Radiophon und Zündfunk-Nachtausgabe, weil es, trotz aller Muzak und Hirnvermüllung, immer noch die beste Quelle ist für Musica Nova, Weltmusk und Jazz, ein Draht zum Traum- und Geisterland zwischen hellwach und Halbschlaf, ein Refugium für Kultur, die nicht gegen die Haager Konvention verstößt und ein Delta der Informationsflüsse. ‚Mein‘ Radio erkenne ich in den ‚Essays‘ nur selten – den News- & O-Ton in tilias ‚doublethinktank III: we did our duty‘ mit einer entlarvenden Bush-Rede (oder deren Parodie? – wer kann heute noch seinen Augen oder Ohren trauen), in ‚Ears that Hear‘ von Pimmon und ‚Verbatim‘ von Paulo Raposo. Oder in Ran Slavins ‚Golden Twilight Moments‘ und der ‚Radiokunst‘ – die Musique concrète ist ein genuines Radiobaby – von Lawrence English… Die meisten ‚Radiophoniker‘ liefern, was sie immer liefern, dekonstruktives Allerlei, als ob das Radio nur Nullmedium wäre oder Endlosrille. Durán Vásquezs‚Goebbels‘ Pupils‘ verweist immerhin auf die demagogische Potenz der ‚Volksempfänger‘. In der Summe bleiben die ‚Essays‘ als ‚Waffen der Kritik‘ seltsam stumpf und selbstgenügsam.

“Happiness Will Befall” reviewed by Vital

The name Lawrence English is a new one for me, despite his concerts with David Toop, Ami Yoshida, Oren Ambarchi, Marina Rosenfeld, and many more. English also produced albums for Tujiko Noriko and The Rational Academy. On ‘Happiness Will Befall’, English plays guitar, computer and some additional instrumentation (electronics, cassettes and turntables). There are some elements of field recordings in here (like a metro passing), but the prime instruments are guitar and computer. Lawrence English plays ambient music written with the big A – slowly shifting patterns played on the guitar, occasional notes being strummed an sustained until they die out beyond the threshold of hearing. At times I was reminded of Oren Ambarchi’s work in this area, but the work of English is just a little bit more electronic (even when one doesn’t have the idea of hearing computer processes), it’s still a highly organic flow of ambient music. Pastoral music with modern means and ancient, wooden stringed boxes.

FdW

“Essays on Radio” reviewed by Octopus

Pour fêter ses deux ans d’existence, le très estimable mais encore tout jeune label portugais Cronica a décidé de rendre un hommage paradoxal au plus ancien des média invisibles utilisé par l’homme : la radio. Initiatrice chez beaucoup du goût pour les modulations aléatoires ou les expériences de white noise, la radio constitue encore aujourd’hui une source inépuisable d’investigation et d’extraction sonore, ce que les musiciens invités sur ce Essays on Radio tendent encore à prouver. Des fréquences cinétiques de Random industries aux exercices de langues étrangères de Paulo Raposo en passant par le minimalisme tonal de Steinbrüchel, les différentes pièces musicales passent au crible le déterminisme radiophonique dans son ensemble. Saturations et grésillements sont donc de la partie, mais réservent des atmosphères fluctuantes, selon l’appréciation du tuner de chacun des compositeurs, tour à tour lisses et ambiantes, ou plus agressives et frontales. Certains titres comme le Goebbels Pupils de Duran Vasquez, mêlant discours de fond ultra-traditionnaliste et bruits de craquements au premier plan, interpellent même sur le double niveau de perturbation de la radio, l’évidente tenant à l’appréciation du discours reproduit et intelligible, et la sous-jacente tenant aux désagrements physiques qui peuvent brouiller la retransmission. Un projet ambitieux mais qui s’accommode très bien de la contrainte requise des deux minutes, une allusion-clin d’oeil à l’anniversaire de leur label hôte, mais également une occasion de retrouver la facilité de permutation d’une source à l’autre propre à la captation radiophonique.

Laurent Catala