Futurónica #18


Episode 18 of Futurónica, a broadcast in Rádio Zero (every two weeks, on Friday nights, repeating on Tuesdays at 01h) airs tomorrow, October 8th at 21h (GMT).
The playlist for Futurónica #18 is:

  • David Lynch and John Neff, Eraserhead Dance Mix (2003, from Eraserhead Soundtrack, Absurda)
  • Coil, I Am the Green Child (2000, from Constant Shallowness Leads to Evil, Eskaton)
  • This Immortal Coil, Red Queen (2009, from The Dark Age of Love, Ici D’Ailleurs)
  • Asmus Tietchens, Teilmenge 21 (2002, from Ï’-Menge, Ritornell)
  • Freiband, Superpoem (2003, from O Superman, Staalplaat)
  • @c, 38 (2006, from Study, Grain of Sound)

You can hear Rádio Zero’s broadcasts at radiozero.pt/ouvir.

“Crónica L” reviewed by Vital Weekly

Crónica L
Labels sometimes release label samplers, which is of course if you need to reach a new audience. Sometimes they come with a magazine. And sometimes they are send to magazines for review. I never like to review compilations, but least of all those label samplers. It’s usually stuff I already reviewed or sneak preview, but I don’t mind waiting for the real thing. Cronica understands that, so for their label compilation which is part of the Italian Neural magazine, they asked 18 of their artists to work together on a new piece. So we are introduced to the artists from their catalogue, but through exclusive nine, new tracks. All of these artists work with the possibilities of laptop and electronics, while many of them also incorporate field recordings to the scene. In these nine tracks we hear what these people do best: glitchy electronics (Ran Slavin & Vitor Joaquim, @C & Gintas K), musique concrete like compositions (Marc Behrens & Cem Guney), ambient drones (Pure & Duran Vazquez, Stephan Mathieu & Piotr Kurek, The Beautiful Schizophonic & TU M’), field recordings (Gilles Aubry & Paulo Raposo) and of course edges blurr in these genres (Enrico Coniglio & Janek Schaefer). A compilation that holds little surprises, but its an absolute nice one, nine strong pieces. (FdW)

“Crónica L” was distributed with issue #36 of Neural and is not on sale. While our stock lasts, all direct orders of other Crónica releases will receive a free copy of “Crónica L”.

“Shattering Silence” reviewed by De:Bug

Shattering Silence
Der Portugiese Jan Ferreira beschränkt sich bei diesen Aufnahmen ganz bewusst auf wenige Werkzeuge zur Erzeugung und Bearbeitung von Klängen. Sein gutes Dutzend Tracks arbeitet mit Feedback, Verzerrung und analoger Klangsynthese, ist klanglich meist äußerst minimal und oft bewusst “billig” gehalten und wirkt wie live mit wenig Equipment improvisiert. Völlig abstrakte Tracks wechseln sich dabei mit pulsierenden und teilweise sogar minimal- und dubtechno-artigen Arrangements ab, weshalb das Album vielleicht nicht stringent aber ziemlich abwechslungsreich geraten ist.

New CD release: “strings.lines” by Nicolas Bernier



Flash is not installed

“strings.lines” came to life from an obsession for old and forgotten object-matter and the desire to produce music that exists in between the new and the old. The starting point to the composition of this work were acoustic tuning forks. In 2007 Nicolas Bernier became fascinated with this object/instrument of particularly beautiful design, and started a collection of all the different kinds of tuning forks he could find. Some of these reached 21Hz, near the lower-limit of human hearing, some others produced extremely high frequencies, all of them became tools and instruments for improvisation through electroacoustic transformation, in a process of discovery. These improvisations were at the heart of a composition stage that was developed for almost two years. At the heart of the project was a state of mind leaning towards the restraints imposed by the tuning forks.

The “lines” in the title originates from here: from the constant pitches imposed by the tuning forks. They produce sounds that are perceptively close to sine waves, graphically represented by lines or sinusoids, the elementary sounds of electronic music and obviously the perfect musical object to draw a music around the boundary of electronic and instrumental music. The tuning fork is also a symbol of centuries of occidental music making that culminate with western tonal music, and the preservation of that symbolism was an important part of the second stage of the composition process, involving two string players, Pierre-Yves Martel on viola da gamba and Chris Bartos on violin. During the recording sessions, the instrumentalists were requested to play close to a single pitch, exploring the wood, the attacks and the resonant qualities of their instruments, while following some of the motives that had already been composed with the forks. The pieces presented in this edition are studio compositions of layers from the two stages of the work, blending both worlds while trying to keep a sense of the original materiality and timbres, but not refraining from using other sounds and sources whenever necessary.

“strings.lines” is now available directly from Crónica and from selected retailers and online distributors.

“Shattering Silence” reviewed by Rockerilla

Shattering Silence
L’artista portoghese residente a Berlino Jan Ferreira, in arte Mosaique, ha pubblicato fino ad oggi solo dischi in formato digitale, disponibile gratuitamente sul sito della Cronica (cronicaelectronica. org). Shattering Silence è l’ultimo della serie è anche il migliore: una raccolta di quattordici tracce , per più di cento minutio di durata, che mette bene in evidenza la capcaità strabiliante di Ferreira nel trattare silenzio e rumore come elementi basilari delle proprie manipolazioni. L’attenzione dell’ascolto va ai timbri degli strumenti utilizzati, capaci di creare vere sinfonie di rumori nel giro di pochi minuti. Roberto Mandolini

Futurónica #17


Episode 17 of Futurónica, a broadcast in Rádio Zero (every two weeks, on Friday nights, repeating on Tuesdays at 01h) airs tomorrow, September 24th at 21h (GMT).
The playlist for Futurónica #17 is:

  • Gescom, Cut Begin (1-7) (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Bill Wells, The Burgess Sign Off (2008, from The Loathsome Reel Book, Loathsome Reels)
  • Gescom, Le Shark (1-5) (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Gescom, Devil (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Bill Wells, The Jinx (2008, from The Loathsome Reel Book, Loathsome Reels)
  • Gescom, Territory of Usage (2-1) (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Gescom, Cranusberg (3-2) (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Shirttrax, Living with Jean Shirt pt 2 (Brighton) (1997, from Decay, Ash International)
  • Bill Wells, Singleton (2008, from The Loathsome Reel Book, Loathsome Reels)
  • Mark Fell, Abjecion (2004, from Ten Types of Elsewhere, Line)
  • Gescom, Shep (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Gescom, Hemiplegia 2 (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Gescom, Tomo (1-2) (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Mark Fell, Abjecion (2004, from Ten Types of Elsewhere, Line)
  • Gescom, A Newer Beginning (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Mark Fell, Abjecion (2004, from Ten Types of Elsewhere, Line)
  • Bill Wells, Record Collectors (2008, from The Loathsome Reel Book, Loathsome Reels)
  • Mark Fell, Storage (2004, from Ten Types of Elsewhere, Line)
  • Gescom, Amendment 84 (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Mark Fell, Storage (2004, from Ten Types of Elsewhere, Line)
  • Farmers Manual, Frog Dies in Sunlight (1997, from Fsck, Tray)
  • Heimir Björgulfsson & Jonas Ohlsson, Our Fantasy Is Stronger Than Yours (2005, from King Glitch, Crónica)
  • Heimir Björgulfsson & Jonas Ohlsson, Bring Him Up Now (2005, from King Glitch, Crónica)
  • Gescom, Raindance (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Gescom, Wad Wat (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Gescom, I G E (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Gescom, MC (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Gescom, Peel (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Davor Mikan, Flimmer (2007, from Täuschung, Crónica)
  • Gescom, Fully (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Pedro Tudela, Figures That Fall Apart 2 (2003, from Là Où Je Dors, Crónica)
  • Davor Mikan, Animal (2007, from Täuschung, Crónica)
  • Alva Noto, Xerrox Rin (2009, from Xerrox Vol. 2, Raster-Noton)
  • Alva Noto, Xerrox Teion (2009, from Xerrox Vol. 2, Raster-Noton)
  • Pomassl, Sol (Alva Noto Rmx) (2002, from Retrail Error, Laton)
  • Gescom, Squashed to Pureness (1-4) (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Pomassl, Minor Feeder (2002, from Retrail Error, Laton)
  • Gescom, Dan Dan Dan (1-4) (1998, from Minidisc, OR)
  • Bill Wells, Time Takes Me So Back (2008, from The Loathsome Reel Book, Loathsome Reels)

You can hear Rádio Zero’s broadcasts at radiozero.pt/ouvir.

“Shattering Silence” reviewed by Gonzo

Shattering Silence
Het lijkt de Portugese componist Jan Ferreira. alias Mosaique, op ‘Shattering Silence’ vooral te gaan om een onderzoek naar de kleur en vorm van klanken. Wellicht komt dat voort uit het feit dat hij voor deze release (de tweede vor het Crónica-label; beide releases zijn gratis te downloaden bij het label, als onderdelen van Crónica’s Unlimited Series) voor het eerst werkte met analogue elektronica. De veertien tracks, die samen meer dan honderd minuten geluid betekenen, kennen nauwelijks een opbouw en klinken aanvankelijk als een willekeurig samengevoegde reeks van gebrom, gekraak, geruis, plotse pulsen en in hoogte verglijdende tonen. Mosaique gebruikt daarbij geen uitgebreid palet aan geluiden. Als na ruim twintig minuten de kans op luistermoeheid reël wordt, biedt Ferreira, heel verstandig, de luisteraar adempauze met een kalme ritmebasis. Vanaf dat moment wordt de tracks vaker een wervelkolom geboden met ritmes en andere structurerende elementen, al blijft ook volkomen abstractie aanwezig. Het resultaat is goed, maar niet helemaal geslaagd. De variatie is te klein voor zo’n lange tijdsduur. Voordeel van het kunnen downloaden is in dit geval dar de luisteraar eigen afspeellijsten kan samenstellen, en ‘Shattering Silence’ kan opdelen in twee of dire kleinere ‘releases’. Hopelijk besluit Mosaique daar de volgende keer zelf toe.