“Homem Fantasma” reviewed by Liability

Homem Fantasma
Après une petite escapade chez Baskaru (Music For Empty Spaces), le duo @C retourne sur ses terres pour trois nouvelles pièces librement téléchargeables sur le site de Cronica. Trois longues pièces électroniques de plus d’une demi heure chacune. Quant à les expliquer, il faudrait sans doute avoir beaucoup de temps devant soi. Pour autant et pour essayer de rester synthétique, @C est toujours dans une veine expérimentale où le field recordings, l’ambiant, des ambiances post-industrielles, des mélodies digitales et glaciales sont les centres d’intérêts de ce disque. Bien entendu, rien n’est jamais simple et il n’est aucunement question de linéarité dans le cas de Homem Fantasma. On parlera plutôt d’exploration sonore, de recherche auditive, d’évocation abstraite. Tout ce dont Pedro Tudela et Miguel Carvalhais ont toujours fait depuis leur première expérience commune en 2001. Evidemment, il y peut y avoir plusieurs lectures à Homem Fantasma. Les trois compositions que sont 78 (a+b), 79 et 80 peuvent s’appréhender sur plusieurs niveaux de compréhension. Il est alors tout à fait inutile de les prendre frontalement. Le risque serait alors de passer à côté de l’essentiel de chacune d’entre elles.
Autant Homem Fantasma peut se montrer monumental autant il peut fourmilier de détails aussi pointilleux que discrets. Les directions prises par le duo, on l’a vu, sont très diverses ce qui évite de tomber dans des lignes trop droites. Non, Homem Fantasma c’est comme un voyage souterrain, une exploration spéléologique ou une fouille archéologique dans des milieux reculés et oubliés de tous. On avance alors, de manière incertaine mais en faisant sans cesse des découvertes à chaque fois que l’on change de strate. @C nous prouve une fois de plus que son imagination est sans limite et que sa capacité à créer de nouveaux paysages sonores l’est tout autant. Disque autant inquiétant que fascinant, Homem Fantasma dégage une force presque surnaturelle dont on se demande si elle a encore une part quelconque d’humanité. On pourra se poser longtemps cette question sans avoir vraiment de réponse sinon celle issue de notre propre interprétation. Homem Fantasma est un disque ouvert, même s’il présente une face plutôt sombre, et comme une bête curieuse, il nous attire immanquablement dans son propre imaginaire. Fabien

via Liability

New podcast: Xesús Valle

Xesús Valle
This live set was performed in the past edition of Sónar Barcelona 2011. An ensemble of processes of granular synthesis, analog synthesis and raw field recordings that serves as a guideline to create a balanced narrative line of experimental electronica, sound design and sound art.

Xesús Valle captures all kinds of field recordings, sound-walks and sound actions which he manipulates in the computer to generate real-time narrative compositions. In addition to creating original soundtracks, he works on sound design for documentaries, short films and the Internet.

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Download here or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Crónica winter promotion


It’s that time of the year once again. Winter is arriving to the northern hemisphere, the holidays are almost around the corner and we at Crónica set up a sales promotion.

Until the end of December, for every CD or DVD ordered from Crónica, we will send you a second disc of your choice. All you have to do is to make a regular order and list which discs you’d like to receive gratis by using the order form’s “Instructions to merchant” field.

Besides these, and if you haven’t received them so far, copies of “Poststop” and “Crónica L” will also be included in your order while our stocks last.

As usual, postage is free for all destinations (within planet earth) and payments can be made with a variety of credit cards or your PayPal account.

Please place all orders through Crónica’s website.

Futurónica 48


Episode 48 of Futurónica, a broadcast in Rádio Zero (every two weeks, on Friday nights, repeating on Tuesdays at 01h) airs tomorrow, November 4th at 21h (GMT).

The playlist for Futurónica #48 is:

  • Zimoun, Room Nr. 3 34 (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Steinbrüchel, Invert (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Simon Whetham, Leftovers (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Terje Paulsen, Left Up North (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Nicolas Wiese, Left Fields Hyphenated (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Keizou Nedu, osr_20100503_01 (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • ed.s, Leftover2_(ed.s remix) (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Andy Graydon, Internegative (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)

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

New release: Janek Schaefer’s “Double Exposure”


Crónica is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with Janek Schaefer, “Double Exposure”, a one hour and forty-three minute long audiofile album available as a download through selected online distributors.

“Double Exposure” is a studio album, written over six years [2005-2011] in Janek’s career as a composer, sound artist, and musician. Each of the twelve tracks is a response to an invitation to write a piece of music for a compilation CD or installation etc. This then is the second time for them to have been exposed,but collected as a coherent series of album tracks. The source sounds are produced using location recordings and manipulated vinyl, which are simply processed through my collection of foot Loop/Reverb/Pitch/Eq pedals & mixing desk, and then assembled on screen. Anamnesis refers to the ability of sound to trigger mental images in our minds eye. Each new series of images will be specific to each of us – and they are all uniquely generated and framed by these evocative compositions. Where there is a strong story or concept there are further links.

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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzp! live in Porto


Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzp! was founded in 1991 by Miguel Carvalhais, Miguel Sá, Manuel A. Dias and José Moura Barbosa. Its decade of activity coincided with the awakening of electronic experimental music in Portugal and with a period of discovery and innovation during which zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzp! continuously expanded the borders of a music that was always intentionally free, indefinite, exploratory and collaborative.

Celebrating twenty years (to the day) since the project’s first performance, Miguel Carvalhais and Miguel Sá reunite for two solos and a duo performance, next Monday, October 31st at Casa da Música, in Porto.