{"id":9682,"date":"2017-04-17T15:35:18","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T14:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.cronicaelectronica.org\/?p=9682"},"modified":"2017-04-17T15:35:31","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T14:35:31","slug":"the-waste-land-reviewed-by-exclaim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.cronicaelectronica.org\/?p=9682","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Waste Land\u00e2\u20ac\u009d reviewed by Exclaim!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nThere are times when the creative process is enriched by limitations. The challenge to produce meaningful work within the confines of this or that restriction can be inspiring; under certain circumstances, it can even define the work.<\/p>\n

A fine example of this is Luca Forcucci’s The Waste Land, in which the internationally recognized artist and researcher takes a six-minute field recording from a documentary film he’s never seen and turns it into a 37-minute soundtrack. Forcucci’s WordPress site attributes the project to his interest in “perception, subjectivity and consciousness,” and lists the great avant-garde composer and musician Pauline Oliveros as a key inspiration.<\/p>\n

Fans of her work will feel right at home in Forcucci’s new soundscape. Beautifully recorded (and mastered by Taylor Deupree), these three pieces reflect a mature, refined artistic voice that’s been recording since 2000.<\/p>\n

The cassette’s title track launches into a white noise\/heavy industry combo right from the start, followed by a delicious electronic hum. There’s no aggression here, though; the sounds are passive, sort of half-lazy. It’s just another day at the office, even if you can’t fathom what kind of hellish workplace this piece invites you to inhabit. “Voices from the Coal Mine” has a similar feel, as banging metal overpowers non-descript PA announcements, making for the album’s harshest work. Counter-intuitively, “My Extra Personal Space” takes the listener outside, and treats us to church bells, birdsong and running water. It’s a lovely contrast to the oppressiveness of the previous two tracks.<\/p>\n

If there’s a complaint to be lodged, it’s that the work lacks an obvious musicality. But then, that’s hardly the point. The Waste Land is a success, despite \u00e2\u20ac\u201d or perhaps as a result of \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how little the artist had to begin with. Kevin Press<\/em><\/p>\n

via Exclaim<\/a><\/p>\n