In other reviews, I have already written that in the creation and perception of soundscapes, the step to video art or other visual art is not that big. This has to do with the intangible, sometimes the ethereal, often the captivating effect of music. This could be called the musical power of abstraction. Music is abstract in data (you cannot see it) but music has also the power to abstract (get rid of the determinant). This abstraction is, when applied in an artistic context, an illustration and a support of tangible, tactile elements and of recognizable visual images. The musical abstractions, the soundscapes, help to fragment, defragment, and shape. Note that ‘shape’ is used here in the conceptual meaning of the word.
It is this reflection that overtakes me when I put on the CD Acute Inbetweens to carefully listen to, in order to write, for this platform, a meaningful story. However, it remains very difficult to put into words what sound can do. Yet from the first notes it is clear that this record is far beyond the average. Very far. The composers worked with layers, using compilations of sound recordings. Experiment and surprise is dosed.
Both artists, Lawrence English (Australia) and Stephen Vitiello (USA), are active as composer, media and sound artist. They met for the first time in 2006. Acute Inbetweens was developed through long-distance consultations and discussions, passing sound files back and forth. The compositions contain both analogue sources and found sound. Each piece is built up and elaborated in a rigorous way. Each track is a compelling exploration. Bernadette ALLAERT
via Peek a Boo