Category: RECOMMENDATIONS

Max Richter; J. Peter Schwalm: Transformed & Recomposed

Throughout musical history, composers have always taken fragments of other composers’ work and used them to re-compose completely new compositions. Before “electricity”, their choice of instruments was ‘limited’ to that of the classical orchestra settings. And now time has passed, they all sound ‘classical’ to contemporary ears.
But when contemporary composers – especially from ‘rock’ or experimental field – reworks classical compositions, incorporating electronic media – hell breaks loose in purist camps on both sides.

At least, that’s how it used to be – some years ago. It seems things have changed a bit since we’re more accustomed to the culture of ‘sampling’.

Woob – Sense – 8m2 Stereo

WOOB – AMBIENT DISASTER MOVIE
After having released two timeless albums on the now legendary EM:T label (“1194” and “4495”), Woob (Paul Frankland, also known as Max & Harvey and half of Journeyman) took some time off from making music (to work in the advertising industry) – returning in 2010 to release a string of new albums on Bigamoebasounds.

On “Ambient Disaster Movie”, the sound (sometimes referred to as ‘post-rave ambient’) is still as bright and recognisable as it was in the beginning – presented with a refreshing (tongue-in-cheek) sense of humour.

Pinkcourtesyphone – Description of Problem

Richard Chartier – composer, sound artist, designer, LINE label curator – has released over 30 critically acclaimed albums under his own name since 1998, building himself an unrivaled status in the ‘reductionist’ electronic sound art field.

As Pinkcourtesyphone, he has released released music since 2012 with a somewhat different angle – the alias giving him some space for a slightly ‘looser’ approach:

“Pinkcourtesyphone is a more emotional, dare one say musical side of his work.
Pinkcourtesyphone is dark but not arch, with a slight hint of humor.
Pinkcourtesyphone is amorphous, changing, and slipping in and out of consciousness.
Pinkcourtesyphone operates like a syrup-y dream and strives to be both elegant and detached.”

London Docks – Tangaroa

London Docks is the alias Nikita Sorokin uses for his solo work.
He’s not from London, but from Los Angeles.
Also a member of Insects vs. Robots – but don’t let that count as an introduction, because the music he presents as London Docks is quite different from that of this particular “psychotropicturesque quasi-nomadic music tribe”.

“Tangaróa“ is a collection of tracks merging Nikita Sorokin‘s solo violin improvisations with “fields recordings and electronica into sonic dreamscapes that are inspired as much by science fiction and mythology as they are by musical ideas”.

Russ Young; Richard Ginns; Troum; C. Reider; Retracking Val

RUSS YOUNG – COMMON POND
On “Common Pond“, Russ Young recreates places, events and objects around him “by assembling manipulated audio sources – re-imagining the impression with sound”.

Each track has a different background story, like:
“‘Phil’s House’ is made from recordings of a friend’s 8 upright pianos he kept in his house.
I ended up erasing the notes leaving the mechanics behind. I think it sounds like rain on his roof or rain playing his pianos.”
“‘Lamy’s Sound and Light’ is a local ‘disco equipment’ rental shop at the end of my street. He leaves a cluster of neons flashing all night.”
With this approach, Young creates a new and refreshing concept of ‘environmental soundscapes’.


RUSS YOUNG – COMMON POND

VLNA – Turquoise Threads

Before you start listening, answer this: what associations do you have with a band name like VLNA?

Personally, I prepared for somewhat ‘unpersonal’ and possibly even ‘harsh’ sounds when I started listening.

But I was in for a surprise:“Turquoise Threads“ is an ‘impressionist vocal’ album – an album with spoken words fragments, humming, whistling, intertwining with ‘a thick veil of atmospheric noir from threads of adapted violins, guitar’ (and electronic treatments).

Matthew Collings – Silence is a Rhythm Too

Matthew Collings (Scotland) has not only recorded and performed as a solo artist, but also worked together with Dag Rosenqvist (Jasper TX), Talvihorros and Ben Frost.
He has been performing live using custom-made software, and composed movie scores – such as a live score for “Man with a Movie Camera”.

“Silence is a Rhythm Too“ is his second solo-album, and it turns out to be quite different from its more ‘minimalist pop’ orientated predecessor“Splintered Instruments” (which is rereleased together with the new album).