ERIKM - Steme - CD - Room 40

www.room40.org

Turntablist extraordinaire, ERIKM, has seen fit to realise this collection of tracks for Australia’s ROOM 40 imprint. Now compounding his reputation for a near virtuoso turntabling technique, combined with an armoury of electronic tools and effects, ERIKM has taken ten one minute samples burned onto a CD, which was then further treated and damaged. He then took these damaged pieces and reconfigured them, subjecting them to further distortions and deconstructions, to form an oblique, minimalist tapestry of harsh digital sounds. After an initial burst of signal, we are then plunged into a visceral soundscape (Ressac), full of stuttering, flickering textures. This really sets the tone for the rest of the collection in an impressively rendered series of exquisitely crafted digi-scapes.

Protracted silences are beset with jewelled interstices of glistening electronica. 5^th track, Game, utilises a fuller pallette, and takes us into further reaches of the audible spectrum – here, bass tonalism gives way to eviscerated microsonics, and once again, we are drawn into ultra minimal sound-play. White Out forms around a gassy, almost industrial backdrop, subtly stippled with high overtones, a pale drone piece, unimpeded by the usual pitfalls of the genre.

Dissenters will no doubt liken much of Steme to early musique concret, revised and revisited, setting a path for the new generations of avant garde, however, ERIKM maintains a genuine joy, and love of the medium, in a playful, intelligent, and maturely crafted collection, that is both inspiring and original.BGN.

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Published:: 4.23.08 / 6pm

Category:: Reviews (digital composition, audio art)

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WHITE_LINE was set up three years ago, in order to play and promote the work of artists and musicians working under the banner of “minimalism”, in all its many guises. This has led to a regular and highly successful mix slot on the Garden of Earthly Delights radio show in the UK, and guest appearances on Resonance FM (frequenzen show) , and Darkness Drops Again radio in Czechoslovakia. I now aim to extend the remit of the mix slots by reviewing (as often as possible) material that encapsulates and crystallises the minimalist ethic, and hopefully I’ll be leading artists and audiences alike towards a deeper appreciation of this and other marginalised genres. I welcome your comments, and criticisms, and would love to hear from labels and artists who would like their work showcased on the show, or reviewed here. I regret that due to time constraints with my own recording schedule and visual art works, I cannot review everything that is sent to me, but will endeavour to give exceptional work an “honourable mention” at the very least, and links to quality sites that I think worthy of mentioning.

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ERIKM - Steme - CD - Room 40

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