WHITE_LINE - promoting minimalism internationally

Physical, Absent, Tangible – VVAA – CDR – Contour Editions

whiteline1 — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:21:47 +0000

www.contoureditions.com

A compilation of sorts, “Physical, Absent, Tangible” brings together the creations of five artists on a new imprint curated by none other than Richard Garet. Garet’s own works have set the benchmark for soundscaping and sound installation art over the last few years, with releases on a clutch of influential labels worldwide. No surprise then, that an ear for quality control and a talent for working with discerning and intriguing artists has brought to fruition this debut edition on Contour.

I8u’s opener crystallises an interest in auditory minutiae, exploding the almost imperceptible world of the quantum and the superstrings theory, the physical world reduced to digital noughts and ones, Brownian motion set under a sonic microscope perhaps.

De Laurenti’s winding, acousmatic inversions home in on the non-physicality of source material as the locus for a pair of emergent pieces formed from the detritus of malfunctioning equipment, and hard data manipulation and construction. The second part in particular is self destructing, slowly, entropically, like a looped tape that is slowly wiping and dissolving over time, a receding memory trace, with a heterodyne clicking permeating the background.

Sanson works on a series of eight sketchy collages that he likens to assemblages of photographs, maps, old films, a meta-narrative construction that acts like a kind of auditory scrapbook, of half remembered places and events, that even the artist cannot place in his memory. Amongst this ferment of shards, Sanson’s psyche might be revealed in a curious, Ballardian reconstruction of hazy remnants, a kind of grab-bag of activities and presences, that once collaged and re-assembled, might decode or unlock some lost or repressed memory.

Mackern and Galli’s work is based on electro-magnetic interferences from the Santa Rosa storm in Uruguay, these radio frequency elements, combined with hardware hacking, and circuit bending, serve to uncloak the formerly hidden auditory signature of radio atmospherics caused by the storm – what ancient people perceived as the hypothetical “Voice of God”. This is a crackling, fizzing work, peppered with verbal interferences and strange, atonal surges, that remind me of a Storm Chaser’s bad acid trip.

All in all , this is a fine debut from a label that promises to deliver a compelling mixture of intelligently sourced material, fused with a diverse roster of artists from around the globe, taking in elements of minimalism, installation art, field recording, and everything in between. Watch this space. BGN.

Richard Garet/Brendan Murray – Of Distance – CD – Unframed Recordings

whiteline1 — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 09:17:34 +0000

www.unframedrecordings.net

Another sublime offering from the Richard Garet camp, this time Garet combines forces with Brendan Murray to release Of Distance – two long form soundscapes that have been some three years in the making. The two pieces, In Parallel, and The Tyranny of Objects are object lessons in subtly contrasting formats and approaches. In Parallel, clocking in at some 27 minutes is a slow-builder, starting out with micro fine sonics, offset with hints and whispers, it slowly and gently builds into a robust edifice, that unintentionally references aspects of the post-industrial movement of the early 90’s, as much of the soundscape here could be the 55Hz hum of electronic equipment, or heavy machinery. The artists here take a drone-laden central theme, underscored with splinters of field recordings, vocals, background noise and the like, and weave an intriguing tapestry of sound. Frequencies slowly swell into the mix, as we traverse dark and earthy tonescapes, that then subside and evaporate, leaving mere traces, and ethereal vapour trails in the higher register. Form and dynamics are very much the watchwords here, as the artists play with elements of tension, increasing and reducing foci to create an engaging and fascinating journey. Whilst In Parallel is a stocky, transitional piece, The Tyranny of Objects is its more silent partner. Here , the duo create a gently shimmering, textural fabric, layering frequencies across the upper, mid and lower range, peppered with audible accretions, various percussive elements, scrapes, whistles, still maintaining a certain darkness, that, once again build and accumulate, reaching critical mass, and then gently dropping away. This is a fine release for a promising young label whose presentation and aesthetic has all the hallmarks of rigorous quality control, and to date, a very fine roster of artists. Highly recommended. BGN

Emilee Lord – VISUAL ARTIST

whiteline1 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 08:40:03 +0000

http://www.emileelord.com

I have only recently encountered the visual works of Emilee Lord, an artist based in the U.S., but I am already touched and excited by these unique visual motifs. Lord’s work, though not entirely minimal, has minimalism as it’s essence, homing in on traces, remnants, shards, the detritus and minutiae left by human activity. Like the great Catalan artist, Antoni Tapies, Emilee Lord scars and tears her works, not as acts of violence, but perhaps in some gestural attempt to leave traces of activity, a kind of visual reference point, or marker that boldly states, “I was here”, or more importantly, “WE were here”.

Most fascinating are the works on silk, where Lord traces minute imperfections in the material with ink, or the Surface/Process works with plaster and compound over ruffled fabric, or indeed the White Line studies (no connection with us), simplistic markings, almost doodles, and gentle meaderings that represent visual meditations, ruptured surfaces that act as signifiers of the human condition. Lord’s works are acts of subtle elegance, no grand gestures, or awe inspiring canvasses, but hints, whispers and shadows, that once we are aware of them, are suddenly imbued with significance and an almost transcendental beauty. Lord’s work is concerned with the memories, shadows, and remains that we scar our existence with, and for that reason alone, her work is very special indeed. BGN.

Hildur Gudnadóttir – Without Sinking – CD – Touch

whiteline1 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:25:53 +0000

This latest offering from Touch showcases the work of Hildur Gudnadóttir. Gudnadóttir’s works follow a line of Touch releases best exemplified by Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson on his Children of Nature release, or the numerous recordings of Johan Johansson (who guests here) for the label. Without Sinking is an achingly melancholic work, featuring Gudnadottir’s winding strings, combined with a select ensemble of guest artists in one singularly elegiac collection. Much of the work here draws from, and is infused with a typically Nordic folksy spirit of lament, and there is something peculiar to that region of the world that is able to effortlessly invoke dark spirits without descending into the cliches of the drone. Gudnadottir splices and stratifies the strings, building subtle resonances from the lower end of the scale, and exploits the dynamics of the higher strings, skillfully excavating syncopated rhythm and tempo, with searing harmonics, very much in the mood and manner of the contemporary Eastern European minimalists, Arvo Pärt, and Peteris Vasks. In the main, these are brief summaries of pieces that I feel could be extended into longer form works, but equally serve as an impressive Touch debut for an artist who, no doubt, we will be hearing much more of. Superb. BGN

Lawrence English – A Colour For Autumn – CD – 12k

whiteline1 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:20:41 +0000

www.12k.com

The ever-prolific Lawrence English resurfaces on 12k to continue his series of exploratory works that catalogue and analyse the shifting of the seasons in sound. Following on from Baskaru’s release of Varying Degrees of Winter, this 7 track piece, A Colour For Autumn combines field recordings from various locations, with English’s now masterful touches of drone-like ambience forming auditory landscapes that document and exploit the characteristics and contrasts of the season in all its manifestations in both hemispheres. Opening track, Droplet characterises English’s approach to the whole collection, fusing location recordings of the infamous Mistral wind blowing through the streets of Marseilles with rich swells of guitar tones. English then brings contrast into sharp relief with Watching It Unfold, inspired by Autumn as experienced in his home town of Brisbane, a less austere sense of the season in the antipodes, draped in warmth and elegance, with its gently plucked strings and enveloping ambience. This is an unhurried affair that brings with it the time and space for us to meditate upon these transitional events between regions and climates, the soundtrack to a “film yet to be made” that focusses on the dappled shades of autumn, the shift of light and shadows, a time of dying and rebirth, a time of changing colours and delicate textures. Here English captures the very essence of the seasonal transit, and enrolling the help of Fennesz on The Surface of Everything, and Dean Roberts’ vocalisations on Droplet has produced one of the most notable releases on 12k in the last few months. Absolutely essential. BGN

URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT – PLEASE READ

whiteline1 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:13:42 +0000

One Last Laugh

whiteline1 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:08:28 +0000

A shameless example of pure nepotism here..point your browsers to the address below, and check out the music of One Last Laugh, a great band featuring the guitars and vocals of my own kith and kin, my nephew, “Randomly” Rowan Nichols who obviously has inherited the greater percentage of musical genes in the family, and has helped to create a genuinely infectious set of funky tunes, very much influenced by Level 42 on the opening track Taking Over, and then creating a perfect hybrid sound of many of the influences that the band has cited on their website. The band are about to start touring in and around Norwich, UK soon, and with a live set as strong as theirs are destined for bigger and better things. Don’t take my word for it..go and have a listen..http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=433105998

and support the next generation of Nichols’s! Superb stuff. BGN

Lissom – A Nest of Iterations – CD – Dragon’s Eye

whiteline1 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:06:26 +0000

This debut from Lissom (Multi-Media artist, Tana Sprague) is one of those recordings that actively resists any one convenient tag or pigeon hole. Evolving from a series of layered and recursive elements (hence the title), ranging from field recording to acoustic, to purely synthesised segments, Lissom creates the conditions for a truly emergent audible structure. The image of a bee-hive on the cover at first had me confounded, and not quite making the connection between the title and it’s meaning until I listened further. It became apparent that this is the perfect corrolary of the music contained within, a synergetic merging of the organic and the synthetic, the minimal and iterative in one remarkable release.

Lissom’s soundscapings are restless, uneasy structures that fluctuate between micro-minimalist interventions and complex, near dissonant frequencies; a tense and effortlessly immersive listening experience that draws the auditor in with each subsequent piece. For want of a near-comparison, I suppose Lissom occupies a space that is currently inhabited by Rapoon, although her work is far more complex and less tangibly influenced by the cultural or religious inferences of Robin Storey. Technically, this is a sublime work that is sonically about as sharply focussed as it gets, leaving no space for chance or error, one gets the impression that Ms Sprague has made this work a labour of love. Highly recommended. BGN

Tomas Phillips – Six Notes – 8cmCDR – Koyuki sound

whiteline1 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:02:16 +0000

www.koyuki-sound.org

I am not often left either speechless, or so emotionally overwhelmed that words become meaningless after listening to a piece of music, yet Tomas Phillips has managed both manifestations for me on this, his debut release for Koyuki Sound. Phillips creates (In my opinion) one of the year’s finest long-form works in the form of Six Notes. In the truest and perhaps most impressive translation of minimalism, Phillips’ modus operandi is at once highly simplistic, yet so elegantly and perfectly structured that it reaches a level of refinement that has rarely been rivalled, a Donald Judd sculpture translated into sound.

Six Notes is intrinsically a sparse piano piece, with the instrument being stripped back to its barest components, and then intelligently deconstructed and subjected to nuanced treatments and deformations in much the same way that Noto and Sakamoto did on their Vrioon pieces, or perhaps Kirshner’s recent Filaments and Voids foray on 12k. As the piece goes on, it is infused with micro-particulates and sparkling textures, dark reverberations and captivating silences, a structure that is deeply engaging and emotionally uplifting, simultaneously serene and melancholic, this is something of a masterwork for Phillips, and makes for a milestone release for Koyuki’s ever expanding roster. For those cash-strapped souls amongst you, suffering from the effects of the global financial meltdown, spend your hard earned money on this release, if you buy no other. This has my very highest recommendation..BGN

Skare – Solstice City – CD – Glacial Movements

whiteline1 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:57:00 +0000

www.glacialmovements.com

There is something very special happening in Scandinavian music lately..most of the great experimental and marginal music is coming from that area. Where once the Nordic countries failed abyssmally at conquering the international pop and indie scenes, they have more than compensated for in the leftfield electronica industry. Amongst a crop on new talent emerging from the area are Skare, who – despite the unfortunate nomenclature turn in an impressive debut for Glacial Movements in the form of Solstice City. In a continuation of the label’s obsessive remit of all things icy and stark, Skare’s Mathias Josefson, Frederik Olofsson, and Per Åhlund exhibit a work of profoundly elegant ambience that rivals the work of Lull and Sleep Research Facility, and maybe even Lustmord for sheer depth and dark, engulfing beauty. One short (To The Other Shore), and a duo of long form pieces (Through Wind and Broken Ice, and The Snow Angel Factory) bring the collection to around 60 minutes of sheer deep listening bliss. Expect dark and haunting presences with protracted sequences of stark, shimmering atmospherics, tracing billowing lines through glassy tones. Occasionally these atmospherics are refracted through a backdrop of field recording elements, deeply abstracted crackles and obscure shapes that reinforce the sense of isolation and solitude in the midst of an Arctic winter. In rare moments, the filtered remnants of a piano break through, like sunlight emerging from dark clouds, giving a sense of hope and humanity..absolutely sublime. Skare’s atmospherics are not unique, but they are exquisitely executed and faultless, and housed in a beautifully designed cover, with photography courtesy of Bjarne Riesto, this is another minimalist dark ambient masterpiece from Glacial Movements. BGN.