© re:konstruKt

01. Father Tranquille Died in 1638, Possessed by Dog’s Dick and Leviathan
02. Below Street Level
03. 300 Plungers Rigorous Counterpoint
04. The Moral I-D

God bless Bruno Duplant and this free jazz hot streak he’s on. Duplant has nestled in as one of the most exciting bassists making the jazz scene today, with Malachi on up through the most recent re:konstruKt joint - As Birds – with Paulo Chagas and Lee Noyes. Wedged right in the middle of those two fine albums is Doodles & Needles, which finds the Frenchman working out on a prepared double bass with frequent collaborator Paulo Chagas, this time on alto sax, and Andrij Orel on guitar. Once again the line up of choice is a trio.

This group steers Doodles & Needles in a slightly more free improv direction than the aforementioned releases. There is a denser quality about the music with no real fixation on traditional melody or predictable rythms. There is obviously no one person assigned the task of moving the pace of the music along, which allows each musician the freedom to explore and create layers of sound as they see fit. And I must say, the absent drum kit here is hardly missed. In fact, the depth and range that Duplant and Orel are able to muster out of their respective string instruments lend the album an almost constant percussive quality.

Once again, there is an youthful exuberance, even playfulness. Each musician is clearly enjoying the way they are putting sound together here and not just laboring through another recording session. In this string of releases, it is obvious that Bruno Duplant is excited about playing, excited about collaborating, excited to have found such a strong voice with the bass. And I’m likewise excited about this and future releases. Bring em on, Bruno.

(zppaulz)

mega | ifile (155mb)
love it, buy it (re:konstruKt)

© Metaphon

1.01. Trois études pour maldoror (1)
1.02. Feu d’artifice
1.03. Trois études pour maldoror (3)
1.04. Metastasis
1.05. Étude N°2 pour 2 pianos préparés
2.01. Un monde en création
2.02. AS980804
2.03. Mutations (1)
2.04. Incantation
2.05. Rosio Kama (3)
full tracklisting…

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Arsène Souffriau should team up with Metaphon after the label’s sterling job of resurrecting Baudouin Oosterlynck’s opus… Best known for the electronic noises on the swingin’ Free Pop Electronic Concept LP, Souffriau was the quiet, dry sound engineer at the state television station in Belgium for 35 years. He also kept a home studio for making serious avant classical pieces, and most of them were never released until now. This large overview gives you a mini-history of European sound work, as Souffriau investigates different styles. He chops up tapes of organs in the early ‘60s, prepares pianos, boings around sine waves, tries out spatial sound pieces using multiple tape players, works with improvising ensembles, makes minimal drones, or writes computer music as the years go by. He even invented own techniques for writing scores, but had trouble finding performers who were willing to learn to read what he’d made.

In short, while you can still find a copy, Expériences is worth getting for the quite glorious insight it gives. The only way it could possibly score higher is if it was a cassette-only thing, available limitedly within the Arctic Circle. Which it might as well be, for all it’s worth. Still. This touched me to tears at one point, and I’m not even talking about when it finished.

mega | ul.to (301mb)
love it, buy it (Sound Ohm)

© 12k

01. Schwarzschild Radius
02. A Static Place Ia
03. Minuet
04. A Static Place II
05. Dawn

And so, a new album by Stephan Mathieu, with another curious suite of sources and resources, demonstrating how “late Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque era” records of the ‘20s and ‘30s can be melted and combined into syncretic union. The key here would seem to be Mathieu’s usage of a pair of antique gramophones with cactus (!) needles attached and subsequent computer transformations by “spectral analysis” and “convolution processes”… An austere, yet subtly compelling melodicism results: each irregularity a dreamy bridge between our composer’s metronomic explorations and their search for perfect pitch.

In other words, incredibly smooth soundscapes, where sounds are given the chance to exist without the need to build a narrative or a particular mood. Instead, A Static Place seems purposely created for its listeners to revel within. Perhaps, as an “erudite” musician and collector of all kinds of tonal amphoras, Stephan Mathieu himself could already be seen as something of a static figure through the years; nevertheless, his compositions are a source of mystery as much today as they ever have been in the past. At least, as far as I’m concerned, the origins of recorded music etched into 78RPMs could hardly have been more tastefully (and upliftingly) filtered by modern electroacoustics. It all resonates from within.

mega | hotfile (138mb)
love it, buy it (12k)

© Modisti

01. Centopeia #1
02. The Pipe’s Man Nightmare
03. Centopeia #2
04. Who’s Afraid of the Black Hole

When field recordings mix with noise, the result yields questions — is the noise the effect of the recording, a matter of transformation, or is it a separate component, a matter of contrast? In the case of Paulo Chagas’ Centopeia, which adds a third component, that of chamber instrumentation, the answers may take the form of more questions. Chagas’ is music, at least as heard on this album’s four tracks, that doesn’t so much defy categories as deflate them. At one point a melifluous solo woodwind appears, and it seems to explain the sonic effects that preceded it; it’s as if an aura has eventually taken shape.

Earlier on, birdsong takes place amid metallic rustling, the latter serving as a kind of cage in which the former makes itself heard. Chagas is the rare performing composer whose work is not just a matter of sonic intrigue, but of narrative imagination. “The focus is on Spring and nature’s joy of life. After all, it’s only a naive point of view on these troubled world times”.

rapid | mfire (78mb)

Cookshop is 5 years young and it would like to thank those whose work has been vital in the last couple of ‘em: from Russia to the UK, and from Belgium to the US, you know who you be.

Some extended thanks go to the wider RYM community, and the kind folks who have written us, understanding what this blog was going for. It’s always good to know you’re still about.

The results of the last poll we had were meant to be commented, but, after some pondering, simply moving on to a new poll seems more appropriate. Here are the final totals, as well as the breaking down of “other” answers (list 1 + list 2) for all to be able to see.

Expect a VIDEO page soonish, but check out the new poll in the meantime.

© Phantom Code

A1. How Acla Disappeared from Earth
A2. The Woods Are Alive With the Smell of His Coming
B1. We’ll Witness the Resurrection of Dead Butterflies (Three Moons)
B2. Sleeper: The Blue Towers, the Copper Bells, Ghost Ribbon, the Unknowable Index
B3. Wounded Galaxies Tap at the Window

Esoteric moon-music lost in space, with Coil lying at the heart. Their names may not suggest much to most readers, but both Stephen Thrower and Ossian Brown, who collectively record as Cyclobe, have for many years been members of the afor-mentioned band. Joined by other past time Coil collaborators Thighpaulsandra, Cliff Stapleton, Michael J. York, as well as cellist John Contreras (found in the entourage of Current 93 and Nurse With Wound), they form a sextet on the epic ‘The Woods Are Alive…’ – one that’s entirely legitimate, given the experiences of its members, to continue the legacy.

That said, Thrower and Brown took no less than five years to produce Wounded Galaxies Tap at the Window, sacrificing some degree of spontaneity in the name of a large assembly work. It goes without saying that a single listen won’t be quite enough to even start to notice all the different layers built. As expected whenever it comes to post-industrial cliques, they retract their roots in the now classic conception of electronic equipment contaminated with all things exotic and unusual. Instead of plain ambient music, it’s a journey full of symbolism – one that seems much more articulate and open to different experiences; that’s dragged through the deep dark dungeons to be literally resurrected using every trick at hand. But it’s as much in the ‘safer’, more familiar sections of piano notes immersed in atmospheric glitch, or the title track’s spiraling/cosmic analog synth that this duo gets to prove its maturity. Pretty much similar to wine that doesn’t need more time to age, or to decant.

Here’s some background info these guys’ recent moves outside of Cyclobe. First of all there’s Ossian Brown, whose first book ‘Haunted Air’ – featuring a selection of early American Halloween photography, with an introduction by David Lynch, was published last October. Stephen Thrower, from his side, is a member of The Amal Gamal Ensemble, and also releases music as UnicaZürn. He provided the scores to the Pakistan horror movie ‘Hell’s Ground’ and the award-winning British crime drama ‘Down Terrace’.

up-ng | ifile (141mb)
love it, buy it (Cyclobe)

© Chopped Herring

-no tracklisting-

When Pro Celebrity Golf’s first mixtape – the now infamous Three Sinister Syllables, with partner Jay Glaze – made the rounds, the thought of a sequel was quite out of the question: it seemed to have instantly gained respect as something singular and unrepeatable that couldn’t be remade, or at least re-released, due to its looney/liberal cut & paste aesthetic.

Yet, after a silence lasting seven years, the Chopped Herring honcho does return to air his exclusive ‘Rimas e Batidas Show’ on Antenna 3 Portugal this month, all with no prior warning. The mix features “golden era” legends Lord Finesse, Big L, Del, B.I.G., De La Soul, Brand Nubian, Main Source, Finsta Bundy, and the Ultramagnetics, but expect only the best in blends, mixes, and recontextualizations (check the work on Biggie’s ‘Warning’, as well as several selections that are well beyond the kingdom of hip hop). Again, you won’t really find much info on the track names anywhere; to be honest though, I’m more surprised about the whole not being titled, as it looks to me as something thoroughly thought out and most enjoyable. Grab the .wav to burn/convert. or else feel free to stream the entire show.

© Constellation

01. Awake on Foreign Shores
02. Judges
03. The Stars in His Head [Dark Lights Remix]
04. All the Days I’ve Missed You (ILAIJ I)
05. From No Part of Me Could I Summon a Voice
06. A Dream of Water
07. Home
08. Lord I Just Can’t Keep from Crying Sometimes
09. Clothed in the Skin of the Dead
10. All the Colors Bleached to White (ILAIJ II)
full tracklisting…

This needs to be said up front: Colin Stetson is an absolute master of the saxophone. He has formidable breath control and circular breathing technique, a great sense of dynamics, and extremely impressive control over multiphonics and timbral changes. Armed alternately with an alto, bass, or tenor (and even a microphone stuck in his throat), he plays – and ‘sings’ – an entire band, much in the way Rahzel was recreating a DJ on the turntables alongside his excellent MC-ing. But besides the more technical feats that probably escape those who have missed the chance to see him on stage and/or have not read the hidden notes (almost all songs “recorded live in single takes with no overdubs or loops”), it’s the compositions and ability to tell a story what make this album. Physical and hypnotic, with a warrior’s heavy hand that somehow alleviates even the voices of the two illustrious guests.

Laurie Anderson’s spoken word on 4 of the pieces, lends the work a mystical, if not almost religious essence, while Shara Worden’s angelic vocals only seem to illuminate the (inherently dramatic, but not overdone) rendition of Blind Willie Johnson’s ‘Lord I Just Can’t Keep from Crying Sometimes’, in the same universe as her My Brightest Diamond.

Goddamn, it’s good music! Stetson is killing it in the free/improv field and yet there’s no real skronking or blasting to speak of; as soon as you’re relaxed, you will simply be putty in his hands. Yes, he may tame you. Seriously though, there are already talks of a third volume in a trilogy, and certainly this second one on Constellation should allow it to reach wider audiences. A note to collectors as the first vinyl pressing (“heavyweight” – 180g) comes with a screenprinted mini-poster and insert, as well as a complementary CD version.

mega | ifile (103mb)
love it, buy it (Constellation)

© Schraum

01. Magnetic Hill
02. Dreaming on a Cargo
03. Hyperlinking
04. Calm City
05. Slow Collapse
06. Spectral Radiance
07. Subsurface

«Subsurface indeed: Nils Ostendorf (trumpet), Philip Zoubek (prepared piano), and Philippe Lauzier (bass clarinet, alto saxophone) penetrate determinedly beyond the standard conventions associated with their instruments to produce a shape-shifting, three-headed hydra of experimental adventurousness. It’s a bold forty-minute set by three intrepid improvisers from Berlin, Cologne and Montreal who are more concerned with exploiting their instruments’ textural possibilities than their conventional melodic roles.

The focus is on sounds, tones, and advanced techniques, not themes, heads, and ‘trading fours’ as might be heard in a standard jazz trio context—in fact, the word jazz shouldn’t even be uttered in this case, as Subsurface is primarily about improvised sound sculpting and the range of overtones and frequencies that can be generated via tone clusters. Throughout the release, Ostendorf experiments with embouchure technique and mutes to fashion a highly personalized approach to the horn; his trumpet wheezes and burbles, occasionally sounding as if he’s playing the mouthpiece only or blowing underwater.

The musicians wander through both knotty landscapes and spacious, wide-open fields, at times attacking their collective sound with fervor but pulling back as well to fill space more restrainedly. In every way, the fearless and explorative approach is quintessential Schraum.»

rapid | hotfile (91mb)
love it, buy it (Schraum)

© Insubordinations

01. Porter attention à ce qui va suivre
02. Se lever avant le jour
03. Garder les choses comme elles sont
04. Parfois ne penser à rien
05. Oublier que le temps passe
06. Demander à la poussière
07. S’aimer le temps d’une éternité
08. Croire que tout est possible
09. Écouter systématiquement son coeur

The sax trio is perhaps the most widely used vehicle in free jazz, and for good reason. Having bass and drums backing up a sax has always been a crowd pleaser. The format seems to be comfortable for the players and listeners alike. Too often these trios trend predictable and lazy, as if giving you the standard sax/ bass/ drum treatment is guaranteed satisfaction. Maybe the casual free jazz listener could get off on a half-assed, phoned in routine if the players at least look like they are getting into it. But those of us that spend a lot of time with the genre have a long list of sax trios that have set some pretty high standards. From the Sonny Rollins trios of the late ‘50s up through parings like Fred Anderson, William Parker & Hamid Drake, there have been some quite profound sounds made with that line-up. And somehow these three musicians, who aren’t necessarily “marquis names” in the jazz world, seem to nestle in there among the very best.

Even more surprising, all three players on Malachi come from more or less non-jazz backgrounds. Phil Hargreaves fell into the sax in his twenties after beginning his musical pilgrimage playing guitar in Midlands punk bands. Eventually he shifted his focus to free jazz, though this album would lead you to think he was born with a horn in his mouth. New Zealander Lee Noyes spent the first half of his career involved in that country’s famous noise scene. He too started out as a guitarist, as well as dabbling hard in electronics, before settling in on the drum kit that he gets down with on this recording. And you may have guessed that Bruno Duplant, who graces us with his contrabass here, is also more known for his guitar and banjo playing than he is as a free jazz bassist. In fact, Noyes and Duplant released an album together in 2009 which features the two swapping licks on steel guitar.

Strange as their history may be, the trio really pull it off in style here, and defy the odds. Instead of giving up a sub par, run of the mill sax trio, they speed past musicians that have been in the business for decades and give us an exciting selection of free jazz modes. They weave around each other nimbly, allowing space for each to improvise and explore. Not being rooted in a jazz lineage actually works in their favor. They embody the very freedom that is the cornerstone of free jazz. The openness in their sound is far too rare these days. Malachi seems fresh and youthful, which in this case is a very nice change of pace.

(zppaulz)

rapid | mfire (95mb)
love it, buy it (Insubordinations)