Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Alfredo Costa Monteiro + Ben Owen - Frêle À Vide





Richard Garet's Contour Editions label caught the attention of this blog since its birth, due to (predictable) intents and purposes of its creator.
Two years after, the project is taking a definite form and running (with regularity) parallel to Richard's audiovisual activities.

In February 2011, two physical releases were added to the catalogue: a CD-R, result of a collaborative effort between Alfredo Costa Monteiro and Ben Owen (two names also often mentioned in Spiritual Archives' posts) and a DVD-R, product of audio/video interaction whose actors are Asher Thal-Nir and Garet himself (a review will follow soon).

"Frêle À Vide", the CD-R, can be considered a convergence point, and, at the same time, synthesis of Costa Monteiro and Owen's philosophies of sound. Perhaps conceptual implications are less present here, to advantage of a strong emotional impact.
The disc consists of four "pièces sans titre", composed by using walkman feedbacks and shortwave radio (Costa Monteiro), microphone, mixer, op amp, tone arm and sw/mw radio (Owen).

Noisy start to dissipate any doubt about the nature of these recordings: the first nine minutes filled with screeching tones, powerfully amplified, the second half that shows lower crushing force, complying to Costa Monteiro's standards, mesmerizing, as usual, hissing waves take control of the acoustic space, providing a steady stream, repeatedly broken up by abrasive intrusions.

Just a few seconds of silence before falling in the second track: change of operational modes, incisive selection of processed inputs given off gradually, able to shift to a different phase of listening.
The chosen frequencies reverberate, insistently, progressively increasing in intensity and depth. The magnetic flux is now affected by amplitude modulations.

Even more complexity in the third piece: tension reduced (at first) by a prolonged crackling effect, then radio emissions and other electrical interferences, transmitted in sequence, to generate an uncontrolled reaction culminating in sound distortions that resonate loudly.
All dies down in the final minutes of the disc, marked by the presence of a persistent hiss combined with electrostatic impulses and expanded signals. High return in terms of sonic feedback.

For those who already know these two talented artists this work will represent a confirmation of their skills; for the others, a good starting point to get introduced to their music.


Label: Contour Editions
Cat. #: ce.cd_0002
Format: CD-R
Release date: 02/2011
Notes: limited edition of 150 copies

Tracklist:
01 - Sans Titre (18:30)
02 - Sans Titre (08:07)
03 - Sans Titre (13:15)
04 - Sans Titre (06:09)






______________________________________


Ben Owen's discography:

2002 Field Recording Journal Excerpt
















Label: --
Cat. #: --
Format: 3" CD-R
Release date: 2002

______________________________________

Florida Everglades - February 2004
















Label: Autumn Records
Cat. #: leaf 009
Format: CD-R
Release date: 2005

______________________________________

20060424
















w/ mpld

Label: Unframed Recordings
Cat. #: uf10e001
Format: CD-R
Release date: 04/2006

______________________________________

20060708
















w/ mpld

Label: Unframed Recordings
Cat. #: uf10e002
Format: CD-R
Release date: 07/2006

______________________________________

Radio>in
















Label: Winds Measure Recordings
Cat. #: wm02
Format: CD-R
Release date: 2006

















Label: Winds Measure Recordings
Cat. #: wm02-2
Format: CD-R
Release date: 2009
Notes: second edition

______________________________________

20070327. Untitled For 2 Parts, For 6
















Label: Unframed Recordings
Cat. #: uf10e004
Format: 3" CD-R
Release date: 07/2007

______________________________________

20070731Ff
















w/ Andy Graydon

Label: Unframed Recordings
Cat. #: uf10e005
Format: CD-R
Release date: 07/2007

______________________________________

8730-for
















Label: Homophoni
Cat. #: homo030
Format: File, Mp3, 320k
Release date: 2008



______________________________________

2 Over, -1 / Ascending Series (2.1) (To Joachim Eckl)
















w/ Michael Pisaro

Label: Compost And Height
Cat. #: C&H002
Format: 3" CD-R
Release date: 09/2008

______________________________________

Untitled (For Agnes Martin)
















w/ Scott Allison

Label: Winds Measure Recordings
Cat. #: wm08
Format: 8" lathe cut
Release date: 2009

Label: Senufo Editions
Cat. #: senufo edition # forty one
Format: CD
Release date: 05/2013
Notes: co-released with Winds Measure Recordings

______________________________________

Two
















Label: Gruenrekorder
Cat. #: Gr 070
Format: CD-R
Release date: 12/2009

______________________________________

05012009 FP
















Label: Self-released
Cat. #: --
Format: CD-R
Release date: 08/2010

______________________________________

Frêle À Vide
















(w/ Alfredo Costa Monteiro)

Label: Contour Editions
Cat. #: ce.cd_0002
Format: CD-R
Release date: 02/2011

______________________________________

Phonography Meeting 070823
















(w/ Scott Smallwood, Sawako, Seth Cluett, Civyiu Kkliu)

Label: Winds Measure Recordings
Cat. #: wm22
Format: CD
Release date: 08/2011

______________________________________

Birds And Water, 1
















Label: Notice Recordings
Cat. #: NTR018
Format: Cassette, C94
Release date: 10/2011

______________________________________

Birds And Water, 2&3
















Label: Obs
Cat. #: obs * 029
Format: CD
Release date: 11/2011

______________________________________

Tanabe, Voltear
















Label: CONV
Cat. #: CNVR25
Format: Cassette, C40
Release date: 11/2011

______________________________________

(af)
















Label: CONV
Cat. #: CNV72
Format: File, Mp3 / FLAC
Release date: 11/2011



______________________________________

Antoine Beuger - Un Lieu Pour Être Deux
















(w/ Barry Chabala)

Label: Copy For Your Records
Cat. #: CFYR008
Format: CD
Release date: 12/2011

______________________________________

Antoine Beuger - S'approcher S'éloigner S'absenter
















(w/ Barry Chabala, Dominic Lash)

Label: Erstwhile
Cat. #: ErstLive 009
Format: CD
Release date: 08/2012

______________________________________

Untitled Improvisation


















(w/ Tommy Birchett)

Label: Homophoni
Cat. #: homo054
Format: File, Mp3 / FLAC
Release date: 02/2013



______________________________________

Between Landing

















(w/ Phil Julian)

Label: Auditory Field Theory
Cat. #: AFT010
Format: CD
Release date: 2014

______________________________________

Birds And Water, 4

















Label: Notice Recordings
Cat. #: NTR031
Format: Cassette
Release date: 11/2014

______________________________________

Birds And Water, 2&3 (For Cassette)

















Label: Winds Measure Recordings
Cat. #: wm42
Format: Cassette, C43
Release date: 07/2015

______________________________________

63-66

















(w/ Tim Olive)

Label: 845 Audio
Cat. #: 845-6
Format: CD
Release date: 01/2016

______________________________________

Swimming Salt 游泳的盐

















(w/ Yan Jun)

Label: Organized Music From Thessaloniki
Cat. #: t35
Format: CD
Release date: 05/2017

______________________________________

As EA (w/ Gill Arnò, Richard Garet, André Gonçalves, Andy Graydon, Gil Sansón):

Balancing Act With Controlled Dynamics














































Label: Winds Measure Recordings
Cat. #: wm05
Format: CD-R
Release date: 2006

______________________________________

Balancing Act With Controlled Dynamics: Take Two
















Label: CONV
Cat. #: CNV47
Format: File, MP3, VBR
Release date: 2008



______________________________________

Variations
















Label: Contour Editions
Cat. #: ce.onl_0003
Format: File, Mp3, 192k
Release date: 05/2010



______________________________________

As Ting Ting Jahe:

18 (16)













Label: Winds Measure Recordings
Cat. #: wm03
Format: CD-R
Release date: 11/2006

______________________________________

Libby Tunnel













Label: Ting Ting Jahe
Cat. #: ttj cs #01
Format: Cassette
Release date: 2008

______________________________________

Ending Minutes, Sinking













Label: Ting Ting Jahe
Cat. #: ttj cs #02
Format: Cassette
Release date: 2008

______________________________________

Ben Owen's tracks appear on:

  • VV.AA. - 60" Somewhere / 60" Somewhere Else (2002, Throat, hz3 / hz4) track: Untitled
  • VV.AA. - Phonography.org: Compositions Using Field Recordings 1 (2002, phonography.org, pho/cc1) track: 8m3
  • VV.AA. - bufferFuct (2002, microsound.org, --) track: B_b_uff
  • VV.AA. - Stone And Ripple (2003, microsound.org, --) track: Ripple Toss
  • VV.AA. - City Of The Future (2003, microsound.org, --) track: Moon Version
  • VV.AA. - Phonography.org 4 (2003, phonography.org, pho/4) track: SLP23
  • VV.AA. - USA/USB (2004, Shadow Puppet Recording Company, sprc004) track: 219.28 m
  • VV.AA. - Quotidian Assemblages Volume Three (2004, HalTapes, --) track: Twotwo
  • VV.AA. - Audio Dispatch 20: Radio Action II (2005, free103point9, AD020) track: 030204.6
  • VV.AA. - Crossed Circuits (2005, free103point9, AD027) track: 050409 m0428
  • VV.AA. - 8 Sound Works (2005, NY Society Of Acoustic Ecology, --) track: 090st 12
  • VV.AA. - Sound Injury 8 (2005, Sijis, siji13) track: 123104.44
  • Dale Lloyd And Various Artists - Amalgam (2005, CONV, CNV R04) track: 412.215 (w/ Dale Lloyd)
  • VV.AA. - Ten Below (2005, petite sono], o4iv) track: M_NVR
  • VV.AA. - Tune (In))) The Kitchen (2005, free103point9, AD026) track: 04.22.04 Live Second Set
  • VV.AA. - Phonography.org 7 (2005, phonography.org, pho/7) track: Badlands 0702
  • VV.AA. - On Isolation (2006, Room40, EDRM410) track: Untitled-III
  • VV.AA. - 804noise Richmond Experimental & Noise Festival 2006 (2006, 804noise, --) track: Sc.all-mpld
  • VV.AA. - Connected Dots, Connected Ideas (2007, Frozen Elephants Music, FE006) track: 20070105-2e
  • David Velez & V/A - DataTransfer2 (2007, EKO Netlabel, EKO 018) (2010, Impulsive Habitat, IHabR001) track: Thseonrgemaintshseame (w/ David Velez)
  • VV.AA. - Habitat (2008, Asthmatic Kitty Records, AKR055) track: 5 For 14
  • VV.AA. - Translations Of Opacity - For Michelangelo Antonioni (2008, and/OAR, and.p33) track: (With) Two Rooms (Are A) Hallway
  • VV.AA. - V-p V-f Is V-n (2008, Winds Measure Recordings, wm10) tracks: Typhoon, Kii-tanabe, 2, S-s-e, Sm Ca
  • VV.AA. - Compilation #1 (2009, Compost And Height, --) track: 2008131-8
  • VV.AA. - Framework250 (Branch Edition) (2010, Framework Radio, --) track: Two Chambers (w/ Jonathan Coleclough)
  • VV.AA. - Power/field 2 (2010, Anarchymoon Recordings, anok30) track: 9-6122gll1-54.48
  • VV.AA. - Michelangelo Antonioni - Trilogy And Epilogue (2010, and/OAR, and/36) track: Untitled
  • VV.AA. - V-p V-f Is V-n - cs02 (2010, Winds Measure Recordings, wm20) tracks: Lisbon Station, 070928 Canoe)
  • Shinkei + Mise_En_Scene - Leftovers (Reworked) (2011, Crónica, Crónica 060~2011) track: 124-7790
  • VV.AA. - Archaic Variations - Localization (2012, Obs, obs * v/a 040) track: 20100507-05

______________________________________

Alfredo Costa Monteiro’s discography:

here

______________________________________

Contour Editions Catalogue:

here

______________________________________

Links:
Alfredo Costa Monteiro
Ben Owen
Ben Owen (Middle Press)
Ting Ting Jahe
Contour Editions