Hans Appelqvist - Sifantin Och Mörkret

from Vital Weekly # 581:

When Hans Appelqvist released 'Naima' I was quite amazed: the combination of sounds, field recordings, 'real' music and the story made great sense. I must admit I was a bit disappointed with his concert which I saw a while after that. Not only did reproduce the CD with quite some accuracy, which for me is not necessary if I go to a concert, but also the guitar sounded very retro - it was at times if I was listening to Mike Oldfield, solo again but armed with a sampler for some weird injections.
This new album (well, twelve tracks in twenty five minutes. Is that an album or a mini album) is therefor met with some reluctancy. Again, I like Hans' daring combination of musique concrete, mediaeval music and radio plays, but somewhere in the back of my head, I still see him at the concert: much pre-programmed on his computer, sweet melodies on the guitar. Perhaps it would be better to entirely (try to) forget that and enjoy the radio qualities of this music. Appelqvist certainly has great style and care and plays his material with a lot of humor. As such 'Sifantin Och Mörket' is another fine album.

(Frans de Waard)

Label: Häpna
Cat. #: H.35
Format: CD
Release date: 2007

Tracklisting:
01 - Wanxian (2:10)
02 - Tänk Att Himlens Alla Stjärnor (3:21)
03 - Mormas Fågel (0:57)
04 - Freckenåges Spa (2:35)
05 - Tiggången (1:05)
06 - Skundgässhallen (1:25)
07 - Sju I Tre (1:06)
08 - Jag En Gök (3:31)
09 - Tilli Talli Tulli (1:06)
10 - Full The Moon (3:04)
11 - Iestapiona (1:09)
12 - Talkijangnas Akt (3:06)

Links:
Hans Appelqvist
Häpna

Black To Comm / Aosuke - Split LP

from Dekorder website:

This vinyl-only split-lp release is a meeting of two of the most interesting bands coming out of Hamburg, Germany at this moment, both continuing the long tradition of both challenging and explorative music coming from this city in the last decades. from krautrock to the origins of the so-called neue deutsche welle from experimental sound artists to some of the finest pop ambient, Hamburg is regularly spitting out some of the most singular artists on this planet. both Aosuke and Black To Comm have absorbed influences from all these sources (and a million others) while working towards their very own individual vision.
The two brand new tracks by Black To Comm are continuing the massive organ/voice drone alchemy of the last double-lp while refining and personalizing his sound, reaching new heights of blazing sonic mysticism.
Aosuke have decided to home-record their new material, continuing their loop-oriented, monotone yet highly melodic ambient journeys. working with repetition and small abstractions, all instrumental "loops" are played by hand and recorded live without overdubs (one of the main principles of the guitar/electronics duo), creating surprisingly concrete dormant and somnambulistic soundscapes while fortunately completely lacking the washy and drowsy effects of most ambient music.

Label: Dekorder
Cat. #: Dekorder 021
Format: LP
Release date: 2007

Tracklisting:
A1 - Black To Comm - Blizzard Angels Of The Golden Stratosphere (12:07)
A2 - Black To Comm - Stereo Lung Flute (5:27)
B1 - Aosuke - Ping Pong Mann (5:21)
B2 - Aosuke - Mabu Mabu (5:10)
B3 - Aosuke - Ein Erdnusstraum (7:58)

Links:
Black To Comm
Aosuke
Dekorder

Kim Cascone - The Astrum Argentum

from Musica Excentrica website:

There is no reason to introduce Kim Cascone, as he is one of the most respected avantgarde musicians in the world of last 30 years. He worked with David Lynch, released his music on Sub Rosa, Mille Plateaux and his own labels Silent and Anechoic.
“The Astrum Argentum” was recorded in Budapest, Zurich, Aarhus, Berlin, San Diego, San Francisco and Pacifica and mixed at Anechoic Studios, California in May-June 2007. It contains field recordings processed with Max/MSP.

Label: Musica Excentrica
Cat. #: exc009
Format: Mp3 Files
Release date: 2007

Tracklisting:
01 - Blue Fluorescent (1:55)
02 - Grayscape (5:38)
03 - Brown Fox (6:57)
04 - Ocean Overhead (2:32)
05 - Spectral Space II (5:03)
06 - The Silver Star (11:30)

Links:
Kim Cascone
Musica Excentrica

Asmus Tietchens - Notturno

from Vital Weekly # 581:

Back in the day Asmus Tietchens once declared that none of his LPs were to be released on CDs and that he made two exceptions, 'Zwinburgen des Hedonismus/Marches Funebres' and 'Notturno'. In the first edition of his "Monographie' we read (page 126) that he 'owed him something' - the him being the person that ran Barooni, the label who made the CD version of 'Notturno' in 1992. Whatever that something was, I forgot to ask back when Mister Barooni and I met up frequently during office hours and these days I rarely bump into Mister Barooni (he moves in different circles I guess). Following 'Formen Letzter Hausmusik' and 'Hydrophonie', 'Notturno' was the third 'serious' attempt in composing more serious electro-acoustic music, and Tietchens limits himself to using the (grand) piano.
In a good tradition, say starting with Cage's prepared piano, Tietchens treats the inside and outside of the piano with objects, like an electric gastr beater, wire brush, coins and others, but unlike Cage it's for Tietchens only a starting point.
The recordings are processed in the studio, in no doubt true Tietchens style. Looping the sounds around, filtering through sound effects and synthesizers, after which they finally find their form in neatly constructed pieces of music.
To use loops as to the extent that Tietchens does is something that sets him aside from the regular musique concrete composers. At the time for many, yours truly included, this was the first introduction to the more academic music, while now, we hear a record that is certainly a great one but perhaps not so academic as we thought back then.
'Notturno' is one the best Tietchens works that one can encounter and the mastering is much improved over the first edition on CD. While many seem to think that Tietchens music is quite distant and cold, 'Notturno' combines playful melodies and sturdy processing of the material. Certainly one to get if you are only remotely interested in his work.

(Frans de Waard)

Label: Die Stadt
Cat. #: DS102
Format: CD
Release date: 2007

Tracklisting:
01 - Dritte Studie Fur Klavier (6:19)
02 - Vierte Studie Fur Klavier (5:47)
03 - Studie Fur Henry (6:05)
04 - Halbe Tanzmusik (2:14)
05 - Drei Beisetzungen In Wien (4:44)
06 - Die Kramer Im Tempel (3:20)
07 - Funfte Studie Fur Klavier (4:28)
08 - Zweite Studie Fur Klavier (7:46)
09 - Siebte Studie Fur Klavier (4:31)
10 - Ein Leben Geht Zu Ende (9:12)

Links:
Asmus Tietchens
Die Stadt

Fovea Hex / The Hafler Trio - An Answer

This is The Hafler Trio remix of “Allure” EP. It is included in a special edition of 300 copies of DS89 release.

Label: Die Stadt
Cat. #: DS89B
Format: CD
Release date: 2007

Tracklisting:
01 - An Answer (60:00)

Links:
Fovea Hex
The Hafler Trio
Die Stadt

Fovea Hex - Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent Three: Allure

from Vital Weekly # 586:

'Allure' is the third part of the Fovea Hex trilogy, following 'Bloom' (see Vital Weekly 501) and 'Huge' (see Vital Weekly 529). Fovea Hex is centered around Clodagh Simonds, who receives help by the best from the left: Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree), Robert Fripp and on previous releases also the brothers Eno and Andrew McKenzie. Again three tracks, like before, two of which are sung by Simonds, who also plays glass, harmonium, piano, beds of shimmer and bodhran treatments.
Absolutely gorgeous music, again. Folk like singing, heavenly sung, with an instrumental backing that is largely ambient related, but in 'Long Distance' has a firm percussive backing too, adding a kind of menacing backdrop.
Beautiful stuff, once again. Also part of this is, at least with the first few hundred copies, is another Hafler Trio remix, this time called 'The Answer', which is an hour long rework of whatever is done on the CDEP. I think, at least. In this exactly sixty minute piece, sounds are looped around, stretched out and fed through whatever
The Hafler Trio are using and create a drone like piece that is however a big deceptive: it's not the full hour of of monotone drone, but a work that evolves, builds up and cracks down and starts again in order to move into a new direction, getting at times louder than is usual in the recent trio work.
A fine if somewhat unsettling work. All three Fovea Hex releases fit nicely in a box that makes this a true box of beauty.

(Frans de Waard)

Label: Die Stadt
Cat. #: DS89
Format: CD
Release date: 2007

Tracklisting:
01 - Allure (10:53)
02 - Long Distance (Oblivion) (07:43)
03 - Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent (06:47)

Links:
Fovea Hex
Die Stadt

Tim Catlin - Radio Ghosts

from Vital Weekly # 579:

...something similar we can say of Tim Catlin's Radio Ghosts. He's also from down there [Australia] and the only time his name popped in Vital Weekly (388) was when we discussed his Slow Twitch CD on Dr Jim's Records (which is really run by a doctor). Much water has passed under the bridge, and here is the second CD by Catlin (that we know of).
Catlin plays his guitars by using objects to get resonating sounds out of the strings. Small motor devices such as ventilators and e-bows are placed in such a way that overtones occur. Glenn Branca used a real ensemble to create this, Remko Scha ropes and wires and Keith Rowe already the ventilator.
What Catlin does is hardly to be called 'new', and the review of his previous CD ended with the suggestion that he should find new ways to create his music and not stick around with this, so perhaps it's a pity that he did stick around this sound. He could easily produce another ten or so of these kind of works, but it would be good to see some progression. Four or so years would be enough to get something moving, I'd say.
But as such this CD is quite nice. The pieces he plays are done nice and executed with style and a keen ear for subtle changes. So in that aspect there is no let down.

(Frans de Waard)

Label: 23five
Cat. #: 23five011
Format: CD
Release date: 2007

Tracklisting:
01 - Hysterisis (07:37)
02 - Zumbido (10:22)
03 - Black Magnet (05:50)
04 - Radio Ghosts (06:00)
05 - Everything Must Go (06:48)
06 - Mirage (12:02)

Links:
23five