wikipedia.org: "Ran Blake (April 20, 1935 - ) is an eccentric American pianist and faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music. He spearheaded the "Third Stream" movement, an attempt to infuse all musical genres into one. He earned a bachelor's degree from Bard College." More
Rob Young | THE WIRE: "Black To Comm is Hamburg's Marc Richter. He also runs Dekorder, which has put out quality editions of records by the likes of Hafler Trio and Tu m'. His pulverous, gravelly electronic laminates are liberally dosed with digitally altered field recordings, incorporated in a way that adds to the musicality of the whole. The title track is chalky and crackly as space dust, recalling Fennesz or Tim Hecker's crumbly, floury vapournoise. "Levitation" is like the intro to a Gas track, a sampled unidentifiable musical source flayed to reveal the heart; "March Of The Vivian Girls" a militaristic step over a contorted Weimar movie sample. You can clearly hear him mixing, as though watching a painter crushing pigments from silica and lapis blocks. As with so much currrent laptop sound, the lines between organic and digital are invisible, a reminder that no one thought of music as 'organic' anyway until the computer arrived on the scene."
Bird Show - Green Inferno
brainwashed.com" While working on Green Inferno, Vida had been listening to field recordings from around the world and Morocco, Zimbabwe, Japan and Pakistan in particular. He found himself as interested in the surroundings the recordings were made in as he was in the music itself. The home recording sessions were made in the attempt to retain a casual yet focused feel. Rough edges and external noises from the recordings were left in. Ben Vida recorded using vocals, violin, cornet, accordion, acoustic guitar, organ, qrareb (Moroccan castanets), assorted shakers, tambourine, mbira, field recordings from Tokyo by Atsuhiro Koizymi and from Puerto Rico by Fred Lonberg- Holm. Green Inferno was recorded and edited by Ben Vida at home on a digital 16 track and mixed with Jeremy Lemos at his apartment."
Bird Show - Lightning Ghost
brainwashed.com: "Lightning Ghost is the second Bird Show album, following the debut release Green Inferno. It centers around Ben Vida's home-fi sound experiments. Tracks are carved out of opiate'd chanting, disjunctive drum circles, synth meditation and prepared piano trance song. Vida's sonic explorations are embedded into tighter song structures, with a greater role given to vocals in the mix."
allmusic.com: "German singer/songwriter Sibylle Baier's one contribution to the early-'70s underground folk scene was recorded in her home on an old reel-to-reel machine. Her earnest and stoic vocals, as well as her reflective compositions, were comparable to contemporaries such as Nico, Vashti Bunyan, and Anne Briggs, but the accomplished actress, painter, dancer, and seamstress chose to focus on her growing family rather than pursue a career in music. In 2004, her son lent a copy of his mother's home recordings to Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, who in turn saw that it found its way to Athens, GA, record label Orange Twin. Colour Green was made available to the world the following year."
typerecords.com: "Based in Stockholm, Sweden; Sickoakes are a six piece instrumental rock band and Seawards is their long awaited debut release. Since the release of an early recording of ‘Wedding Rings & Bullets in the Same Golden Shrine’ on the Pleasedosomething net-label some years ago there has been a bubbling interest in their next move, so it is an absolute pleasure for us to present their full album, and what an album it is. Taking the finest fragments of the ailing post-rock genre, and infusing this with vibrant orchestral flourishes, Seawards is a slow burning triumph." <a href=typerecords.com">More
jemenfish.be: "Laptop indietronica. At least, that's what he says. Wixel, AKA Wim Maesschalck likes a wide variety of music (indie, postrock, pop, ...), and is active in a number of other musical projects as well (A December Lake,
Ok we surrender, Triii, ...).
Wim is working on bringing his music to an audience with a live band, but currently only plays live as yet another one-man project, combining laptop and guitar." More
ab-cd.com: "This is the eagerly-awaited third album from the Stockholm-based trio of Tape, comprised of Andreas and Johan Berthling and Tomas Hallonsten. Gently exploring the soft realms of electro-acoustic sound, their world is located somewhere between experimental music and instrumental pop, and with this release, a new chapter has been written in the history of Tape." More
dijf.be: "David Sanders is a 26 year old musician who lives in Antwerp. In August 2003 Dijf released a first maxi single (12”) on the label Clone/DUB from Rotterdam. What was meant to be a solo project began to expand. Together with the trumpet player Jon Birdsong (also known from 'Beck' - Midnight Vultures and 'Calexico') he released 'Mating season' (cd/lp) on the same label in 2004. After Jon came Benjamin Dousselaere, for contrabass and keys, to complete the indie band. In november '05 he released his second cd/lp 'to be a bob'! Dijf is a mix between bebop, swing, jazz, pop and elektro; a crossover between Tom Waits, Aphex Twin, Tortoise and Boards of Canada. Live Dijf is a 3 piece band, including Dijf, Benjamin and Jason.
wikipedia.org: "Akron/Family is a folk-influenced experimental rock band that formed in 2002, and is currently based in New York. Though each member of the band - Dana Janssen, Seth Olinsky, Miles Seaton and Ryan Vanderhoof - can be relegated to loosely defined roles (drummer, guitarist, bassist, vocalist/guitarist respectively), all of them in fact play several instruments and sing, as evidenced by their shows and recorded material: Live, the band uses improvisation and four-part harmonies in prominence. On their self-titled debut record, field recordings of a creaking chair, thunderclaps and the white noise of a television find their way alongside psychedelic and electronic elements, guitars and a glockenspiel." More
epitonic.com: "Coldcut is comprised of multi-talented workaholics Matt Black and Jonathan More. Cutting, patching, blending, scratching, there is no matching the silky, funky techniques of these scientists of sound who are recognized as prime movers in abstract instrumental flavored genres, usually via their own label, Ninja Tune." More info and downloads
stylusmagazine.com: "Virtually all of the recording’s tracks can be characterized as acoustic-digital hybrids that evoke the romantic mood of nocturnal Paris. Saxophones, accordions, guitars, clarinets, double-bass, and percussion blend with an extensive electronic array of clicks, hiss, static, and sampled voices. While each track is distinctive, some merit a more detailed description in order to illuminate the textural qualities of the music." More
ON THE COVER: Phill Niblock: At 72, the pioneering American 'loud music minimalist' and film maker is at the top of his game. By Dan Warburton.
FEATURES: Once Upon A Time In San Francisco: Quicksilver Messenger Service and the Ballroom Scene, Mat Maneri, Invisible Jukebox: The Bug, Wooden Wand, Tape, Keith Berry.
REVIEWS: SOUNDCHECK: Tony Allen, Luigi Archetti, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti 5, Sibylle Baier, Bird Show, Black To Comm, Ran Blake, Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan, Henson Cargill, Chicago Underground Duo, Cooper-Moore, Lula Côrtes & Zé Ramalho, Lol Coxhill/Frode Gjerstad/Nick Stephens, Fast Colour, Derivative, Doctor Quirkey's Goodtime Emporium Band, Toby Driver, John Duncan/Mika Vainio/Ilpo Visnen, Julius Eastman, English, The Eternals, Fence Kitchen, Fred Frith/Carla Kihlstedt/Stevie Wishart, Charles Gayle, Keiji Haino, Steve Harris/ZAUM, Hassle Hound, Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid, Ryoji Ikeda, Jel, Jason Kahn, Tomas Korber/Keith Rowe/Günter Müller, Loose Fur, Mahogany, Next Life, Nurse With Wound, Odyssey The Band, Rick Reed, Ray Russell, Frederic Rzewski, Satwa, Janek Schaefer, John Schott Orchestra, Marcus Schmickler & John Tilbury, Matthew Shipp, Matthew Shipp/Joe McPhee/Dominic Duval, Sonic Youth Su Tim Barnes, Tape, Francois Tetaz, Had Been Eliminated, Toolshed, Various: Horn_bill: Reed Solos, Volcano!, John Wiese, Christian Wolfarth, Jack Wright/Paul Neidhardt/Andy Hayleck, Jack Wright & Todd Whitman, Richard Youngs & Alex Neilson and more...
PRINT RUN: Blocks Of Consciousness And The Unbroken Continuum, edited by Brian Marley & Mark Wastell; Improvised Music From Japan 2005, edited by Yoshiyuki Suzuki; Van Der Graaf Generator: The Book, by Jim Christopulos & Phil Smart; What's The Use Of Walking If There's A Freight Train Going Your Way?: Black Hoboes & Their Songs, by Paul Garon & Gene Tomko.
CROSS PLATFORM: Max Eastley: Recording the Arctic icecap; Reviews: Jesper Jest at New York's Performa 05, and DVD releases from Brian Eno, The Gotan Project, Bernhard Gál, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and others. Plus, The Inner Sleeve: Stockhausen on Stockhausen. Link
ONLINE WWW.THEWIRE.CO.UK: Hear an exclusive track from Phill Niblock's forthcoming album.
Listen to tracks by Mat Maneri.
Download two exclusive tracks sent through by laptop composer Keith Berry.
Download two tracks by the Swedish electroacoustic ensemble Tape
View more images from Max Eastley's Arctic sound art adventure alongside photos of his other works.
BELOW THE RADAR: THE WIRE CLEAR SPOTS
To mark the third anniversary of The Wire magazine's association with Resonance 104.4 FM, in February the magazine occupied the station's regular weekday Clear Spot slot for ten days to present Below The Radar, a series of specially commissioned live studio sessions featuring a variety of groups and musicians drawn from feral fringes of the UK's outsider/underground music communities.
All the shows will soon be archived as Downloadable and streamed mp3s on The Wire website. Full details will be announced in the next issue of The Conduit.
The series was curated by The Wire's Editor-in-Chief & Publisher, Tony Herrington and featured:
Week one
Mon 6 Feb: Blood Stereo
Tues 7 Feb: Leafcutter John
Weds 8 Feb: Vibracathedral Orchestra
Thurs 9 Feb: Mark Wastell/Angharad Davies/Matt Davis
Fri 10 Feb: Taurpis Tula
Week two
Mon 13 Feb: Volcano The Bear
Tues 14 Feb: Aufgehoben
Weds 15 Feb: Alexander Tucker
Thurs 16 Feb: Keith Berry
Fri 17 Feb: Spring Heel Jack Orkestra
THE WIRE PRESENTS ADVENTURES IN MODERN MUSIC
A weekly show of new music hosted by The Wire staff. The next show is broadcast on Thursday 23 February, 8-9:30pm GMT.
All shows are archived for online Listening. The latest three shows are available as streams AND Downloads, while a full archive of older shows is available as streams. Link
ABOUT: Since January 2003, The Wire has been hosting a weekly show of new music - The Wire Presents Adventures In Modern Music - on London's arts/community access station, Resonance FM. The show is broadcast across central London on 104.4 FM every Thursday, 8-9:30pm GMT, and repeated every Wednesday, 7-8:30am GMT, with simultaneous web streaming and full listings at www.resonancefm.com. All shows are then archived here.
THE OFFICE AMBIENCE
Recreate THE WIRE's current Office Ambience in your own workplace via our MP3 stream. Link
This month:
Tom Verlaine: Around (Thrill Jockey)
Brian Eno & David Byrne: My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts (Virgin)
Various: Más Rock And Roll: 26 Rare 60s Teen-Punk Artyfacts (Electro Harmonix)
Alex Ward/Sonic Pleasure/THF Drenching: $10,000,000.00 May Scare Voters (Fenland Hi-Brow)
Ent: Fuck Work (Baskaru)
Anders Hana: Flesh Dispenser (Utech)
Cougar: Law (Play It Again Sam)
Volcano!: Beautiful Seizure (Leaf)
One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden: Live at VPRO Radio (Brainwashed Handmade Series CD-R)
Sunburned Hand Of The Man: Complexion (Spirit Of Orr/Very Friendly)
dustedmagazine.com: "Six or seven years ago, Tape’s latest effort would have gotten slotted under the post-rock banner faster than some scrub could have written “They’re the Tortoise of Sweden.” Others might have drawn a parallel with the expansive melodic bathos of Sigur Ros. Such comparisons might have been within sniffing distance of the truth, but they would have missed the understated bliss this trio emanates. Recorded in glowing, fireside colors by the German producer Marcus Schmickler (a.k.a. Pluramon), Tomas Hallonsten with Johan and Andreas Berthling craft five somnambulant figurines that thrive on hypnotic repetition, tightly woven layers of melody and tasteful flecks of ambient noise. More
wikipedia.org: "Phill Niblock (born 2 October 1933, in Anderson, Indiana) is a minimalist composer, filmmaker, videographer, and director of Experimental Intermedia, a foundation for avant-garde music based in New York.
His music usually consists of simultaneous drones created from tape (later computer) manipulations of recorded pitches performed by instrumentalists such as Rafael Toral, David First, Lee Ranaldo, and Thurston Moore, on Guitar Too, for Four (G2,44+1x2); and Ulrich Krieger, on Touch Food. He was to curate the Experimental Intermedia Foundation's CD series, XI Records, with composers David Behrman and Lois V Vierk but wound up doing it alone.
Phill Niblock creates thick, loud, atonal drones of music, filled with microtones of instrumental timbres that generate many other overtones by pulsing against each other in the performance space. Simultaneously, he presents films/videos that look at the movement of people working, or computer-driven, black-and-white abstract images floating through time. Since the mid-1960s, he has been making music and intermedia performances that have been shown at numerous venues around the world. His musical works are notated as actual frequencies (cycles per second) and often transform slowly from consonance to dissonance or the reverse. " More
bidibop.com: "bidibop is Vincent Nicolas solo project. Playing music since the age of four, with various instruments such as violin, keyboards, guitar, drums... he launched and merged with many differnet music projects as a musician or as sound enginner, sometimes both. In 1998, he merged the post-rock band "un automne à Lob-Nor" as samplers and keyboards player, beside Sebastien Roux (Guitars - Rabbits|Sorrow). Then he brought pictures to band's music adding Super8 and slides projection to live performances, recorded main part of the band's production, and finally added a third guitar to very lasts compositions. Since the band splited, he dedicated to his own music project started in the mean time. Old synths sounds to earlies glitches, guitar and sound treatments, are part of the bidibop's textures glittering music which only aim is pop."
epitonic.com: "K.K. Null has always lived outside the boundaries of the ordinary and mundane. As a member of the heavy rock trio Zeni Geva he's built a reputation as an artist to be reckoned with, but it's his solo work that has earned him a devout following in avant-noise circles. Null has released records on labels like Charnel Music, NUX Organisation, Manifold, and Fourth Dimension and has played with Jim O'Rourke, Merzbow, John Zorn, Fred Frith and many more. He was also a member of the Sensurround Orchestra. GeV, Null's first release for Staalplaat, shows Null taking sampling to the extreme, either chopping up sounds beyond belief or looping them into a roller-coaster ride of noise and feedback. Like a roller-coaster, these songs are both fun and scary -- upon first listen the music seems harsh and overbearing, but the variety and range of sounds quickly becomes mesmerizing and entertaining."
wnyc.org: "There are a lot of different stories out there floating around about the mysterious band Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice. Are they really carnival refugees, former denizens of a toxic dump, or child prodigies, as their website (woodenwand.net) suggests? One thing for sure is that they are a band with powerful songs and a knack for improvising musical incantations. Host David Garland invites WWVV into the WNYC studio to dim the lights and play for a full hour, mixing blues, folk, psychedelia, home-made electronics, chants and chance." Listen here
Kammerflimmer Kollektief began as the one-man experimental excursions of Thomas Weber. Trapping ambient noise, live and synthetic drums, guitars, strings, upright bass and keyboards into interlocking rhythmic explosions, Weber expanded the group to a live six piece in 1999 and has been brilliant and busy ever since. From their Karlsruhe, Germany home base, this ensemble effortlessly blends experimental electronic elements and moody free-form jazz to stunning effect.
INSIDE THE WIRE 265 (MARCH 2006)
