Jeffrey Butzer - The Garden Of Scissors - Top 101 album of the decade and Top 26 of the year

Chad Radford¡¦s picks for the top 25 26 Atlanta releases of 2009

26.) Noot d¡¦ Noot Cash for Gold 12-inch (Shakedown Records)
25.) All Night Drug Prowling Wolves Self-titled (The Colonel Records)
24.) Chickens & Pigs See Through Soul (Self-released)
23.) Jeffrey Bützer Garden of Scissors (Lona Records)
22.) Predator ¡§Honest Man¡¨ b/w ¡§DLDD¡¨ ¡§No¡¨ 7-inch (Rob¡¦s House)
21.) Tealights Take Us By Sea (Self-released)
20.) Nomen Novum Paradises (Operation Get Jacked)
19.) Mastodon Crack the Skye (Warner Bros.)
18.) Coyote Bones Niobrara (Coco Art)
17.) GG King ¡§Drug Zoo¡¨ 7-inch (Rob¡¦s House)
16.) Black Lips 200 Million Thousand (Vice)
15.) Deerhunter ¡V Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP (Kranky)
14.) Untied States Instant Everything Constant Nothing (Distile Records)
13.) Hawks Barnburners (Army of Bad Luck)
12.) Fourth Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra East Atlanta Passover Strut (Self-released)
11.) Wizard Smoke Live Rock in Hell CDR/cassette (Big Mountain Tapes)
10.) The Pinx Look What You Made Me Do (self-released)
9.) Bobby Ubangi Inside the Mind of Bobby Ubangi (Rob¡¦s House)
8.) Carnivores All Night Dead USA (Double Phantom)
7.) Lotus Plaza The Flood Light Collective (Kranky)
6.) The Sunglasses Bad Happy (Trans Ruin/Dark Wolf Records)
5.) Howlies Trippin¡¦ with Howlies (OverUnder Records)
4.) The Selmanaires Tempo Temporal Self-released
3.) Zoroaster The Voice of Saturn CD/LP (Terminal Doom /Kreation Records)
2.) Atlas Sound Logos (Kranky)
1.) Balkans ¡§Zebra Print¡¨ b/w ¡§Oh Dear 7-inch (Double Phantom)

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/cribnotes/2009/12/31/chad-radfords-picks-for-best-atlanta-releases-of-09/

MUSIC: Top 101 Albums of the decade (2000-2009)

25) Anna Kramer (Self-released, 2004)
24) Pysche Origami, The Standard (Arcthefinger Records, 2005)
23) Micranots, Obelisk Movements (Sub Verse, 2000)
22) The Rock*A*Teens, Sweet Bird of Youth (Merge, 2000)
21) Cee-Lo, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (Arista, 2002)
20) Carbonas, Carbonas (Goner, 2007)
19) Supreeme, Church and State (Self-released, 2004)
18) Janelle Monáe, Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy, 2007)
17) Zoroaster, Voice of Saturn (Terminal Doom, 2009)
16) Gaelle, Transient (Naked Music, 2004)
15) Donnie, The Colored Section (Giant Step, 2002)
14) T.I., King (Atlantic, 2006)
13) Van Hunt, Van Hunt (Capitol, 2004)
12) Tenement Halls, Knitting Needles & Bicycle Bells (Merge, 2005)
11) Prefuse 73, Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives (Warp, 2001)
10) Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere (Downtown/Atlantic, 2006)
9) Gentleman Jesse, Gentleman Jesse (Douchemaster, 2008)
8) Pastor Troy, Face Off (Universal Records, 2001)
7) Black Lips, Let It Bloom (In The Red, 2005)
6) India.Arie, Acoustic Soul (Motown, 2001)
5) OutKast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (LaFace, 2003)
4) Mastodon, Leviathan (Relapse Records, 2004)
3) Deerhunter, Cryptograms (Kranky, 2007)
2) Danger Mouse, The Grey Album (Self-released, 2004)
1) OutKast, Stankonia (LaFace, 2000)

The rest are alphabetically listed below, minus the commentary. Each album listed was issued by artists based in Atlanta at the time of release.

Jeffrey Bützer, The Garden of Scissors (Lona Records, 2009)
¡K¡K..

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/music_top_101_albums_of_the_decade_2000_2009_/

Content?oid=1280304

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Interview on Jeffrey Butzer on Public Broadcasting

Vince Guaraldi¡¦s classic Charlie Brown Christmas, live at the EARL. Atlanta, GA A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered on CBS on December 9, 1965. The soundtrack to that special, composed by jazz musician Vince Guaraldi, remains one of the most popular holiday albums to this day. This weekend though, you'll have a chance to hear it live, in the unlikely setting of the small East Atlanta Village rock club, the EARL. WABE's Myke Johns paid the musicians behind the show a visit.

You can see a clip of last year's show here.

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/arts.artsmain?action=viewArticle&id

=1590159&pid=51&sid=15

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Review on KLC_NIR - World on libero blog (Italy)

La nebbia del mattino copre, con immenso amore, il manto erboso del giardino. Tutto copre. Paranoia ed ansia esistenziale si sprigionano da queste pesanti ed imponenti composizioni. Proprio come una lunga tenda scura. Si modifica l'elemento essenziale per concentrarsi sul futile oggetto. Materia e sostanza. Prima si ascolta e prima ci si addormenta. Il sonno però, con "World" in cuffia, è fortemente agitato. Sistemi mossi e troppo brillanti. Navigano incubi strani e strambi. Le nuvole scacciano il sole -malandrino- che aveva fatto capolino da dietro il monte selvaggio. Amore ed odio. Klc_Nir rappresentano la compattezza del non suono disarticolato, un non suono di note piccole e rotonde. La flessibilità della mente anticipa scenari di un solo colore. Imbarazzo e prima scelta per una decisione definitiva e apparentemente contraria alla logica. Logica, lo ripeto, di una non musica (lacerata) che fluttua acerba, ma forte nei contenuti. Semplicemente adatta a cuori e menti bene affilati.

Review by Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2

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Review on Fecalove - Beautiful on libero blog (Italy)

Esistono molti mezzi per esperimere un proprio stato d'animo. Amore ed odio, sentimenti estremi che si accavallano e si fronteggiano in una perenne battaglia. "Beautiful", ovvero bello, il bello, la bellezza che si contrappone all'orrido. Per questo disco tutto ciò appare come un estremo paradosso ambientale. "Beautiful" è, per il sottoscritto, assolutamente estremo e pauroso. Qualcosa di indistruttibile si cela dentro il progetto (perfido) denominato Fecalove. "Beautiful", è importante precisare, è un cd assolutamente inascoltabile, ma proprio per questa sua profonda qualità -malata- risulta essere profondamente struggente. Inascoltabile perchè il rock ed il pop vengono fatti a pezzi, in quanto codesti fenomeni musicali vengono banditi dal concetto artistico di Fecalove. Inascoltabile perchè in quasi quaranta minuti di (non) musica la melodia è, per una volta, lasciata ai margini ed il rumore -più viscerale- irrompe come un fiume in piena. Inascoltabile perchè di peggio non si poteva partorire. Inascoltabile e basta.

Review by Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2

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Review on stimulus - Moments 3 on libero blog (Italy)

Schermo intero bianco, schermo bianco intero. Post che scappano al controllo delle leggi, ed evadano il comune senso del pudore. Le menti sono libere solamente quando sono protette, e possono viaggiare -senza problemi- per corpi estranei. La musica deve essere per forza libera ed altresì ribelle, senza comandi ed alla portata di ogni semplice fruitore. "Moments 3" carpisce attimi che appartengono al presente, ma sono già futuro. Manipolazioni al laptop che generano scheletri sonici. Note invasive che scacciano i mali. Note che pretendono il massimo impegno, note che non vanno moltiplicate ma accantonate per il freddo inverno. Calma apparente, sudore, scrivere per dimenticare, meglio di ogni medicina. Stimulus procedono per una via a senso unico, dentro la quale si entra ma non c'è possibilità di tornare indietro. Solo una marcia, pericolosa e tremenda.

Review by Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2

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A Farewell to Fall with Alternative and Jeffrey Butzer

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Review on Edwin Lo - Auditory Scenes: Environmental Sonic Improvistion on Sonomu (UK)

For this piece, Edwin Lo collected field recordings in Causeway Bay, one of the most built-up areas in Hong Kong and thus, in the world.

I am assuming that instead of roaming its boulevards of shopping and business, he sought the areas underneath, the urban redoubts of many-levelled concrete, parking garages, loading docks, and dirty grey ventilation shafts, the places very little natural light ever reaches. The kind of structures shunned by the average pedestrian but necessary to quite literally support the infrastructure.

Lo´s brief recording feels longer than it actually is, perhaps due to the oppressive nature of the environment, which tranlates auditorily as drones, rumbles and the sound of air being continuously sucked out of it. However, there is a strange human presence, a recurring burst of crowd noise - not a very big one - raising its voice in either protest or in some kind of celebration. Were they caught by accident or were they brought there and conducted by Lo? Each of their numerous appearances is brought to an end by the commanding blow of a whistle.

This unique feature acts like a kind of "audio parkour", sounds bounding about the underpass, making dangerous leaps, scudding down ridiculously acute angles.

Review by Stephen Fruitman

http://sonomu.net/text/~edwin-lo-auditor/

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Alternativeapparel ad, music "Valse 2" by Jeffrey Bützer

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Jeffrey Butzer and TT Mahony: A Charlie Brown Christmas

One of the songs played at last year's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Live performance last year by Jeffrey Bützer, TT Mahony, and Adrian Ash.

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 An hour special show with "Red Compilation" on my show on Resonance FM

http://www.redorange.org.uk/2009/06/05/sleeping-dogs-lie-98-red/

TRACKLISTING:

01 Li Jianhong: ¡§Red¡¨ (00:39) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
02 Yan Jun: ¡§Re(a)d Garden, Sound Forks in the Rain¡¨ (09:53) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
03 ZenLu: ¡§Sunset¡¨ (04:21) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
04 Wilson Tsang: ¡§black FLIGHT AT red NIGHT¡¨ (03:39) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
05 Kim Tak Building: ¡§The Man Who Sprayed into the Forest¡¨ (06:05) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
06 Vsop: ¡§Noble Savage¡¨ (04:53) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
07 Bai Tian: ¡§Red¡¨ (06:40) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
08 KWC: ¡§Hometone¡¨ (19:31) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
09 Wang Changcun: ¡§Dream Receiver¡¨ (04:38) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
10 Fathmount: ¡§Part 1¡¨ (21:15) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)
11 Torturing Nurse: ¡§Spoken Word¡¨ (00:36) from ¡§Red¡¨ (2009)

Thanks Miguel
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/miguel.santos.uk?__a=1
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 Architecture is...Discourse with Music (30-Sept - 3/Oct / HKCC, Hong Kong)

Presenter: ¶i©À • ¤G¤Q­±Åé Zuni Icosahedron

Music Creation & Performance

Programme A (30/9, 1/10): Aenon Loo, Alok, KWC

Programme B (2¡V3/10): João Vasco Paiva, Sin:Ned, Pun Tak Shu

Guest Speakers: 30/9 Liu Jiakun (Chengdu), 1/10 Zhu Xiaodi (Beijing), 2/10 Wang Shu (Hangzhou), 3/10 Zhang Lei (Nanjing)

Co-organisers: Domus China, People Mountain People Sea Music

Curator: Steve Hui (Nerve)

Music Advisor: Anthony Wong

¡§Architecture is... Discourse with Music¡¨ is an experiment and a creative dialogue between music and architecture. Beginning with electronic music, local artists will share their feelings and experiences of architecture with the audience through the three stages of exploring architecture, getting to know architecture and feeling architecture. Four architects from the Mainland will be invited to participate and lead the audience to embark on an adventurous journey to the magical world of architecture.

Conducted in Mandarin.

Running time is approximately 105mins without intermission.

Ticket: http://www.aiaf.hk/program/01/

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=142583181275

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 Waterland Kwanyin ¤ô陆观­µ160¡GINTER-FACE ¹ï¡C­± (25-August / 2 Kolegas Bar, Bejing)

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¨â­Ó¤H¡C¤@­Ó¤ì²°¡C¥|¤Q¤K­Óª÷ÄݱµÄ²ÂI¡C³o¬OINTER-FACEªº°ò¥»³]·Q¡C

¤ì²°¬O¥Ñ¬ü°ê¹q­µ¼Ö¾¹ÃÀ³N®aArius Blaze¤ÎBen Houston¥HFolktek¦W¸q³]­p¤Î¥þ¤H¤â»s³yªºHarmonic Field¡C¨S¦³Áä½L¡C¨S¦³©¶½u¡C¥u¦³¥|¤Q¤K­Óª÷ÄݱµÄ²ÂI¡Cºt«µªÌ­n¥H¦Û¤vªº¨­Åé§@¬°¹q¸ôªº¤@³¡¥÷¥hºt«µ¡C

¨C¦¸INTER-FACE¤¤¡A­»´äÁn­µÃÀ³N®aSin:Ned±N·|ÁܽФ£¦PªºÃÀ³N®a¡A¦@¦P§Y¿³ºt«µHarmonic Field¡C­±¹ï­±¡C¥H³o©_¯Sªººt«µ¤¶­±¡C

¦Ó¬O¦¸¤DINTER-FACE¨t¦C¤§¥_¨Ê­ººt¡C

Performance Description:
Two people. One wooden box. Forty-eight metal contact points. This is the basic idea of INTRE-FACE.

The wooden box is called Harmonic Field. It is designed and handmade by American sound art device artists, Arius Blaze and Ben Houston of Folktek. No keyboard. No strings. Only forty-eight metal contact points. The performer is required to use his/her body as part of the circuitry to generate sounds.

In each of the INTER-FACE performance, Hong Kong sound artist Sin:Ned will invite different artist to play the Harmonic Field with him. Face to face. With such unique instrumental interface.

Here in Beijing, we have the debut performance of INTRE-FACE.

In this debut performance, Yan Jun is invited to play the Harmonic Field with Sin:Ned. With electro-acoustic duo No One Pulse as opening act, Alok and KWC will pair with guest artists Jackson Garland and Vavabond for a duet improvisation.

ºt¥XÃÀ³N®aPerforming Artists:
Opening: No One Pulse
KWC + Vavabond
Sin:Ned + Yan Jun (on Harmonic Field)
Alok + Jackson Garland

Date: 25 August 2009 (TUE)
Time: 20:00 ¡V 22:00
Ticket¡G50 RMB
Venue¡G两个¦nªB¤Í°s§a 2 Kolegas Bar
Address: qi che dian ying yuan (drive in movie theater, north side of dong feng road), bejing, china

http://www.2kolegas.com/
http://www.douban.com/event/10903390/

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=128281020512

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Review on Red Compilation on IN_DiRT [fanzine] / DOT[.] (Russia)

Some time ago i finally got long-awaited package from Hong Kong. It tooks almost three goddamn weeks to reach my hands. The post service sucks as usually. Well, what can i say for sure is that the expectation was worth for itself! I got simply awesome release consisting of three CD-Rs filled with unordinary non-format music. Almost all musicians are from mainland China and Hong Kong. Here's playing time of each CD-R: first disc - 52 minutes, second disc - 68 minutes, third disc - 53 minutes. On the whole there're almost three hours of total playing time! So you can completely quench your thirst for something fresh and new!

The first disc starts with 40-seconds introduction from LI JIANHONG. I don't know the essence of his message, it's in chinese. The second musician is YAN JUN with almost 10 minutes track. Monotonous ambient soundscapes with unobtrusive additional electronics. Phlegmatic calm sounding developing by the undulate trajectory. Really good track will be heard in one breath! Number three is NO ONE PULSE with 7 minutes of various radiochanel signals mixed with some not heavy hindrances. Sounds like searching the contact with extraterrestrial civilizations! ZENLU is the fourth musician on the first disc. Mixing grief and mostly sombre piano notes with muffled "easy" noise background. The common picture is like anxious sleepless night filled with disturbing gloomy reflection and with a sunrise as salvation and beginning of something new. Amazing atmosphere! Tracks number five and six are from WILSON TSANG. Melancholic piano overtures which would perfectly fit to any silent theatrical dramatic staging. The second track in many aspects much more saturated and dynamic with the beautiful reassuring ending. The seventh musicians are KIM TAK BUILDING with six minutes track. They use piano and some additional minimal effects so you can hear a murmur of the rain and occasional peals of thunder somewhere behind a tristful melody. Tender female voice in the end of the track will touch your heart and decorate by itself a quiet sadness originated in your soul. One of the best tracks on the compilation in my opinion! ALOK's ten minutes track goes under the number 8. Hordes of industrial computer thinnest samples begin to actively pulsate from the first seconds of the track, they blink by hundreds of millisecond outbreaks but soon they give way to the enigmatic melody which inspires anxiety in your heart. The closing project on the first disc is VSOP with almost five minutes track. Strange combination of uncoordinated electronic sounds which looks like a failure in the configuration of the robot.

So i put into the player the second disc. It starts with one minute long introduction from YAN JUN and then goes 15,5 minutes timid experiment from SIN:NED. He creates a fragile sound construction which becoming increasingly bold during the development of song. Closer to the end a wall of harsh noise appears from nowhere but suddenly dissipated in two minutes before the end of the track. BAI TIAN is the third musician on the second disc. His sounding is really restrained but beautiful in its significant minimalism. Almost ritual muffled rhythm organically combined with neat ascending/descending wave of ringing. There's something elusively special and aesthetic in this music. I like the element of some reticence. Well, the next 19,5 minutes long track belongs to Hong Kong's KWC. Not harsh but not tender. These are various noise irritants mixed in reasonable proportions. All kinds of pulsed signals combined with layers of shuffle sounds. Yeah maybe this track is a little bit draged out but it's what it is. Anyways, the fifth musician is WANG CHANGCUN. Simple melody with "running" electronics, almost completely monotonous from the beginning to the end. Not very interesting track in my opinion. So i turn to the next one. The last sixth epic belongs to FATHMOUNT. Amazing track! Over 21 minutes of electro/acoustic guitar enchanting improvisation mixed with some additional ambient layers. There are three conditional periods in the track. The first is "electro" period. Very beautiful as light summer rain or green grass swaying by a wind! The second is "acoustic" period. It reminds me THE NORTH SEA & RAMESSES III collaboration, just more saturated with the guitar component. Sounds awesome! And the third is "electro" again but this time much more noisy, loud and not so expressive as in first period. Anyways, the whole track sounds amazing and the best on the second disc in my opinion along with BAI TIAN's track!

Well, it's time for the disc number three now which is the most extreme in my opinion. It starts with short introduction from TORTURING NURSE. Right after that IBID takes its queue to play. This is collaborative project between A.DUNKAN & XPER.XR. They create clear-cut drum rhythm and pretty nice synth melody to perform 2,5 minutes dedicated to all red chinese cats! Heh, you can even dance if you want. The third musician is RONEZ with almost 6 minutes of ugly mutant noise. Ominous mixture of rushing vortexes of trash, sick harsh screaming and shrill disturbing squeaks. Be ready for violation! VSOP's fourth 30 seconds track is the passage to the following two epics. The first of them, and the fifth track on the disc is a long awful noise story from LI JIANHONG. 16 minutes of sound barbarity! The interlacing of explosive industrial samples, disorganized flow of impetuous hindrances and absolutely spineless construction of futuristic noises. All in one, hehe! Be careful to listen with high volume. Finally the sixth on the last disc and the closing track of the whole compilation is 28 minutes destructive epic from Shanghai's freaks TORTURING NURSE. This is a sparkling rude tail of electronic comet, non-stop turbo noise-whirlwind and ugly clots of cyber energy transformed into merciless killer compound pull-down on your head in the form of caustic radioactive fall-out. Awesome stuff, as they actually always do.

Totally great, solid and really interesting release! The packaging is another story. Compilation comes as A5 format 25 pages booklet, it looks like a little magazine! On the first page the first disc inserted into two slits. Then goes a few pages with a couple good articles. In the middle of booklet there's a beautiful colored fold-out page with tracklist, and this page can be transformed into A3 format huge poster with information about all musicians involved into RED project. Then goes two pages with second and third discs and the closing few pages with all credits. Pretty nice succulent red CD-Rs with its numbers and the title of the label! All together looks really awesome!
The only small drawback of this release - not a very convenient location of the disks into the slits of pages. Looks cool, but it's a little problem to extract the discs for fear of to rumple or break the page. But this drawback readily soluble in the mass of the merits of this release! So i can only say one thing - HIGHLY recommended!!!

9/10

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId

=138340548&blogId=494225790

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Review on Red Compilation on libero blog (Italy)

In this moment on my mistress and beloved city a thunderstorm of devastating proportions has been get loosed. And ¡§music¡¨ in foundation does not help to decrease to me, much best, in this impervio way.

¡§Red¡¨ is composed from three cd and booklet very twenty-four pages. An enormously important job. This imposing elaborated is developed (dares this delicate comparison) like the Divine Comedy: hell, purgatorio and paradise. Three stages, three fundamental passages of the human mind for intuire the way master of congratulate and the redenzione. They are many and different the artists that they want to pay theirs examined in depth love for the so-called music experience them. He hisses, grida suffocated, notes he is confused and castrated that they interlace themselves from each other in order to arrive to a fine solo: the key for the eternal paradise.

In first dark compact (hell) Wilson Tsang and Alok they are the musicians who better have expressed themselves in order to represent cooking flames. Dark blazes, thoughts that scappano and return like lightning bolts. The distance is hard, ostico, the warmth tightens the brain and the neurons ask mercy. The pianoforte of Wilson he is something of precise. A blade aimed for the chest, sharpenned and cutting. The meat is knot, and the blood vomita its fear.

My hypothetical purgatorio minibadly begins with the fifteen derailing minuteren of Sin: Ned, that it tries to show a road for the rainbow. But the twenty are still many rain cargos, the clouds are bad and the dimmed thoughts. There is much to walk and to study. The pentagramma schizza slow, sudato and ansimante. But all it is not lost, and the hope is own the last one to die.

But in the song ventiseiesimo of the paradise the miracle is completed. In the stellifero sky saint Giovanni examines the poet on the charity. Adam explains the nature of the sin originates them. And Torturing Nurse is pushed very beyond the simple and easy understanding of the human beauty. Scarnificano the beauty undresses, it, leaving it without spirit to the cospetto of the supreme entity. Thus allowing the instruments to jump obliging from a pertugio to the other. All magnificent, curious and for which a lot edifying.

Review by Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php

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Review on Jeffrey Butzer - The Garden Of Scissors on libero blog (Italy)

I would want to know who it says (or it thinks in way blasfemo) that the miracles do not exist? You find it please to me. It is own thus but, free not to believe to us, Jeffrey Butzer he is dannatamente Bravo. And this for the undersigned is a fabulous miracle of our times. Beautiful I would not know, but the Jeffrey American is truly a talent. Dannatamente Bravo. A true artistic talent. ¡§The Garden Scissors¡¨ possesses all the credentials in order to leave a tangible sign between the compact published during this 2009. A lot in order to mean to us, in order well, would be opportune to take in vision any of the cinematographic works of Wim Wenders and to deposit to us over the sound of Butzer. This is the comparison in order to make to understand how much the songs of this romantico musician is highly riconducibili to the great screen. Obviously in black and white. The notes of Jeffrey (with the melancholic nearly always present fisarmonica) nearly seem far, do not want to be assaulted from the mass; but they wish is made to discover to the time little. Music of Butzer could represent the exact encounter between the culture underground of Berlin and the first Hollow claustrofobico Nick. With of highly valid artistic concepts and important. For this I think ¡§The Garden Of Scissors¡¨ a job precious, and decidedly deeply intense.

Review by Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php

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Interview with Jeffrey Butzer on Dry Ink Magazine (US)

Accordions and Toys
Jeffrey Bützer¡¦s tools of the trade

By Tom Cheshire
Published June 4, 2009

Accordions and toy pianos, two of my favorite sounds and two of my favorite things. These make the noises you hear on ¡§Garden of Scissors¡¨ by Jeffrey Bützer.

Bützer, or as I like to call him The Bütz, is a one man band. He is a twisted composer who plays several instruments and writes songs that make me want to do somersaults. The songs remind me of carnivals, innocence and great movies.

Dry Ink recently caught up with him to discuss his latest release.

Dry Ink: Please introduce yourself. Who are you?

Jeffrey Bützer: Hello, my name is Jeffrey Bützer. I play accordion, piano and some other instruments¡K mostly ones that are designed for children.

DI: You have a new record out. What is the title and can you tell us a little about it?

JB: It¡¦s titled ¡§The Garden of Scissors.¡¨ I started working on it two years ago as a sort of soundtrack to a screenplay I wrote. I thought making this album would make the story seem like it exists¡Ksince I most likely will not make it into a film anytime soon. Although, an Italian director did recently make a short film based on it with my music. So that¡¦s a start.

DI: This is your second record, correct?

JB: Yes.

DI: What was your first?

JB: The first record was ¡§She Traded Her Leg.¡¨ Half of that was an album and the second part was a soundtrack to an actual film called ¡§Bird Catcher¡¨ directed by C. Hefner.

DI: Both records have come out on Lona Records. Aren¡¦t they based in China? How did you hook up with them?

JB: I e-mailed their manager at the right time, exactly when she was in the mood for toy piano music. That is the story and I¡¦m sticking with it. They didn¡¦t know I was American for the first month we were working on the release. And I didn¡¦t speak in person with them until a year and a half after we first spoke. The internet feels like espionage sometimes.

DI: You play almost every instrument on this new record?

JB: Yeah, I did. P.W. Shelton, my best friend and very long time collaborator, plays bass and banjo on a bunch of songs. I wanted to work with him more but he was living in Memphis when I started it.

DI: And how long have you been playing accordion?

JB: Well, I played the key side of the first album but properly learned how to play almost a year ago.

DI: When did you get into playing music? How did you approach it?

JB: I started playing when I was 8 or 9 years old. My mother, at the age of 50, all of a sudden got really into heavy metal music. She would rearrange metal songs for piano and I learned how to play along with her on drums. Then eventually I moved to guitar and tried playing surf and spaghetti western music. I found I was better at writing on piano and organ. I think, strangely, my mother¡¦s odd take on what was then a popular music style influenced me more than I¡¦d like to admit.

DI: And how about the female voice that appears on a few of the songs on the new record?

JB: Those are courtesy of Sanni Baumgartner of the band Dancer Vs. Politician.

DI: How did you hook up with her?

JB: She is from Berlin, but currently lives in Georgia. She¡¦s friends with an old friend of my wife¡¦s. I sent her my album when it was finished and we talked about her writing lyrics loosely based around my story. And every word she wrote ended up on the album.

DI: You did some shows in Hong Kong a few years back. Can you tell us a little about that?

JB: The label wanted me to come over for some shows to promote the first album. It was big fun. My wife and I and P.W. Shelton went. We played with two other musicians who lived there. They learned my songs. One was Wilson Tsang, a singer who lives there. He and I did three Tom Waits covers in the middle of our set. People over there are super nice and very open to new sounds. They have a hip music scene. It was the most fun I¡¦ve had playing music. There are a lot of cool film buffs there too. I went to this really cool store called ¡§Kubrick¡¨ that is heaven for any film fan.

DI: Any plans on going back?

JB: I certainly hope so. We haven¡¦t decided if we can do it this year yet.

DI: And how about the shows in France?

JB: Well, I was going to England anyway for a wedding. And we decided to try and play France. So I e-mailed the nice people at Monsterk 7 (a French record label that included a song of mine on a compilation they released) and they booked us a few shows. It was very nice. The clubs treated us great and the crowds were great.

DI: And what is next for Jeffrey Bützer?

JB: Let¡¦s see¡K I¡¦m very slowly writing music for a third album, some with lyrics. I think I have seven songs done. Also I recorded a CD with a guitarist named Claire Lodge. I don¡¦t know what we will do with it; probably release it on iTunes and all that fun stuff. No definite plans to tour as of now. There is a little Bützer on the way, so I will be taking a break at the end of the year. And P.W. started a band tentatively titled ¡§fake beards¡¨ that I am playing drums in. It sounds like Marc Ribot meets The Ventures meets Sonic Youth.

DI: Goodness, a lot on your plate. Congratulations on your child on the way. I guess you¡¦ll be buying more toy pianos. When can the good kids of Atlanta catch some of this great music?

JB: I¡¦m opening for Dexter Romweber Duo and Detroit Cobras this Saturday (June 6) at the EARL, then Corndogorama, and then me and T.T. Mahony are doing our now yearly Charlie Brown Christmas show in December.

DI: Thank you for your time, and best of luck.

http://www.dryinkmag.com/137/accordions-and-toys#more-137

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Review on Jeffrey Butzer - The Garden Of Scissors on The Sunday Paper (US)

He may live and work in Atlanta, but Jeffrey Butzer¡¦s soul is in another, earlier time and place. The one-man band, who plays every instrument on his sophomore release except for bass and banjo, is stuck in a ¡¦40s movie with scenes in pre-War Germany cabarets (with singer Sanni Baumgartner taking the place of Marlene Dietrich), and sometimes a ¡¦60s Western.

This predominantly instrumental disc (currently available at shows and online) is the soundtrack to a screenplay Butzer wrote for the as-yet unmade titular movie. The 26 songs are divided into three acts, and while some pieces are missing without the visuals and story, the music holds up surprisingly well on its own.

Toy pianos, accordions and glockenspiel dictate Act 1¡¦s keyboard-driven sound. The effect is distinctive, playful and often frisky, with some ominous moments interspersed, especially when Ms. Baumgartner sings in German on ¡§Valse 2¡¨ and ¡§A Popular French Hairstyle.¡¨ Elements of Tom Waits at his most theatrical, as well as Kurt Weil and Calexico, abound.

Song titles are appropriately vague, with ¡§Blue Ink Tears,¡¨ ¡§Bicycle Eater¡¨ and ¡§Lucy 5¡¦s Egg¡¨ signifying Butzer¡¦s experimental bent and creating a lighthearted, stylized noir mood that¡¦s both hypnotic and alluring.

Act 2 shifts into more portentous Spaghetti Western territory, with lonely, reverbed guitars replacing Act 1¡¦s keyboards. Most cuts are short, setting the aural scene and then moving on.

¡§The Garden of Scissors¡¨ showcases Butzer as a unique Atlanta musician with an idiosyncratic, cinematic style, one who possesses the vision and talent to color outside pop¡¦s boundaries and structures without losing its soul. ¡X By Hal Horowitz 3 STARS

http://www.sundaypaper.com/More/Archives/tabid/98/articleType/ArticleView/

articleId/4036/JEFFREY-BUTZER.aspx

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Interview with Jeffrey Butzer on Creative Loafing Music (US)

Aside from subtle touches of reverb on the guitar in ¡§Suit of Flies,¡¨ or the ghostly echo of Sanni Baumgärtner¡¦s Germanic coo in ¡§Blue Ink Tears,¡¨ The Garden of Scissors could have been captured 100 years ago on a breezy summer day in Paris. Nods to Tom Waits, Ennio Morricone and Yann Tiersen¡¦s Amélie soundtrack flourish in ¡§Theme for a Tailor¡¨ and ¡§Woolgatherer.¡¨ The wafting resonances of piano, accordion and a soft boom and chang create the fluttering tone for this invisible soundtrack where the narrative remains in the ether. Every note, every nuance and every song is a sparkling, cinematic gem that shines brightly out of time and place and it is utterly captivating.

Chad Radford: Tell me about the screenplay you wrote from which Garden of Scissors takes a lot of its imagery?

Jeffrey Bützer: I¡¦m very interested in film, but have very little interest in making one myself. But I do occasionally write. The script is a sort of absurdest comedy about a pump organist at a silent movie theatre whose clock breaks so he takes it to another town to get it repaired.

Everyone in the town forgot how to say proper names. The protagonist gets mistaken for his new girlfriend¡¦s dead brother, so he takes over his job and has to remove a whale from a hotel room. That¡¦s the short synopsis.

How much thought did you put into the instrumentation on the record? The non-electric nature of most of it seems to be a considered, thematic part of the music.

Normally when I start a project, I make endless lists of songs I want to do, the order and what instruments to use and so on. By the time I sit down to work with a band or record that goes right out the window. I originally wanted ¡§theme for a tailor¡¨ to be solo piano, but ended up using the most instruments of any song on the album. ¡§The Whale in the Hotel Room¡¨ I never thought of doing solo until I went to record it. I try and trust my instincts and not over think things, that¡¦s what I learned from this album. If it sounds right, there is a chance it may be.

What was the editing process like? How did you go about whittling it down and was it hard for you to make those cuts?

Yes, I started recording a very long time ago. It was right when I got back from my Hong Kong tour for the first album, so when we went to mix I had about 50 songs. And as you can imagine the album ended up quite different from what I set out to make. Cutting songs is never hard for me. The ones I¡¦m ¡§married¡¨ to never go away. If the recording is bad, I redo it. If there¡¦s only one good part, I write a new song out of that part. I have songs I started writing 5 years ago I still have not yet finished.

Tell me about the voclalist on the album, Sanni Baumgärtner.

I first heard Sanni in Audition with Max Reinhardt, a band that sounded a bit like Kurt Weill meets Velvet Underground. Now she is the singer/songwriter of Dancer VS Politician and has moved to and from Athens and Berlin for a few years. She is very talented and a good friend.

The minimal way that her voice is used throughout the CD is very intriguing. We don¡¦t hear a whole lot of her , but the parts that we do hear are quite haunting.

I wanted her to have total freedom to do what ever she felt like doing. I totally trusted her, she has great intuition. I sent her the album and screenplay and said ¡§see what you can do!¡¨ Everything she came up with is on the record.

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/cribnotes/2009/04/03/five-questions-with-jeffrey-butzer/

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Review on Jeffrey Butzer - The Garden Of Scissors on Creative Loafing Music (US)

Aside from subtle touches of reverb on the guitar in ¡§Suit of Flies,¡¨ or the ghostly echo of Sanni Baumgärtner's Germanic coo in ¡§Blue Ink Tears,¡¨ The Garden of Scissors could have been captured 100 years ago on a breezy summer day in Paris. Nods to Tom Waits, Ennio Morricone and Yann Tiersen's Amélie soundtrack flourish in ¡§Theme for a Tailor¡¨ and ¡§Woolgatherer.¡¨ The wafting resonances of piano, accordion and a soft boom and chang create the fluttering tone for this invisible soundtrack where the narrative remains in the ether. Every note, every nuance and every song is a sparkling, cinematic gem that shines brightly out of time and place and it is utterly captivating.

By Chad Radford 4 stars

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/jeffrey_b_tzer_the_garden_of_scissors/

Content?oid=761005

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Review on Maurizio Bianchi - Akoustikoriginem on libero blog (Italy)

Suoni acustici perversi, investiti e maltrattati. Una chitarra con dita urticanti preleva note povere e sibilline. Incontrarsi e ricevere un gelo distacco. Sentirsi perennemente a disagio con se stessi e con gli altri. Può capitare. Un potente freddo letale giunge con la musica elettroacustica di Maurizio Bianchi. Talento appartenente a quel filone artistico definito industrial (che significa tutto e niente), fine manipolatore di sogni atti a stimolare il cervello. La sua bacchetta magica riesce, ancora una volta, a compiere il miracolo pagano grazie a "Akoustikoriginem". Enfatico cd ove suoni (distorti) compiono salti trasversali e ondeggiano pericolosamente. Raccolta non per tutti. Questo è un mondo a parte. Si consiglia una rigorosa selezione all'entrata.

by Claudio Baroni

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http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php

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Review on Nathalie Fougeras / Björn Eriksson - 2-7-1-alt on libero blog (Italy)

Vera cacofonia e dunque prodotto al limite dell'ascoltabile. Ma questo lavoro è ugualmente interessante per capire e raggiungere nuovi percorsi sonori. Dimentichiamoci la Parigi attuale, quella della dance contemporanea in quanto Emmanuel Mieville -con "Island Ferrysm"- naviga sui territori dell'electro acustica più sperimentale. Una strada in salita dove l'improvvisazione, per l'artista francese, è il minimo comun denominatore del suo faticoso lavoro. Un sforzo che viene richiesto anche all'ascoltatore, il quale viene sommerso da particelle di microsuoni. Lodevole, ma altamente complicato.

by Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php

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Review on Edwin Lo - Auditory Scenes: Environmental Sonic Improvisation (China)

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这张°Û¤ù¬O2007¦~³Ì¦Z¤@¤Ñ¦b铜锣湾录ªº¡C¥E¤@§v¡A¹³¬O´£着录­µÉó¦bµó¤W¨«¡A录¤F«Ü¦hªÅ调压缩Éó©ÎªÌ风®°ªº声­µ¡A²V浊¡A¤S¦³´`环ªº°_¥ñ¡CµM¦Z¹J¨ì¤H¸s¡A­Ë计时庆¯¬·s¦~¡C¦ý©_©Çªº¬O¡A为¤°¤\总¦b庆¯¬·s¦~¡H20¤À钟内¡A¤@¦@发¥Í¤F5¦¸¡H难¹D¬O¦Z´Á«÷¥X来ªº¡H

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标题说¨ì¡A这¬O环¹Ò声­µªº§Y兴ºt«µ¡C´£着录­µÉó¡A¦b声­µ·½¤§间¨«动¡B°±¯d¡B§ï变¤è¦V¡A这Ïú´å戏¦³时­Ô¤ñ®³乐¾¹ª±§Y兴还­n²n¡CEdwin应该¤]¬O个¤¤°ª¤â¡C¦ý§ÚªºÚÌ没¦³§v¥X来¡A¥L¨s³º¬O«ç样实现¤F5¦¸­Ë计时¡C©ñ弃对这个¯µ±Kªº¬ã¨s¤§¦Z¡A§Ú还¬O§v¤F«Ü¦h¹M这张°Û¤ù¡C¨º无·N义ªº¡A¤£¥i¿ë认ªº声­µ进¤J¤F§Úªº静谧¡C¬O谁¡H说¤F¤°¤\¡H¼¹开¤F¤°¤\¡H关门¡H¨«¸ô¡H¡K¡K¨º长时间ªº¶ä¶ä声¡A夹杂着运转¤¤ªº杂­µ¡A¹³Lilithªº¶Ê¯v长­µ¡A¨I闷¤¤别¦³¤Ñ¦a¡F¤]©Î许¥u¦³¨I闷¦Ó±Ó·Pªº¤H¤~会²z¸Ñ¦}³Q·P动¡C¨C¦¸结§ô¤§¦Z¡A§Ú³£§v¤F«Ü¤[§Ú©Ð间¨½ªº杂­µ¡C¡]颜®m¡^___________________________________________________________

Review on Sin:Ned / Nerve - Ghost Feeding Vessel on Heathen Harvest (US)

Genre: Experimental / Avant-garde

This is a split release between Sin:Ned and Nerve

This split album from Hong Kong locals Sin:Ned and Nerve is a recorded performance on the eve of the Chinese Ghost Festival as accompaniment to a multimedia installation of video projection by two other artists at the Para/Site Art Space. It is a spatially haunting piece endemic to both region and intention ¡V discernibly Asian and noticeably supernal.

The quality of the single track that sheds skin and phantasmagoria over a little less than forty minutes is to be commended for a live recording, the electronics so pristine they finely shave away all low-fi or hazed excesses yet despite the digital crystallisation is not frigid.

Intended to serve as a bridge those in this world and those in the next, ¡¥Ghost Feeding Vessel¡¦ is thankfully not a dolorous drone of decay and depression for it is far too electric and chaotic. Bell chimes limn the air like the fragrance of jasmine, delicate and almost imperceptible; flutes flit and dart in Asian scale tones down to their quarters as swift as the smallest of winged birds; gongs explode showers of golden dust; even the more electronic oscillating susurrations are treated with a light deftness and inveigle the senses. Sounds coalesce and crescendo in attempt to force embrasure.

Several movements collate ¡¥Ghost Feeding Vessel¡¦ with the middle section less ghostly than the lead-in as electronic glitches patter little rhythms with the sampled noise of dust. The last movement, however, seems to step away from the realms of spirits and becomes mired in an urban maelstrom of squalling frequencies and rapid and uncontrolled leaps of percussion. This detraction seems to close more than open the aperture into the formless.

The album is a limited affair, one-hundred CDr copies are presented better than the average slap-together, with a black silk-screen coated disc (quite a rarity for a CDr) and heavy gloss card in full colour. An intriguing symmetrical icon burns an optical illusion with lens flare that has your pupils dilating.

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20090209184057101

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Review on Wilson Tsang - Whale Song on  libero blog (Italy)

Genere Musicale: Minimalistic Expression

Rifletto al buio della mia stanza. Le luci dell'albergo vicino riscaldano i miei pensieri. Fuori c'è il gelo e la nebbia che non ti aspetti. Preferisco la neve. Tirando lunghi ed isolati sospiri mi addentro, lentamente, nel mondo oscuro di Wilson Tsang. "Whale Song" assomiglia ad una partitura mai scritta dei Joy Division. Sperimentazione acustica in chiave dark. Dark come simbologia dello smarrimento più completo e verosimile. Ondate di rumore bianco, che brillano sotto l'asfalto cocente di una giornata polverosa. Alitate rancorose di alcool bruciato. Gola che sputa sangue e vene che pulsano metriche distanti. Come il pianoforte di "All That Ever Was" che piange lacrime strazianti ed inconsolabili. Tsang alza il tiro improvvisando note su tappeti di vernice verde speranza. Solo strumenti che si dividono. Per lasciare spazio alle parole da leggere -attentamente- sul libretto allegato al cd. Sedici rappresentazioni oniriche per un'ora di musica battente. Metafora caustica e rappresentazione di una forza interiore, che Wilson mette in scena con un perfetto tempismo poetico. Da sentire.

Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php?id=musica2&gg=0&mm=0903

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Review on Torturing Nurse - Smell Like Teenage Springtree on libero blog (Italy)

Genere Musicale: Analogue Pure Noise

Assalto assolutamente inatteso e frontale. Un pugno nello stomaco sferrato con cattiveria estrema. Rabbia repressa da tempo, che sfocia in un profluvio di note virulente e cacofoniche. Sarebbe poco ortodosso e fuorviante definire "la non musica" dei Torturing Nurse come "rumore". In quanto "Smile Like Teenage Springtree" è opera sublime, che si oppone (con tutta la sua forza) alle considerazioni di puro e semplice noise. L'impatto inguinale -della formazione cinese- è simile all'incontro tra il punk dei Black Frag e lo strascico linguistico di John Zorn. Pura deformazione e stortura delle note. Le voci lancinanti di Zev e Jiadie che contrastano le due chitarre perplesse, con la batteria che troneggia per conto suo. Prodotto ostico per orecchie allentate ed allenate.

Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php?id=musica2&gg=0&mm=0903

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Review on Edwin Lo - Auditory Scenes: Environmental Sonic Improvisation on libero blog (Italy)

Genere Musicale: Experiments On Sound.

Assolutamente disarmante. Edwin Lo concepisce e sprigiona dal suo ventre un lungo suono, appositamente accorciato di venti minuti. Secondi e minuti che si aggrovigliano nella sperimentazione più contorta. "Auditory Scenes: Environmental Improvisation" sgretola e manipola improvvisazioni tentacolari. Sounds maestri che circondano strade deserte. Vie chiuse ove fluttuano passi nella notte. Manipolazioni delicate che si esauriscono in un fragoroso temporale estivo. Autunno che si accorcia ed inverno che rimbomba nell'atrio. Consapevolezza dei propri limiti, ma anche sicurezza di aver realizzato un sound lastricato di corpose (limitrofe) idee.

Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php?id=musica2&pag=2&gg=0&mm=0

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Review on Alok - Placid Places on Heathen Harvest (US)

When you have your own label from which to jumpstart a musical career and to get your music available to a mass audience you're in a great position ¡V you can take as long as you want to create whatever you want and there will be no one to tell you what to do or what to add or subtract from your recordings since you are your own boss. That is the position that Hong Kong's Alok is in. Since 2001, Alok has been a solo artist after contributing to other artists CDs or playing with other outfits. In 2002 Alok started his own label, Lona Records, which has launched his albums to the world. He's also producer, writer, artist and sound engineer as well, in various ways.

His latest effort is a tres experimental album, entitled Placid Places, an EP with five tracks, but not short pop songs, rather long form stuff that range from just under six minutes to 18 minutes to 21 minutes (1: 20:58, 2: 9:39, 3: 5:55, 4: 8:36 and 5: 17:48). It really doesn't matter though, because it's all one big jumble of experimentality that can't really be subdivided into parts. There are beeps and drones and hums and high-pitched tones all over a vinyl-record style scratchiness, to give it some humanistic quality to it, if you can call it that.

Placid Places is Alok's fourth album and it shows a delicate ingenuity that, while totally atonal and non-musical, captures one's attention ¡V voluntarily or not. The whole album is in danger of becoming staid and just another avant-garde experimental CD except that on this CD its saving grace is the synergy that Alok's brand of experimental noise-ambience brings to bear, with the panoply of noise and atonal crashes underneath and on top of dreamy melodies that, put together make a universe of new soundscapes that leave you speechless. When you get to ¡§Plain (Night)¡¨, which has a piano-based ambience, a slowed-down atmospheric style and a British feel to it you can't help but feel a warm buzzing feeling inside. The final track, ¡§Purlieu (Dawn)¡¨ goes back to more digital soundbursts, sampled voices as well as the ever-present beeps and twitters mixed with a spaced-out vibe.

Alok is a self-taught guitarist and bassist, raised in Hong Kong and based there still, recording for an HK-based label, Quasi Pop. Alok has been striving for the right style and the perfect setting from which to build. He's not just some club-hopping newcomer that is only in it for the beats, Alok is a talented multi-tasking, multi-instrumentalist multi-culturalist, musically, if not otherwise. After many stops and starts and from his experience playing with various acts and artists, producing, playing, writing and learning as well as his time with and exposure to the performance art-world.

Alok is on his way to building an ever-evolving catalog of open-ended musical experiments and a driving force behind opening doors for nonconforming artists who want to build wider soundscapes so as to give people many more alternatives to listen to.

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20090114062727354

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Review on Nisei 23 - Kanza EP on Heathen Harvest (US)

There was a time when bands were proud of not using any technological devices to produce their music. Probably still focused on the age of material things and tactile eroticism, searching for the necessary recompense found only while playing a real instrument. Seems like some of those bands still prevail today, restraining theirselves from falling into the temptation of digitalism, still close to the kind of sound, tone variety and texture only real instruments can give. Allegedly Nisei 23 it¡¦s a survivor from that crew and proud from it as it is stated inside the mini cd EP ¡§Kanza¡¨ that I¡¦m bringing to you my loved and hated reader. They claim that no synthesizers or sequencers were used, that is good in my opinion as modern electronica is plagued by this incessant synthetic feel and desensitized emotionality that sounds too often flat and boring.

Although far away from typical electronic sounds they could not leave the sampler machine behind in order to use it to regroup all the tapestry of instrumental recordings that they use to construct the sound structures of their work, which is not a sin, just an smart use of euphemism. Nevertheless, instruments like: Piano, guitars, several kinds of seemingly oriental percussion and melodica have been used to conform Kanza sound. Behind this project currently residing in Hong Kong lies a mysterious UK individual who is more interested to let know about his/her music than to talk about the mundane aspects of personal life. Let the music speak, in the language of their own, as in this new century there are people still wanting to endure through original creation.

The influence from asiatic culture is noticeable, some notes and chords sound almost completely into oriental music. Opener ¡§Kanza¡¨ has a tribal like feel, focused on an exotic rhythmic cadence that gets accompanied by oriental notes coming from a guitar play, this rhythmical sequence proceeds harmoniously maintaining the original tempo but evolving in an encapsulated foggy landscape, later the rhythm sequence retakes its trail doubling what now could be perceived as a ritualistic track, where the cadence is used to concentrate the listener into its trance like induction. A sudden flash of rice fields with bucolic croppers sowing in identical rhythmic cadence crossed my mind, a city revolting in bike transportations, tumultuous bars serving exotic plates and beverages, masses gravitating around vast streets... ¡§Bleached bones¡¨ and the following ¡§Kiiro¡¨ has a less pronounced tribal feeling but preserves a ritual energy, a mellow heart like beat commands the rhythm section while fresh clouds of decomposed guitars and melodica fused to create a drone curtain full of vitalism.

The rhythms intersect and evolve, with the incursion of some small insect like clicks within the rhythmic base loops. A very relaxing piece leading to natural inhabitancies and beautiful landscapes of unlimited green. In ¡§Kiiro¡¨ the rhythms are taken off and the track is balanced entirely on drone layers, spatial and aerial with a recurrent but subtle effect that sounds like cars or trains crossing a huge highway, an ideal futuristic city, full of technologic magic and grandiloquence comes to settle as a peaceful dream. These two songs has a luscious post rock feeling into it, sparse and relaxed, naturalistic and luxurious. Last song ¡§Lower case¡¨ resumes the work and it¡¦s my personal favourite. Here we find the strategies used in all of the songs centred on this one. The ritualistic tribalism with exotic rhythm logic, the oriental flavours, the mutation of instruments making they sound like alien and unrecognisable, the dynamic vitalism of the music, concreting a modern rhythm cosmology with a tribal logic that never sounds saturated or not well on. This track is fabulous. The finale even shows a small irruption of minimal breakcore that comes from the tribal dirge, fading in greatness.

Heavily tribal influenced with ethno flavours & ritual atmospherics constitutes the principal vision from Nisei 23. Quite exotic material able to reach the ultimate ¡§Kanza¡¨ displays a very intimate and unique perspective on the perceptions of the author, giving insights of his feelings towards the outside world and its appearances, its magic and possibilities.

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20081230111740423

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Review on Moljebka Pvlse - Ghost Fire on Heathen Harvest (US)

Moljebka Pvlse is the project of Swedish musician Mathias Josefson. Although Moljebka Pvlse frequently performs and records as a duo these days, with the contributions of singer and percussionist Karin Jacobson, many releases have been solo creations, as is this release on Hong Kong-based label Lona Records (which is a name previously unfamiliar to me, although checking out their website reveals that the label has also released works by Maurizio Bianchi and Kenji Siratori).

Ghost Fire comprises a single track, exactly one hour in length, of mixed and processed field recordings and drones. The opening ten minutes of this work is a smooth, minimal succession of tones, cold and abstract without being particularly dark or malevolent in tone ¡V I was reminded of the remote, impassive tone of artists like Sleep Research Facility and Olhon. At around the 11-minute mark, we find the first incident to interrupt this blank and featureless soundscape ¡V a field recording of birdsong. I actually wasn¡¦t sure at first whether this was on the disc or outside my window, but turning the volume up and down a few times demonstrated that this was indeed part of the composition. An ornithologist could probably tell you exactly what kind of birds these are, but all I know is that they¡¦re songbirds rather than say, seagulls or crows or ducks. The birdsong persists for the next ten minutes, as the cold, smooth ambient tones continue to rise and fall mesmerically, gradually being joined by an underlying rougher rumbling tone. At around 25 minutes, with birdsong still prominent, a new element enters the mix ¡V sounds of rustling, which resolve into definite footsteps. These footsteps seem to be crunching along a forest path, or at least some kind of outdoor location, and this is an invitation to visualisation, both of the surroundings you might find yourself in and of your unseen companion, journeying through this unseen landscape of inner space. At 33 minutes, a new sound appears, a harsh, crackling, rasping tone which grows in volume, threatening to overwhelm the ambient tones, before dying back at around 38 minutes. At 41 minutes, the mood appreciably darkens, with increasing amounts of dissonance invading the ambient tones, unsettling and anxious. Sustained high-frequency tones add an insistent, urgent frisson. At 54 minutes, the pitch and volume both gradually begin to decline, as Ghost Fire nears its conclusion, and finally the piece fades into silence.

The only previous exclusively Moljebka Pvlse release I've heard was the 2004 album Tamon, in which minimal tracks of drifts and drones were interspersed with bursts of harsh noise, but Ghost Fire is an altogether less disconcerting and gentler experience than that, or indeed the Negru Pvlse collaborative release with Negru Voda. Ghost Fire is perhaps more akin to Moljebka Pvlse¡¦s collaborative works with the Polish project Horologium, 2005¡¦s Kaukasus and this year¡¦s Penfield Mood Organ. It seems as if the Swedish have a particular flair for bleak, desolate ambient music ¡V think of Raison d¡¦Être, Beyond Sensory Experience and various other Cold Meat Industry bands, the quieter moments of Nordvargr, the guitar-based ambient drones of Keplers Odd, or Cyclic Law bands like Kammarheit. Moljebka Pvlse fits in well with this profile, and Ghost Fire is recommended for those with long attention spans, introverted personalities and a taste for empty, wintry landscapes.

Ghost Fire is a 100-copy limited-edition CD-R release, and it¡¦s packaged in a slimline DVD case.

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20081016013926991

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Review on No One Pulse - LINGK on Heathen Harvest (US)

The Hong Kong duo of Wong Chung-fai (Sin:ned, Music Colony Bi-Weekly Magazine) and Chau Kin-wai (Sleepatwork) recording as No One Pulse, specialise in conceptually minimalistic, but broadly-painted, soundscapes, utilising electronic blips, hums and squeaks. In their own terms these are micro-sound experiments and ¡§freeform¡¨ electronics, collated and built from both studio-based and live recordings. There are hints of a certain formalism to some of the microstructural minutiae of the compositions, but above and beyond that the pair introduce elements of random interpolations and chaotic improvisation. This is not to imply any Stockhausen-style atonality is present ¡V rather, in much the same way that matter behaves in the real world, structures are allowed to emerge out of the randomicity without attempting to confine the music into any theoretical straitjacket. What we have then could be said to mimic the natural processes, albeit on a smaller scale, that form the bedrock of material existence around us.

I have to advise that I use the word minimal very loosely here ¡V the sounds employed are in essence very few in number, but stack themselves up in successive layers to produce a convoluted complexity. Random concatenations, microscopic detonations and explosions, sheets of accelerated particles, high-energy sonic excitations, and hums, clicks and squeals ¡V these are the fundamental particles that surge and flow, that collide and split, and form the basis of No One Pulse¡¦s musical discourse. It¡¦s never loud or harsh, although sometimes the drones and squeals have a habit of drilling into the head, just like some neutrino ploughing through miles of rock.

Indeed, the sounds on here remind me very much of the ¡¥music of the spheres¡¦, created through both macro and micro-scale processes, picked up and recorded by radio astronomers ¡V the constant flux of creation caught in spectral sound. It¡¦s like the pair have journeyed through the heart of star-fields and galactic nurseries, sailed into vast dust-clouds of energetic radioactivity or flown past extra-solar planetary systems, all the while pointing sensitive antennae at them and recorded the fluttering, the whistling, the crackling, the humming and the heartbeats of black holes and galaxies hidden in the airlessness of space. And in between the interstices of sound there is space, eternal light-years of hyperactive nothingness, bristling with unseen and unfelt energies. Above all one gets the impression, the certain feeling in fact, of vast limitless expanses, where the stars and galaxies are on the same scale to the universe as atoms and subatomic particles are to our human comprehension. Little islands of coagulated matter clump together here and there, accreting and spinning, before amassing sufficient to form new systems and worlds.

Simultaneously, one can also envisage a journey through the particle-rich quantum world, which in its own way can be considered as just another universe itself, albeit compacted into an infinitesimally small space, but still an analogue of the bigger one. Therefore I wouldn¡¦t be surprised, should we develop sensitive enough instruments, that we detect a similar subatomic symphony, equally as energetic and equally as noisy. And No One Pulse¡¦s entirely naturalistic soundtrack can just be as fittingly applied to that scale as it can to its opposite. In that sense, it¡¦s truly a work that encompasses the entire spectrum of creation in its scope.

It would be true to say, then, that experimental music has not only a global reach, but in this particular case can actually encompass whole worlds, from the small to the galactic. LINGK contains it all, condensing the whole spectrum into a palatable form, while simultaneously moulding it into a work of abstract beauty. The near-lightspeed blasts of particles no human eye could possibly ever see, the lightyears-long tendrils of starstuff left over from supernovae or the massive columns of gas and dust serving as the wombs of new stars; who would have thought that you could have shoehorned that lot onto a disc of plastic only 5¡¨ in diameter.

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20081010074849412 

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Review on Roel Meeklop - Real Mass on Heathen Harvest (US)

There are times when I slap a CD in the player, press PLAY and then, after listening intently for a while, wonder what the hell I am going to write about this one. It isn¡¦t even a question of suddenly coming upon a writer¡¦s block, or that I lack the necessary words. Sometimes what I have been asked to pontificate and expound upon is so nebulous and abstruse that words simply refuse to handily present themselves as they normally do. This present disc, one of the entries in Lona Records¡¦ 3¡¨ single series, was just one such case.

Roel Meelkop¡¦s (THU20) just over 19-minute long sound essay is never less than quiet and subtle, corralling sounds garnered from just about everywhere it seems and ultimately sculptured and fine-tuned to create a haunting, almost inaccessible, piece. Silence is equally partnered with sound, distant murmurings bubbling up from a nebulous, formless void. One could almost posit that here we see these two elements shadowing yet ultimately complementing each other, emphasising just how important they are to each other¡¦s existence, conferring shape and substance on the other while operating as the their polar opposite simultaneously. Chiaroscuro is often an important element in delineating contrast, and here it¡¦s used to excellent effect.

I have to note here that very often the purpose of such pieces eludes me, which is not to say that I consider them worthless. In the rarified stratospherics of sound collage, one often finds it difficult to discern a theme. Even the reference to the website blurb fails to enlighten on this occasion. However, despite my initial difficulties, it IS possible to hear stories being told here. The entire piece is laced with an icy cold presence, one particular resonance seeming to jibe with me ¡V just pure, simple freezing emptiness. I imagined expanses of night-black space, occasionally broken by dust-clouds of particulate activity in varying degrees of excitation. However, these small episodes merely function as a pointed highlight, emphatically drawing attention to the void beyond their limited borders. As a consequence, loneliness is the overwhelming feeling I take from this. It¡¦s the flickering TV set or the distant voices on a radio reaching out to the isolated and cut off. It¡¦s the brief glimpse of something solid yet fleetingly intangible caught in the glare of headlights spearing the darkness on a lonely road somewhere. It¡¦s the small noises one hears in a broken down, old and deserted hospital, where the voices of both life and death seem to have taken on an echoing tangibility of their own. It¡¦s the little creaks in quiet places, only discernible because of the silence. It¡¦s also the faint whooshing of a jet passing overhead in a clear blue sky when the rest of the world is holding its breath...

These are the multitudinous textures that combine to paint a vision of space, illimitable in extent. This can either be exhilarating, invested with a concomitant boundless freedom unconstrained by parameters; or it can be simply terrifying, like when a prisoner, cooped up for so long and is now suddenly given freedom, is aware that he is no longer defined by four walls. One can either dive headlong into the void willingly or turn away afraid of what might lurk there. One can either wrap oneself in its potential closeness or reject its overwhelming claustrophobia. Here, one can either find or lose oneself.

And all this depth in just 19-minutes, and achieved with a judicial appraisal of the material at hand. It would be stating the obvious then that Meelkop¡¦s relationship with sound is close, utterly tuned in to its nuances and subtleties, to say nothing of inherent potentialities. Craft has been exercised here as well as attention to detail, an aspect which is only made apparent after repeated, and close, hearings. Rather than the cold exercise in abstruse theory I imagined it to be, I found it speaking to me in a way that was scarcely anticipated. It drew me in, despite its creeping tendency toward claustrophobia, and revealed more colour and movement than a cursory listen would indicate. It is little surprises like this that prove that experimental music isn¡¦t as barren and soulless a pursuit as some would categorise it.

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20081113104759735

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Review on Moljebka Pvlse - Ghost Fire °­¤õon libero blog (Italy)

L'accostamento artistico sembrerebbe improponibile, però mai precludere le svariate possibilità che il genio umano ci può offrire. Senza mezze misure, come le opere di Jean-Michel Basquiat, la non musica del non musicista svedese Mathias Josefson "rompe" con le idiosincrasie terrene per cercare di ottenere un'importante visibilità. Come Basquiat -con i suoi sfregi periferici- tentava anch'esso di ricevere. Piccoli tocchi (di electronica non edulcorata e troppo zuccherata) che colpiscono come una tela del Picasso nero di New York. Epoche e culture differenti dividono Mathias e Jean-Michel, ma i due personaggi risultano indissolubilmente legati da una forte paura nei confronti della società. Una società egocentrica e cupa, descritta (con metodologie differenti) da entrambi gli artisti grazie a concetti molto chiari e senza troppi fraintendimenti.

Review by Claudio Baroni

http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php
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Review on Wilson Tsang - Whale Song on Timeout Magazine

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Review on Wilson Tsang - Whale Song on South China Morning Post (Hong Kong Newspaper)

Wilson Tsang¡¦s latest outing mixes hazy sounds with lyrical piano passages, and is a beautiful collection of dreamy ambient music. The title reflects the artist¡¦s ambition: to strive for a musical language that is as ancient, mysterious and natural as the singing of a whale, a creature whose consciousness is believed to be built on sound rather sight. Like a humpback whale, Tsang produces atmospheric and beautiful music that drifts in and out of your mind, leaving a subtle impact on your consciousness. The soundscape he crafts is bleak, but the music is more dramatic and less earnestly monotonous than many ambient recordings as Tsang, trained in classical piano, remains first and foremost a melody-driven composer and performer. Don¡¦t forget to go through Tsang¡¦s poems and a collection of artwork in the liner notes, which parallel and respond to his music.

Review by Lau Kit Wa
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Review on Wilson Tsang - Whale Song on MCB on-line

±q«e§Ú­Ì­n§Î®eWilson Tsang(´¿¥ÃÄf)³o¦ì­»´ä¿W¥ß­µ¼Ö¤H¡A¡u¹q®ðª©Tom Waits¡v¬O¤@­Ó¸ûÃb²Î¦ý¤S¯uªº¤ñ¸û±µªñªº»¡ªk(·íµM¬Yµ{«×¤W¥L¤]¤£·Q±`³Q®³¨Ó¸òTom Waits¤ñ¸û)¡A¤×¨ä¬O¨ºªÑÀZÃû¯î½Ï»P­@¤H´M«äªº®ð¨ý¡C¦Ó¥B¨ä°Û§@ºq¤âªººX¼m¥çÂA©ú¤£¤w¡C

µLºÃ¡AWilson¹ïElton John¡BBilly Joel¥H¦ÜTom Waitsªº³ß¦n¡A¨º§ë®g¦b¥Lªº¿ûµ^°Û§@¤H¤j¤è¦V¤W¡CµM¦Ó¥t¤@¤è­±¡A¥L¥ç¦³³Ð§@¯Â­µ¼Ö¦±¥Ø¡A¥D­n¬O¬°¼@³õºt¥X©Ò³Ð§@ªº°t¼Ö¡C

¸g¹L¡mStuck In Traffic¡n(2003¦~)©M¡mLittle Cold Red¡n(2005¦~)³o¨â±iSong-Basedªº§@«~¤§«á¡AWilsonªº²Ä¤T±i±M¿è¡mWhale Song¡n¡A¥L«K©ñ¤Uºq¤âªº¨­¬q¦Ó¥þµM§ë¦V¯Â­µ¼Öªº­µ¼Ö«ººA¡X¡X§O§Ñ°O¡A2006¦~¥L¦bLona Recordsªº3¡¨ CD-R¨t¦C±a¨Ó¥u¥Xª©¤­¤Q±iªº¡mNight Suite : Music For The Tales¡n¡A¤w¦h¤Ö¬°¡mWhale Song¡nªº¨ú¦VÅS¥XºÝ­Ù¡C

Wilson¬OµøıÃÀ³N¤u§@ªÌ­Ý´¡µe®a¡A¤]¬O­µ¼Ö®a¡C¨ä¹ê¹L¥h¨â±i±M¿è¡mStuck In Traffic¡n©M¡mLittle Cold Red¡n¡A Wilsonªº³Ð§@¨Ã¤£¿W¥u¦³­µ¼Ö¡A¤ñ¦p¡mStuck In Traffic¡n¬OÁp¦P¤@¥»µe¥Uµoªí¡A¦Ó¡mLittle Cold Red¡n­±¥@¤§¦P®É¤S¦bÃÀ³N¤¤¤ßªº¥]¤óµe´YÁ|¦æ¤F¤@­Ó®iÄý¥[Live Gig¡C©Ò¥H¹ï©ó·s§@¡mWhale Song¡n¬O³s¦P¤@¥»¹Ïµe/Äá¼v/¤å¥»¥U¤lªº¦h´CÅé§@«~¡A¤j®a¤]¤ð¶·¹É¹ÉºÙ©_¡C

­­¶qµo¦æ¤T¦Ê±iªº¡mWhale Song¡n¡A¤º§t¤@±iCD±M¿è¡A»P¤@¥»¦³´¡¹Ï¡BÄá¼v¥H¤Î¥b¤é°O¤p»¡¥b¸Ö½g¤å¦rªº¥U¤l¡C­µ¼Ö¤W¡A¤µ¦¸©Ò¦¬¿ýªº¥þ¬O¿ûµ^¯Â­µ¼Ö¡X¡X°t¥H¹qÁnSoundscape»PField Recordingsªº¿ûµ^­µ¼Ö¡A¤@¦¸³æ¯Â¹ïÁn­µªº±´¯Á¡C

¤Q¤»­º´²¸¨¦a°t¥H¹Ïµe¡BÄá¼v»P¤å¦rªº¼Ö³¹¡AÅ¥¦ü¹s¸Hªº­µ¼Ö¤ù¬q¡C¡mWhale Song¡n¤§¯Â­µ¼Ö¨ú¦V¡AWilson¤@¤è­±¬O­n±N¨ä¼Ö¦±³B©ó­I´º¤Æ¡A¬Æ¦Ü¬O­n¤å¦r¦b¥ý¡B­µ¼Ö¦b«á¡F¥L­nÅý¼Ö¦±»P¤å³¹¦@¥Î¦P¤@­ÓÃD¥Ø¡A¦ý­µ¼Ö»P¤å¦r¤§¶¡«o¤S¨S¦³ª½±µªºÃö«Y¡A¥O¨âªÌ¦s¦³¤@ºØ¦ü¬O¦Ó«Dªº²V¶Ã®ÉªÅª¬ºA¡C©Ò¥H¥t¤@¤è­±¡A¡mWhale Song¡n¸ò¨ú¦Û¨ä¼@³õ¤Î°Êµe°t¼Öªº¡mNight Suite : Music For The Tales¡n¤§³Ì¤j¤À§O¡A¬O·í¤¤¨Ã«D¯Âºé¨ä¹Ïµe/Äá¼v/¤å¦rªº­I´º­µ¼Ö¡C

±M¿è¦W¦rÆF·P·½¦ÛÄH³½©Òµo¥X¿W¦³½Æ²ß¦hÅܦӤS­ì©lªºÁn­µ¡A¡mWhale Song¡n©Ò±a¨Ó¡A¬O¤@ºØ¹q­µ¤ÆªºAvant-Garde¿ûµ^­µ¼Ö¡C¤ñ¦p¡qDeparture¡r¦b®öÁn¤Uªº¿ûµ^»PAmbientª^³ò¡A·Pı¬üÄR憇ÀR¦pNew Age¥@¥NªºMoody­µ¼Ö¡A¡qScope Of Delight¡r¬O¥t¤@­º¦p¸Ö¤@¯ë¬üªº¿ûµ^¼Ö³¹¡A¡qSpinning Top¡r¡B¡qAll That Ever Was¡r¡B¡qHumpty, You¡r©M¡qDear Child¡r³£¬O¨Ó±o¦p¦¹¯u¼°·Å·xªº·P¤H¿ûµ^­µ¼Ö§@«~¡A¦Ó¡qStill Night¡rªº²HµM¿Ó©M¤S¦n¤ñErik Satieªº³ÃÍï­µ¼Ö¦WµÛ¡qSix Gnossiennes¡r¨º¥÷©]Áñ¤HÀR®ðª^¡A¡qSmell Of Breeze¡r¤S¬O¨º»ò´µ¤H¿W¼¬±|§a¡C

¦ý¥t¤@¤è­±¡A¡qSubmersion¡r¡B¡qBlue Hides¡rµ¥¦±¥Øªº°g»îµ^­µTreatment»P©â¶HªºSoundscape¡A§í©Î¥Ñ§N»Å¿ûµ^»P¹qÁn²§¹Ò¥æ´¥Xªº¡qSmoke Vent¡r¡B¦³¦pJohn Cageªº¿ûµ^­µ¼Ö¤§¾l«o´åÂ÷µÛ«ä¼é°_¥ñ¹q­µªº¡qHo Humming¡r¡A«o¤S¬O¨º»òÄÆ´ùªÅÆF¡B°g¥¢¯íµM¡A¬O¤@ºØ¦óµ¥»a¥Õªº¤ß¶H­·´º¡C¦Ó¨ü¨ä¶Â¥Õªº¥U¤l¼vÅT¡AÅ¥¤µ¦¸Wilsonªº­µ¼Ö¡Aµe­±³£¬OÄÝ©ó³æ¦â/¶Â¥Õªº¡C

ºÐ¥½ÁÙ¦³¤@­ºÁôÂ汥ءA¦W¬°¡qOne Fine Day¡r¡A³o­ºÂ²µuªº¿ûµ^­µ¼Ö¡A¥»¬OWilson¬°Andy Ng ªº¼@³õ¡mEnding the World¡n¤§µ²¹õ¦±¡C

Review by °K´¼Áo

http://www.mcb.com.hk/online2/article/article.php?did=3&aid=533

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 ¤j¦Ñ®v¨Ó°Õ!!! - FM3ªº¦ò¥´¬[¥ô·NÂIÀ»¼½

FM3 - ¥N½X¡A´`Àôªº¡A¤£¬O¦Û°Ê¼½©ñ¡A½Ð¦Û¦æ±±¨î
¤U¸ü¥N½X½ÐÂIÀ»³o¸Ì¡Gbmdaima-fm3.rtf
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http://www.fm3.com.cn/site/?p=170

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Review on Moljebka Pvlse - Ghost Fire °­¤õon kuolleenmusiikinyhdistys.net (Finland)

Moljebka Pvlse tuotantotahti on viime vuosina kehittynyt niin tiuhaksi että alkaa jo olla vaikea pysytellä kärryillä. Hong Kongilaisen Lona Recordsin julkaisema Ghost Fire on jälleen perinteisempää vähäeleistä Moljebka Pvlse, jossa dronet ovat pääosassa ja levy koostuu yhdestä pitkästä raidasta.

Jotakin uutuudenviehätystä tässä silti on, sillä soundi on harvinaisen kevyt, jopa heleä. Tuntuu että tässä on otettu suuntaa The Leaves of their Songs-levystä mutta viety sitä vieläkin valoisampaan harmonisuuteen, ja samalla takaisin hillitympään suuntaan. Mukana on myös artistin viime aikoina hyödyntämiä kenttänauhoituksia, lähinnä lintujen laulua, luomassa todella paratiisimaisen seesteistä vaikutelmaa. Selkeästi eriäviä ääniä ja jopa kerronnallista progressiota on myös käytetty onnistuneesti. Loppumetreillä tunnelma muuttuu hieman harmaammaksi ja pilvisemmäksi ja ääniskaala laskeutuu alaspäin.

Itselleni tämä on yksi Moljebka Pvlse onnistuneimpia teoksia Sadalmelik:in, Duhka:n ja Dvnkl:in rinnalla. Se tuo esiin artistin parhaat, klassiset puolet - pitkän minimalistiset sävellykset jotka ovat silti äärimmäisen rikkaita ja latautuneita - mutta se tuo myös esille aivan uusia sävyjä Josefsonin äänipaletista. Näin hieno levy olisi tosin ansainnut hieman näyttävämmät kannet kuin perus DVD-pakkauksen. Vaikka Moljebka Pvlse ei ehkä ole mikään suuren yleisön suosikki, on tätä tehty vain 100 kappaleen painos, joten suosittelen haalimaan sen nopeasti kokoelmaan.

English Translation:

Moljebka Pvlse has lately made releases so often it is getting hard to keep track of them already. Ghost Fire, released by Hong Kong label Lona Records is once again a more traditional Moljebka Pvlse album - a drone-based work, constisting of only one long track. Yet there is an element of freshness as the sound is much lighter, and the tones higher, than ever heard before. It sounds as if Mathias Josefsson would have developed the sound of The Leaves of their Songs into an even more harmonious and luminous direction, while retaining his classic minimalism. Some field recordings are in a secondary role, mostly singing birds, creating an even more serene atmosphere of being in a paradise-like garden. Distintive sounds and a narrative progression are used with success. Towards the end, the mood changes in a greyer and heavier direction as the sound scale comes down a bit.

Personally I find this to be one Moljebka Pvlse´s most enjoyable and successful records, alongside Sadalmelik, Duhka and Dvnkl. It brings out the artists best, classical aspects - his long and minimalistic compositions and the incredibly rich and saturated sounds - yet it brings out completely new nuances from Josefsson´s sound palette. A record this fine would have deserved a better package than a standard DVD case. Although Moljebka Pvlse might not be a favourite of the bigger audiences, this is an only 100 copy release, so better get yours fast.

Review by John Björkman

http://www.kuolleenmusiikinyhdistys.net/arvostelut/levym/moljebka-ghostfire.html

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Phon¢XNoir - Counting Raindrop: The Remixes ( Free Download Release )

a new phon¢Xnoir release is coming up: from Monday morning, 27 october 2008, COUNTING RAINDROPS: THE REMIXES will be available for free download from the link displayed above. this first phon¢Xnoir download-only release features 7 remixes of tracks from the last album THE OBJECTS DON'T NEED US.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Gullhomen (calika bass mix)
02. You are the eskimo (tg mauss mix)
03. We still miss the future (mikhail mix)
04. My paperhouse on fire (uzi & ari mix)
05. A different kind of january (karl stirner mix)
06. We still miss the future (eraze the borders mix)
07. We still miss the future (alok mix)

the download comes as 7 mp3s at a bitrate of 192 kbps, in a zipped folder, containing also a bigger version of the cover art. the beautiful photography was provided by päivi kaikkonen.

if you like get youself your virtual copy of this release. it's free. unzip, play and share it with your friends. it's a gift. and hopefully a nice way to discover not only a new dimension to these tunes, but also a few more artists truly worth listening to!

Download link: www.phononoir.de/html/countingraindrops.htm

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Review on Phon¢XNoir - No More Sad Dreams on Heathen Harvest (US)

This is an odd little affair, in the best possible sense of that word. Essentially four tracks of disjointed instrumental minimalism that nevertheless seems to inhabit every space available to it, I must admit that a) I didn¡¦t quite know what to expect and b) was pleasantly surprised by the mercurial nature of the music. Apparently, normally phon˚noir uses vocals in his repertoire, but Matthias Grūbel has this time opted to let the instruments and sounds sing for themselves, and this entry in the Lona Records 3¡¨ CD single series is a compact platform from which to display the diverse experimentalism that Grūbel revels in.

As some might have noticed, one of my favourite adjectives is ¡¥fractured¡¦. Although I recognise the negative connotations of the word, I often use the word more positively, and in the case of phon˚noir its application as a descriptor is decidedly, and affirmatively, positive. The world in which this music has its existence is an unfamiliar one yes, with its clicks, pops, trills and dislocated rhythms, but just because it IS unfamiliar doesn¡¦t mean that it should be left unexplored. It¡¦s a strangely disjointed world indeed, a place where angles defy the laws of geometry and perspective plays tricks with your eyes and mind. You¡¦re never quite sure where firm ground exists, as sounds and moods keep shifting, slipping away just as you grasp them. The slippery quicksilver character of the music keeps you both guessing and chasing, like an avid butterfly collector forever hunting that exotic specimen that has hitherto always managed to elude his nets.
Grūbel creates these odd jazzy/ambient/musique concrete/rhythmic soundscapes with nothing more than a computer, a guitar and a piano. The oddity for me though is that there¡¦s a sense that these are merely impressionistic experiments, a means of exploring the properties and possibilities of the material and instruments to hand. In this sense I feel that Grūbel is a speculative musician, fulfilling a role similar to a speculative fiction writer. Sounds are picked up and looked at from every conceivable angle, shaken, pulled apart and juxtaposed with others, then moved around until pleasing combinations leap out. This is some ways a reflection of the real world, certainly in an evolutionary sense ¡V things that work remain to carry on their charmed lives while those ideas found wanting disappear back into the matrix of potentialities they emerged from.

Opener ¡§Embryo¡¨ paints itself in short stabs and thick slabs of sound, joyously detonating, mayfly-like, briefly and spectacularly. Here is a riotous profusion of exotic species, revealing themselves only through flashes of colour quickly seen as they crash through the undergrowth. ¡§From Time to Time we Change our Minds¡¨ is more broadly described with insect and mournful avian droning, set against burbling waters and an oddly shuffling rhythm. The disjointed staccato insectile rhythmic intro of ¡§Airplane Traces in the Sky¡¨ gently wafts us into a smokily jazzy mood, with piano lazily and languidly floating high above the clouds, an exotically-plumaged bird. Album closer and title track ¡§No More Sad Dreams¡¨ is less defined, more ambiently dreamlike haze, reaching out to us from the depths of some pleasant sleep-inspired imaginings. Snatches of voice samples, indecipherable, are like sonic hieroglyphics in some arcane language ¡V somehow we know they have some import but their slipperiness prevents our full grasp. Short brushstrokes paint small daubs of sound, never completely fully formed, leaving us none the wiser in the end. A jumpy beat is the only thing that gives an impression that there¡¦s something more permanent behind it ¡V but ultimately its elusive nature refuses to let us comprehend it. The shimmering fadeout is even less substantial, half-formed memories misting out into final oblivion.

If Matthias Grūbel were a visual artist, there is absolutely no doubt he¡¦d be an Impressionist. The music here is in some ways very ephemeral, in the way of fleeting memories of great and momentous events. Indeed, these four tracks carry a certain weight of nostalgia with them, a feeling of trying to grasp a past forever lost to us. I was left wanting more, and wishing that the limited temporal platform hadn¡¦t been so constricting. This music needs an expansive canvas on which to be painted and displayed; I felt that just as things were beginning to fully coalesce, the song was over. If only short songs such as these sparkle with such potential, I am left wondering what a full-length CD of phon˚noir¡¦s music would be like. That¡¦s a delicious prospect indeed!!"

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20081010081034373

&query=no+more+sad

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Review on Yan Jun - 20 For Lona on Heathen Harvest (US)

This 3inch CD-r release is limited to 100 copies and is a companion to a video and sound art installation from the 4th annual Seoul International Media Art Biennale in 2006. The concept or motive behind the release is quite unique, while concurrently incorporating what by now has become a fairly standard practise amongst those working under the experimental or industrial banner. Yan Jun chose 20 pirate DVDs from his collection, sampled, modulated and edited parts of the audio, and ran them simultaneously. The result is an interesting tapestry of recognisable (and unrecognisable) snippets of dialogue and original film scores interlaced with buzzing static, low-end rumbles, and generally calming drones. The title of the installation was ¡¥I Bought 3000 DVDs,¡¦ and could certainly stand as a statement on the boundaries of what can be considered ¡¥fair use¡¦ at a time when the mainstream media giants are struggling to adapt and survive in a quickly changing digital rights climate.

From an aural standpoint, the overall experience of listening to the disc is a pleasant one, and I found myself smirking or smiling often throughout the nearly 20-minute long piece, as familiar voices and themes surfaced from within the sonic stream, and then dove back down.

When I am listening to a piece of sample-based music with a non-initiate of industrial/experimental music, I find it a source of irritation when that person finds it necessary to identify the source of a sample, or asks me where it came from. This has also happened with industrial music enthusiasts, and it can certainly be a fun game to play (particularly when you force someone to take guesses), but it can also detract from the overall listening experience.

From my personal perspective, as someone who has spent over a decade constructing largely sample-based music, the appropriation and recontextualisation of dialogue, music and sounds has become something of a philosophical event to me. When I have chosen samples, it has typically been because those sounds have had some sort of emotional impact on me, and to point out the original context can potentially take the focus away from the intentions behind their use. It is for this reason that I have attempted (not always successfully) to sample from obscure sources, more often than sources that are immediately recognisable.

That the sounds on this release are ostensibly assembled from a random, flowing amorphic mass of 20 films playing in sync gives an entirely different context to the role of sampling itself. It¡¦s a brilliant approach, however I find myself wondering if that is genuinely how the piece was constructed, in consideration of the placement of certain pieces of dialogue. In any case, I applaud the effort and I must admit that I ws not expecting much, and I have been very pleasantly surprised by this release.

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20080813040755162

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Review on Alok - C on Groove Magazine (US)

C sounds at first as though nothing¡¦s happening. But when this Chinese sound artist¡¦s 3-inch CD is paused, then un-paused, a distinct difference in sonic air pressure is definitely discernable. Brown, unbroken heft displaces utter silence, rising oh-so-slowly in volume until you¡¦d swear it was always lurking there in your field of hearing. Then a dermal layer of prickled static asserts itself, fading to a fizz before you¡¦ve become accustomed to it.

The 21-minute, 30-second sole, track¡X¡§C for Schubert¡¨ ¡Xbecomes much more interesting from that point forward, emerging from a barely-there micro-tonal stasis into something intense and composed, incorporating mournful string-section sawing and startling hints of ivory that are content to be passengers, not pilots. If Alok evokes anything here, it¡¦s deepest winter: frozen countrysides blanketed with freshly fallen snow, so still that they seem lifeless, until one notices the icicles dripping, stray dogs foraging, and lonely, unshed leaves twitching.

Review by Raymond Cummings

http://www.groovesmag.com/reviews/00000552/Alok-C.html

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4 Reviews on Alok / Sin:Ned / Nerve / Nisei 23 / Defraktor on Blog.libero.it (Italy)

Alok - Placid Places
Alok e' l'intelligente fondatore della Lona Records Situata in Cina (Hong Kong). Ma non solo, oltre al ruolo di manager Alok e' anche un valido artista. "Placid Places" e' il suo ultimo lavoro, un profluvio lento ed incessante di "clicks and glitch" rumori senza tempo, respiri affannosi, electronica urticante. Cinque tracks dove il musicista cinese sviluppa partiture sonore difficili e portentose..

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Sin:Ned / Nerve - Ghost Feeding Vessel
Si prosegue, incessantemente, nella scoperta dei tanti "suoni vaporosi" della Lona Records. "Ghost Feeding Vessel" è un cd registrato dal vivo il 25 agosto 2007. Ci troviamo di fronte, ancora una volta, ad una strana elettronica. Sin:Ned and Nerve sperimentano traducendo in note emozioni flebili e particolari. Questa musica la si potrebbe definire "electronic avant-garde". Temi artistici ostici, espressi su di un pentagramma incandescente. La musica corre e si rincorre come un fiume in piena, è decisamente pesante tenere il passo di tutta questa passione. Per fortuna ci sono le pause che ti permettono di respirare, riprendere fiato e calarti di nuovo in questa nuvola di frecce. Esperienza formativa e fortemente propedeutica.

Nisei 23 - Milenka EP
IDisco prezioso e dal percorso fortemente cerebrale. Only acoustic instruments, guitars & piano. I quali si intersecano con solerte maestria. Nisei lavora di fino, estrapolando il meglio da un pentagramma il più delle volte arido e logoro di fantasia. "Milenka Ep" è un microcosmo di suoni alterati, si fatica a carpire tutta la potenzialità di quest'opera. Occorrono ripetuti ascolti per limitare l'onda anomala. Ma se si avrà la giusta pazienza si verrà investiti da raggi di sole, come nella sublime "Yoko".

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Defraktor - A Hole In The Void Of Time
Piccola ma valente etichetta (cinese) la Lona. Getta sul mercato prodotti difficilmente fruibili da tutti, ma dall'alto valore artistico. Karsten Hamre è un "manipolatore" di suoni norvegese, che in questa particolare occasione si presenta con lo pseudonimo di Defraktor. Samples che racchiudono invenzioni molto intelligenti, Karsten propone un'electronica scarna e minimale. Quattro composizioni (suddivise in due dischetti) dall'andamento molto "dark", "manipulations" che stringono il collo come un gelido nodo.

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http://blog.libero.it/ricerca_blog.php?advRegion=15&q=lona+records

&search_engine=blog

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A new Jeffrey Bützer video - Lucy 5's Egg (Directed by Marco Missano)

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Review on Sin:Ned / Nerve - Ghost Feeding Vessel °­¾j¬I¦à on Startling Moniker.com (USA)

Originally composed and performed live as part of a larger performance entitled ¡§Ritual for the Ghosts,¡¨ Hong Kong artists Sin:Ned and Nerve¡¦s ¡§Ghost Feeding Vessel¡¨ is a document of ritualised sound action aimed at communicating with (and about) the deceased. Whether Sin:Ned or Nerve would deem their efforts a success, the appropriate atmosphere is most definitely conjured¡V a serene series of bell calls puncture the calm at its opening, leading to an increasing flood of haphazard messages forced through from what sounds like worlds beyond.

A striking number of sounds are employed in this venture, and in far too many ways for the listener to determine precisely who is generating them, which perhaps leaves us the option to hear some sounds as not being generated by Sin:Ned or Nerve. Of particular interest to me are the bells, which continually pierce even the most chaotic moments, providing an aural landmark to aid our return.

For a live document, ¡§Ghost Feeding Vessel¡¨ is very well-produced, with a wonderfully spacial quality that will be appreciated by headphone listeners. I would have liked to hear more of the space itself, though my guess is that a recording of this quality was made directly, without access to site noise when creating this disc.

¡§Ghost Feeding Vessel¡¨ is available in a limited edition of 100 CDR copies from Lona Records.

http://startlingmoniker.wordpress.com/2008/08/

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Review on Alok - Placid Places on Time Out Magazine

It¡¦s silly to give Placid Places a three-star rating. This is not the sort of album that should be measured according to a scale. It is art ¡V to be experienced, and then reacted to.

Partly because of that, most people will hate it.

But this is not for most people. Sound art, experimental electronica, industrial noise ¡V take your pick. It¡¦s not exactly toe-tapping stuff. Take the first track, Pool Weakness. It¡¦s 20 minutes of fuzz, buzz, and drone ¡V as if someone has amplified the sound of an untuned television set and laid it over the top of a malfunctioning food processor interrupted by exploding fuses.

Yeah, you¡¦ve guessed it ¡V it¡¦s hard to describe. The next track, Pocket Temptation, weighs in at a breezy ten minutes and leans heavily on a resonating sonar-like hum. Through the three remaining tracks, you can add blizzard sounds, disjointed piano, the quiet bubbling of water, and more disconcerting industrial noise to the mix. It all adds up to a feeling of unease, despite the title¡¦s claim to placidity, as the listener is immersed in a soundscape of machinery.

Alok probably won¡¦t reach a wide audience with this release, but he continues his long-held role as a provocateur of the senses and a pusher of Hong Kong¡¦s musical boundaries. And for that, he¡¦ll always be one of our favourites.

review by Hamish McKenzie

http://www.timeout.com.hk/music/features/11082/alok-placid-places.html

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Review on Alok - Placid Places on MBC on-line

·í¿W¥ß­µ¼Ö¤HAlok±q¹q­µ²Õ¦XSlow Tech Riddim¨«¥X¨Ó¤§«á¡A§Ú­Ì¥i¥H¬Ý¨ì¥L¸g¾ú¹L´X¹L¤£¦Pªº­µ¼Ö¶¥¬q¡C

¥ý¬O¨ä­º±i­Ó¤H±M¿è¡mWahoo¡n¥Rº¡½ì¨ý©Êªº§é°J¹q¤l­µ¼Ö¸ô½u¡A©µÄòµÛSlow Tech RiddimªºElectronica»s§@¤è°w¡FµM«á¨ì¡m©]±I31©¹ÁÙ¡n©M¡m29¡C¶[¡n­«§ëµ²¥L¥D¾Éªº­µ¼Ö«ººA¥H©Ý®iShoegazer¡BPost-Rock¥H¦ÜIndie-Dance¤§»â°ì¡A¨º¤£¦ý¼i¦æ¨ì¥Lªº­µ¼Ö³¥¤ß¡A¦P®É¥ç¼ö°J§@²{³õºt¥X¡F¦Ó¥Lªº¤U¤@­Ó¶¥¬q¡A«K¬O¥þµ{§ë¤JLaptop¹q­µ³Ð§@»Pªíºtªº¨½µ{¡C

¤T¦~«eAlok´¿¦b³X°Ý¤¤¦V§Ú»¡¹L¡G¡u§Ú¨ÌµM¦n¼ö·RElectronica¡A²{¦b¤ñ¸û³ßÅwÅ¥¤@¨Ç¸û¬°ÀRºA©MªÅ¶¡¦A¤j¤@ÂI¦Ó¨S¦³±Û«ß¨ºÃþ¹q­µ¡C¡v¨Æ¹ê¤W¦b¹L¥h¨â¦~¦h¨Ó¡A°£¤F¬°§O¤H¦ñ«µ(¦pThe Yours)¤§¥~¡AAlok«K¦A¨S¦³§@¹L¥ô¦óFull Bandºt¥X¡C¤Ï¤§³o¨Ç¤é¤l¥H¨Ó¡A¥L³£¿n·¥°Ñ»P¹L¤j¤j¤p¤p§Î¦¡ªºLaptop¹q­µºt¥X¡A¹ê¦æ¥þµM­n­«·s¾ð¥ß°_¥L´ÂµÛAvant-Garde»PSound Arts¤j¤è¦Vªº¹q­µ»s§@¤H¨­¤À¡C

¥HCD-R§Î¦¡­­¶q¦L»s¤@¦Ê¤­¤Q±iªº¡mPlacid Places¡n¡A¬OAlokªº²Ä¥|±i­Ó¤H±M¿è¡A¤]¬O¥L­º±iFull-Lengthªº¹qÁn°Û¤ù¡C

¡mPlacid Places¡n¤º§t¤­­º¼Ö³¹¡A³Ìªøªº¹F¤G¤Q¤ÀÄÁ¡Aµuªº¤]¦³¤­¤À¦hÄÁ¡F·í¤¤ªºªø½g¨â­º§@«~¡A¬O¤À§O¨Ó¦Û­»´ä¤Ñ¦ZKapok©M²`¦`Mooka Spaceªº²{³õºt¥X¿ý­µ¡A¥H°O¿ýªñ¦~¥LªºLive­y¸ñ¡C

¥¿¦p¨ä¶Â¶Â°Û¤ù«Ê®M¯ë¡A¡mPlacid Places¡n¬OAlok¤Ä°Ç¥Xîî¶Â«Õ³¬ªº¹q­µSoundscapeµÛ§@¡A¤@¬qÀRÁÄ«Õ·t­µ´º¤§®Èµ{¡X¡XµM¦Ó¨º¤£¿W¥u¦³Ambientª^³òªº±r«Þ¬y³s¡A¦P®É¤]º¡¸ü­ê¦i©Ò«äªºMircosound»PClick ¡¥n¡¦ GlitchÁnÅT¼h¦¸¡C

¨â­º²{³õºt¥X§@«~¡qPool¡DWeakness¡r©M¡qPurlieu¡DDawn¡r¡A¥iÅ¥±o¨ì²{³õ®ðª^±Àªi§UÄi¤Uªº§Y¿³Free-Formª¬ºA¡A«eªÌ§À¬qîh¥ñµÛªºFree-Jazz¤p¸¹¡A¬°¼Ö³¹¼W²K¤F¯î½Ï¤£¸gªº·N¨ý¡F«áªÌ¨«¹L²¬ù¸H©ç»P°T¸¹Án«áº¯¥Xªº¯}¾åª^³òÀç³y¡A¤D·N¹Ò¬Æ¿@¡C

¡qPocket¡DTemptation¡r¯¿¶ÃCD¸õ½u®ÄªGÅ¥±o§AÁÓÂà¤Ï°¼¡C¦ý§Ú³Ì·R«o¬O¤@¦±¡qPlain¡DNight¡r¡A¥ÑJoey Chuºt«µ¥XªºAvant-Garde / John Cage¦¡¿ûµ^¡A©{¦p©]¤§±I¹é¤ßºë¡C

Review by °K´¼Áo

http://www.mcb.com.hk/online2/article/article.php?did=3&aid=469

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Review on Sin:Ned + Nerve - Ghost Feedng Vessel on Yccmcb (Blog)

¨â¦ì­»´äAvant¹q­µ»s§@¤HªºÁp°L¦X§@¡ASin:Ned»PNerve©Ò±a¨ÓGhost Feeding Vessel±M¿è¡A°O¸ü¤F¬O¤G¤H¦b¥h¦~ª»Äõ¸`¬°Para/Site Art SpaceÁ|¦æªº¦h´CÅé¸`¥Ø¡m²§ÆF²½¨å¡n±a¨ÓªºEpic §Y¿³²{³õºt¥X¡C¦b¡m°­¾j¬I¦à¡nªº¥DÃD¤U¡A¦p«ÕÆF¯ëªº³±­·°}°}Soundscape¡A¨I¾ýµÛ¥Á¶¡²½»ö»PÆF¬É¶Ç»¡¤§îî¶Â²`Âãª^³ò·N¶H¡A§ë¬M¥X¿W¾ð¤@¼mªº¯«¯µ¸Þ²§ªF¤è¹q­µ¬ü¾Ç¡A³£¥«°­¾yªº­µ¶¡Â«¬y¡C¥»¦a¿W¥ß­µ¼Ö°é¦n¹³¤[¥¼¦³¦p¦¹²§ºÝªº­µ¼Ö¥Xª©¹L¡C

Review by °K´¼Áo

http://hompy.netvigator.com/main/page/yccmcb

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 Review on Yan Jun 颜®m - 20 for Lona on Sonomu.net (Sweden)

The steps through which Yan Jun went in constructing 20 for Lona are laid out very clearly and concisely in the sleeve notes. The prime sound source is that quintessentially Chinese neo-capitalistic product, the pirated DVD.

Here, the artist selected twenty pirated DVDS from his collection, muted most of their respective soundtracks, let them all run simultaneously and mixed up a witch´s brew of international cultural detritus. Languages comprehensible include Hebrew (both classic liturgical and modern conversational), Chinese, English (early on I hear Sarah Jessica Parker and character actor Willie Garson [from an episode of "Sex and the City", no doubt]), Japanese, maybe Russian. On top, alongside and underneath are sound effects, ambient sounds both soothing - trickling water - and grating - subway trains speeding along their tracks - and musical snippets from the original scores themselves.

This release is but a tantalizing excerpt specially prepared for the label (as its title bears witness) taken from an installation premiered at the 4th International Media Art Biennale in Seoul and entitled "I Bought 3000 DVDs", where I am guessing it was enthusiastically received. Much less random and chaotic, and much more dramaturgically composed than its stated parameters might first lead one to expect. Ltd to 100 copies.
Review by Stephen Fruitman

http://sonomu.net/text/~yan-jun-20-for-l/

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Review on Roel Meelkop - Real Mass on Vital Weekly

Not known as a man of many words, at least not on his releases, is Roel Meelkop, so it's a bit of a surprise to see on the cover this somewhat cryptic message: 'Dedicated to the darker sides of life (for once)'. A dark cloud over the head of Meelkop? Not on the cover, but on the phone, he told me that he uses for his 'Real Mass' piece the voices of Antonin Artaud and Aleister Crowley - an unusual open Meelkop revealing his sources. I listened again, but with different knowledge to this piece. Yes, indeed that seem to be voices. Voices from the past, preserved on scratchy sound carriers. No doubt all of which Meelkop loves his hands on. He emphasis the hiss, slows down the voices and creates a true Meelkopian piece of music. His trademark - rapid changes, decaying until the very end, breaking up with something entirely new - is present here, but it all sounds a bit more roughly shaped than before. No doubt a deliberate move on his side, perhaps to emphasize the darker sides of life. A solid work, dark of nature and a true small delight to hear. (FdW) Address: http://www.lona-records.com

http://www.tokafi.com/newsitems/vital-weekly-617

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 4 Reviews on Alok / Phon¢XNoir / Maurizio Bianchi / Kirmann on Blog.libero.it (Italy)

ALOK - C
Implosione devastante della mente... Sorrisi (pochi) che appaiono e scompaiono come stelle vaganti in tempeste ondivaghe... Spigolature dei sensi (electronici) che si sradicano da poli inesplorati. Tutto "very nice" e molto proibito... Complicazioni minimali per una suite mirabolante a firma Alok, musica contemporanea e filiforme che viene frazionata e dilazionata... Ventuno minuti e trenta secondi di sonorità leggiadre e scomposte... Si respira aria pulita, aria di buono.

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PHON¢XNOIR - NO MORE SAD DREAMS
Basso voltaggio di standard apparentemente semplici e futuribili. L'electronica invasiva di Matthias Grubel è quieta e docile come un monsone nel deserto primitivo. "No More Sad Dreams" si adagia su complicati marchingegni del mondo stilizzato. Strumenti dosati in lo-fi, piano-chitarre e laptop che girano su stessi creando un sound elastico e per nulla metallico. Gelo, freddo e mancanza di fuoco che arde... Beats mansueti ma importanti, un altro grande lavoro sempre sotto la gestione Lona Records...

MAURIZIO BIANCHI - ZYKLUSTERS
Inevitabilmente Maurizio Bianchi (e non sono certamente io il primo a scriverlo) è un personaggio importante, e "fortemente" carismatico del cosidetto panorama underground "industriale"... La sua arte è ovviamente da prendere con le pinze, in quanto non totalmente assimilabile da chiunque... "Zyklusters" è una delle sue tante (immaginifiche) opere che si adombra di luce riflessa. Quattro componimenti dove drones pulsanti ed iperattivi gravitano su piani levigati ed acerbi... Sogni onirici fuori dal tempo (si ascolti bene "Klusters") e situazioni di sporadiche intemperanze ormonali... Tutto molto caustico... Ovviamente..

KIRMANN_ - Memoires / Scars
Estremità opposte che si coagulano e si contrappongono come onde del mare. Musica sperimentale, suoni bassi e profondi, electronica scaltra ed ignifuga. Il maestro Franz Kirmann impasta, da buon selezionatore, sounds intrisi di spleen virulento. Memoires/Scars, (3" Cdr) pubblicato dalla Lona Records, è un piccolo capolavoro di electronica dark computerizzata. Nulla viene lasciato al caso, ogni nota è assorbita e filtrata con meticolasa parsimonia. Now playing, please... Review by Claudio Baroni    (English translated coming soon)

http://blog.libero.it/musica2/view.php?nocache=1212184224

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 Review on Defraktor - A Hole in the Void of Time (Part 1 & Part 2) on The Wire #288 (UK)

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 Review on "O" / Moon - MoonOphonique Part II on Signal to Noise #48 (USA)

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O, the nom de plume of composer Yann Hagimont, has a new 3¡¨ CD-R out with Moon named ¡§MoonOphonique Part II¡¨ (Lona Records locd27r). There are at least a dozen bands in the lexicon with the name ¡§O¡¨ ¡V whether out of sheer simplicity or as a paean to ¡§Story of O¡¨ author Pauline Réage, we know not which ¡V and at least fifteen under the name Moon. And both sides of this particular release are as blue and full as that Moon up above ¡V O¡¦s selections are folkish and strummed, while Moon¡¦s computer, Korg and Fender jazz bass weave a comforting quilt of gentle ambience under which one goes to peaceful slumber without worrying about whys and wherefores. It¡¦s a shame that the record¡¦s only an edition of 50 copies ¡V more people should hear this lonely beauty. - David Cotner, Signal to Noise Magazine #48

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 BG-IMAGINEERING ALONG DESIRE LINES ¡m©ñ³v¼¤±æÁa¾î½u¡n



Modern Media x Hong Kong & Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture

Presented by Modern Media
Partners: Videotage, Chenmiji, Lona Records, ANLIGHTEN Design Studio

Special thanks to Johnnie To/Milyway Image, China Star Entertainment and STAR for permission to show clips from Running Out of Time 2, Videotage for its generous loan of projection and sound equipment, and Yatzar for spatial design support

Central Police Station Compound

10 Hollywood Road Hong Kong
10 Jan - 15 Mar 2008 (closed on 6-8 Feb)
10am-6pm (daily)

G-Imagineering along Desire Lines presents the work of urbanites who have documented/initiated changes in (what was formerly known as) Victoria City: a video collage of Hong Kong filmmakers/video makers' cinematic reinterpretation of urban spaces, to be juxtaposed with a recreation of the Central soundscape by sound artists Alok and Lona Records in a room decorated by furniture salvaged from demolished public buildings over the years by cultural publisher and collector of urban artifacts Chenmiji, in a study of the desires, dramas and organic spatial relationships embodied in the architecture and its surroundings. Copies of Modern Media's City Magazine and the Outlook Magazine, chroniclers of the collective cultural/consumerist experience in Hong Kong and the South China region, provide a frame of reference for the exploration of possibilities in sustainability.

Concept & coordination by Lo Yin Shan & Vince Lung

¡m©ñ³v¼¤±æÁa¾î½u¡n

²{¥N¶Ç¼½¶°¹Îx ­»´ä¡E²`¦`«Ø¿vÂù¦~®i
¥D¿ì¡G²{¥N¶Ç¼½
³Ð§@¹Ù¦ñ¡G¿ý¬M¤Ó©_¡B³¯¦Ì°O¡BLONA RECORDS¡BANLIGHTEN DESIGN STUDIO

¯S§O»ïÁ¡G§ùµX®p¡þ»Èªe¼v¹³¡B¡m·t¾ÔII¡nª©Åv«ù¦³¤H¤¤°ê¬P¤ÎSTAR´£¨Ñ¹q¼v¤ù¬q¡B¿ý¬M¤Ó©_­É¥X§ë¼v¾¹§÷¤Î­µÅT¨t²Î¡BYATZAR
¡m©ñ³v¼¤±æÁa¾î½u¡nÁܽЭ»´ä³£¥«¥Í¬¡ªº¸àÄÀ/³Ð³yªÌ¡A¦b±Nµo¥¼µoªºÅܰʤ¤¡A´M¯Á¬J¦³¸ô®|¥H¥~ªº½è·P¡B­µÁn¡B¤Û¹³¡A¬°¤¤°Ï¯S¦³ªºªÅ¶¡¶H¼x©M«°¥«°O¾Ð­«·s©w¸q¡C¥»¦a¹q¼v¤H±N¤¤¡B¤WÀôªº¼ô±x³õ´º¤Û¤Æ¦¨¤Ñ°¨¦æªÅªº¸Ö·N»R¥x¡A¤å¤Æ¥Zª«¥Xª©¤H/ª«¦¬Âîa³¯¦Ì°O¦h¦~¨Ó¦Û­±Á{©î¨øªºÂ«Î·H¡B¤½¦@«Ø¿v·m±Ï®a¨ã¡Bª««O¦s¾ú¥v¡A­µÁnÃÀ³N®aAlok»PLona Records³Ð§@¹Ù¦ñ¥HÀô¹Ò¹êÅç­µ¼Ö°O¿ý«°¥«¶°Åé¼ç·NÃÑ¡F¡m©ñ³v¼¤±æÁa¾î½u¡n¥H§ë¼v¸Ë¸m±N¹q¼v¤¤µêºcªºÄµ¹î­±»ª¡BÅv¤OªÈÄñ¸m©ñ©ó¤H¥h¼ÓªÅªººÊº»¹ê´º¡A¥Î¥}¥Ç¤â»sªº¬F©²®y´È¡B­I«á¦Û¦³¨Ó¾úªºÂ®ÑÃo«Øºc¤©°ÑÆ[ªÌ«ä¥j¯«¹Cªº³õ©Ò¡A°t¦XAlok and Lona Records²{³õ§Y¿³ºtĶªºÀô¹Ò/¤HÁn¼Æ½X·L¼Ò­µ¼Ö¡A«P¦¨¼v¹³/­µÁn»P«Ø¿v/ªÅ¶¡ªº¹ï¸Ü¡C²{³õ¨ÑÀH·N½¾\ªº¡m¸¹¥~¡n»P¡m·sµø½u¡nÂø»x¡A¥H¤@³eªº¤å¤Æµø³¥»P®ø¶O¥Í¬¡Ä²Ä±¡A¬°ªÅ¶¡»P¼¤±æªº«áÄò°Q½×´£¨Ñ¯À§÷¡C

·§©Àµ¦¹º¡G¿c¿P¬À¡BÀs¤å¯E

DESIRE FURNITURE
¼¤±æ®a¨p

Chenmiji
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Today, the Central Police Station compound stands deserted, devoid of its former occupants¡Xand its colonial - style government furniture. For more than two decades, Chenmiji have been preserving history by salvaging overlooked treasure from public buildings and government offices facing demolition. These chairs, tables, book cases, door handles, light switches have been selected by Chenmiji from his vast collection of urban artifacts to be displayed in this former exhibition space for "Correctional Services Industries" products. Each item has its own story to tell¡X and a similar origin to the government stationery and furniture that had been used or produced here until not so long ago.

¤¤°Ïĵ¸p«Ø¿v¸s¡A¤H¥h¼ÓªÅ¡A³s´Þ¥Á¦~¥Nªº³ÃÍ磌¤]¤@¨Ö®ø¥¢¡C
ª«¦¬Âîa³¯¦Ì°O¦h¦~¨Ó¦Û­±Á{©î¨øªºÂ«Î·H¡B¤½¦@«Ø¿v·m±Ï®a¨ã¡Bª««O¦s¾ú¥v¡C¤µ¦¸¡A¥L±q¨p¤vª«­Ü®w¬D¿ï¤@¨t¦C¤j¤p²Õ¥ó¢w¢wÂi´È¡B®Ñ¬[¡BªùÂê¡B¹q¿O´wµ¥µ¥©ñ¦^³o­Ó¡uÃg±Ð¤u·~»s«~¡v®i¥Ü«Ç¤º³¯¦C¡C¨C¥óª««~¡Aªþ±¾¦WµP¤@­Ó¡A­z»¡¥¦ªº¨­¥@¬G¨Æ¡C

CENTRAL SUBCONSCIOUSNESS
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Lona Records
Alok, Edwin Lo, João Vasco Paiva, KWC, Nerve, No One Pulse, Sin:Ned, Vavabond & yy.zz
Central is a playground of sounds loud and soft, a forum of conflicting views as much as it is an arena of power and desire. The ambient sound artists at Lona Records capture the emotions of the heart of our city and present us with a digital simulation of the urban soundscape, a soundtrack for the subconsciousness of the urbanite.

¥HÁn­µ§@¬°¤@ºØIJı¤Î·Q¹³¤è¦¡¡A¦bªÅ¶¡»P¦a²z¤§¶¡¡A¹º¤@ª½½u¡F¥H²Å½X¾Çªº«º¶Õ¡A¾î¤Á¾ú¥v¡BÅv¤O¡B¤å¤Æ¤ÎÃxÁ{¦s¦bÃä½tªº¦^¾Ð»P²{¹ê¡C
Lona RecordsªºÁn­µ¹êÅç®a¡A¥H¤¤°Ïĵ¸p«Ø¿v¸s¬°¤¤¤ß¡A¦V¥~¥Hťı¦ù©µ¡A±Ä¶°Án­µ¡A³z¹L¹q¸£³n¥ó¤Î¦UºØ¹q¤l¾¹§÷¡A±N¤¤°Ïĵ¸p«Ø¿v¸sÅܦ¨¤@­Óº²Äl¡A¤@¨Ö®ø¤Æ¦Û¨­ªº¾ú¥v¤Î¶gÃ䪺ÁnºAÀô¹Ò¡C¹Lµ{¬O¤@¨t¦Cªº²{³õºt«µ¤Î­I´º­µ¹³¡C
¦W©±»Pµ£¦~¦^¾Ð»P°ϥͺA»P¾K¥Í¹Ú¦º»P«Ø¿v»PªÅ¶¡»P®ø¶Oª«½è¸ê¥»¥D¸q³s¦¨¤@½uÁn­µ¡C
µM¦Ó¡A®Ú¾Ú¬Û¹ï½×ªº»¡ªk¡A¨âÂI¤§¶¡ªº³Ìµu¶ZÂ÷¡A¤£¤@©w¬Oª½½u¡C
·Q¹³¡A¤@­Ó§Y±N¿Ä¤Æ¦bÁn­µ¤§¤¤ªº¤¤Àô¡C

Live Performance:
2 Feb 2008 (Sat) 2pm-5pm
Vavabond, No One Pulse, Nerve, Alok

23 Feb 2008 (Sat) 2pm-5pm
Vasco, KWC, Edwin, Sin:Ned

15 Mar 2008(Sat) 2pm-5pm
Alok, No One Pulse, Nerve, João Vasco Paiva, Vavabond, Edwin, yy.zz

RUNNING IN & OUT OF TIME & SPACE
A TRIBUTE TO JOHNNIE TO'S SPATIAL EXILE
©ñ³v§ùµX®p·t¾Ô®ÉªÅ

Dan Ip+lo
¸­¾å¤¦¡Ïlo
In Johnnie To's Running Out of Time 2, the plot and reality intertwine in a Hong Kong that is strange yet familiar. Video artists Dan Ip+Lo have borrowed scenes from the film¡Xwith the director's kind permission, of course¡Xand argue visually that Lau Ching Wan, playing Inspector Lau in a "Central Police Station" that is in reality the former Marine Police Headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui, is actually pointing his gun towards the days when our city was still a colony; that the fictional birdwatchers at the Central Piers are taking our imagination far beyond the hills surrounding Victoria Harbour; and that To's cinematic tribute to the now demolished Queen's Pier is a reminder of the arrogance and haste with which we have been destroying our past. Across the harbour, in the Cattle Depot Artists Village in Tokwawan, media artist Gd St j joins Dan Ip+lo in a video dialogue between real and
imaginary space.

Ãø±oÀò§ùµX®p¾Éºt­ºªÖ¡A¿ý¹³¤H¸­¾å¤¦+lo¥H¡m·t¾ÔII¡n³õ´º¤ù¬q¡A®i¶}¤@³s¦ê¹q¼v»P²{¹ê²¾§Î´«¼vªº®ÉªÅ¹ï¸Ü¡G¥é¤¤°Ïĵ¸pªº¦y¨F©C«e¤ôĵÁ`³¡·Ï¹õ¤@³õ¡A¦ó·þ¹î¼B«C¶³¤âÂò«ü¦Vªº­ì¬O­»´ä´Þ¥Á¦~¥Nªº°O¾Ð¡C¤¤Àô½XÀYÆ[³¾¤@¹õ¡A©µ¦ù¸Ö·N·Q¹³¡A±a§Ú­Ì¯«¹C¼¯¤Ñ»aªÆ¡C¤Ö¤£¤FÁÙ¦³¦V¬Ó¦Z½XÀY­P·qªº¤@¹õ¡A®ÉªÅÀHªi­Ë¬y¡A±¤¤j®a¨S¦³±N¾ß¨ìªº²´«eª«·í§@Ä_¡C«Ì¹õ¸Ì¥~¹ï·Ó¡A¸­¾å¤¦+lo»P¿ý¬M¤Ó©_´CÅé¤H¥Õ¶³­¸¡A¦P®É¦b¤û¬]¶}®i¥t¤@³õ¤g¥ÊÆW®ÉªÅ¹ï¸Ü¡C

http://www.szhkbiennale.org/
http://www.chenmiji.com/
http://www.lona-records.com/
http://www.videotage.org.hk/
http://www.modernmedia.com.cn/

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BrainWave Communication (China) Releases ~ Buy Here at Lona Shop

Bio: ¸£ªi¥æ¬y¬O¤@ºØ²z·Qª¬ºA,¬O¤@­Ó¥Xª©°Û¤ù©M²Õ´µ¦¹ººt¥Xªº¹ÎÅé.

"BrainWave Communication" is an ideal situation, and also a group publishs unusual projects and organizes events.

Official Website: http://bwcrecords.googlepages.com

Releases: http://www.lona-records.com/brainwave%20communication.htm

Buy Here: http://www.lona-records.com/shop.html __________________________________________________________

Here Be Monsters - Download for Free

Artists: Alok [hk] / Kayaka [uk] / Kirchner [it] / ThrouRoof [it]

Title: Crawling Under Your Skin (29:58)

Cat.no.: ZH27 #985

http://zhhbm.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/zhbm

Download link --- http://www.badongo.com/cn/cfile/7019829

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Review on Phon¢Xnoir - No More Sad Dreams on Angryape.com (United Kingdom)

This 3" disc is an intriguing proposition, pairing Berlin's electronic-pop maestro phon¢Xnoir (aka Matthias Grübel) with Hong Kong's experimental Lona Records, which has previously housed releases from the likes of Alok, Fm3 and The Painful Leg Injuries.

Grübel's recently released "The Objects Don't Need Us" (review link) opus sparkled with its levels of invention, blending everyday sounds into an off-beat style of melancholic electronic pop. The way Grübel built his arrangements reminded of an ingeniously constructed piece of machinery or electronic equipment.

That being the case, "No More Sad Dreams" finds him at the experimental stage of his developments, where all of his 'objects' are strewn across his work table as he finely tunes his plans. It offers a fascinating insight into the way Grübel's tracks come together. The four compositions here feel less rigid than his tightly woven album work, as he places different sounds through alternating sequences and experiments with different rhythms.

Featuring previously unreleased material, "Embryo" is a remix from his alternative Phonofix project that almost veers into avant-jazz territories. The alluring "Airplanes in the Sky", recorded in one late night session, meanwhile, finds the perfect balance between this experimental edge and the melodic side of things, merging glacial piano interplay with his inventive revolving beatwork.

Withdrawing his haunting whispers that colour his full releases, the work on "No More Sad Dreams" aligns itself closely to what's being going on over at the Anticon label. Grübel certainly retains the fragility of his previous releases, but now he has added an abstract edge. It is simply yet another string to his bow, another facet of his ever-evolving creations.

http://angryape.com/reviews/2007/12/phonnoir-no-more-sad-dreams

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New Release From Shasha Records (Shanghai, China) and Review on Sonicity.org

Alok - Mass For Repose Of The Soul Of The Dead (47:19:55)

 

This piece s comprised with field recordings from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Composed, recording, rocessing and mixing at near mystudio bathroom, bitMap (Jan - July 2007)

Shasha Records CD-018

Review by Nihilist http://www.sonicity.org/

³£¥«¤`ÆFªº¦w®§À±«b®¯ÂÕ§e²{©óÃÀ³Nªí¹F³õ°ì¡A±q¬ü¾Çªº¹ï¥ß¼h­±¶}®i¡A³y¦¨¤Ï®t効ªG¡A¨ú¨ä¥]®e»P½Ä¬ðªº¤©¬Þ¶iµ{¡AÅýºIµM¤£¦Pªº¯À§÷Âȳ³¹ï¸I¡A²£¥Íª§©_°«ÆvªºÅܤơA¿vºc°_¤£©M¿Ó¸Ìªº¤j©M¿Ó·§©À¡A±q¦Ó¿EµoµL½a³Ð·N¡C¦¹½Õ®¿¥Î¨ìAlokªº·s§@¸Ì¡A¤£ÃøÅ¥¥X¥ô·N±q¼s¦{¡B²`¦`¸ò­»´ä¦¬¿ý¤U¨Óªº«°¥«¾¸­µ¡A³£¾Ö¦³¦P¼Ë³Ù¾x«æ­¢ªº´¶¹M¯S½è¡C¸g¨è·N²§¤ÆÂX¤j«á¡AÄÄ­z¥X²¨Â÷§Nºz¡B¿ù¶Ã¥¢¯«ªº³£¥«¥Í¬¡ÀZ±Ñ§x¹Ò¡A¹üÅã§á¦±ªººë¯«ª¬ºA¡C²âÅ¥¦Ü¦¹¡A¤w³´·Ä©ó°g½k¤¤¡A¯íµM¤£ª¾©Ò¥H¡C§Y¨£§Î¤Wºë¯«¡A¦­³Q¥~¹Ò©Ò¥}¡AµLªk«ü¦V²`¼h¦¸ªº¤º¬Ù¡CµS©¯³Ð§@¤H¦­µÛ¥ý¾÷¡A±qÁn­µ©³¬y¹w´Þ¤F©M¿Ó¦³§Çªº©â¶H²Å½X¡A¥H¦Õ­YµL»D¤§·L­µ¡A¶W´ç殁©ó«æ­¢°ªÀ£¸Ìªº©t»î¡A¦®¨D¥l¦^²Ó¿°ªº·P¨ü¡F»¤µo²âÅ¥ªÌªº«ä·Q»P¨ä±µ­y¡A¹F¦¨¶W¶V·P©xªº·¾³q¡C¨â·¥ªº­µ¼Ö¨ú¦V¡A¤£³æÁ¿¨D­ì§@ªÌªº²`«p³yÃÀ¡A¥ç¥²¶·¾Ö¦³²Ó±KÂ×´Iªº¤ß«ä¡A¨Ã¦Û³ÆÄY®æªk«×¡A¥O§@«~±À¨ì¼¹µõÃä½t¡A«o¤S¯à¦^Âk°_©l¡A­«ªð¶êº¡¨ó½Õ¡A§YÃÒ¦K¤ß¿W¨ã¡C

http://myspace.com/noiseshasharecords

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Monster K7 Tape Club Download for Free

The 200 tapes of the compilation "Une ode au toy piano" from the french tape label MonsterK7 are sold out. To give a second life to this tape, we've decided to put it on MonsterK7's website for free download.

It¡¦s a mixtape dedicated to toy piano by the artists Aliplays (France), Bertram Wooster (France), The Boom and the Arty (France), Jeffrey Butzer (US), Cosmo Helectra (France), Monsieur Free (France), K. (France), Kawaii (France), Moujik (France), Toy Piano Fanfare (England), Pequena Fiera (Spain), Top Montagne (France), Toy Fight (France), Snugtrio (France), Twink (US) et Michael Wookey (England) (+ 3 bonus tracks by Noah Glenn (US), The Appreciation Society (Englans) and pAq (Italy)).
-------------------------------------------------
MonsterK7, handmade tape label
www.monsterk7.com

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Review on The Painful Leg Injuries - The Quicker Are The Encumbered on Smooth Assailing (USA)

The brooklynite husband and wife duo of bill and suzanne byrne won't stray too far from familiar ground for their release on hong kong's lona records. the biggest change that i'm noticing is how there's far less emphasis placed upon cold, textural compositions, which used to be their bread and butter. following their first release, backwards, broken and incorrectly, the noisy drone thing seemed to be an afterthought (though it really peaked with their tracks on the men in white coats compilation). in its place has been much busier experimentation. actually, i shouldn't say "in its place", because pli's still kind of implementing a cold layer of drone, but it's being buried under a multitude of off kilter instrumentation and sounds.

The strongest vibe that i get from the quick are the encumbered is a spacey one. most of the six tracks on this disc have one or two elements that just give it an alien feel. after an ice cream truck flipped over and we all got some begins with whirling, helicopterish noise, it will slowly retract from the denseness and open up for a few separate layers (some panned) of random tinkering sounds. one of those layers has a weird extraterrestrialesque warble to it. eventually, the noise will start to rise up just in time for the track to... run out of time. the broken elevator's spiral descent has a really appropriate title. this introduces something i hadn't noticed in pli's music before, spastic drum beats. this is matched up perfectly by spacey ambiance and additional sci-fi sounds. it's oddly reminiscent of naked city, sans vocal freak-outs. there's even a bit of saxophone at the end. trippy track, and probably my favorite out of the sextet. they'll follow that one up with a life by the high tension wire, and this one makes me think of lightning bolt. just a little bit. it's really in the musical progression of the main layer. it'll shift focus again to random sounds and percussion, trying to see just how many different things they can throw into one track before the bottom falls out completely. i do find myself wishing that they'd take a less is more approach with some of the tracks. i'm all for layering, but sometimes it just seems a tad excessive. it could also be the fact that i'm hard pressed to pick out key bits which are more memorable and bring about a level of replayability. i am, however, more drawn to the subtler moments like suzanne's affected cello towards the end of everything that comes in stages left in a birthday hat, during the relatively calmer final portion of that track.

The quick are the encumbered is a mini-album that's not short on ideas. that's not always for the best, though. it's not a bad disc, by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes the jumble of sounds detracted from the more focused moments.

http://smoothassailing.blogspot.com/2007/10/painful-leg-injuries.html

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Emmanuel Mieville Live in Hong Kong

Date: 26 October 2007 (Fri)
Time: 8:00pm
Venue: Kapok
Address: G/F. 9 Dragon Road (behind Tin Hau temple), Tin Hau, Hong Kong
Price: $80
Supporting Act: Alok & No One Pulse
Co-Presented by Lona Records & Kapok
Supported by Para/Site
Enquiry: info@lona-records.com / info@ka-pok.com

Bio:
EMMANUEL MIEVILLE is a Paris born French sound artist and experimental musician who studied at the world renowned GRM (Groupe de Recherches Musicales) in the field of musique concrete. He also studied sound engineering and attended a cinema school. His aesthetic concern and direction as a composer originate from a desire to give the listener a shifting or blurred perception of soundscapes. Musical experiments with sound-field materials or objects and instruments are undertaken within the intuitive and dynamic stream of unconscious brain stimulations. Some of his collaborations or improvisations yielding patterns or structures, that express ideas but most of the time, the idea of musical flux lingers on his works.His tropism towards sound scapes, sound sculpting and gathering of spatials tools for composition, provides him with a better understanding and perception of sound, as a vector for social awareness and wisdom.

He played for two years with a Javanese gamelan orchestra, and is interested in merging ethnic instruments into electroacoustic music. Amongst other collaborations, he has worked with several dancers for Butoh performances, with French composer/performer Eric Cordier a for live concert (2005), and with Korean video performer, Heesok Yu, for a concert. He also contributes and participates with much constancy to Framework, on Resonance FM (London), which is a radio show dedicated to field recordings.

Emmanuel's myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/ongaka
For more infos and discography see: http://www.acousmafield.net

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Review on 5 lona 3"cdr releases on Startling Moniker (USA)

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Review on 3 Lona Releases on Sub Jam (Bejing)

By ÃC®m

BaiTian
Transit
¥X«~¡GLona Records
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No One Pulse - Tele
¥X«~¡GLona Records
No One Pulse - Pathic
¥X«~¡G¤pÁn°Û¤ù
¨â±i¤@°_¼g¡A¬O¦]¬°¨â±i¬O¤@°_°µªº¡C
No One Pulse¡A­»´ä¼Öµû¤HSin:ned©M¥LªºªB¤ÍKWCªºÂùµ§°O¥»²Õ¦X¡C³o¨â±i3¤oCDR¡A¬O¤@­Ó·§©À¤UªºÂù¥Í¨à¡AÁp¦Xµoªíªº¤è¦¡¡AÅý§Ú·Q°_90¦~¥Nªº§@®a©M¸Ö¤H¡A¨º¨Ç¤ûÙT¥B°ª²£ªº¡A±`±`¦b¦P¼Ë«p«×ªºÂù¤ë¥Z¤W¦P®Éµoªí¤@­Ó¨t¦Cªº¤£¦P³¡¤À¡C¹ï¡A³o¬O­É¥Î¼tµPºô¸ôªº­I´º¡A±N§@«~­I«áªº·§©À±À¨ì§ó²`³B¡C
Tele³o±i¡A¤ñ¸û§t»W¤@¨Ç¡A¦ý¤S·tÂädÀY¸Uºüªº±þ¾÷¡A¦n¶H¼ç¤ôªº°Êª«¤ß±¡¨Ä±i¡AÀH®É©ñ¹q¡FPathic³o±i¡Aºò±i¥B§Ö³t¡A¾ãÅé«o§ó²Î¤@¡A«H®§¶q¤j¦ý¤£¯ÉÂZ¡C³£¬O¥Îµ§°O¥»°µªº¡A¤£¯à¤À¿ë¨º±ø½u¯Á¬O½Ö¡A¨º¨Ç¯À§÷¬O½Ö¡C¦ý§Ú­Ì¥i¥Hª¾¹D¡A³o¨â¦ì³ßÅw¾Q³]¦h±ø¯ßµ¸¡A¦P®É°j°éµÛ¦V«e©b¨«¡]©ÎªÌ¤£¦p»¡´N¦a±ÛÂà¡^¡C§CªºÁn­µºC¡A°ªªºÁn­µ¸H¡A¥é¦ò¦³§Î¡A§ó°ªªº¤£©ö¿ë§O¡A§ó§CªºÀ±º©±oµL§Î¡A¤¤¶¡©Î³\¦³¹³¬O±Û«ßªºªF¦è¡A¤]°j°éµÛ¡A¦ý¤]ÅܤƵۡC´N¦n¶H»¡¡A©Ò¦³´N¦a±ÛÂ઺ªF¦è¡A³£¨ä¹ê¬O¦b´N¦aÅܤơA§O»¡ªe¬y¡A´N¬Oloop¡A¤]³£¨S¦³¥i¥H­«½Æªº¡C
³o¨â±i¡A¹³§Ú­Ì±`Å¥ªºªø­µ¡C¦ý¨ä¹ê¤£¬Oªø­µ©µ¦ù¡A¤£¬O¤sªe¡A¤£¬O®È¦æ¡C¹ï¹q¸£¨Ó»¡¡Aloop§@¬°³Ì°ò¥»ªº§Þ³N¡A¤]§@¬°20¥@¬ö³Ì°ò¥»ªº­µ¼Ö·§©À¡A¥i¥H±N­µ¼Öªº®É¶¡·P§ï¼g¬°µL­­¡A§â®É¶¡·í¦¨ªÅ¶¡¨Ó¥Î¡C¤£loopªº³¡¤À¤Ï­Ë¦¨¤FÀ°Å¨¡X¡X³o¨â¦ì¬O¦b¥ÎÁn­µ¦A²{¸ê°T­õ¾Ç¡A¨ä¤¤ªºÅܤƩM¤£ÅÜ¡A¬Û¤¬¹ï·Ó¡AÅý¤H­þÀY³£¤£´±¿ù¹L¡A³Ì«á´N¿ù¹L¤F¤È¶º¡C

Alok - C for Schubert
¥X«~¡GLona Records
Alok´N¬O¶Ç»¡¤¤ªºLona°Û¤ùªº¦ÑÁó¡C
³o±i¤pCDR¥u¥]§t¤@¦±¡A¬°µÎ§B¯S¦Ó°µ¡C¨Æ¹ê¤W¥¦¬O¥ÑµÎ§B¯Sªº§Y¿³¦±¡§Impromptus, Op. 90 No.1 Allegro Molto Moderato¡¨±Òµo¦Ó¨Ó¡A¤]±Ä¼Ë¤F¨ä¤¤ªº¤ù¬q¡A¦b¼ç¨I·L§®ªº§CÀW¤¤¡A³ê¿ô¤F¥j¤Hªº¦N¥ú¤ù¦Ð¡C¾ã­Ó§@«~´N¹³¶Ç»¡¤¤ªºÕæªi·L¨B¡A©Î¤ê®µ®õ¤s¥H¶W¥_®ü¡A¦b¦³µL¤§¶¡¡A¤j¬ü¹äµM¡C
¨S¿ìªk¡A¥²¶·±o¥Î¨ì¦¨»y©M¤å¨¥¤å¡C¦pªG»¡µÎ§B¯S¤w¸g¬O¦¨»y¡A¦Ó¿ûµ^¬O¤å¨¥¤å¡A¨º»òAlok·íµM¬O¦b¥Î·í¥N»yªk»¡¸Ü¡C·í¥Nªº»y¨¥¤¤¡A¦³¤Ó¦h¨Ó¦Û¥j®É­Ôªº°ò¦]¡A¦³ªº¤w¸gÅܲ§¡A¦³ªº­ì«Ê¤£°Ê¡A«o¤S¦b·sªº»y¹Ò¤¤´²®g¥X·sªº·N¸q¡C¶}ÀY¦ü¥GµLÁn¡A»Ý­n¾®¯«¡AµM«á§CÀW­Y¦³­YµL¡Aº¯¤F¶i¨Ó¡CµM«á¬O¤@ÂIÂIÂø­µ¡A¤@ÂIÂI±Ä¼Ë¡A¶µÛ±Ä¼Ë¡A¤S¦ù¥X¤F·sªºÁn­µ¡A¤]¬OÂI¨ì¬°¤î¡A³·ªdÂE¤ö¤@¯ë¡A¤j¶­¤Î¨ä°Ê§@´N¦bªÅµL¤¤¦s¦b¤U¨Ó¡C¥¿©¶ªiªº§CÀW¡A¬O·í¥Nªº¯Âºé¡B©â¶H¡F¼Ö¾¹ªºÁn­µ¡A¬O¥j¥N©Mªñ¥Nªº´£¯Â©M«ßªk¡F³o¨â¼Ë­ì¥»µLÃö¡A¦ý¨ä¤¤Âø­µªº¯}Ãa¡A´N¹³§½³¡ªº¶ù±µ¡A©M¾ãÅ骺­«·s½s½X¡C·í¥N¦a»¡¡A³o´N¬O¸Ñºc«áªº¦A¥Í¡C¥j¥N¦a»¡¡A³o´N¬O¸UÅܤ¤ªº¤£ÅÜ¡A¥H·N¹Ò²Î«ÓµÛ¶W¶V®ÉªÅªº®ð¡CµÎ§B¯Sªº§Y¿³¦±¡A¥H·N¹Ò¨ú³Ó¡]©êºp¡A§Úgoogle¨Óªº¡^¡C¨º¨Ç·L®zªº¡B§t»Wªº¡BÀô«OªºÁn­µ°¿©¿¦Ó¨Ó¦Ó¥h¡A¦b·t¶ÂªºªÅ¶¡ùØ¡A¦b°¸º¸¼ÉÅSªº¥ú©M¥¦ªº­y¸ñ¤¤¡AÁôÂäF½wºC¦Ó¤jªº°ÊºA¡A¤]µ²ºc¥XÁn­µ¤§¥~ªº¤Ñ¦a¡C³o´N¹³¥Î·t¶Â³Ð³y¥Xªº¥ú¡A¤Ï¦Vªº©_¸ñ¡C
Á`¤§«Ü¬ü¡C

http://www.yanjun.org/blog/2007/09/06/%e6%bb%9a%e7%9f%b3%e5%b

0%8f%e8%af%8407/#more-1323

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Review on No One Pulse - Tele on Foxy Digitalis (USA)

When you notice the words ¡¥sound artist,' ¡¥Raster-noton¡¦ and ¡¥no-input device¡¦ on the same promo sheet, you almost certainly can expect mini-crackles, micro-pops, lots of hiss and the whole gamut of lowercase electronics. The No One Pulse duo from Hong Kong does anything but disappoint those expectations.

Though far from original the two tracks on this 3¡¨ cd, both exactly ten minutes long and blessed with the entirely nondescript titles "#2" and "#4," are nonetheless fascinating exercises in creating a lot of atmosphere with the most minimal of means. Doubtlessly emanating from the laptop it never becomes really clear whether the sound sources have been pre-recorded and treated later on, or created from scratch. White noise and distortion are avoided, though, and No One Pulse let their machines gently purr and drone in a seemingly improvising way.

With this kind of music references are bound to be legion. The aforementioned Raster-noton and the motionless sine wave mindscapes of Sachiko M and the no-input philosophy of Toshimaru Nakamura indeed seem major influences, but reminiscences of the endless subaqueous repetition of Cranioclast and the fragmentary dub of Chain Reaction cannot be chased away either.

This way too short teaser will not change your world and chances are you may have heard this kind of meandering soundscaping a thousand times before. But its insistence on uncovering beautiful sounds certainly makes you beg for more. 7/10 -- Vincent Romain (29 August, 2007)

http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=2688

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