TETSU
INOUE + TAYLOR DEUPREE "ACTIVE/FREEZE" (12K1009)
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AMBIENTRANCE
(US)
If
previous 12k releases have reveled in the microscopic breakdown
of sound (and they have), then active / freeze finds label leader
Taylor Deupree working with noted ambientologist Tetsu Inoue
(this month's exclusive interviewee) to deconstruct those atomic
bits even further... we're talking sonic quarks and gluons here!
Inexplicable
activities are fascinating to hear, but definitely not simply
"easy" listening. It's a tiny chaos which is sure to baffle
many unprepared listeners.The miniature clicks, pops and whirrs
of modern / error really seem to probe into my brain, drilling
from each side with very distinct right/left separation. Everything
smooths somewhat as the track evolves. Static outbursts, twirly
electronic strands and what seem to be general shuffling around
noises take a new / path (1:40) along an extremely granulated
trail. remote / beauty is awash in glitchy comings and goings
and a series of semi-rhythmic pulsations; phantasmal guitar
memories make for an odd loveliness.
Seemingly
random fragments make active / freeze sound as if something
is burning on a submolecular level, while crystalline crackling
noises simultaneously seem to be freezing it. Brief musical
bits add a sliced-and-diced sense of melody which churns in
sweet abstraction. More infinitesimally small blips of various
composition cheep in a slow, almost-tuneful fashion in begin
/ restore.
Chimingly
discordant remnants appear in interior / tone, more dreamily
looping through a less jarring backdrop, though one which still
ruffles with microactive pops, etc. oto / obje evidences certain
spookily wafting tendencies behind a gurgling wall of unknowable
sources. Jingling / buzzing bytes and bits of data / i oscillate
in self-repeating particle streams which lead into yet another
never-before-heard micro-wonderland.
"Squidgy"
isn't really a word, but it keeps popping into my head as a
perfect adjective for lin / fill which sputters with wetly buzzy
outbursts; it sounds like a tiny microphone was placed in a
teeny computerized swamp. Topped with a flurry of machine-like
activity, layer / cut (4:16) is allowed to develop more of a
continual flow than its hyperfragmentized predecessors. Geiger
counter clicks and muffled organ- and bell-like tones seep through
render / point which slowly unfolds like some grainy pixelated
flower.
Persistence
pays off when listening to active / freeze (46:15)... by warding
off the impulsive "ergh... whatta buncha noise!" attitude, one
is able to slip between the miniscule cracks and into Tetsu
Inoue & Taylor Deupree's sharedaudiovision. The small-scale
cacophony reveals many moments of obtuse beauty strewn amongst
the 14 piles of digital debris. Admittedly, it took a little
growing-on to finally achieve its appreciative 8.7 AmbiEntrance
rating.
At
1,000 copies, this is the first 12k release to be printed in
more than 500.
ARRAY
(IR)
Well
known to the public of microwavers, thanks to a couple of releases
on Raster (a label which he was a co-founder of) and Mille Plateaux,
German Frank Bretschneider a.k.a. Komet publishes a pleasant
CD on Taylor Deupree's 12k. Glacial microrhythms, sinewaves
and crystalline tones, smoothed tappings, stylized pop and dub
echoes of lunar chill-out outlines make "Rausch" an agreeably
flowing and hypnotic work, even more particular since the author
prefers the synth to the nearly ubiquitous laptop.
BLOW
UP (IT)
A modular analogic synth, connected to a circuit of Macintosh
computer, is being used by Taylor Deupree, in this occasion
coupling it with the totally digital equipment of Japanese Tetsu
Inoue. That gives the birth to a discreetly corrosive album,
fruit of a quick and shrill creaking that doesn't give up occasional
simulacra of melody ("Remote/Beauty", "Interior/Tone"), as distant
memories of an idea of sound which doesn't exist anymore. (7
) - nicola catalano
FLUCTUAT
(FR)
Voici
enfin le très attendu résultat du travail de composition
commune entrepris par deux figures de proue de la musique experimentale
éléctronique venue d‚Outre-Atlantique. Tetsu
Inoue, Japonais d‚origine mais vivant à San-Francisco,
contribue à l‚élaboration Digitale depuis
plus de dix années et a publié des disques sur
les très respectés labels Tzadik, Caipirinha,
Rather Interesting...
Taylor
Deupree quant à lui vient de New-York d‚où
il dirige avec goût le label 12K qui vise à relever
le niveau artistique américain... Il fait des disques
sur Mille Plateaux, Raster Music, a également collaboré
avec Richard Chartier (autre minimaliste incontournable pour
les plus avertis).
«
active / freeze » est une réussite qui développe
avec classe les travaux sur la répétition, les
rythmes en boucles, la composition fragmentaire, voire avortée.
Un plongeon dans l‚univers de sons discordants, laissant
place au hasard, abstraits, complexes, mais aussi mélodiques.
Une
musique savante, réfléchie qui se doit d‚être
écoutée avec attention, plutôt cérébrale
que dansante sauf si l‚on réfléchit avec
ses pieds... - philippe petit
IGLOOMAG
(US)
Active / Freeze is the first disc on Taylor Deupree's 12k label
to be issued in a lot of 1,000, twice the quantity of all previous
releases in the catalog. And for good reason, the label has
been gaining steam ever since it was founded by Deupree in January
of '97.
This
collaboration sees the joining together of two forces that have
long been a part of the techno and ambient scenes, and both
artists have demonstrated their own talents through a constant
evolution in sound. And the 12k label itself, home to only a
dozen releases so far, is tracking it's own evolutionary course
in electronic music. Whereas early albums varied from exquisite
high-glossed atmospheric ambience ('thesecretnumbertwelve')
to hard-hitting techno tracks ('ARC vs T.O.I.S.') to subtle
IDM-slanted programmings ('Drum Komputer' or 'Comma,'), the
later half of the catalog focuses more on sounds that are heavily
experimental and increasingly abstract. Often clumsily referred
to as "glitch music" or "clicks + pops" in the music press,
this fairly new soundform is still taking shape as it explores
the new archetecture of sound design software, the idiosyncracies
of failing studio equipment, and an entirely new level of sonic
minimalism.
Such
12k compilation releases as .aiff and 12k1008 are superb introductions
to this rapidly growing style of sound, and feature a great
pool of talent involved. Active / Freeze continues this journey.
Created by sending updated soundfiles back and forth between
them, Tetsu and Taylor develop the sounds that would be used
for the album in their own studios, giving each artist the home
court advantage. Little by little, sounds are mixed, edited,
chopped up, and recombined (among a vast selection of other
less adjective-friendly treatments) using various DSP techniques,
such as granular synthesis, until this digital stew satisfies.
Sounds are altered at a very basic level, previously unattainable
with the technology of the day. At once crunchy, organic, and
soothing, this album required repeated listenings for it to
really click with me (no pun intended). I placed the disc in
the player on -repeat- mode per Tetsu's recommendation, and
allowed the sounds to drip into consciousness as I went about
my daily activities. I did find that my incidental mood at the
time heavily influenced the manner in which I percieved the
sounds. What at first seemed like an overly complex wall of
stimuli began to take on a different character as I noticed
new aspects of the sounds, and whole new sounds that previously
went right over my head unheard. So this disc reveals a little
more about itself with each listen, I've had it for a couple
months now and am still hearing new elements that I could swear
were not there before! As with many releases in the 12k catalog,
this disc is sure to be hard to find before long, so don't hesitate
to pick it up if you see it. - NJ
INCURSION
(CA)
A
collaboration between two artists whose individual musical visions
have undergone major shifts in recent years. Former ambient
master Tetsu Inoue (World Receiver, Ambiant Otaku) has shifted
his interest to explore complex and incongruous computer programmations
and cut-ups (see his two releases on John Zorn's Tzadik label
for the best examples of this new interest). Taylor Deupree,
who has also dabbled in more traditional ambient works, has
his roots in the techno scene, and has shifted his interest
to more minimal rhythms and "microscopic" sounds (see the excellent
.N on Ritornell or any of his releases on his own 12k label).
So hearing of a collaboration between these two esteemed artists
whose sound-worlds have evolved into very distinct clusters,
my interest was immediately piqued. When I spoke with Taylor
at the Mutek festival (my interview with him will be published
in an upcoming issue), this release was still very new and was
virtually unheard in its completed form. He was curious to know
if listeners would pick up on the input of one artist more than
the other, and if there was an imbalance of elements in the
final mix. Listening to it over the past few days, I must say
the result is a very intriguing blend of the two sound-worlds,
where one's input never outmanoeuvres the other. The artists
have kept things minimal here, with clicks and shrills quietly
arranged over a bed of silence. The arrangements are such that
leave me anxious to hear how the sounds will evolve, in what
strange combination the elements will next appear. I found the
listening experience each time to be extremely rewarding, the
sounds continuously surprising and intriguing me. An excellent
disc, highly recommended for the careful listener. [rds]
INK
19
(US)
"active/freeze"
sees these two well-established sonic architects pointing their
camera directly inside their machines in order to find the elusive
ghosts. Is this what machines do when we aren't looking? Do
they speak in their self-established tongues? But to peg this
music as "discovered" is to divert attention from the pair's
constructive talents.
"active/freeze"
is like bonsai architecture. Details exist, but they're part
and parcel of each sonic event. Instead of looking at the frills
of a track for subtlety, here you must approach each digital
crackle, hiss and ping as a perfectly shaped whole. Each sound
is placed on the sonic plane, above, below or alongside it's
companions. Tracks don't seem to move; but each moment seems
to examine a different part of a larger whole. "remote/beauty"
contains a short melodic fragment that sounds, in context, like
great ocean of feeling. "active/freeze" is a challenging, but
endlessly interesting artwork. On the other hand, it's also
a nice way to pass about 45 minutes. - n. soni
MAGNET
(US)
"Glitch" music is a lot like free jazz in one important respect:
it's a form that's really easy to do really badly. Anybody can
grab a saxophone and blat whatever's easiest, forcing out long
lungfuls of aimless bullshit. Similarly, anybody can sit down
with a keyboard and a laptop and come up with 70 minutes of
minuscule ticky noises and sinewave pulses that, afterwards,
leave less trace in memory than a flea's dream. This release,
on Taylor Deupree's own label, isn't like that. It doesn't suck,
because the two people making the disc are among the foremost
practitioners of miniaturized electronic music. Tetsu Inoue's
Waterloo Terminal is the best volume so far in Caipirinha Records's
"Architettura" series, and Deupree's contributions to the lowercasesound
comp, along with the 12K1008 CD he put out last year, have been
brilliant as well, offering shimmering moments of delicate,
pure sound amid oases of silence. The tracks here are
clearly collaborations, each performer's distinctive style (and
it's not mere facetiousness to say about this form of music
that if you can't tell one person's work from another's, you're
not listening carefully enough) coming through and complementing,
rather than distracting from, the others. Subtle, beautiful
stuff. - phil freeman
THE
WIRE (UK)
tetsu inoue has moved from ambient towards more disruptive soundwork,
and moments in active/freeze remind me of early cage noise collages,
although general magic and pita may be another influence here.
flitting pops and crackly static are again separated out on
the speakers, but move more quickly in short chains of pulse
and oscillation. the sound unfolds like a weird environmental
recording: dry ticking, popping and slithering, or the sounds
of crickets and sparrows. at times, simple looped melodic lines
create abstract eno-esque airs, but, as on spec, the concern
is not for atmosphere but the generation of an unpredictable
and abstract sonic writing. - matt ffytche
