VARIOUS
ARTISTS "E.A.D.G.B.E." (12K1025)
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AMBIENTRANCE (US)
12k
gathers tracks from a foursome of avant-garde guitarists...
E•A•D•G•B•E is one way to spell
"eclectic listening"!
Fonica contributes a pair twinkly blurscapes ("4:55"
and "3:33" which are 6:44 and 5:51 respectively, BTW)
where flitting slips of tonality just wistfully chime and glow...
rather obtuse yet lovely and warm. Here-then-gone wisps and
drones flow (and sometimes don't) through "Lettera"
(9:10); soft unrecognizable-as-guitar essences hover into various
registers, as exuded from Keith Fullerton Whitman 's imagination.
Sébastien Roux delivers a trio of faintly grit-speckled
waverings; deep slurs slide through my favorite, the fractured-yet-fluid
"Toasa", whose smeary chords shift choppily, sometimes
against lightly sizzling particles.
Bright and enigmatic, seven (from eight) of Christopher Willits'
pieces form an interesting set of dancing notelets subtitled
"Seven Machines For Summer" beginning with the chipper
dreaminess of "The Baroque Machine" which charmingly
radiates, disintegrates and pips semi-rhythmically. Other comfortably
weird/lovely "machines" include" The Roller Skating
In San Francisco Machine", "The Seaweed Machine"
and the "Fall In Love Machine". A final Willits track
closes the CD, "Champagne and Soda" notably differs
with its gloomier soundcolors and even-more-diffused rumblings,
ear-catchingly abstract nevertheless.
No wanky solos or timeworn chord progressions here... just 14
pieces of eclectronic guitarscenes. A quite-nice collection
of radiantly re-structured six-strings! A-
AUF ABWEGEN (DE)
Neue
Töne für 12k. Nachdem Taylor Deupree's Label in den
Anfangsjahren vor allem eine erste Adresse für Glitch und
menschenleere Computermusik war, dürfen auf der Compilation
E.A.D.G.B.E. Gitarrentöne die Szenerie beherrschen. Das
japanische Fonica Projekt beginnt mit flächig aufgesprengselten
Tonpulsen. Keith Fullerton Whitman hat das zarte Vibrieren einer
Gitarrensaite direkt am Anschlag eingefangen und durch verschiedene
Modulatoren gejagt. Sebastien Roux arbeitet mit dicken Klangstrichen
an einem kraftvollen Arrangement der Farben. Und schließlich
Christopher Willits, der eine monoton-säuselnde Studie
mit dem Subtitel Seven Machines For Summer konstruiert hat.
Hier wird der Bogen zurück zum Ausgang der Reise gespannt:
breit gefächerte, warm klingende Töne sind im Zweigespärch
mit sich selbst vereint.
AUTRES DIRECTIONS (FR)
Compilation
du label 12k, v/a - E . A . D . G . B . E réunit
en son sein quatre formations caractérisées par
leur intérêt pour les sons de guitares retraités
à la laptop, qui laissent ainsi échapper fréquences
pures et bleeps aigus (axe de recherche fondateur du label de
Taylor Deupree, semblerait-il) pendant environ dix minutes chacune.
Fonica tout d'abord ouvre le disque avec deux compositions assez
douces et plus expérimentales que leur album Ripple
paru chez Plop et réédité il y a peu par
Tomlab. "3:33" offre plus de reliefs en arrière-plan
et se montre ainsi moins ennuyeux que "4:55." "Lettera"
de Keith Fullerton Whitman est largement plus inconstant et
inquiétant, il évoque le Calabi.Yau de Joseph
Suchy, mais il est peu harmonieux et la seconde moitié
du morceau lasse. En parsemant l'arrière-plan de détails
sonores répétitifs, Sébastien Roux (moitié
de Heller) éveille l'écoute et l'intérêt.
De belles brillances croustilleuses sont l'apanage de ses oeuvres.
Chritopher Willits ferme la marche avec une poignée de
compositions plus légères, plus rythmées,
avec de véritables mélodies. Les sept premières
semblent d'ailleurs illustrer le même motif mélodique.
"Champagne And Soda," en fermeture, se désolidarise
de toute mélodie pour laisser des larsens fluctuants
et flottants envahir l'espace. Les laptop ont conquis l'électricité
des guitares. Mais ça, on le savait déjà
depuis plusieurs dizaines d'années déjà.
- stéphane
BAD ALCHEMY (DE)
Zwei
der fünf hier an einer neuen hybriden Asthetik von Saitenschwingungen
und Electronics spinnenden Soundartisten, nämlich den Amerikanem
Keith Fullerton Whitman und Christopher Willits, konnte man
bereits in BA 41 begenen. Außerdem stimmten ihre Laptopgitarren
der Franzose Sébastien Roux, Raumakustiker am Pariser
IRCAM-Studio, und das japanische Duo Fonica, das aus dem als
Mitglied des Apestaartje-Acts Minamo bekannt gewordenen Keiichi
Sugimoto und dem Artworkdesigner Cheason besteht. Wer erinnert
sich noch an die finsteren Zeiten, als die Gitarrenfraktion
und die Elektrolurche als Bürgerkriegsparteien an der Zeitfront
von Alt und Neu Stellung bezogen hatten? Auch im Popschreiberling
schlägt eben das Herz eines Frontberichterstatters. Über
Keith Rowe, Main, O'Rourke, Toral, Roberts, Fennesz, Zeger und
wie sie alle heißen hat die Gitarre längst ihre Wandlung
von der Streitaxt zur puren Welle, zum ambienten Drone, hinter
sich. Schrille Expressivität und bluesiges Lamento wurden
dabei, ausgehend von Feedback und Obertonschwingungen, umgeformt
in knisternde Statik, summende Vibrationen, pulsierende kurze
und stehende lange Wellen. Willits taufte seinen programmierten
Glitch-Gitarren-Pop treffend 'Seven Machines For Summer.' Vom
flach geklopften Rockismus blieben nur sublime. Transformationen,
ein von den Fringerkuppen auf den Keyboards angestupster chillender
Hauch von Easyness und träumerischem "Feeling."
BLACK (DE)
12k,
Hauptquartier des Software minimalismus, ehrt die Gitarre mit
einem ganzen Album. 4 Künstier, Fonica, Keith Fullterton
Whitman, Sebastien Roux und Christopher Willits, untersuchen
die Schnittstelle von Saite un Plug-in Schon seit geraumer Zeit
wended sich immer mehr Laptop-Musiker der Gitarre als Klangquelle
zu (Fennesz, Ekkehard Ehlers un Joseph Suchy, Mitchell Akiyama,
Oval, usw.) und verlängern die Reichweite des uralten instruments
in digitale Räume. Dieser Sampler zeigt non die Bandbreite
von tonalen Drones bid Clicks'n'Stringes. Fonica träumt
sich die Gitarre in unterirdische Gewölbe, die Troum gehören
könnten, Whitman dagegen eher in kalte Musique Concrete
Laborbedinggungen, Roux extrahier ihren warmen Hall und kombiniert
sie mit knisternder Kömigkeit zu melancholischer Atmosphäre,
wahrend Willits sie in Fragmente verwandelt, die Melodien im
Wechselspiel mit Laptop-Clicks erzeugen, Es ist schon faszinierend,
was für enen ganz anderen Charakter das Instrument durch
digitale Bearbeitung bekommt. Eine Platte eher für kontemplative
Anfälle im Tagesablauf.
BLOW
UP (IT)
Nonostante
sia considerata l'etichetta che, più di ogni altra in
questi ultimi anni, ha rappresentato a livello internazionale
un cardine per lo sviluppo di estetica e cultura digitali (o
post-digitali), la newyorkese 12k dimostra ad ogni uscita di
essere di più e di meglio, ovvero modello di riferimento
a tutto tondo per la crescita dell'intera musica moderna. Sicché
la più recente pubblicazione si propone (a cominciare
dal titolo con le indicazioni delle accordature per le varie
corde: E per Mi, A per La, Di per Re etc.) di tracciare l'evoluzione
di uno strumento come la chitarra, di solito poco associato
al mondo digitale, ma che nel corso dei suoi tanti secoli di
storia (raccogliendo direttamente l'eredità dal liuto
arabo, le sue origini risalgono al 1200) ha vissuto modifiche
di impiego, modalità d'uso, funzione e trattamento. In
particolare, dall'introduzione dell'elettricità prima
(pick-ups, effetti, amplificatori, circuiti di processing) e
della tecnologia digitale (computer, DSP, programmi di software)
poi, a partire dal XX secolo lo strumento è diventato
qualcosa di diverso da come lo si conosceva e concepiva. Ecco
allora i nipponici Fonica replicare le straordinariamente sognanti
atmosfere di "Ripple", grumi minuti, oggettini delicati
e labirinti di suoni minimi, o il francese Sébastien
Roux (già attivo con le sigle Rabbit's Sorrow, Oldine
e Un Automne a Lobnor) mimare un incrocio tra Fennesz e Labradford,
melodica narcolessia fatta di minimali tessiture, inceppamenti
e zoppìe, laddove Christopher Willits stappa leggeri
spumantini, frizzanti di bollicine glitch quasi indietronics,
col solo Keith Fullerton Whitman a ripiegare su più tipica
interfaccia chitarra/processing digitale. Un'altra scommessa
(vinta) di Taylor Deupree. (8/9)
DE:BUG (DE)
Schon seit lagerer Zeit halten vermehrt Gitarren Einzug in elektronische
Musik. Dass diese Symbiose zweifelsfrei sinvoll und auch gut
so ist, beweist nun einmal mehr eine V.A. - Compilation auf
12k. E/A/D/G/B/E - der name ist Programm: Fonica (zu
denen ich glaube ich nichts mehr anfügen muss, verehren
wir ja so oder so), Christopher Willits (der ja schon erfolgreich
mit Gitarrensounds auf seinem 12k-Debut experimentiert hat),
Sébastien Roux (vom Duo "Heller") und Keith
Fullerton Whitman (auch bekannt als Hrvatski) widmen sich den
einzelnen Seiten einer Gitarre und kreieren anmutige Gebilde,
bestehend aus sphärgen Flächen und kleinien Knistereien,
deren Fenster stets geöffnet sind um warmende Sonnenstrahlen
und klare Schübe Frischluft hineinzulassen. Das klingt
nach Melancholie, Einsamkeit un Sehnsucht, vor allem aber nach
unentwegter Harmonie und Ausgeglichenheit. Auch der Tatsache,
dass beim 12k-label alles mit einer schier unfassbaren Unaufdringlichen
und symphatischen Kontinuirlichkeit passiert, stehe ich mit
einem breiten Lacheln gegenüber, Essentieller Soundtrack
für die Herbstsaison, und für alle anderen Zeiten
sowieso! - AD
D-SIDE
(FR)
E.A.D.G.B.E
combien de millions d'albums ont été composés
à partir de ces simples lettres, symboles de l'accord
de guitare basique Archétype rock par excellence, l'accord
de guitare fait donc aujourd'hui son irruption dans le domaine
de l'électronique expérimentale à travers
cette compilation du label 12k qui, constatant l'importance
croissante prise par les hybridations des deux mondes, a décidé
d'apporter à son tour sa pierre à l'édifice
en demandant à quatre artistes de donner leur propre
version de l'accord du digital et de l'organique, des codes
et des processeurs. Le résultat, on s'en doute, n'est
pas trés rock, et il faudrait beaucoup d'efforts pour
agiter sa tignasse sur les vagues ondulatoires des Japonais
de Fonica, les lents glissements de cordes ponctués de
silence de Keith Fullerton Whitman (alias Hrvatski), les mélodies
flottantes de l'acousticien Sébastien Roux, membre de
l'IRCAM, où les découpages abrupts de Christopher
Willits qui offre ici un travail en sept parties. Peu importe
en vérité, car l'objectif visé par E.A.D.G.B.E
est atteint et que, validée dans sa pertinence, la guitare
va pouvoir sans peine trouver sa place aux cotés des
laptops dans les studios du futur.
FATBANKROLL
(SE)
Intressant
nog har musik grundad på elektroniskt behandlad gitarr
nästan bildat en egen genre, kanske med redaktionsfavoriten
Fennesz i spetsen. E.A.D.G.B.E är en samlingsskiva med
just denna genre i fokus. Skivbolaget 12k har kanske gått
en något annorlunda väg eftersom de endast har fyra
artister med på samlingen, och att då kalla det
en samling i traditionell bemärkelse känns inte riktigt
rätt. Snarare blir det ett sorts fyrdelat minialbum eftersom
de olika artisterna, utom en, bidrar med flera spår. Det
spelar dock ingen större roll utan man kan glatt konstatera
att gitarrpyssel i många fall låter riktigt trevligt.
Fonica, Keith Fullerton Williams, Sébastien Roux och
Christopher Willits finns med på skivan, och trots den
gemensamma nämnaren gitarren skiljer sig de olika spåren
åt ganska ordentligt. I vissa spår är det lätt
att urskilja att det är just gitarr det handlar om, samtidigt
som det verkligen inte går att höra i andra. Om man
nu ska ha Fennesz som någon sorts referens så låter
fransmannen Sébastien Roux väldigt mycket som just
honom. Roux lyckas även
vara bäst på skivan med sin finstämda, långsamma
och lätt brusiga musik. Ett typiskt repeterande och hackande
i långa ljud ger en teknisk känsla, samtidigt som
gitarrgrunden ger en mer jordnära vinkel på det hela.
Även den japanska duon Fonica påminner en smula om
Fennesz. Lugn och fin musik, men inte nödvändigtvis
med tydliga tecken av gitarr. Tydliga tecken av gitarr finns
däremot i Christopher Willits bidrag. Willits bjuder på
en svit av sju spår, kallad "Seven Machines for Summer",
som alla har med varandra att göra i ett sorts genomgående
tema. Det hela låter som en robotiserad och skicklig akustisk
gitarrtrubadur. Definitivt intressant.
Amerikanen Keith Fullerton Williams, även känd som
Hrvatski, bidrar med ett enda spår. Det är inte det
bästa på skivan, men kanske det mest intressanta.
Under nio minuter växer mycket märkliga ljud fram
och försvinner lika fort som de uppstår. När
man anar att något är på gång blir det
plötsligt tyst och nästa ljud växer fram. Fint
och förvirrande.
12k:s idé med den här skivan är tydligen att
visa på ett nytt steg i gitarrens användningsområde,
och att den har en plats även i den elektroniska musiken.
Så värst nytt känns dock inte innehållet
på skivan eftersom musik har gjorts på det här
sättet i åtminstone ett antal år vid det här
laget. Hursomhelst är skivan riktigt bra och den är
alldeles utmärkt om man inte känner till just den
här grenen av elektronisk musik tidigare. / Christoffer
GO
MAG (ES)
El
sello neoyorquino 12k se suma con E•A•D•G•B•E
al popular feomeno de la "guitarra digital." con la
participacion del duo japones Fonica, le estadounidenses Keith
Fullerton Whitman (aka Hrvatski) y Christopher Willits el francés
Sébastien Roux, este disco recopilatorio recogé
cuatro visiones completamente dispares en el arte de expandir
el sonido de la guitarra a través de la circuiteria del
laptop. Fonica ofrecen dos cortes sin titulo donde los sonidos
drónico ahogan unos aislados punteos de timbre cristalino;
Fullerfont construye una bonita pieza a la antigua, prácticamente
monofonica, done se suceden una serie de trucos electrónicos
más propios de la musica hecha con cinta magnética
que de las presentes técnicas digitales. Hasta aquí
una rimera media parte sencillamente correcta. Es a partir del
corte cuatro donde Roux y Willits nos regalen lo mejor del disco.
Las tres cálidas piezas de Roux, a medio camino entre
los acordes difuminados de Fennesz y los microsonidos de Deupree,
parecen una versión pixelada de las esotéricas
y monótonas composiciones de Oren Ambarchi. Cierran el
disco la colorida ieza en siete partes, "Seven Machines
for Summer," y la ambientosa y texturada "Champagne
and soda," ambas de Christopher Willits. Variadisimas e
intelligentes, ninguna de las piezas de E•A•D•G•B•E
cae en los cada dia mas extendidos ya descarados clichés
de la musica electrónica residual. - Amau Horta.
HIS
VOICE (CZ)
Kompilace
s vymluvnym názvem E*A*D*G*B*E si klade za cíl
jemnì naèrtnout poslední velky mezník
v mnohasetleté historii hudebního nástroje
zvaného kytara - tedy jeho propojení s vöemocnymi
poèítaèi a softwarem. Tento svazek (zviditelnìny
pøedevöím osobností Christiana Fennesze)
mùûeme sice chápat jako pouhy symbol kompromisu
mezi hypotetickym digitálním &Mac226;chladem&Mac226;
a akustickym &Mac226;teplem&Mac226;, nelze vöak popøít,
ûe pøedkládá nové, prozatím
jen málo prozkoumané hudební pole s nadìjnym
potenciálem. Znaèka 12k zde prezentuje variace
vìrné jejímu minimalistickému konceptu
a nesnaûí se tedy o komplexní shrnutí
&Mac226;scény&Mac226;. Vöichni ètyøi
zúèastnìní umìlci - duo Fonica
(JP), Keith Fullerton Whitman (aka Hrvatski, US), Sébastian
Roux (öéf tymu zabyvajícího se prostorovou
akustikou paøíûského IRCAM, FR) a
Christopher Willits (US) - ale zvuk strun pøesto osobitì
posouvají rùznymi smìry, díky èemuû
kolekce zùstává zajímavou. äanci
dostává vrstvení ploch v ambientní
abstrakce, práce s dynamikou a efektováním
jednotlivych zvukù, zahalování potlaèeného
brnkání nánosem praskavych jednièek
a nul a koneènì pak zøejmì nejpùsobivìjöí
(ale paradoxnì také nejjednoduööí)
Willitsùv softwareovy rozklad melodické hry.
PITCHFORK
MEDIA (US)
Some
time ago, Pitchfork writer Nitsuh Abebe planted this idea in
my head that all digital art returns to the natural world for
inspiration. What's interesting about this move is that it's
the exact opposite of a "retreat to simplicity." When
computer artists incorporate nature into their work they're
actually borrowing from the most complicated and unknowable
patterns in the universe. The physical world is difficult to
break down to 1's and 0's (imagine a CGI rendering of surf crashing
on the rocks next to a view of the real thing), causing these
artists put aside the silicon and kneel humbly before wood and
stone.
The guitar is, among other things, a physical object with electrical
properties. Each guitar is a series of tiny electrical fields--
strings, pickup, interior electronics-- that lends it a specific
character, and this makes it a natural fit with computers. In
the last few years it's become common in certain circles to
use the guitar as a sound source for the creation of otherwise
digital music. At least part of the reason this pairing has
become popular is that it inserts the "natural" (which
is, remember, complex) into an otherwise virtual world. E*A*D*G*B*E
, on the always-interesting 12k label, compiles music from four
artists working with these tools.
Earlier this year, Japan's Fonica released the sleeper Ripple
on Tomlab (also home to The Books, Tujiko Noriko, and Casiotone
for the Painfully Alone), a record with serious warmth and a
vaguely pop sensibility. The two tracks they contribute to E*A*D*G*B*E
are more placid and a tad more academic. A cluster of quivering
drones hover in the foreground of "4:55", and the
melody is a punctuated series of bells that pop up at regular
intervals. "3:33" is an overlapping series of groans
that irregularly tumble through the sound field, creating new
patterns with each passing second to nice effect. In contrast
with Fonica's up-to-the-minute processing is Keith Fullerton
Whitman's "Lettera". With its abrupt shifts in dynamics
and texture and endless tweaks of simple sounds, "Lettera"
sounds something like an early electronic tape piece, definitely
much closer to 20th Century Classical than post-Eno ambient.
Lacking the clarity and focus of Playthroughs , "Lettera"
feels more like an experiment that didn't quite gel.
E*A*D*G*B*E gets more interesting with three tracks by Sébastien
Roux. With his focus on sonic detail, Roux's aesthetic comes
closest to the 12k ideal of microsound. Roux's tiny sounds usually
enter the scene painfully, with an accompanying halo of noise.
His style tends to combine a shifting layer of buzzing drones
with clearly articulated melodic crackles dancing in front.
Tapped guitar harmonics are shaped into repeating patterns on
"Utaro", while "Toasa" focuses on single
string strums that emit showers of static. These three are wonderful
tracks to crawl around in.
Fonica, Whitman and Roux are a gradual build to E*A*D*G*B*E
's stunning centerpiece, seven related and connected tracks
by San Francisco composer Christopher Willits called "Seven
Machines for Summer". Willits' technique is to sample a
number of plucked single guitar notes and then arrange them
into pieces with relatively light processing. "The Baroque
Machine", for example, consists of computer-assisted guitar
runs, Takemura-like clicks, and what sounds like organ but is
probably processed feedback. His rapid and repetitious style
owes something to classic minimalism (occasionally I'm reminded
of the Reich piece "Electric Counterpoint", written
for Pat Metheny), but Willits' method is more overtly melodic
and pop oriented. It's immediately catchy and emotionally engaging.
Willits occasionally has a passage in "Seven Machines for
Summer" that could have been played by a live guitarist,
but that would have been boring. Instead, there is a stiffness
and slightly "broken" quality in his digital arrangements
that inject a pang of melancholy to feelings of joy. His tracks
move gradually to the climax that is the almost painfully gorgeous
"The Fall in Love Machine". This finale reprises the
theme of "The Baroque Machine" but fleshes it out
into a chattering musicbox symphony. Finally, after his seven-track
series, Willits closes the compilation an unrelated short piece
called "Champagne and Soda", a darker piece with an
almost industrial texture. Had Willits put "Seven Machines
for Summer" on its own EP, it would have been one of my
favorites of 2003. As it is, his work anchors this occasionally
spotty but ultimately excellent compilation.
RIF
RAF (BE)
Wie
ooit op een gitaar heeft getokkeld, herkent ongetwijfeld de
akkoorden uit de titel. Het 12k-label ziet drie periodes in
de evolutie van de gitaar. de varianten van het instrument zelf
(met het verschillende aantal snaren, gemaakt uit verschillende
materialen, in verschillende vormen), de 20th eeuwse evolutie
(met name versterking en vervorming door middel van versterkers
en effectpedalen) en de 21st eeuwse evolutie: het bewerken van
de gitaarklank met pc's en software. Dat laatste is dan ook
wat Fonica, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Sébastien Roux en
Christopher Willits doen: fraaie electronicanummers brouwen
met de gitaarklank als basisbestanddeel.
ROCKDELUX
(ES)
Raster-Noton
y 12k son los dos sellos que más han infuenciado en el
desarrollo del minimalismo digital en el último decenio.
La limitada difusión de ambos catálogos en España,
aún pendientes de distribución, hace que muchos
de los mejores discos que hoy se están facturando en
el ámbito de esa electrónica que requiere una
escucha atenta pasen prácticamente inadvertidos por estas
tierras. Y seria una auténtica lástima que E.A.D.G.B.E.
y Two Point Two sucumbieran a la misma indiferencia de
que han sido víctimas los últimos y sobresalientes
trabajos de Doron Sadja y Kenneth Kirschner, todo ellos publicado
por la discográfica que dirige por Taylor Deupree. Por
muy diversas razones: porque los participantes en E.A.D.G.B.E.
abordan el tratamiento binario de la guitarra, base conceputal
del recopilatorio, desde una perspectiva donde lo vanguardista,
lo austero y lo melódico se revelan preceptos compatibles;
porque los veintiún artistas reunidos en I - doble CD:
el primero, consagrado a 12k; el segundo, a su filial más
estrictamente experimental, Line - transmiten una unidad estética
que aun así puede conjugarse con una embriagadora diversidad
de miradas a la hora de contemplar la ley del minimo cambio;
y, sobre todo, porque en estos tres volúmenes se dan
cita una parte sustancial del pasado - los veteranos Steve Roden,
Asmus Tietchens, el presente - Richard Chartier, Komet, Sogar,
Coh, Keith Fullerton Whitman (más conocido como Hrvatski),
los ya mentados Sadja y Kirschner y el propio Deupree - y el
futuro más inmediato - Fonica, Sébastien Roux,
Christopher Willits, William Basinski, Ken'ichi Itoi - de un
modo único, fascinante aun en su aparente limitación
estética, de entender la música. - Oriol Russell
ROCKERILLA
(IT)
Ad
ascoltare questa nuova compilazione (edita in sole 1000 copie)
non si puo che essere d'accordo con quanti rigengono la 12k
fra le etichette fondamentali del rinnovamento del suono di
chitarra. Ci vengono infatti presentati brani inediti di alcuni
fra i piu importanti sperimentatori degli ultimi anni, a partire
dai Fonica-duo proveniente da Tokyo, legato alla Plop Records
ed all Cubic Music - e dal loro minimalismo dai tratti evanescenti
ed astratti. Un suonu che ricorda molto la Kranky, label per
la quale sono stati publicati gli ultimi lavori di Keith Fullerton
Whitman: quest'ultimo si cimenta in movimenti opportunamente
sbilanciati che si alternano a reiterati silenzi ed a rasoiate
di rumore. Ancor piu destrutturati i tre brani di Sébastien
Roux, ambient nell'anima ma skip-disc nella forma, prima del
vero eroe Christopher Willits; dopo averci stupito con l'incredibile
"Folding, And The Tea," l'artista di San Francisco
si continua a focalizzare su processi computerizzati che stavolgono
il suono di chitarra originale. Una gioia per le orecchie che
mantiene una misurata vellutatezza melodica mischiata ad un
approccio da improvvisatore. - michele casella
SIGNAL
TO NOISE (US)
It's
tempting to look at this record as a counterpart to Locust Music's
Wooden Guitar collection, which also invited four artists
to have their say about the state of the guitar. The difference
between the two is that Wooden Guitar celebrates the
acoustic steel-stringed instrument while E.A.D.G.B.E.
is devoted to the interface of guitars and computer software.
And like Wooden Guitar, there's enough shared aesthetic ground
that the music flows easily from one musician's segment to the
net. Fonica, a japanese duo, is up first. I suspect they've
devoted some serious listening to Rafael Toral's music; certainly
they share with him an interest in warm, sustained tones and
exaggerated guitar harmoonics. One wonders if they'd let loose
like he does if given a while album to stretch out? In any case,
Iwouldn't mind hearing more. Keith Fullteron Whitman, who probably
doesn't need an introduction in these pages, comes next. His
sole track "Lettera" lasts over nine minutes, and
it has an episodic quality and latent sci-fi feel that bring
to mind the vintage electronic music that Whitman loves. He
uses silence effectively to isolate his disparate sounds, but
the silence nor the sounds seem particularly guitar-like, and
I wonder if Hrvatski couldn't have made this whole piece without
resorting to the guitar at all. Frenchman Sébastien Roux's
three tracks are more narrowly focused; the emphasis is on layered
texture rather than stark gesture, and his sounds are so far
from their source that it'd be easy to hear this music and never
realize that a guitar was involved. Roux uses pulsing hums and
looped clicks on "Biratori" to evoke a sense of melancholy
that'd do Philip Jeck proud, while "Utaro" whistles
and blips swell and recede in a nearly tidal fashion. American
Christopher Willits brings things back to the instrument; his
suite "Seven Machines for Summer" makes liberal use
of digital bumps and blips as punctuation for phrases that were
obviously picked on strings. Willits might teach sound design
and hold a certificate from Mills College, but his easily graspable
tunes and bouncy rhythms make me think that he studied even
more at the schools of Eno, Stereolab and maybe even Hatfield
And The North. Good old prog, it's like a coelacanth; just whne
you think its gone for good, it turns up in the nets. Then you
move on to his other track "Champagne and Soda" and
hear layers of whistles, washes and micro events that bring
to mind a milder-mannered-Fennesz. It's nice, but I wish it
didn't make me think so much of other people's music. I guess
novel gear doesn't guarantee novel results.
SKUG
(DE)
Nach
Elektronik und Laptop-Musik widmet sich diese Compilation dem
Gitarrensound oder einfach den Saiten, womit auch die Reminiszenz
an einen Mythos, bestimmte Emotionen und eine Entwicklung verbunden
sind. Hire erinnern sich vier internationale Künstler und
eine Künstlerin: das Duo Fonica aus Japan, Keith Fullerton
Whitman und Christopher Willits aus den USA und Sebastien Roux
aus Frankreich. Vermutlich aufgrund das ziemlich romantischen,
minimalistischen Einsatzes von Electronics (a la Oval oder Fennesz)
vermitteln die meisten dieser recht guten Stücke das Gefühl,
als ware man blind und suchte im Dunkeln mit seinen Fingern,
Händen und Armen eine Gitarre. Willits präsentiert
eine Art Montage, die mich an die frühen Gitarrenstücke
von Steve Reich und Gavin Bryars mit Frith, Eno und Baily erinnert.
Der Sequencer scheint alles mehr ader weniger zufällig
zu steuern, der Computer hat einige Funktionen der Gitarre übernommen,
aber auch umgekehrt.
Sebastien Roux huldigt der Idee unwiederbringlicher Zeiten,
bei ihm klingt die Gitarre wie ein primitives Instrument. Whitman
beschäftigt sich in erster Linie mit Filtern und Klangfarben,
wobei er die Sounds mehr dehnt als spielt. Fonica wiederum dürften
die beste Arbeit des gesamten Albums beisteuern: ein Unisono
aus allen möglichen Klangquellen, das zurückkehrt.
Insgesamt gesehen ein wirklich ernsthaftes Projekt und eine
recht avantgardistische Compilation, die vielleicht nur ein
bisschen zu sehr im Trend der Zeit liegt: Gitarren und Computer.
THE
SOUND COLLECTOR (UK)
A
fairly enjoyable guitar compilation featuring four international
stars of the fretboard. All the featured players seem to inhabit
very similar sound-worlds, and if taken in one sitting the entire
CD can appear to be a single extended piece in 14 movements.
"Contemporary sonic hybrids of guitar and digital processing"
is how this is sold to us. Certainly, all musicians treat the
sound of the guitar quite extensively, in some cases almost
to point of unrecognisability. Half of this could be mistaken
for average electronica. Their apparent love of rich, tonal
chords can also start to grate on the nerves - it veers from
being moving, to cloyingly sweet. Indeed, final verdict is that
this is something of a "sissy" record, and should
be set aside if you like your guitars gritty and loud.
Fonica are a Japanese duo, Keiichi Sugimoto and Cheason. They
come across like a subdued, cartoon-version of Robert Fripp,
with their skillfully played cascades of notes, extremely "nice"
major chords, all formed into droning, shimmering pieces that
resemble rotating crystal balls. Come to think of it, stern-lipped
overlord Fripp was never this approachable, not even if you
count "Book Of Saturday!" American player keith Fullerton
Whitman has made solo guitar records for Kranky, Locust, Tonschact,
and others; what little I've heard from him is like "Lettera"
here, a nine-minute opus which is almost a mini-symphony in
its shifting complexity. While moving slowly, it has more twists
and turns than a jade labyrinth and some of his unpredictable
changes are pleasingly bewildering. Again, a "full "
and resonant sound emerges, a coppery ocean large enough to
bathe in.
Sébastien Roux's three pieces are similarly moving, rich,
quiet, slow, and.. very "nice." Not far away from
the world of Ian Epps (I played both in the same sitting), and
Frenchman Roux also uses the 'stutter' effect to add a certain
patina to his sound. Heaven knows what scarey equipment these
guitarists must use. He's more of a composer, processing vv
ery simple guitar drones in a digital way. Roux works at IRCAM
in Paris, where he's in charge of "room effect synthesis
tools" great way to earn a living. Christopher Willits,
based in San Francisco, pretty much owns the second half of
the CD; has to be said he's about the most saccharine of the
four players, and it remains to be seen how often i'll be revisiting
his section. He leads off with seven miniatures which he called
'Seven Machines for Summer' - and delivers twee, sweet daintly
melodies that are, effectively, guitar embroidery. yes, the
man is a big girl's blouse! In his pursuit of excellence in
guitar craft and melody, he's staying close to 70's popular
prog (Renaissance, that sort of era) which gives cause for concern.
His final track "Champagne and Soda", however, gives
hope; much more abstract and scrapey it be, though not much
to put on a postcard to the folks back home. - Ed Pinsent.
STYLUS
(US)
When
I was a kid, growing up in California in the 1970s and 80s,
electronic music was defined as any rock music that DIDN'T use
a guitar. Electronic artists like Depeche Mode, Talk Talk, and
Howard Jones were mocked as fake musicians because they used
samplers and synths. In this world, there were only two musics:
rock and new wave. Rock was macho, powerful, and historically
relevant; new wave was pussified rock played by amateurs who
just happened to be good looking enough to appeal to the MTV
crowd.
Today, of course, thanks to hip hop and the continuous stream
of shitty rock music over the last five years (and yes, you
can rest assured that I'm talking about your favorite band),
the guitar has lost some— some —of that allure, and
once maligned digital instruments now figure prominently in
even the most virulent rock artist's repertoire. And in this
digital world, there live electronic musicians—many of
whom started out their music careers playing guitar in punk
or rock bands—who have decided that a return to the guitar
is now in order.
Four of these musicians—Fonica, Keith Fullerton Whitman,
Sebastien Roux, and Christopher Willits—make up the roster
for 12k's recent compilation, E*A*D*G*B*E . The title, according
to the 12k website, comes from "the root tunings of each
string on a 6-string guitar." Hence, you might assume,
the key instrument used in these recordings is the guitar. Ah,
but that's not technically correct. This is, after all, electronic
music, and in this world, the guitar is not an instrument; rather,
it is mere source material. The artists play the guitar, and
the sound is recorded and processed using computer software
(the real instruments). The results of this digital manipulation
vary from mediocre to magical, but, rest assured, none of these
songs sound like "Layla."
Fonica's two tracks, "4.55" and "3.33,"
seem like the undeveloped beginnings of songs. These beginnings
are fascinating, with elliptical twinning sounds and prickly
glitter noise floating all over the place. But the songs seem
like the early moments of a much longer and more interesting
project, and the thirteen minutes the duo is given isn't enough
to fully explore and develop their ideas.
By contrast, I'm pretty sure nine minutes is enough for Keith
Fullerton Whitman (aka Hrvatski) to express his ideas in "Lettera,"
but the ideas here—Cagean experiments in sound manipulation,
with a single, processed guitar sound floating up and down,
stopping and starting all over the place—seem more like
an exercise in sound manipulation than a fully realized soundscape.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Sebastien Roux's three
tracks is the use of delay and echo features in his swarm of
guitar granules. The way these works swirl around, sputter,
and break apart suggests the ways in which sounds themselves
stretch and bend and slowly dissipate in the air. These works,
then, take that dissipation and focus on it, trapping those
diminishing sounds like a cat trapping a bird between its paws,
holding on as long as possible before the outward pressure overwhelms
the inward force. This is beautiful, mesmerizing work, though
sometimes I felt like that bird, stuffed between these claustrophobic
sounds, waiting to escape into the dark sky.
Ah, but all this other music is just a prelude for the true
center of this album, the eight tracks by Christopher Willits,
whose Folding, and the Tea was an underappreciated gem from
2002. Whereas the earlier works were claustrophobic, elliptical,
and obtuse, Willits' work is wide open, happy, bubbling, and
free. Interestingly enough, these are the only songs on this
album where the guitar itself is clearly audible; that is, the
digital manipulation, while still making its impact on these
songs, does not completely eliminate the guitar sounds and effect.
If anything, Willits managed to take the basic emotional core
of this guitar sound and blend it seamlessly with subtle, haunting
digital effects.
Willits' tracks (save the last one, "Champagne and Soda,"
which seems more like Roux's music than Willits' own) demonstrate
that the laptop culture of electronic musicians is merely a
new chapter in the long history of the wandering musician, a
history founded on two things: mobility and freedom. The guitar
was elemental to the wandering musicians because it could create
more types of sound than just about any other acoustic instrument
save the piano; plus, unlike a piano, it could be carried on
one's back. The laptop expands this mobility and freedom by
exponentially adding to the wealth of sounds and adding an infinite
variety of ways to manipulate those sounds. Willits' music here
(and, for all I know, Willits himself) celebrates both the history
and the future of music—not by denigrating or masking the
guitar but by altering its sound and recreating it, freedom
and mobility intact.
TERZ (DE)
Überraschend
vor allem, dass noch niemand auf diesen tollen Titel gekommen
ist. Noch besser die Musik: die Gitarristen Fonica, Keith Fullerton
Whitman, Sebastien Roux, und Christopher Willits prozessieren
ihre Sechs-saitige digital, und wir hören minimalistisch-melodisch-serielle
Texturen, die in ihrer Subtilität, Feinheit, ja Zartheit
kompromissloser wirkin als mancher Brachail-Improvnoise.
TRUST (DE)
Vier
Acts beschäftigen sich minimalistisch mit der Verknüpfung
von Gitarre (die sechs Saiten in herkömmlicher Stimmung
gaben dem Album seinen Namen) und Elektronik. Fonica, Keith
Fullerton Whitman (auch gekanna als Hrvatski), Sebastien Roux
und Christopher Willits lassen es dabei äußerest
leise, fast meditativ angehen. Am unterhaltsamsten auf jeden
Fall die Beiträge von Willits, der Rest is mir dann doch
etwas zu nachdenklich geraten.
VITAL
WEEKLY (NL)
The
guitar remains an instruments that appeals to a lot of musicians,
and those who hooked to laptop, like the good old six strings
aswell. It's still a fine source to put into your laptop and
let all sorts of manipulations go wild over them. 12K understands
this, and has asked four composers for lenghty pieces (or more
short pieces) of some guitar treatments. The CD opens with two
very nice glitchy ambient pieces by Japanese Fonica, nice flowing,
but staying a bit on the same safe side. Keith Fullerton Whitman,
aka Hvratski, has already done some interesting guitar processed
music for his Kranky release, but here he is great shape. A
wonderfully tuned piece that is much like a musique concrete
collage, in the best tradition of various artists normally on
the Line label. Sebastian Roux might be less known, but he started
out as a guitarist in various experimental-post rock ambient
bands. That experience is taken a step further here and warm
glitches are addressed to processed guitar sounds. Quite droney
he gets a good results. The big surprise however is at the end:
Christopher Willits had a CD before on 12K with processed guitar
music, so this work here is no different (and may have brought
12K to the idea of putting out this compilation?). His work
are seven short sketches for almost spanish acoustic guitar
playing. Rhythmically and highly melodic with some skippy beat
to guide it. Lushly played with a lighthearted touch. Simply
great, relaxing music. Manual Gottsching trapped in hardware.
XLR8R
(US)
Taylor
Deupree's minimal electronic imprint 12k is late to the guitar
'n' DSP game, but the artists here gamely mkae up for lost time.
As with all 12k releases, microscopic subtlety and brainy design
reign. Japanese duo Fonica forges chime-bient Frippertronic
vistas of delicate beauty; Keith Fullerton Whitman (Hrvatski)
unveils some tricks he learned from 20th century masters like
Mimaroglu, Subotnik and Dockstader, with equilibrium-disturbing
results; Frenchman Sébastien Roux creates spindly, meditative
études that sound like Oval jamming with Loren Connors;
and San Francisco's Christopher Willits envisions how indie
rock should sound now, with tonally vibrant, whimsically
tuneful songs that resonate emotionally and mesmerize like Steve
Reich. - Dave SegalGesamtkunstwerk.
YOT
(DE)
Zwei
Compilations auf Taylor Deupree's Minimal-Institution 12k. Erstere
davon is ein Album, dass sich dem neuen Interesse an der Gitarre
in der digitalen Musik widmet. Insgesamt vier Artists - die
Tomlab-Formation Fonica, der auch als Hrvatski bekannte Keith
Fullerton Whitman, der Franzose Sébastien Roux und 12k
Künstler Christopher Willits - mit 14 Tracks zwischen verspieltheit
und Ambient, die ob ihrer Homogenität aus dissem Sampler
ein tragfähiges Album machen und durch ihre pure Schönheit
verblüffen.
