Drifting, Almost Falling (BLOG)

It seems only yesterday I was reviewing the re-issue of his “Aix” album on the Keplar label and “Five Wooden Frames” comes my way, co-incidentally his first for 12k since the original 2009 release of “Aix”. With this album Ielasi has utilised acoustic guitar recordings and re-shaped them into haunted drone like pieces. In some way they remind me of wire recordings (the material not the band) and in an other way like William Basinski’s loop based works because of their hypnotic feel. Initially I was not sure what to make of the five numbered pieces, so I viewed my approach to listening as to what Ielasi was doing with the instrument (and is post production of the recordings) as much as I was taking in the sound.

For me “Five Wooden Frames” is about exploring the instrument and reconfiguring how we see it. The title kind of alludes to source material with the wooden frame obviously being the acoustic guitar, but in some way I also think of for example a picture frame and how the music of these pieces is anything contained within the four side of the frame, much like a guitar is only a guitar until an artist expands on it’s potential. Some of the pieces are more recognisable because of the source material, others are more haunting in the way the music lulls and hangs like with “02” and the way it also feels rusty and raw. “03” shows that Ielasi’s approach to the instrument is one of generating textures rather than creating tones. For most of the tracks the music is one in which remains within a certain intensity, but with “05” the music is one which the depth is increased a bit more and the more scratchy/rumbling aspects of the instrument comes to the fore.

“Five Wooden Frames” is as experimental as it is accessible and shows an artist who knows how to balance his works. It includes familiar and unfamiliar sounds in a way continues exploring what an instrument can offer up in terms of sound. “Five Wooden Frames” is available on CD and Digital.