The latest digital-only release by Overlap.org is freshly on the net today. Comprised of the three primaries of Raster-Noton (Germany) the set was recorded live at the San Francisco Art Institute last Summer. This show included new work by Frank Bretschneider, Olaf Bender/Byetone and Signal (Carsten Nicolai, Frank Bretschneider, Olaf Bender). I was lucky to spend some time with these fine gentlemen, including documenting sound-check and much meandering around town over two days. The release includes cover art by yours truly and has to be heard to be actualized in your cortex. You can listen and download a copy ($5!!!!) here.
The 10th Anniversary of Mutek kicked off Wednesday with A/Visions I, a full-on tonal ambient listening set by Gas (Wolfgang Voigt). The visual component was a bit of pastiche of the past, a contextualization of his album art and recent monographics - deep lush forests, saturated in bold darkened colors. Then we were presented with multidisciplinarian Herman Kolgen’s world premiere of IN/JECT, an HD video work for the big screen (w/multichannel audio). I could use nearly every euphemism from eye-popping to jaw-dropping to describe the way he transcribed nearly every contemporary a/v motif from the coy absurdity of Bjork and Matthew Barney to the visceral chaos of Chris Cunningham with nods to the flair of Magritte, it was a whopping melange for the senses. He retrofit and owned the room in a way rarely experienced by incorporating hydro imagery of bodies suspended in space, sharply cut-up both visually and rhythmically. At the curve of the unknown, seeping with the suspense of potential horror, stopping short to take point blank 180 degree turns to keep your eyes fastened on the screen. This alone would have made the trip of 3K+ miles worth every kilometer.
Later in the evening I donned a yellow hazmat bodysuit alongside many others who spun the wheel to participate in a show where I caught parts of sets by French acts Turzi and Zombie Zombie (a collaboration with Club Transmediale). Funky + fresh + French.
Liebezeit (left), Friedman (right)
As the fest progressed at multiple venues I missed a handful of performances, some in unlikely spots, in between socializing with friends made over the years, dining and general sight-seeing (people watching). In the process I sorely missed a branch of the fest which was nested in the back of the beautiful (and oldest French theater in North America) Monument National (where all of the A/Visions programming was held upstairs) curated by Eric Mattson which I am sure was brilliant given his hand in many of the related events over the years. It was good to see him, however. I only realized after I spoke with Nicolas of Minibloc that I had been aside the venue without knowing it - I’ll watch for reports. Thursday I caught A/Visions II with The Fun Years, Jaki Liebezeit & Burnt Friedman as well as a portion of Martin Tétreault & Michel Langevin. Tight overall, filled with abstract percussion, broken beats ala world rhythms. Tétreault dazzled with a multi-bank of turntables while Liebezeit and Friedman have honed a balanced blend between their disparate world of Krautrock meets dub/jazz.
Clinker (Gary James Joynes)
Later in the evening I spent a majority of my deep listening time dedicated to the goings-on at the Savoy (within the Metropolis complex where it was a blend of dub and dance music for party people). I managed to eavesdrop on a touch of both Moderat (a loud crowd-pleaser of techno ala rave pairing Apparat and Modeselektor) and DJ Mala whose intriguing rhythmic flow could have had the crowd on its feet ’til the wee hours. I focused on the more dense and diverse smaller room, however its proximity to the larger had caused for an aural spillover that was distracting at times when the artists performing were headed for deeper bass lows. That said, all were in top form including Anticipate’s Ezekiel Honig whose funky set had a wash of minimal, calculated harmonies layered together like a treasure map. Clinker of Alberta was the evening’s biggest risk-taker, evolving a commissioned Leonard Cohen piece with voice (digital and live), smoke machines and video. He crossed austere religious references with passionate sexuality in an emotional set that was imbued with a certain sense of longing. i8u along with video artist Chika (doing double duty w/Honig earlier) performed a pert 40-minute long set that was simply perfection. The unique culmination between the most minimal acoustics with beats that teased but never fully prompted a pop sensibility. There was something sensual yet very cryptic in this stand-out set of the showcase. Grecian artist Novi_sad’s part of the evening began off the main stage and behind the audience (”chill out” floor area) sans visuals. It was darkly experimental, full with lush drones and lost voices, sound effects and strange field recordings. His set ran longer, but I could’ve gone all night with him. Finally Montreal’s Aun took the stage, making for a continuation of the previous set, but perhaps a touch more ambient…though sleep beckoned and I left about half-way through all was well into the night.
On Friday my friend Kevin and I witnessed Robert Henke and Christopher Bauder’s North American Exclusive opening performance of ATOM. This work was presented upon the stage at Place des Arts, in which the audience also circled. 60+ mechanically synchronized and illuminated helium balloons danced into shapes to a phenomenal new composition by Henke. The kinetic piece moved up and down on wires as each balloon was lit from within, forming cascading, undulating shapes in mid air. The good thing about the hour long run-time is that it’s about as long as folk can take sitting cross legged in the 360 formation of the space. An absolute breathtaking experience.
SND kicked off A/Visions III with broken abstraction that oscillated into a whir of tranquil circuitry putting me into a state of slumber, and not at all from a case of boredom. Their sound was pure power, with only one or two dramatic turns, mostly encompassing a thick bass pulse that was relentless, yet tonally somewhat a pure aural massage. Afterwards I only caught a small portion of NSI with Jimmy Lakatos‘ accompaniment on mirror shards and sparse lighting techniques. What I heard and saw was a fusion of old school synths, electro-acoustics and some minimal techno thrown into the mix, however I had to leave early to let loose for an hour or two in the midst of Montreal nightlife in Le Village, where I met my good friend Francis at Woof. They had blocked off the streets making for a more festive street atmosphere than normal. Though the weather was on and off rainy, the attitude about was very warm indeed.
Chika (left), i8u (right)
Saturday was the marathon day so I started with France (i8u) for a lovely brunch at Lola Rosa Cafe. There we indulged in wonderful conversation, catching up a bit and incredible cuisine from a chef team out of Marseilles. I had this pain dore with a banana puree to die for, but I am glad I lived to tell. We parted with her kindly offering me a copy of her latest collaborative release with Tomas Phillips on Atak which Kevin and I listened to the entire trip from Montreal to the US border on our way out of town by the way. Absolutely stunning, and an exclusive at Mutek, released later in the month out of Japan.
Then it was back to the hotel to freshen up for the Piknikelectronik which is always a good time on Jean-Drapeau Park under Calder’sMan, Three Disks. This year unlike in years past, the air was a bit crisper on the water, and though the sun broke many had light windbreakers and such, but the dancing kept everything communally warm. I caught a portion of Brendon Moeller’s set which was delightful and made way for Thomas Fehlmann’s immersive combo of dance rhythms atop what you would expect, the unexpected. I could have danced til dawn, but it was broad daylight, making the beautiful and diverse people flailing around even more beautiful in the broken rays of light. It was also nice to see many a familiar face from my five visits to this important festival in the crowd. Leaving shortly after the vibe from Trus’Me’s set was a great departure track that echoed all the way back to the Metro. Surely something I could have gotten my groove on to, but knowing the night would be lengthy I opted to return to the hotel for a wonderful Asian veggie dinner with Kevin on Sherbrooke.
Byetone
It was then to SAT for the Raster-Noton showcase for which I knew I would be immersed for at least four hours of incredible minimalism and entrancing visuals, and the evening did not disappoint starting with Cyclo. This merge of minds between Ryoji Ikeda and Carsten Nicolai fused darker white noise and sonics with slow-built cacaphonic, riveting beats. Next up was Atom™ whose set broke into vignettes between early digital mechanics, some video with programmed voice and a fusion of latin flair encrusted with truncated techno. Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) took to the stage owning it like the multidisciplinary pro he’s become over these many years in the scene. What makes his work so incredible is the pure mix of hard mathematics and precise a/v rhythms, synched to perfection. His visuals were a macro unto themselves, panning in and out of a masterplan of video architecture live on screen. Though nothing would have prepared me, or most of the crowd, for what became most definitely the highlight of the entire festival, Byetone. Olaf Bender, as one of the founders of Raster-Noton has been more of a behind-the-scenes guy, much more deliberate and the lesser prolific of this roster. However, his work is probably the most accessible for a dancefloor, while maintaining a sensibility falling just micro-millimeters from something that might be considered pop. Though if there were such a thing within the construct of minimalism, this is it. As he worked his bank of computers and mixers with verve there was a unstoppable crescendo that required an encore amidst the meeting of dead-on electronics, the mesmerized dancing throngs coming to the fest from the world over, and overlapping video calisthenics.
Dandy Jack (left), Mathew Jonson (right)
Though my senses were already on overload I dared step out into the evening to complete my entire monumental anniversaire in Montreal at the Metropolis. Upstairs at Savoy there was a packed SRO showcase dedicated to Seattle’s Decibel Festival (w/Lusine and others). Downstairs I lost myself with the crowd (and friends) on the dancefloor to a partial set by dOP (the singer was funny), but the highlight here was Dandy Jack + Mathew Jonson with whom I was embraced for nearly an additional hour and a half. Individually these players are dynamic, but together they complete a story, with several chapters composed in tandem. They keep techno alive and well and into the present. The vivid multipanel lightshow drew from eras post-dated back to the 70’s and well into the future projecting pyramids, body parts and flashy lipstick shades all over the room. My feet held out until nearly 2:30am, however this party was going all night and I left on an already high note.
All in all this was by far the best Mutek I’ve attended since 2002. It combined the experimental with the popular and catered to audiences of all cultural mishigas. Though as you might figure me to be more the ‘deep listening’ type I can still dance past dawn with the best of them, yet I was more conservative this time out, and still left fully satisfied. Being a distinctive anniversary for the founders I felt it was necessary to be part of the event though due to all the economic digits served in this time I may not be able to get back for years to come. I can say I been there and done that (w/pride)!
PS: For a spot of video see Soma and for more photos check out Brooklyn Vegan. Serial Consign seemed to be right with me (its really like two festivals in one). And for another point of view try Rhizome. Surely not leastly, A.V. Club also weighed in with comments and even a few clips.
The image above is a set-up of Vladislav Delay, who I’ve found in various places across the web as of late, worth listening to. First with AGF (Podcast 10) appearing in a new series for T-Mobile’s Electronic Beats (Modeselektor & others are featured as well in lengthy mix sessions). And as the fortnight approaches upon which I will once again depart the region for Montreal and the 10th Anniversary offerings of Mutek I embrace much of the truly best in the field of electronic music and a/v. For this earmark event they’ve rolled out a new podcast (adding new entries almost daily). If you haven’t made the northeast trek, here you can listen to what you’ve missed - including a set by Delay, Akufen, Komet, Pan/Tone among others. These hour-long original master performances can even be downloaded into your own personal iTunes for repeated hear-wear.
One of the highlights this year will be the world premiere of Herman Kolgen’s newest solo project, IN/JECT (May 27). Described as “A human body is injected in a cistern. Over the course of 45 minutes, the pressure of the liquid exerts upon him multiple neurosensorial transformations.” The work will be performed live in concert with Gas (Wolfgang Voigt) of Cologne. Submersive! Also included will be a very rare performance by Cyclo (Carsten Nicolai/Ryoji Ikeda) of Raster-Noton and Atom™ (aka Uwe Schmidt). The links include music samples, so tune in…
Not leastly, in the world of the future, comes Star Trek (a pre-quel). This past weekend, along with approx 400 Intel folk, I was treated to the theatrical preview of this new film, due out on Friday. Special effects and fight scenes dominated the entire picture which is fast-paced, wide-screened and quickly pieces together the story of a young James Tiberius Kirk and his journey into Starfleet Academy. The new ensemble cast all fit their parts well, alluding to the visage of its original TV stars. This will not act as a spoiler, though a small cameo by Winona Ryder in her big screen return as Spock’s human mother seemed an interesting choice. There was also a return by one of the original cast members which wavered on the hokey. For me (only a part-time trekkie) this affair was about 3 out of 5 stars - mostly due to tongue-in-cheek inuendos rather than serious sci-fi (for the futurists out there). You can get your fill of trailers and other trivia here.
These are new works made from nickel silver, called Cluster on view this month at Berlin’s Galerie Eigen + Art by Carsten Nicolai who I recently met again in San Francisco during the Raster-Noton set I blogged about. The show is called Tired Light.
This is an installation of orbs (and a photo/lightbox panel) both originally created in 2003 for my exhibition Genometrics. The last existing orbs are on view and available at [NAAU] through June 22. I enjoyed the similarities in form and the differences in material application.
Completing the Tribryd cycle after six years with the release of Infinitus this past week comes with, of course, an exhalation. In that same breath I am planning to ‘get outta Dodge’. Before that I want to say that my reception this weekend somehow managed to come off very well given that the work itself doesn’t lend itself to a crowd, though over the course of the night I reckon we had somewhere around 200+ visitors. The gallery served a dry white wine and an amazing white orchid tea. The lighting worked, the skies were just appropriately overcast and looming without opening on the crowd that gathered outside. I pretty much stayed ‘on pointe’ in one location the entire evening, which felt right to receive guests and offer light mapping. Many of my colleagues were there, and feedback overflowed. In all, I heard variations on themes of comfort and intimidation, surprise and an elated sensibility. Some astute viewers mentioned things they were reminded of and others said that it was a first time like experience, and others seemed poetically or physically charged. The night was complete when a small group of us headed to the Liberty Glass for a night cap. A memorable evening w/a smooth finish. [Photo courtesy Vadim A.]
Yesterday, with two friends, it was off to explore some of Oregon I have yet to see. And that included breakfast in Albany, a trip to Oregon’s newest state park, Thompson’s Mills located in Shedd, and a long walk through the national wildlife refuge known as Baskett Slough in Dallas. The tour of the mill was actually quite nice, intimate for five guests, and a bit of history of labor and industry. Cranks and old rusty intricate machines, weighing stations, distribution chambers…it was a fantastic throwback to another era. The guide was enthusiastic and seemed to have done her homework. We also couldn’t help noticing the many swallow nests under the eves of the main building. It’s a quirky and wonderful free tour of how things were in the changing industrial age, without many conveniences. The overview depicts how innovation and technology is something we will most likely always take for granted. The surrounding grounds are also lovely to walk about.
We then drove north towards Corvallis and the wildlife refuge (named for George J. Baskett, an early Willamette Valley settler). Upon entry we saw a huge squirrel which we all thought was a mole or some other larger critter. Towards the slough we spied many young fawn grazing in the not so distance. Always a graceful sight, they sort of float away when they see us humans. The walk was through cascading knolls filled with wavy grasses and a blue sky filled with bulbous marshmallow clouds. Many bird variations in the air as we approached the wetland of this 2500 acre area, including some Canadian geese. A perfect Sunday.
Off to ‘Frisco through Friday! I’m heading south on a jet plane to attend a special Volume Projects performance and dinner with the founding gentlemen of Raster-Noton of Germany (Olaf Bender, Frank Bretschneider, Carsten Nicolai). At one point or another in the past half dozen years I have had the pleasure of meeting these men individually, and they will perform this way, as well as in the formation of their trio Signal. These guys bring a whole new meaning to the high art of minimalism within electronic music. I will certainly report upon my return….
