The Wire, issue 228, Feb. 2003 reviewed by Julian Cowley
The three pieces of
unistilled were recorded at three venues in London and Rotterdam during
the first quarter or 2002. The Antipodean Rosy Parlane taps into a
reserve of electronic sounds stored in his computer and occasionally
surfs the radio waves. Gritty particles are released that intermingle
with the juddering molecules of Eddie Prévost's struck and scraped
metallic percussion. Mattin uses his computer to transfigure and
transform this abraded surface lacerated this shrill gleams. His machine
acts as vortex that sucks in sounds and channels them into adjacent
acoustic planes. Parlane and Prévost respond to the changes. The
improvisation moves- not forward towards some clearly defined goal, but
obliquely, continuous yet different.
The opening track is the most strident. The second and third have a
finer grain yet sill defy conventional geometries of listening. Sounds
crackle, glide, crunch, shimmer, flash. They appear at once tactile and
disembodied, solid and nebulous; manifestations of a material process
that conserves the secrets of its motive power.
As music is, it is neither arbitrary obfuscation nor a strategy of
mystique. Rather it eludes paraphrase and commodification, evades verbal
snares and explanatory packaging. Mattin's cover image shadows the
sounds: clear lines that enclose darkness and recede into blur, lagged
by fabric and fronted with a barb. It's nearly 40 years since Prévost
and earlier associates firs entered AMM space. In new company, he's
still making music that sounds fresh, strange, troubling and irreducible
|
|
||
|
VITAL WEEKLY ============ number 349 ------------ week 48 ------------ SAKADA - UNDISTILLED (CD by Matchless Recordings) Sakada is a meeting. A meeting of the old and the new. The old is drummer Eddie Prevost (of AMM and much more fame) and Mattin on 'computer feedback' aand Rosy Parlane on computer and radio. Maybe an unlikely collaboration, but one that works suprisingely well. Captured here are three live recordings from early 2002, two from London and one from Rotterdam. The first London show, at Audit, finds the three in a rather noisy mood. Things hiss, crackle and noise their way through the twenty minute piece. The longest piece is the second piece, recorded at Worm in Rotterdam, and this is also the best piece of the CD. Here the balance between the more noisy moments of the Audit piece are combined with more austere moments of contemplating improvisations, in which each of the three performers have their own defined space. Certainly towards the end of the piece the proceedings sound like AMM, albeit in a more electronic vein. The final piece was recorded at Baggage Reclaim (does that still exist??) and is the shortest of the three. Here it seems that the refinement works best and most contemplating, but the nice mixture of the more noisy bits with the austere bits is not so apperent here. However, having said all of this, it's a fine work of improvisation music, an unlikely meeting of persons and instruments. (FdW) |
DownTownMusicGallery. New York.
SAKADA [MATTIN/ROSY PARLANE/EDDIE PREVOST] - Undistilled (Matchless
49) This is another immensely dark and engaging release from Eddie
Prevost (of AMM)'s label. Sakada features Rosy Parlane (from New
Zealand band Thela) on computer/radio, Eddie on percussion and
someone named Mattin on digital transfiguration. It was recorded
live at three gigs in London and Rotterdam in the first three months
of 2002. I played this in the store a few nights ago and a couple
who wandered in seemed to find this quite disturbing. Eddie's
selective, orchestral and occasionally eerie cymbal work floats
through as more dark, sonic eruptions counter-balance any more
positive vibes. It is often difficult to figure out what any
specific sound sources are, as dark and harsh electronic drones bathe
the proceedings in an unnerving haze. Most of the percussion is
surrounded by a shroud of echoes, which also add a sinister presence.
This overall effect is closer to industrial music, than anything I've
encountered in quite a while. The occasional violent eruptions are a
bit too much at times, yet the rare change in dynamics allow for a
few moments of reflection. Once again, the disturbing arsenal of
Zev-like metal percussion sounds make this rather nightmarish at
times. I keep thinking about wanting to get up and switch to some
more folky or somber world music (later on for that), but I must
persevere, thus is the lonely life of a music journalist. The cover
art is purposefully out-of-focus, but just may be the bloody claws of
some animal caught in a trap behind a barbed wire fence. This also
seems most appropriate. Your choice sonic abandon seems to be for
the brave mostly.
JL Newspaper and www.rep.no.sapo.pt (Portugal)
Este «Undistilled» dá conta de uma mudança na caracterização sonora do
trio Sakada. Se antes a base da sua música livremente improvisada era a
percussão (para além do consagrado Eddie Prévost, dos AMM, dela se
encarregava também Rosy Parlane), agora é a electrónica que centra os
eventos, com Parlane trocando para o computador e a manipulação das
ondas radiofónicas. Mattin, ou melhor, Matthew Hyland, continua neste
novo opus a trabalhar “feedbacks” com o seu
portátil. A mudança é mais drástica do que se poderá julgar: hoje, os
Sakada são muito mais electroacústicos e a verdade é que o protagonismo
dos sons electrónicos altera os próprios parâmetros da prática da
improvisação. Por vários motivos, o principal dos quais sendo o
afastamento do primado instrumental. Os instrumentos acústicos
convencionais, como se sabe,
tendem para o fraseado e o jogo melódico; de resto, foi como um corte
com essa tradição que os novos improvisadores decidiram tocar esses
mesmos instrumentos com uma abordagem inspirada na electrónica e muito
especialmente na “musique concrète”, explorando por exemplo os sons
adjacentes (da madeira no caso do violoncelo, dos “pickups” no da
guitarra, do sopro no dos saxofones) e técnicas que vão muito para lá
das notas do solfejo ocidental ou que, pura e
simplesmente, o recusam na totalidade. Neste grupo, a opção pela
tecnologia digital contorna esses procedimentos miméticos e vai ao
fulcro da questão, com Prévost a acentuar a dimensão humana. Isto é
música electroacústica com sangue e tripas e nervos.
Undistilled, Matchless Recordings
Rui Eduardo Paes
Crítico de música, jornalista e ensaísta
(Music journalist and writer)
Rua Gil Vicente, 193 3ºG
2775-198 Parede
Portugal
www.rep.no.sapo.pt
Tradución al castellano de Chema Chacón
Oro
Molido (Madrid)
Este
Undistilled da cuenta de un
cambio en la caracterización sonora del trio
Sakada.
Si antes la base de su música libremente improvisada era la percusión
(además del consagrado Eddie Prévost,
de los AMM, de ella se encarga
también Rosy Parlane),
ahora es la electrónica que centra los eventos, con Parlane cambiando al
ordenador y a la
manipulación de ondas radiofónicas. Mattin,
o mejo, Matthew Hyland,
continúa en este nuevo opus trabajando feedbacks
con su portátil. El cambio, es mas drástico de lo que podria
juzgarse: hoy, los Sakada son
mucho mas electroacústivos y la verdad es que el
protagonismo de los sonidos electrónicos altera los propios parámetros
de la práctica
de la improvisación. Por varios motivos, el principal de ellos es el
alejamiento del primado instrumental. Los instrumentos acústicos
convencionales, como se sabe, tienden al fraseado y el juego melódico;
del resto, fue como un corte con esa tradición que los nuevos
improvisadores decidieran tocar esos mismos instrumentos con un abordaje
inspirado en la electrónica y muy especialemente en la "musique
concrete", explorando por ejemplo los sonidos adyacentes (de madera en
el caso del violonchelo, de los 'pickups" en la guitarra, del soplo en
los saxofones) y técnicas que van mucho más allá de las notas del solfeo
occidental o que, pura y simplemente, rechazan en la totalidad. En este
grupo, la opción por la tecnología digital contornea esos
procedimientos miméticos y van al meollo de la cuestión, con Prévost
acentuando la dimensión humana. Esta es música electroacústica con
sangre, tripas y nervios. Rui Eduardo Paes, traducción Chema Chacón.
www.jazzweekly.com
May 2003
SAKADA
Undistilled
Matchless
MRCD49-CD
Non-hierarchical arrangements have long characterized
the sounds made in that subset of free music called
BritImprov. Until recently -- and then only
contemporaneously with the widespread acceptance of
electronics -- barefaced virtuosity using extended
techniques was the usual stock in trade for
Continental and North American improvisers. Groups
from the United Kingdom, on the other hand, following
the lead of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and AMM:
they seemed to be more about group improvisations than
the show-offy products of any one musician.
Sampling, electronics, computers and other
non-acoustic implements have in many cases superseded
instrumental virtuosity elsewhere. Today, restrained
group sounds are as likely to appear on CDs recorded
by Japanese, Austrian, German or (horrors!) American
players as from those born under the Union Jack. This
accomplished trio effort that mixes free improv with
musique m�canique is one example.
Recorded live in Rotterdam, it purports to represent,
according to the booklet notes "a formidably dense
mesh of textures and a subtle alignment of urgency and
stasis, persistence and interruption." Well yes, but
as exalting as this "sound-body" might be, it seems to
do away with the individuality that still typified
BritImprov pre-electronica.
Who suffers the most is veteran percussionist and AMM
founder Eddie Pr�vost. Circumscribed by a restricted
range of percussion, only rarely can his contributions
become clear in the shifting effluvium that arises
from Rosy Parlane using his computer and radio to
relay electronic sounds created earlier and Mattin (no
other name) using computer feedback to spontaneously
transform miscellaneous sounds.
As egalitarian -- if not more so -- than the next
person, Pr�vost obviously doesn't mind what happened
on Undistilled. He has put it out on his own label.
But as communal as his sentiments may be, in his own
bands and AMM, you can at least follow his musical
thought patterns. Here, the effect is like waiting for
Charlie Parker alto solos to break through the haze of
strings or voices on his mid-1950s LPs.
For that reason, the relatively brief -- 81/4 minute
-- "Baggage Reclaim" is more likely to be welcomed by
Pr�vost fans than the other two lengthy tracks. In
between the high-pitched computer drones and what
sounds like Parlane tuning his radio -- searching for
BBC International, perhaps? -- are some characteristic
Pr�vost percussion moments. At one point you hear the
distinctive scrape of a drumstick being dragged across
a ride cymbal, at another the gentle peal of a
triangle being sounded. Along with the assembly line
chugging sounds on most of the track, someone --
perhaps the percussionist -- pierces the rainstorm of
feedback for something that appears to be the pressure
of fingers on metal comb teeth. Plus the track -- and
the CD -- ends with a resounding single-note ping from
a cymbal.
Shrieking metal rubbed against metal are some of the
emblematic noises of the other tracks, especially the
almost 32-minute "Worm." Initially, ascending
organ-like drones turn to feedback as what could be
the noise of horse's hooves mixes with static and
feedback riffs and clump of metallic squeals. It must
be the percussionist who contributes the occasional J.
Arthur Rank-like gong resonation, but the sounds of
what appear to be plush toys being squeezed, feral
scratching and mechanized bird whistling are the only
other tones that challenge the drone for ear
supremacy. Redefining itself in basso range, as what
you would hear from a gas-powered lawn mower, and in
alto tone as if from a legion of home handymen busily
repairing appliances on a workbench, Pr�vost's then
gong reappears as anvil strikes. Finally as the
computer punches wavering feedback in and out of the
track, telephone wire squeals and electricity buzzes
predominate until the end.
Electronica and feedback fans will presumably revel in
what is produced here. BritImprov types used to AMM
and Pr�vost's other bands may be a harder sell.
-- Ken Waxman
discography
w.m.o/record label
desetxea net label
www.mattin.org