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Zorn List Digest       Monday, November 15 1999       Volume 02 : Number 790



In this issue:
-
       Music Unlimited report (part 1)
       Re: Music Unlimited report (part 1)
       Re: Music Unlimited report (part 1)
       Taboo and Exile
       Music Unlimited report (part 2)
       Re: Taboo and Exile / Masada live in Anaheim CD

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 20:56:07 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Music Unlimited report (part 1)

the Music Unlimited festival occurs annually in Wels, Austria, a midsize town
about two hours west of Vienna. when I saw a few months ago that Otomo
Yoshihide was curating this year's festival, and that many of my favorite
musicians would be present, and Otomo himself would play in five separate
bands over the course of the evening, I decided to attend.

I arrived with my friend Jessica in Vienna on Thursday morning, the day
before the festival began. I happened to know of a good show in Vienna that
night, Radu Malfatti and Werner Dafeldecker (I learned later that this was
their first duo performance in three years, and only their second ever), so
we went down and checked it out. it was at a school, and took place in an
auditorium. attendance was ridiculously low, totalling six (myself, Jessica,
a couple, Radu's girlfriend, and the promoter). the program consisted of
three long pieces, the first two compositions by Malfatti and the third an
improv. Malfatti's recent composing style is incredibly sparse, with
intermittent silences continually interrupting the music. I had asked him
before the show why he was no longer in Polwechsel, and he told me that he
had been asked to leave because his compositions were too sparse. I found
this hard to understand before the show, but not after the show. the first
piece, thorough composed for trombone and contrabass, started with both
musicians clicking stopwatches simultaneously. this piece was so sparse and
elegant, with so many extended silences, that it makes Polwechsel sound like
Last Exit. it was compelling, though, and reminded me somewhat of the
approach of composers like Thomas Koner, Bernhard Gunter, and Francisco
Lopez, although from a much more musically schooled background. the second
piece was for solo trombone, although there was almost no recognizable
trombone sound. the music mostly consisted of different kinds of breath
through the trombone, long silences, and Malfatti's rubbing a mute up and
down his pants leg. you know a piece is quiet when you can hear your friend's
stomach growling over the music. the third piece, the improvisation, was
gorgeous. it was in the same minimal style, but there were no pauses, and
both musicians used a much more varied palette of sounds. Dafeldecker bowed
all over his bass, less on the strings than on other parts. it all worked
really well, and afterwards Jessica and I went out drinking with Radu and
Werner, which was also pretty fun, partially because for the first time all
day, we knew what was on the menu at the restaurant.

the next afternoon, after more sightseeing, we took the train to Wels. we
arrived and checked into our hotel around 3:30. I went over to the venue a
few hours later, for the concerts which started at 7. the way that this
festival runs is with two adjacent stages, a large auditorium seating about
300, and a smaller room off to the side of the main stage, which stands about
100 people. acts alternated between the two rooms, with the small stage shows
starting 2-3 minutes after the previous main stage show ended, and the main
stage sets starting 5 or 10 minutes after the previous small stage set. so
each night consisted of 5-7 hours of essentially nonstop music, an incredible
amount to intake. altogether, there were 20 hours of music in a 53 hour
period.

the first night began appropriately with a solo electronic set by Otomo. it
lasted about 50 minutes, subtly overwhelming music, with samplers and
multiple turntables creating a repeating wall of music which Otomo added
different eelments to each cycle through. one repeating element is a cymbal
which he suspended above a turntable, and presses into the rotating record
below in a rhythmic fashion. it was a very good set, but it probably could
have ended ten minutes earlier and achieved the same effect.

next on the small stage was Takeshi Fumimoto on turntables, who I'm not
familiar with. the start of this set was fine, but I ended up talking to
musicians and missed most of it.

next up on the big stage was Otomo's My Dear Mummy project. there's a record
of this (on Creativeman Disc, I believe) which I haven't heard in a long
time. there's a long narration (in Japanese on the album, translated to
German for the concert, neither of which I understand almost at all, so that
was something of a barrier), and eight musicians improvising behind the text
very quietly. Otomo was conducting, although he hid behind a large black box
in the middle of the stage, and Dafeldecker told me later he didn't do much
at all. it still would have been nice to see him, though. the musicians
included Dafeldecker, Taku Sugimoto, Gunter Muller, Sachiko M. among others,
but they all stayed in the background. the music consisted of burbles,
crackles and pops and was relaxing, but all in all, I wasn't so excited by
this set.

next on the small stage were Dieter Kovacic (turntables) and Oliver Stotz
(guitar), who have a CD out on Rhiz under the name c (circled like a
copyright symbol) which is called Pop Concrete. when they perform live, they
call themselves r (also circled). there was a third member controlling some
pretty cool video output behind them. the music was pretty good, although
Kovacic is better than Stotz, and I'm looking forward to his solo turntable
set later in the festival.

I should add here that there's usually not as much to say about the sets on
the small stage, because they're typically shorter, 20 or 25 minutes, and
pretty straightforward.

next on the main stage were Radian, who I was really looking forward to to
see if they could play live. I really enjoy their debut EP on Rhiz, and they
have a full-length ready to go for Mego. it's three memebers, bass, drum and
synth, and the first thing I noticed when they came out was that they were
all wearing headphones. I learned later that all of their pieces are fully
composed, no improv elements at all. there was one piece from the EP which
they played note for note. it was still a nice set, more abstract and less
propulsive and bass-driven than the EP. I'm still looking forward to the new
CD, but this set wasn't as revelatory as I had hoped for.

next on the small stage was Seiichi Yamamoto, guitarist of Boredoms and
Omoide Hatoba fame. he started with a feedback-drenched solo, and was
attacking his amplifier physically during it. after about five minutes, he
yanked his plug out violently, and walked off stage. it didn't seem as if he
was angry, just that he thought that was enough. I thought it was pretty cool.

last show of the first night, main stage, was the Incapacitants, a Japanese
noise band consisting of two pudgy guys in white t-shirts with giant homemade
synths, throttling and torturing them to produce a shifting wall of noise. I
didn't find it especially compelling until the end. about thirty minutes in,
one ofthe duo left the stage. the other guy continued for a few minutes then
leaped on the table with his synth, toppling it and sending him and it
crashing to the ground. he then ran offstage, leaving just the still
pulsating (barely) synth going through the speakers. after a few minutes, he
ran back on, pulled the plugs, and ran off. then the lights came up. not an
amazing set, but a dramatic ending to a compelling night of music, which
turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Saturday and Sunday to follow...

Jon
www.erstwhilerecords.com

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 18:55:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Pratt <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Music Unlimited report (part 1)

Thanks for the report, Jon. I'm a little jealous...

> Malfatti's recent composing style is incredibly
> sparse, with  intermittent silences continually
> interrupting the music.

Malfatti didn't mention any upcoming recordings of
this sort of stuff, did he? I've been really impressed
with everything I've heard from this guy, and I'm a
total sucker for really quiet music.

> it was compelling, though, and reminded me somewhat
> of the approach of composers like Thomas Koner,
> Bernhard Gunter, and Francisco Lopez, although from
> a much more musically schooled background.

I know you're not a huge fan of either Gunter or
Lopez, but do you like Koner's stuff at all? Of the
few albums I've heard, his stuff has sounded like
pretty boring dark ambience. Am I missing something?
Now that I think of it, I actually like the recent
Porter Ricks / Techno Animal well enough...

It's interesting that you'd compare Malfatti's music
(acoustic) to Gunter, Lopez and Koner (electronic).
This recent brand of minimalism doesn't seem too
prominent in the acoustic world of new music. I really
wish that weren't the case.

Thanks again for the post, Jon.

         -Tom Pratt

=====

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 00:22:22 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Music Unlimited report (part 1)

In a message dated 11/14/99 9:56:27 PM, [e-mail] writes:

<< Malfatti didn't mention any upcoming recordings of
this sort of stuff, did he? >>

I don't think I asked him, actually. too busy discussing his potential
Erstwhile project. :) he has at least two examples of this on disc already,
though. the self-titled Edition Wandelweiser disc, and the Fringes disc with
Thomas Lehn and Phil Durrant.

<<I know you're not a huge fan of either Gunter or
Lopez, but do you like Koner's stuff at all?>>

Koner's stuff is either hit or miss. I think Permafrost and Kaamos work well,
but those are the only two that do.

<<It's interesting that you'd compare Malfatti's music
(acoustic) to Gunter, Lopez and Koner (electronic).>>

yeah, they all seem primarily currently concerned with the relationship
between audibility and inaudibility and flipping in and out and between the
two. certainly Malfatti is coming from a different perspective. FWIW, when I
asked him if he'd heard the music of those musicians, he said no, but he said
I wasn't the first person to bring up Gunter to him.

<<This recent brand of minimalism doesn't seem too
prominent in the acoustic world of new music.>>

well, Malfatti is definitely at the extreme end of it, but a little ways down
the spectrum lie Polwechsel, VHF, and arguably even Nmperign. I definitely
thought during the concert, though, that no one else is working in such
extreme minimal territory in acoustic music. it borders on too minimal at
times, I'd say, but to each their own.

<<Thanks again for the post, Jon.>>

no problem. the last two days are more exciting.

Jon
www.erstwhilerecords.com

- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 07:41:39 -0500
From: Steve Spangler <[e-mail]>
Subject: Taboo and Exile

I bought a copy of Taboo and Exile this weekend, but Tzadik and cdnow
don't list it as released yet. Does anybody know if there's a stoey
behind this, or did my local record store just jump the gun on putting
the cd out.

Steve Spangler


- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 09:02:45 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Music Unlimited report (part 2)

I spent a lazy day walking around Wels on Saturday. it was pretty cold and
rainy, so that wasn't too fun. at 3 PM, there was a screening of a movie
called History Ground Zero which consisted of pretty short sequences of the
band playing live over the years, filmed in jumpy black and white, switching
back and forth in random chronological order, and cutting in and out of
pieces at unusual times. I think it was about 75 minutes long, and with a few
exceptions, not too compelling. I do believe that my legs were visible in the
audience in the NYC 1995 show segment though. whoo!

Saturday night at 7 PM the music started again. there were 11 acts scheduled
this night, as opposed to 7 each of the other two nights, so I was ready for
a real marathon (which it turned out to be, ending around 3 AM).

first band on the main stage was the much-lauded Kaffe Matthews, with Andrea
Neumann and Annette Krebs, two names previously unfamiliar to me. I missed
the first part of this set, because I was talking to musicians, but I moved
into my seat about 15 minutes in. Matthews originally played the violin, but
over the past few years has moved more and more to pure processed violin
sounds, distorted so much as to become unrecognizable. Neumann plays
something she calls an inside piano which is literally the guts of a piano on
a bench, which I'd never seen before. and Krebs plays guitar, but processed
so much as to also render it fairly unrecognizable. this set was pretty good;
Matthews is definitely talented, more so than I had previously thought from
her first two CDs, and the other two were holding their own. nothing
earthshattering, but a nice beginning to a long night.

next was Werner Dafeldecker and a woman with the last name of Akoasma who was
a club DJ who Werner found and was playing only her second or third gig
anywhere ever. she had dyed short blond hair, tattoos, and was probably the
most exuberant fan at the festival, pushing her way up to the front at almost
every set, and dancing even when the music didn't seem remotely danceable.
anyway, this was a great set. Dafeldecker miked and bowed the tops of glasses
with a pickup attached, and she mixed in electronic sounds. very musical,
accomplished and satisfying.

next, back on the main stage, was Martin Tetreault and Diane Labrosse. both
from Montreal, they're on a really nice Ambiances Magnetiques CD along with
Ikue Mori. I was looking forward to this one also, having only seen Martin
once previously. it was a long, solid set. Tetreault had two turntables
going, but didn't play many records, preferring to get his sounds out of the
turntables themselves. Labrosse definitely held her own, stirring jarring
computer textures into the mix. full of ideas, constantly progressing, but
rarely breathtaking.

next on the small stage was Erik M. playing solo. he's a young French
turntablist who's becoming more prominent in the scene. he has a very good
solo CD on Sonoris, a new 3 inch disc on Metamkine which I haven't heard yet,
and he's on the superb new For 4 Ears disc (not available in the US quite
yet) along with Voice Crack and Gunter Muller, a combination which was one of
the showcase bands the final night. he also played a fairly lackluster set at
Victoriaville this year, with Jean-Marc Montera and Michel Doneda, so I
didn't have too high expectations for this set, but he rocked my world. 20
minutes, which seemed to fly by in an instant, of fresh, invigorating,
abstract DJing with multiple turntables, always keeping a funky beat going,
while layering crazy, musical sounds on top and scratching all the while.
breathtaking, and I wished it had lasted three times as long. one of my three
musical highlights of the festival.

next on the main stage was Kazunao Nagata, who's a prominent behind the
scenes player in the Japanese electronica world, as well as having numerous
solo synth CDs. I think he runs Zero Gravity, and maybe some other labels,
and I know he's in the final incarnation of Ground Zero, documented on the
Last Concert disc. I'm not a fan of his records, and I didn't like his set at
all, leaving after ten minutes (it's a small venue, though, and I could still
hear what was going on while I was outside). it got a bit more interesting
near the end, but he's too wanky for my tastes. the first total dud set, a
sentiment later confirmed independently by a couple of musicians.

tough to be upset long, though, because next in the small room was a solo set
from Keith Rowe. unsurprisingly, it was superb, pushing his guitar to the
max, and mixing in occasional shortwave radio signals. he used springs, a
tiny fan, pieces of wood, all to coax every conceivable sound out of his
much-battered strings. as good as I had hoped for.

next in the main room was the one act on the bill which stuck out from the
rest of the program like a sore thumb, Fanfare Ciocarlia, a Romanian 12-piece
jazz/dance band featuring three trumpets, two tubas, five other horns, and
two percussionists. they pulled all the seats out of the main room between
Nagata and Fanfare, but the place was still jammed with fans who had seemingly
 come just to see Fanfare. after a few minutes, I decided to take a much
needed break. they played endlessly to much applause. one of the funnier
moments of the festival was the few of us waiting in the small room for these
guys to end and Sachiko M. to start her solo set. every time they would start
another piece, everyone in the room would roll their eyes and shake their
heads, wanting to get on with the rest of the festival. anyway, after what
seemed about seven years, they finally ended, filing offstage, playing all
the while, going back on, playing more songs, filing back off, on and on and
on.

next was Sachiko, who I was looking forward to and was pretty disappointed
by. it was much less varied than her solo CD on Amoebic, a static set of
sinewave sounds. it did do the job of clearing out the tuba music from my
head, though.

back to the main stage for Novo Tono, a rock ensemble of Otomo's (one CD on
Creativeman, and I think another in the works somewhere). he played guitar,
Phew sang, plus there was keyboard, guitar, bass and drums. (for a bit more
personnel info on this whole festival, there's a web site at:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/4782/unlimited/deutsch-unltd99/prgvorlmain.htm)
some moments were nice, the intricate arrangements were impressive, the crowd
loved it, but not one of my favorite projects of Otomo's.

next was Dieter, the Viennese DJ who played in duo on the previous night.
he's in Orchester 33 1/3, and Shaboptinski also. he spun a compelling set,
while the same woman flashed really well-done computer-generated visuals
behind him. a nice, relaxing, late-night set (it was 2:30 to my evening) and
a good capper to the evening.

Sunday still to come...

Jon
www.erstwhilerecords.com

- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 16:12:30 +0100
From: patRice <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Taboo and Exile / Masada live in Anaheim CD

hi there

taboo and exile:
in the "upcoming releases" section on the tzadik site it says that the
release has been pushed back due to printing problems.

but i've also seen copies of "taboo and exile" in my local record shop
(in europe).

they told me at that shop that there is actually an agreement that all
the tzadik cds are first released on the european market, between 3 and
6 weeks before they are available in the us. which i found pretty
unbelievable.

masada:
has anyone on the list already seen the new masada live cd on sale
anywhere?

patRice


Steve Spangler wrote:
>
> I bought a copy of Taboo and Exile this weekend, but Tzadik and cdnow
> don't list it as released yet. Does anybody know if there's a stoey
> behind this, or did my local record store just jump the gun on putting
> the cd out.
>
> Steve Spangler
>
> -

- -

------------------------------

End of Zorn List Digest V2 #790
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