Multiphonic Ensemble's new album on Sub Rosa, _Cirque_, is a lot weirder and
more diverse than his first album from 1997. That was well-produced drill'n'bass
with a Japanese sampling kind of slant to it.
The new album retains the fucked-up drum'n'bass elements but widens out to
incorporate a lot more noisy free-jazz and avant-classical sounding stuff (other
instrumentalists include a violinist, saxophonists, guitarists) and lots of
circus elements (not surprisingly). The sound reminds me a lot of Nobukazu
Takemura's "Child & Magic" album on Warner Japan, and of the manic sample frenzy
of the more recent Stock, Hausen & Walkman releases. The album is very much
recommended to anyone into those artists in particular. I'd also compare it
favourably with Bisk, another Japanese artist on Sub Rosa.
There are a couple of tracks which are basically deranged drum'n'bass workouts.
The beats sound at first like the barlines are changing all the time, but are
actually more regular than it sounds. Still, nothing happens quite as you'd
expect on this album.
Some of the tracks echo both Nobukazu and Bisk in their evocation of French
Impressionist music, which has I suppose a lot in common with the Japanese
musical aesthetic.
This is definitely music that takes a couple of listens to get into. At first it
sounds too disorganised and abrasive to work, screaming saxes and odd changes
all over the place, but once one gets into the feel of it, it all makes a
certain weird sense. The third time I listened to it, I wasn't doing anything
else, and found myself laughing out loud to some of the tracks, and found my
attitude changing from a disinterested "this is kindof alright weird stuff" to
"this is really clever and cute and funky!" Once one's tuned in, the rhythmic
element is surprisingly groovy. And the humour is pretty explicit in some
pieces, with a very digitally chewed up sample from Bach in one of the later
tracks, and odd juxtapositions all over the place.
Definitely worth a listen, some will like more than others.
Cheers,
Peter.
--
Peter Hollo raven@fourplay.com.au
http://www.fourplay.com.au/me.html
FourPlay - Eclectic Electric String Quartet
http://www.fourplay.com.au
Raven: experimental electronic
http://www.fourplay.com.au/sound.html
"Of course, dance music can be a music where you lie on your back and
your brain cells dance" -Michael Karoli of Can, quoted in Wire mag.
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