quoted 4 lines I only have Phthalocyanine's Navy Warship which I thought was good but not> I only have Phthalocyanine's Navy Warship which I thought was good but not
> great (though I haven't listened to it a lot/it's been a long time since I
> did... I should maybe update my impressions...) Seemed a bit amateur and
> aimless... But it did have a couple of interesting ideas.
sorry, just had to jump on this one.
phthalocyanine is "amateur & aimless" like pollock or riopelle make
"amateur & aimless" paintings. his music does sound unlikely & bizarre
at first but you have to listen to it with a different ear than the one
you listen to autechre or plone with. i.e. don't look for the classic
hooks & punches, for this music is about devoid of it. phthalocyanine's
music is total ART, in the most glorious, cathartic fashion you can
think of.
unlike harsh noise (merzbow & al) or power electronics, which usually
end up all to linear & predictable, phthalo's musical constructions are
completely offbase, they start & stop unexpectedly, giving you almost no
time to do the "armchair appreciation" thing unless you listen to it
again & again, which is when the real magic of it unfolds. i would even
say that there's about no way you could "like" phthalo on a first listen
unless you're in the right mindset. the reason is simple: there is so
much to understand & appreciate on a micro level, & so little on the
macro level (which is what i'd call the "organic" quality of it, found
very rarely in post-electroacoustic music except perhaps in hecker's
_[ot] xackpy breakpoint_ or shirt trax's _good news about space_ (both
on or)).
though then again... another interesting aspect of phthalo is _also_
that he manages to somehow blend "popular" & "arcane" aspects of music.
the loud, chaotic beats have much in common with, say, early rephlex.
the melodies aren't even that bizarre; indeed sometimes they're dramatic
to the point of being unbearable (_vints.73_ off _25 tracks_ is one of
the very rare electronic tracks to have _ever_ made me cry out of sheer
beauty). yet it is how they are pieced together, seemingly carelessly,
but always with an amount of exuberance & confidence which only a
handful of electronic music producers are able to muster (hrvatski, cex
& crank/lowres come closest in my mind). this exuberance is also
present in much of the releases from phthalo records, although they
sometimes seem to lack the aforementioned organic quality i like about phthalocyanine.
in the end, phthalocyanine's records are nothing but purely
LIFE-AFFIRMING, mighty beautiful & vital. i recommend that you go back
to _navy warship_ & that you immediately acquire _25 tracks fer 1 track_
(on planet mu). don't even mind if it takes you a while to get it...
i'm not even done with _25 tracks_ yet as it is so overwhelming. i let
it age, like a good wine.
(as a hint though: i must say crank's _wanton phenomena_ (mille
plateaux) did much to make me appreciate certain aspects of
phthalocyanine's music i hadn't yet understood. crank's music is easier
on the ears & the brain, but is still relentless & organic, & may be a
better starting point to this rare form of music.)
okay, back to lurking...
~ david
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