On 27/02/01 14:51, david turgeon said in living color:
quoted 6 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.
No need to be apologetic; your comments made for an interesting read.
quoted 7 lines phthalocyanine is "amateur & aimless" like pollock or riopelle make> 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.
Eh... Would you be a fan, by any chance...? ;)
Actually, I don't consider myself a "classic hooks & punches" addict. I've
never heard Plone and I *much* prefer late Autechre to their early work. I
do like chaos in music.
Phthalo's music does not lead me to the cathartic experience you mention.
But it undeniably reveals an intense engagement of the artist in the music
he creates. And it can reach nice plateaus on some occasions (I've been
listening to "Navy Warship" after writing my original message... I maintain
my personal evaluation that it's "good-not-great" [I remember liking in
particular tracks 5 and 9] but I'd withdraw the "seemed a bit amateur and
aimless" comments to hopefully replace them with something more precise.
quoted 12 lines unlike harsh noise (merzbow & al) or power electronics, which usually> 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)).
I find the comment "there is so much to understand & appreciate on a micro
level, & so little on the macro level" surprising/interesting. My thoughts
were that the micro level, precisely, is a bit weak in Phthalo. I'm talking
here about the sounds used. The samples sound "cheap", the textures poor.
The drum sounds seem unrefined, "unresearched". The electric organ sounds
are also particularly awful. Now, I'm sure you're gonna tell me something
like "That's the whole point; Phthalo's music is one of rawness". I'd agree
with you that rawness is a defining characteristic of Phthalo's music... but
I think that he could keep this raw quality *and* refine greatly his sound
palette. As it stands currently (at least, for "Navy Warship"), it seems to
me that he didn't bother with the crafting of basic sound elements (like a
Richard Devine or an Autechre does with extreme attention).
To me, Phthalo's strength resides in the area between the micro and the
macro (I think there's a word to describe this abstract region but I forgot
it...) He's quite good for assembling nervous sound aggregates, very short
quirky motifs.
As for the macro side of things (flow of ideas, track coherence, etc.), well
sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. IMHO, of course. For all his
notorious disjointedness, he's actually better than several IDM music makers
at maintaining a good flow throughout a track.
quoted 2 lines though then again... another interesting aspect of phthalo is _also_> though then again... another interesting aspect of phthalo is _also_
> that he manages to somehow blend "popular" & "arcane" aspects of music.
I agree.
quoted 5 lines the loud, chaotic beats have much in common with, say, early rephlex.> 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).
I intend to get "25 tracks..." one of these days...
I find the melodies a bit trivial, often -- as in at least 90% of IDM...
(There should be an obligatory Melody 101 course given to IDM musicians
before they release any title, given that that it is often such a weak
aspect in that music. An healthy dose of Mozart and Chopin would probably be
a good start.) Granted, it's not the same triviality as IA-style melodies,
but still, to me, it feels a bit like, I don't know, slightly "quirkified"
pool ad jingles...
But, he's definitely trying things, pushing things around and I
enthusiastically commend that.
quoted 7 lines yet it is how they are pieced together, seemingly carelessly,> 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.
Yeah, I definitely like a lot his exuberance. Two robot parts for that.
(Don't ask... An allusion that only members from Quebec can
recognize/appreciate.)
quoted 4 lines in the end, phthalocyanine's records are nothing but purely> 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).
Did that and plan to.
quoted 8 lines don't even mind if it takes you a while to get it... i'm not even done with> 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.)
I'll check that out. Never heard of it before.
quoted 3 lines okay, back to lurking...> okay, back to lurking...
>
> ~ david
--
Guillaume Grenier - gollum@videotron.ca
in space there is no north in space there is no south
in space there is no east in space there is no west
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org
For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org