Switched On – QOA: SAUCO (Leaving Records)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

QOA is Argentinian producer Nina Corti, a musician and sound artist. SAUCO is her sonic journey, ‘crafted to cultivate poetic gestures amidst Fauna, Flora, Fungi, Mineral Waters, Wind and Earth’.

It is a kind of love letter to Argentinian natural history, bringing forward the natural inhabitants of the country and putting them in the spotlight.

What’s the music like?

In a word, fresh! There is an immediately appealing lightness to Corti’s touch, a weightless quality that means her music is almost always airborne through its lightness.

Natural phenomena are always close at hand, with sounds captured from the Argentinian wilderness. Each of the nine tracks are inspired by a lifeform native to the country, and so are effectively character studies.

Sauco is a kind of magical tree, reflected in its elusive light, whereas Liquen, starting close, ends up beyond the aural horizon. Muitu introduces a beat to steady the distant voices, while Lippia alba, a multi-branched shrub, is represented by music that spreads out in many different directions. By the time we get to Senna the music becomes minimal and the atmospherics take over, but the tables are turned by Anartia (a butterfly from the peacock family) whose dance is a riot of colour.

The musical language reflects QOA’s time spent as a member of a Gamelan collective, with vibrant hooks, flighty motifs and sudden, lush bursts of instrumental colour. These can all be glimpsed on the album’s most intriguing track, Cievrvo De Los Pantanos, a portrait of a marsh deer that is by turns playful, mysterious and elusive.

Does it all work?

It does. The wide sonic perspective Corti uses means the musical shapes are constantly shifting, their vibrant colours always on show.

Is it recommended?

Yes. This is very fresh and free music, elusive too – but always colourful and often joyful. QOA has made a musical celebration of nature, a charming and invigorating album

For fans of… Matthewdavid, Susumu Yokota, Terry Riley, John Cage

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Published post no.2,240 – Monday 15 July 2024

Summer serenades: Beethoven

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This Sunday Arcana’s look at the serenade alights, perhaps unexpectedly, on Beethoven. While he didn’t write in the form anywhere near as comprehensively as Mozart, Beethoven did nonetheless complete a multi-movement serenade for an unusual trio of instruments.

When Arcana visited the Serenade as part of our ongoing Beethoven series, we found that “the air of Spring, so prevalent in the sonata for piano and violin of the same name, is here in abundance too. The bright sound of the flute is one of the reasons for this, but so are the busy parts Beethoven assigns to violin and viola. There are few if any breaks for the instruments, and because of the almost complete lack of a bass instrument the piece has the lightest of textures.”

Published post no.2,239 – Sunday 16 July 2024

Let’s Dance – Floorplan: The Master’s Plan (Classic Music Company)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Robert and Lyric Hood release their fourth album as Floorplan, building on their reputation as purveyors of spiritually infused house and techno. The Master’s Plan is a big conception, with 18 tracks, and includes guest slots for Earthtone, Honey Dijon, Lowell Pye and Dames Brown.

What’s the music like?

Floorplan traverse an impressive variety of styles on this piece of work, moving between chest thumping gospel hitters and darker slabs of techno with effortless ease. Whenever the piano comes into play the killer riffs are brilliantly executed, the tough beats and bold bass lines delivered with pace and power.

Into the former camp go We Give Thee Honour, Feel It and The Curse Breaker, whose extended vocal monologue is so powerful the preacher fair pins you up against a wall. Flashe No Deux is a big hitter, while the prize of catchiest riff goes to the rollicking No Ones Ready.

The collaborations are all a resounding success, especially the Honey Dijon-fronted Fake & Unholy – a great look at the other side of the coin – while The Plan is a powerful pick-me-up thanks to Earthtone.

Does it all work?

Yes, impressively so. Not many house / techno long players sustain their quality as this one.

Is it recommended?

It is. Floorplan know how to raise the spirits, and do so throughout this excellent album. Their refreshingly direct lyrics and message go with the big, piano-powered riffs to make a slab of spiritual house and techno that works a treat.

For fans of… Moodymann, Charles Webster, Carl Craig, Juan Atkins

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Published post no.2,238 – Saturday 13 July 2024

New music – Matthew Bourne: This Is Not For You (The Leaf Label)

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published by Ben Hogwood, with text appropriated from the press release

Matthew Bourne has been a busy man of late. Hot on the heels of his Nightports collaboration Dulcitone 1804 he has returned to the piano on record for the first time since 2017’s Isotach.

As the press release says, “for such a restless and forward-thinking artist, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that Bourne can be a little reluctant to return to the instrument on which he made his name. At least in public. That would be too easy.”

It continues. “These days Bourne tends to find himself seated at his first instrument when working on collaborations or commissions for film and television projects. It’s often in these moments that inspiration strikes and the pieces are committed to tape. With outside deadlines, those sparks can often be left. Forgotten about. Recorded over.

This Is Not For You. was born from an off-hand comment by one of Matthew Bourne’s confidants. His instruction, “Do not delete,” provided Bourne with a commission of sorts, an ideal restriction to work within. Everything on the album was given a chance to shine in the studio, to be worked on amongst the freedom of that no deletion diktat – new inspirations now lie beside deep-mined remembrances. Cello and Dulcitone have been added sparingly for colour, but this is Bourne playing for his own enjoyment. Intimate. Reserved even. The real Matthew Bourne?”

You can listen to This Is Not For You. below:

Published post no.2,227 – Friday 12 July 2024

Switched On – Kiasmos: II (Erased Tapes)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

‘Emotional rave’ is the slogan Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen have applied to their second outing as Kiasmos. Due no doubt to intensive work schedules and popularity, it arrives ten years after their self-titled first long player together.

It is more of a widescreen affair than the self-titled debut, and included a trip to Ólafur’s studio in Bali in 2021. There the duo stayed for a month, writing and recording several tracks.

What’s the music like?

An absolute state of bliss is achieved as the first track arrives on the breeze, Grown becoming a beautiful blend of atmospherics and a stately chord progression. Sailed presents a relaxing middle ground, a languid melody, but offset by a busy drum track that keeps everything moving.

From there the songs follow a relatively familiar pattern, whereby a swell of cinematic, quasi-orchestral music is followed by a dip, where the drum track retreats and mottled piano takes centre stage, before the build up begins again and the drums return in a busier state. This happens to rich effect with the strings in Laced and Bound, and powerfully so on Squared.

Flown has a really nice piano / harp motif, while Dazed is a beauty, infused with Balinese percussion and the echoes of a sunrise, together with upright piano.

Does it all work?

It does – though at times the music sticks too rigidly to a familiar format and structure. That is potentially good for fans, though for this particular listener it led to a wish for more experimentation, knowing what the two artists are capable of.

Is it recommended?

It is – especially if you have the first Kiasmos album and are familiar with the solo works of the two artists. This is ideal music for taking the emotional weight off a day, or providing valuable time out – and the feeling persists that any sequel collaboration could really take off with a more instinctive approach.

For fans of… Nils Frahm, Max Richter, Rival Consoles

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Published post no.2,236 – Thursday 11 July 2024