On Record: Moritz von Oswald – Silencio (Tresor)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

For his latest musical project, Moritz von Oswald is studying the voice. He is doing so through two contrasting generators of sound, the human vocal cord and the synthesizer – and is stripping the music right back to basics.

With vocal works from composers such as Ligeti, Varèse and Xenakis in mind, he takes a very minimal approach, stripping the textures back to the bare minimum. Where electronics are involved, he has used specific models, listing the EMS VCS3 & AKS, Prophet V, Oberheim 4-Voice and the Moog Model 15. Where vocals are involved, he has also used specific models – 16 of them in fact, the singers of Vocalconsort Berlin, recorded in Ölberg church.

In the words of the accompanying text for the album, “the recordings of the choral versions were then incorporated into the synthesized parts of the album and brought into a new electronic context; in Silencio, the focus is not on using one means to imitate the other, but to sonically discuss the tensions and harmonies between the two worlds and create a dialogue between them.”

What’s the music like?

In a word, striking. This is very much a case of less is more in a musical sense, and although the album’s concept suggests quite a mechanical and unfeeling approach, the results could not be more different.

What von Oswald has achieved here is remarkable, a set of music that moves between extremely restful, consonant drones and much more dissonant, darker passages. Here he is helped beyond measure by the Vocalconsort Berlin, whose virtuosity was clearly key in getting the required results. The synthesizers, of course, are capable of hitting every note required of them, so it should not be taken for granted that humans can do the same. When they do, and the vocal capabilities are stretched by high, low or extremely sustained notes, that extra effort comes across here in an emotional sense, depicting stress and disquiet.

The long, sustained nature of much of the writing means this is an album in which the listener can fully immerse themselves, and we move between sections easily and instinctively. Silencio may be quite a long album, but it doesn’t feel that way with music of this intensity.

Does it all work?

It does – provided the listener can invest a number of repeat listens. Then the enormity of von Oswald’s achievement can be fully grasped. A word, too, for the outstanding members of Vocalconsort Berlin, whose virtuosity knows no bounds.

Is it recommended?

It is, enthusiastically, providing a reminder that von Oswald is a composer of depth, imagination and craft. Silencio is a remarkable and intensely rewarding achievement.

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Published post no.2,028 – Sunday 3 December 2023

Switched On: The Black Dog – Music For Moore Street Substation (Dust Science Recordings)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

There is a lot of multiform art coming off The Black Dog’s production line at the moment, their Bandcamp page regularly refreshed with new ventures and creative projects. The latest is a limited CD and digital album release of the music accompanying their exhibition My Brutal Life.

For the showing they used the top floor of Moore Street Substation, a space ‘rarely open to the public and often shrouded in mystery’. Their soundcheck revealed the space had a natural reverberation of over 9.7 seconds, meaning the original soundtrack designed for My Brutal Life would not work in such a wide open setting. Therefore they set about a set comprising remixes of the original material and new pieces, ensuring viewers were comfortable as they moved around the space.

What’s the music like?

The reverberation problem has proved a benefit for listeners, for although the music in this sequence is simple in make-up it provides a very effective ambient set.

There is a thick ambience throughout, The Black Dog immediately reflecting the space in their music, either through slow and majestic chord sequences (The Light That Never Goes Out), twinkling motifs that pierce the gloom (Kirk Test Tones Sequence, Béton-Brut (Deconstructed), Hey Serry, The Jefferson Sheard Choir) or drone-based pieces with indistinct voices (Theme Of The Substation, The Mundane)

Elsewhere there are soft, reflective moments such as Busbar Connection and Villa Göth Calling, where the outlook is sombre and grey – but still with an appealing ambience.

Does it all work?

It does exactly what The Black Dog wanted, giving viewers space and perspective as they peruse the art.

Is it recommended?

It is – a complement to the original soundtrack and the visuals. They may be releasing a lot of music at the moment, but The Black Dog certainly aren’t stinting on quality.

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New music – A Strangely Isolated Place: 2023 Label Compilation

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by Ben Hogwood

Here is a treat for electronic music lovers, in the form of the annual label compilation from A Strangely Isolated Place.

Mixed by todos, it is a generous collection of ten tracks that can be sourced from the Bandcamp page below for a ‘name your price’ fee. Label founder Ryan Griffin posted the following commentary to the mix:

“It has become somewhat of a tradition since our first annual compilation release in 2019, and each year I find it tough to separate tracks from their album releases in this way. We pride ourselves on delivering an album format, and more often than not, specifically a conceptual album format that works best as a whole. So I appreciate the artists who allow us to separate their musical children for this worthy annual exercise. It’s so easy to skip over releases nowadays – at no fault of anyone but the pace of life and technology today – and so this compilation not only helps us reflect on the year gone by, but also ensures anyone new to the label, or dipping in and out over time, can get a taster of what we have proudly spent our time and passion presenting this year. Please take the time to visit each respective artist release to realize its full form.”

todos has provided a continuous mix, “left to his own devices as we have grown to admire time and time again, using snippets and samples from many of the releases, but focusing on delivering a long-form mix that stands on its own, using nothing but the ASIP 2023 library of music.”

You can listen below, and follow the commentary from the Bandcamp page:

Published post no.2,026 – Friday 1 December 2023

Let’s Dance: Various Artists – Twenty Year Weekend (Two Decades of Darkroom Dubs) (Darkroom Dubs)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is one of those anniversaries that make writers feel old – especially this one, who was starting to write when Glaswegian duo Silicone Soul put their Darkroom Dubs plan into full action.

Rather than look back with rose-tinted glasses, however, Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie have commissioned a whole new set of deep and dark house music, with 14 tracks making the cut.

What’s the music like?

Happily the tunes and beats collected here are in the best Darkroom Dubs tradition, with some fulsome house beats, darkly coloured textures and reassuringly full-bodied beats.

Highlights include the loping beat and robotic precision of Phunkadelica’s Phunkarama, and the excellent Lucky Luciano from Am$trad Billionaire with its rhythmic impulse. Undo’s Vencejos makes clever use of swifts in the background, a great pairing with the solid beats, while Amount‘s Figure Skating is an excellent cut, bubbling under the surface. Few tracks, however, can match the confident strut of Subcisco’s Boiling Point, the lean bass of Nuclear Digital Transistor’s Lead Boys, or the voiceover / synth combo of Local Suicide & Wiener Planquadrat’s Flashdance.

Does it all work?

It does indeed – and satisfies both the newcomer and the label afficionado.

Is it recommended?

Definitely. Raising a glass to Silicone Soul and their excellent Darkroom Dubs venture, with the hope it will only appreciate in value as time goes on. The signs are very good from this compilation!

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Switched On: All Is Well – A Break In Time (Compost / Drumpoet Community)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Fred Everything (real name Frédéric Blais) started A Break In Time as an exercise in calming meditation during lockdown – its function to do as the title suggests, a break from the stress.

It wasn’t long before he realised that the music was taking form and had album-making potential so, donning the All Is Well moniker, he worked on realising the project as a homage to ambient music in general, looking back to early works from Carl Craig and Black Dog, as well as the legendary Warp compilation Artificial Intelligence.

What’s the music like?

A Break In Time is certainly ambient, but occasionally it brings to the surface an underlying tension explained by when it was written. Blais writes instinctively well in this form, the tracks are really well structured, and the voicing is such that the listener can choose whether to take the music from background to foreground. It is equally effective in either form.

Day One establishes calming, warm textures, but the music takes on more movement with tracks like Forever And A Year, where active percussion is paired with wavy keyboard lines, creating a curious tension. Risqué has a rising motif that can prove disorientating too, like a distant alarm – but by contrast a track like At Well matches synth riffs with washes of colour.

Does it all work?

It does. Blais has achieved a really satisfying blend where musical instinct and a keen sense of structure go hand in hand.

Is it recommended?

It is – this is an album with staying power, and the ability to create its own unique atmosphere. Another fine piece of work from Fred Everything.

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