Switched On – Various Artists – Place: Toronto curated by Ciel (Air Texture)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Air Texture’s new Place series is a brilliant initiative, the label describing it as “a location specific electronic music compilation series where all proceeds are donated to local groups working on important causes in that area such as environment, human rights, conflict aid, and support. The goal is to build a global network of music producers bringing important issues to the electronic music community and world at large.”

It certainly looks like being a source of interesting and vibrant electronic music, judging by the ten destinations the series has already visited. The eleventh falls under the wing, of Ciel, born in China but based in Canada. She is a highly respected producer, DJ and head of the Parallel Minds label – as well as a campaigner for equality and social justice in electronic music.

What’s the music like?

Inventive and intriguing. With a wide range of beat-driven inventions, Ciel has picked 23 complementary productions.

The highlights include Ninechecker’s Frequency Jumping, a really good broken beat track, while Siviyex’s Decals Of Vedici is an effective combination of glitchy beats and woozy vocal snippets. Meanwhile Chambly, by MIASALAV, could almost be a good Lo Fidelity Allstars offcut. Ana Luisa & Geezr’s Bahracas puts its foot down, while the riff for Moon King’s Reverse Imaging hovers beautifully, its elements reminiscent of early Warp records.

Meanwhile Cosmic JD’s Hi Sensei and Yohei S’s Skatter bubble with invention over an upright beat, with the percussive approach taken further by Ficilio’s Alba, a really effective piece of fast-slow dub. Emissive packs a good deal of ambient energy into No Envo, which casts a lingering glance back at the 1990s, before heavier beats kick in with Generator’s Freaky 2nite.

Does it all work?

Much of it does – though be aware that the customary immersive ambience you might anticipate from an Air Texture compilation is not to be found in the energetic beats and lively percussion on offer here!

Is it recommended?

It is, in spite of the above. Quite apart from being a good cause, the compilation is a great source of discovery and packed with good things.

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,586 – Saturday 5 July 2025

On Record – Parry Karp, BBC National Orchestra of Wales – Bloch: Schelomo & Suite (Signum Classics)

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Ernest Bloch
Schelomo (1918)
Suite for Viola and Orchestra (1919; arr. Rejtő/Baller, 1969)

Parry Karp (cello), BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Kenneth Woods

Signum Classics SIGCD932 [60’58”]
Producer Phil Rowlands Engineer Andrew Smilie

Recorded 29-30 July 2024 at BBC Hoddinott Hall, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse

What’s the story?

Signum Classics issues its first release devoted to Ernest Bloch (1880-1959), comprising what is his best-known work alongside a piece that receives its first recording in a version for cello and orchestra – making for a representative introduction to this now under-appreciated figure.

What’s the music like?

Considered in his lifetime to be on a par with such contemporaries as Bartók and Stravinsky, Bloch duly suffered that almost inevitable falling off of reputation from which his music has never quite recovered, but almost all his major works have now been recorded and often on several occasions. Among his sizable output, those with a concertante element are especially notable for their redefining the relationship between soloist and orchestra as holds good for the present works, written as they were either side of the composer’s emigration to the USA.

Its title might translate as Solomon, but Schelomo is by no means a portrait of the Biblical monarch nor is the solo part merely a ‘translation’ of lines from Ecclesiastes such as Bloch had initially intended to set. This ‘Hebraic Rhapsody’ is the last and most representative, if not necessarily the finest, of his Jewish Cycle, its three contrasting sections amounting to a concerto (or maybe a Konzertstück) in terms of their encompassing a gradually cumulative ‘exposition’, then an impulsively tense ‘development’ whose impassioned climax subsides into a ‘reprise’ which takes in a musing accompanied cadenza prior to the starkly fatalistic close. Parry Karp is a perceptive interpreter – one who never over-emphasizes its eloquence or rhetorical overkill, while rendering the piece as a cohesive and an audibly unified whole.

Conceived for viola and piano, the Suite was orchestrated soon afterward then arranged for cello a half-century on by cellist Gábor Rejtő and pianist Adolph Baller. The layout, though not so integrated as to make it a concerto, is none the less striking. Its lengthy initial Lento (originally entitled ‘In the Jungle’) pits soloist against orchestra in a fantasia-like evolution that finds effective contrast in an alternately capricious and ruminative Allegro ironico, then the songfulness of an equally compact Lento; its searching inwardness pointedly dispelled by the lively and playful Molto vivo which brings about an affirmative conclusion. Karp is fully attuned to its understated charm and Kenneth Woods, who directed the likely premiere of this version in 2008, secures playing of sensitivity and imagination from the BBC NOW.

Does it all work?

Almost always. As his introductory note makes plain, Karp has been an enthusiastic advocate for this music throughout his career and there is no doubting the extent of his commitment in either piece. Schelomo remains Bloch’s most recorded work such that those who have any one of Gregor Piatigorsky (Testament), Pierre Fournier (DG), Mstislav Rostropovich (Warner) or, more recently, Sol Gabetta (Sony) can rest content; yet this newcomer is worth a place on any shortlist and a first recording of the Suite in this guise makes the release self-recommending.

Is it recommended?

It is. Balance between cello and orchestra could not be bettered in the spacious yet analytical ambience of Hoddinott Hall, while Woods contributes his customary insightful observations. Aficionados and newcomers alike will find much to delight and absorb them on this release.

Listen / Buy

You can read more about this release and explore purchase options at the Signum Records website. Click on the names to read more about cellist Perry Karp, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Kenneth Woods, and for the Ernest Bloch Society

Published post no.2,585 – Friday 4 July 2025

The Borrowers – Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Knife-Edge

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What tune does it use?

The first movement of the Sinfonietta, by Leoš Janáček (born on this day in 1854):

The Sinfonietta is a thrilling orchestral work, begun with a powerful brass fanfare but containing five incident-packed movements.

How does it work?

The main melody of the first movement Fanfare is the basis for Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s song, but in his keyboard part Keith Emerson refers to other parts of the work.

Then, on his solo from 2’40”, Emerson departs from Janáček’s blueprint with a characteristically incisive solo, backed by a virtuosic drum track. From 3’25” the style broadens to include explicit references to J.S. Bach, the Allemande of his French Suite no.1 in D minor:

What else is new?

You can hear the whole of the Sinfonietta below, in a thrilling performance from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras, in a recording made in 1980:

Published post no.2,584 – Thursday 3 July 2025

Switched On – Hawksmoor – An Aesthetic – Experiments In Tape (Lunar Module)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

To quote the Bandcamp guide for this release, “James McKeown is a Bristol-based musician known for his innovative approach to music production and sound design. With a passion for combining modular synths with layers of live bass, guitars and experimental techniques, McKeown has carved out a niche in the electronic music scene, captivating audiences with his unique sonic explorations.”

An Aesthetic is a series of ten pieces taking the concept of hauntology further than before, and “into a liminal space of sonic saturation”. This is done through layering the wow, flutter and warble of tape artefacts, creating a unique sonic landscape.

This, then, is music for blank tape – but in a thoroughly intriguing compositional process, released on Lunar Module, the new Castles in Space CD imprint.

What’s the music like?

As the above implies, otherworldly and haunting. This is music to accompany a film where all is not quite as it seems, and where images suddenly rear up in front of the camera. That at least is what is threatened by Aesthetic II, whose bright tones are compromised by a claustrophobic atmosphere.

Aesthetic III is both oppressive and weirdly comforting, a wall of sound that feels like a massive duvet round the ears by the end, while Aesthetic VII is more ominous still. Aesthetic V crackles but settles into one of the most ambient tracks of the ten. Aesthetic VIII is the longest of all, the D-120 of the selection (for TDK fans!), and a wobbly but winsome track, with a rather beautiful chord progression that recurs at regular intervals. Aesthetic IX has the broadest melody, almost a spiritual in its plaintive quality, while the concluding Aesthetic X is a satisfying exploration of the bass range.

Does it all work?

It does – the ten pieces form a kind of suite that can be easily experienced in one sitting, and the lack of digital correction is appealing.

Is it recommended?

It is. An Aesthetic is a fascinating set of collages and inventive sound pieces that fit well together, creating an atmospheric whole. Not for all moods, that is for sure, but a consistently rewarding listen.

For fans of… Flying Saucer Attack, Pram, Bvdub, My Bloody Valentine

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,583 – Wednesday 2 July 2025

Playlist – Erik Satie

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by Ben Hogwood Picture: Erik Satie, by Pablo Picasso

Today marks the death of one of the most innovative 20th century composers, Erik Satie.

Satie was well ahead of his time…to the extent that even now, one hundred years on, some of his music gives the appearance of being fresh off the page. And indeed, there is some ‘new’ music to enjoy from his pen, as pianist Alexandre Tharaud has recently collated an album of Satie Discoveries, to be reviewed shortly on this site.

Satie’s music has proved incredibly versatile, and his most popular pieces are heard every day – not just on classical music radio, but as part of relaxing playlists and TV soundtracks. It is certainly fair to say that if you enjoy the music of Einaudi, Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds and the like, each of them would credit Satie as a lasting influence.

Here are some of his best-known pieces, with the Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes for piano proving some of his most minimal yet most memorable compositions. To counter those, it helps to have something of the more modern Satie – the Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear, and two orchestral ballets – Relâche and Parade. Listen carefully to the latter and you will hear a tune that sounds remarkably like the theme to Postman Pat! You can access the playlist on Tidal here:

https://tidal.com/playlist/686328ca-aabf-490e-82fe-affc52d9a4b3

Published post no.2,581 – Tuesday 1 July 2025