Music plays you

Daito Manabe

Halana magazine, speaking of avant garde

http://www.halana.com/

Looking through my old Soulseek folder, I found a 5 page interview with japanese avant garde multi-instrumentalist Keiji Haino which I never got around to reading. Google reveals it was originally published in the issue #2 of Chris Rice's Halana, a magazine which profiled some of the key figures of contemporary avant garde music; touching on styles as wide as the minimalism of La Monte Young, the Americana folk guitar wizardry of John Fahey, Pauline Oliveros's pioneering electronic explorations and the free jazz and improvisation of the likes of pianist Matthew Shipp and guitarist Derek Bailey.

First published in 1996 and running for 4 issues until 1999, in printings of a couple thousand, each edition included a unique CD or 7" record to accompany the literature.

Some highlights are interviews with minimalist pioneers La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela in #1; filmmaker Tony Conrad and electro-acoustic composer Pauline Oliveros in #2; guitarist John Fahey and minimalist Charlemagne Palestine in #3; Sun City Girls guitarist Sir Richard Bishop in #4; and a monumental offering in #5 with 1950's French electronic music composer Eliane Radigue, modern Spanish composer Francisco Lopez and guitar wrangler Derek Bailey.

You can still order the 4th issue through the website though it seems #5 was in the works until 2004 but never made it out. The first three appear to be sold out which is a pity, though you can still find some of the transcripts with a quick Google search.

You can hear excerpts of Derek Bailey & Keiji Haino's 1996 collaboration "Drawing Close, Attuning..." on TBR!'s 3rd transmission from January 2010. More to come with the 4th instalment of Channelling the Spirit of Jazz, very soon...

Domino Festival #15 last edition :(

It saddens me deeply to hear this year will see the last edition of the incredible Domino Festival at Brussels's Ancienne Belgique. This festival has been a beacon for amazing, diverse and unique artists to play in this city ranging from the legendary Einstürzende Neubauten (including a stop on their 25th anniversary tour in 2005), Sunn O)))'s monumental Moog Ceremony with Julian Cope on the mic (2006), a Raster-Noton label night featuring the mind-swirling A/V of Frank Brettshneider (2007), the psychotropic vibes of Burnt Friedman & Jaki Liebezeit (the latter being the late Can's drumman) in 2008 and so many more... I want to give a wholehearted thanks to the organisers for bringing such wonderful musicians to the capital and giving me and so many others the pleasure of witnessing such unforgettable performances.



My first encounter with the festival was also my first with Sunn O))). They happened to be in town the same week a friend had told me about them. He showed me an interview in Terrorizer magazine with Attila Csihar (Mayhem et al.), who was collaborating with them at the time on the White albums, so I couldn't resist the chance. Needless to say it was my last concert ever not wearing earplugs... I maintain that gig was the primary cause of my tinnitus.

This year's highlights for me will be Touch Records's 30th anniversary featuring Pan(a)sonic half Mika Vaino, rock ballast Battles sharing the bill with kosmische reviver Oneohtrix Point Never, Neubauten frontman Blixa Bargeld's latest venture with Raster-Noton co-founder Alva Noto, as ANBB, and perhaps the most thrilling of all, the god of noise himself, Merzbow! A fair end to a monumentous festival which has left it's mark on many individuals here and which no one will easily forget.

Check the rest of the Domino #15 line-up and enjoy yourself :)



April 6th - 12th, 2011
DOMINO FESTIVAL #15
Ancienne Belgique
Brussels

110313 ep. 20 jamming with Fshstk

If you listen to this for any reason, may it be for a unique rendering of 99 Red Balloons at 33 1/3 instead of 45 RPM. The B-side is a genius discotropic dub excursion. Drench in reverb for extra haze. Sweep in flange for extra swirl. Jamming with Fabian at the end once more. The good bit got cut out of the replay but you can find it on Soundcloud (see below for the link)
After 7:47...

DEMDIKE STARE Janissary
SHACKLETON Man On a String pt. 1
VLADISLAV DELAY Anima
JOYRIDE Kekse
JOYRIDE L.A. Pink
PRINZ PI Laura (TUA Remix)
KASSEM MOSSE Workshop 12 B1
1000NAMES Cup of Joy
PIXELORD Hypnofrog
ALVEOL Glitter Path (KASSEM MOSSE remix)
BATTLES SZ2
NENA 99 Red Ballons (33 1/3 dub)
NENA Ich Bleib' Im Bett (33 1/3 dub)
THE DURIAN BROTHERS Mille Yeux
THE DURIAN BROTHERS Overexposed Scream Contest
AUTECHRE See On See (PIXELORD remix)
DATA The Fall of Phaeton
MORPHOSIS Silent Screamer
LO. BATT. + FSHSTK On Air + Off Air



Czech out this awesome EP by Joyride on the brand new Millions of Brilliant Idiots imprint. Put the needle on the record!

High light: PEAKING LIGHTS "936"

Peaking Lights (Aaron Coyes & Indra Dunis) have already made some of the most beautiful music I've laid ears to. Just listen to "Silver Tongues Soft Whispers" from their Imaginary Falcons LP and you'll hear what I mean. When they played Barden's Boudoir some time last winter, a small basement in North London, to a small gathering of people, I was utterly in rapture with their huggy grooves and psychotropic leads. It's the sort of music you'll close your eyes to and dance around to in your room. Like lying down on a cloud and waiting for the stars to move.

To make things better, Aaron had a suitcase full of homemade electronics (pictured below). Bent circuits, rainbow wires, bits & pieces from dead appliances. I'm studying this stuff at uni so I just had to ask. "Trial & error & loads of solder burns." Soldering irons burn at 300ºC by the way.


I just heard some cuts from their freshest offering "936" and it has absolutely made my morning! Bouncing drums, liquid strings and the voice of sun light. I could make all sorts of metaphors to grass, the tropics and fuzzy currents but you really should hear it for yourself. Peaking Lights will brighten your life.


Peaking Lights - All The Sun That Shines from Not Not Fun on Vimeo.

110213 ep. 19 Algo Ritmico & Fshstk

"A journey into the mind."
Return.

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER Stress Waves
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER Returnal
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE Assyrian Blood
ONI AYHUN OAR004-A
OREN AMBARCHI Lost like a star
BRION GYSIN I Am
KASSEM MOSSE Demo Drums Ripping Demos
EFDEMIN Cowbell
PAVEL DOVGAL Solar Midnight
CAPELLA My Way
TOKIMONSTA Lucid Walking
AL QUETZ aka QUETZAL Kalakuta (Interlude)
THE DURIAN BROTHERS Haisai
MADLIB Jungle Soundz (Part One)
FLYING LOTUS Unexpected Delight ft. LAURA DARLINGTON
AL GREEN Light My Fire (GROOVE ARMADA)
POLE Green is not green-yellow
REDINHO Pitter Patter
MORGAN PACKARD Insist
BOARDS OF CANADA Growing Hand
BENGE Faun 6
KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN Generator
···
ALGO RITMICO + FSHSTK jam

High light : AL QUETZ aka QUETZAL "Drums Come From Africa"

Wonderful sound committed to wax and numbers. This is absolutely making my day (night actually) right now and it will make yours too. A subtle shake between high life vibes and hip hops. Guaranteed to have your eyes closed and your butt grooving in under a minute.



Buy it for less than £4 from Al Quetz aka Quetzal @ Bandcamp and have a nice time :]