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ReR Megacorp.

If there were ever an ironic name for a record label, it is ReR Megacorp. The label originally consisted of two separate operations: Re Records and Recommended records. These labels were set up in 1978 by the English avant-rock group Art Bears (formerly Henry Cow) and drummer Chris Cutler, out of dissatisfaction with the musicContinue reading “ReR Megacorp.”

Fleshtone Aura. On Rusticated Slant.

Similarly to his other group, Gastric Female Reflex, Andrew Zukerman’s Fleshtone Aura project is an act of cheeky historical revisionism. Evoking the rubbery tactile sonics of musique concrète through jump-cuts and slippery tape-speed bends, Zukerman’s pieces are also littered with delightfully psychedelic humour. Side one of this twelve-inch 45rpm vinyl disc begins with pieced-together microscopicContinue reading “Fleshtone Aura. On Rusticated Slant.”

Jean-François Laporte

A maze of thin, transparent hose bundled by lock ties runs along the walls and floors of a spacious studio painted white from floor to ceiling. At the back of the studio near a tool and supply room, an air compressor kicks into action with a thump. Hissing air begins filling the lengthy veins ofContinue reading “Jean-François Laporte”

Francisco López. Untitled #275.

Composer and sound recordist Francisco López operates in an area where music and sound merge. On earlier albums he processed recordings from nature and buildings to arrive at this curious intermediate zone. Although the sources of the sounds are readily recognizable, the overall effect is undeniably musical because of López’ arrangement and placement of theContinue reading “Francisco López. Untitled #275.”

Christian Bouchard. Automacité.

Automacité is firmly rooted in two sound worlds: Bouchard’s gestural language speaks of Montreal’s vital acousmatic scene, and the album’s silvery abstract dynamism recalls the later work of so-called IDM (intelligent dance music) pioneers Autechre. Attracted to robust impacts, acute pin pricks of sound, and jittery crawls across glistening aural surfaces, Bouchard still creates theContinue reading “Christian Bouchard. Automacité.”

CLAEM Festival: un gol de media cancha [a midfield goal]. Buenos Aires, Argentina. June 17–24, 2011.

Edited by Meg Sheppard.  One of the best contemporary music festivals I have attended took place in Buenos Aires from June 17–24, with symphonic concerts at the Belgrano Auditorium, and chamber music and electroacoustic music concerts at the Centro Cultural Borges. It was given the full name La Música en el Di Tella—resonancias de laContinue reading “CLAEM Festival: un gol de media cancha [a midfield goal]. Buenos Aires, Argentina. June 17–24, 2011.”

Chris Watson and Marcus Davidson. Cross-Pollination.

Of all earthly creatures, insects come the closest to resembling aliens: exoskeletons, multifaceted eyes, barbed legs, and an impenetrable collectiveness. Their sonic world is highlighted on Cross-Pollination. Central to the two tracks on this CD are recordings of insects by Chris Watson, renowned nature-sound recordist. Midnight at the Oasis is a condensed soundscape composed fromContinue reading “Chris Watson and Marcus Davidson. Cross-Pollination.”