Author: muse

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Review – SEND + RECEIVE dvd 2010 – by Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly

SEND + RECEIVE (double DVD by Send + Receive)

Occasionally Vital Weekly may have printed the line up of the Send & Receive festival, held yearly in Winnipeg, Canada, but it escaped me that they have been going on since 1998. To celebrate the first ten years a box was released with an extensive booklet about the artists who performing there, one DVD with music and one DVD with a documentary. The music DVD has no visuals, just music. And what an amount! This is not a compilation with snippets of music, this is, at least at time complete performances. Say Jason Kahn forty minutes, Oval twenty six, Lee Ranaldo & Dean Roberts one hour, Tim Hecker thirty-nine, Thomas Jirku almost fifty minutes etc? Altogether its almost eleven hours of music. Not something you would digest at once I guess. I’d recommend with starting with the documentary on the second disc. Here various people involved in the festival explain what the festival is about – experimental music in the broadest sense of the word, which is nice, but also we get fragment glimpses of concerts. We see Oval behind his laptop and devices (last minutes of his concerts and immediately packing up, not noting the sheers from the audience), Cindy with a cello, installation by Carsten Nicolai, obscure mechanisms by Micheal Dumontier or David Grubbs just with his acoustic guitar. Not a festival for those who do just laptop concerts, although there are who do (Tomas Jirku, Duul_drv). Also we see some people  not on present on the other DVD like Gert-Jan Prins, Skolz Kolgen, Otomo Yoshihide and Kaffe Matthews. Great to see, it gives the aspiring musician lots of ideas. From the live DVD its good to hear David Grubbs (although with four minutes the shortest concert here), Jirku’s laidback dubby techno, the grainy textures of Tim Hecker, Kahn always fine minimalist electronics and drumming, I8U likewise minimalism of laptop processing and Oren Ambarchi’s guitar playing erupting. And that’s not even half of it. The sound quality varies from line recording to microphone recordings, which makes changes quite abrupt, but altogether this is a package that keeps you busy for an entire sunday, but what else should you do on such a day anyway?

(FdW) Vital Weekly

Address: http://www.sendandreceive.org

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Review – Ligne i8u | Tomas Phillips (ATAK) 2009 – by Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly


i8u – Tomas Phillips ligne (CD by ATAK) 2009

Things have been quiet for Japanese Atak, as of May,  they make a return with an album by Canada’s I8U and Tomas Philips. Both are perhaps known for their work in the field of microsound and together they have been working since 2005. They work out of improvisation while being inspired by one thing or another. A film by Sergio Leone or a piano for instance. These improvisations have been revised, reworked, added or subtracted. Perhaps that might be hard to believe, since if you hear this CD, you’ll be listening to some very minimal music. A few static lines, some click like sound, deep bass, sine waves and such like. Like the vague images on the cover, this music is more like an environment, surrounding you. The flickering of shadow on the wall, this music is also altering your perception. Carefully, slow, meditative, delicate and precious. All of these words are appropriate for this album. Label boss Keiichiro Shibuya’s remix of the title track at the end brings the material in a slightly different terrain: its more present than the other three pieces and more firmly rooted in somewhat louder laptop music, but it fits well in this release, providing a nice counterpoint. (FdW)


Label: Atak
Cat. #: ATAK013
Format: CD
Release date: 2009

Tracklisting:
01 – Ligne (18:23)
02 – Point (08:38)
03 – Donnée (19:15)
04 – Ligne (10:10)

-Vital Weekly-
Frans de Waard

Address: http://atak.jp

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La Chambre Blanche


Web Art Residency
From August 5th to September 14th, 2003 at
la Chambre Blanche in Quebec city

Meeting with the artist, Friday, September 12th, at 5:00 pm


Résidence de production Web
Du 5 août au 14 septembre 2003 à la Chambre Blanche à Quebec

Rencontre avec l’artiste le vendredi 12 septembre à 17h

LA CHAMBRE BLANCHE
185, rue Christophe-Colomb Est
Québec (Québec) G1K 3S6
T: (418) 529.2715
F: (418) 529.0048
 info@chambreblanche.qc.ca
 www.chambreblanche.qc.ca

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South Devon UK 08.01.2009 – framework South Devon UK

Aug.1.09

This sunday on Framework  resonance.fm : “these are few of my favorite things”
2nd installment by i8u
/*framework* / – phonography / field recording;
contextual and decontextualized sound activity
presented by patrick mcginley

*framework*/ broadcasts:
-sunday, 10pm, london, uk on *resonance104.4fm*(http://www.resonancefm.com)
– tuesday, 12pm, thessaloniki,  on *cooradio (http://www.cooradio.com)
– thursdays, 7pm, lisbon, pt on *radio zero* (http://www.radiozero.pt)
– fridays, 1am, brussels, be on *radio campus 92.1fm*(http://www.radiocampusbruxelles.org)
– saturday, 5pm, south devon, uk on *soundartradio* 102.5fm(http://www.soundartradio.org.uk)

“these are few of my favorite things” (2nd installment)

As i mentioned in the first installment, my interpretation of field recording based works, is very broad however, there is a thread I like to follow, it is to find  artists who have mastered  their unique identity through the music of sound.

I chose to open and close this evening’s program with Mika Vainio’s Behind the Radiators released as part of Touch Sevens series, a 7″ vinyl releases only on Touch Music.

Enjoy!

i8u

Playlist

1.A Behind The Radiators
Mika Vainio | Touch

http://www.phinnweb.org/vainio/
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/touchsevens/

2. Hornet
Angel/Hedonism |  eMego

http://www.myspace.com/angelnoise
http://www.editionsmego.com/

3. Grass
Richard Garet | unreleased

http://www.richardgaret.com

4. Don’t look back
Rinus Van Alebeek | unreleased

http://www.myspace.com/rinusvanalebeek
http://www.zeromoon.com/rinus
http://staalplaat.wordpress.com

5. Music for Plants in Rhodes Island
David last | unreleased

http://www.konque.com
http://www.davidlast.net

6. track 04
Keiichiro Shibuya/Maria | ATAK

http://atak.jp/en/about/shibuya.html

7. track 02
Roel Meelkop/ an ear for numbers | zang:records

http://www.r0m.nl/

8. B Behind The Radiators
Mika Vainio | Touch
http://www.phinnweb.org/vainio/
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/touchsevens/

~ time zone converter:  http://thesaturnv.com/converter.html ~
*for general info, playlists, podcasts, or to stream the latest edition

at any time: http://www.frameworkradio.net
<http://www.resonancefm.com/framework>*

*framework is supported by /soundtransit/: http://www.soundtransit.nl *

RESONANCE FM’S PROGRAMMING IS PRODUCED ENTIRELY BY VOLUNTEERS; PLEASE HELP US TO CONTINUE BY MAKING A DONATION.  CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP KEEP RESONANCE ON THE AIR: HTTP://WWW.RESONANCEFM.COM.  THANK YOU!

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Brussels BE 07.30.2009 – framework

July.31.09

This sunday on Framework  resonance.fm : “these are few of my favorite things”
2nd installment by i8u/*framework* / – phonography / field recording;
contextual and decontextualized sound activity
presented by patrick mcginley

*framework*/ broadcasts:
-sunday, 10pm, london, uk on *resonance104.4fm*(http://www.resonancefm.com)
– tuesday, 12pm, thessaloniki,  on *cooradio (http://www.cooradio.com)
– thursdays, 7pm, lisbon, pt on *radio zero* (http://www.radiozero.pt)
– fridays, 1am, brussels, be on *radio campus 92.1fm*(http://www.radiocampusbruxelles.org)
– saturday, 5pm, south devon, uk on *soundartradio* 102.5fm(http://www.soundartradio.org.uk)

“these are few of my favorite things” (2nd installment)

As i mentioned in the first installment, my interpretation of field recording based works, is very broad however, there is a thread I like to follow, it is to find  artists who have mastered  their unique identity through the music of sound.

I chose to open and close this evening’s program with Mika Vainio’s Behind the Radiators released as part of Touch Sevens series, a 7″ vinyl releases only on Touch Music.

Enjoy!

i8u

Playlist

1.A Behind The Radiators
Mika Vainio | Touch

http://www.phinnweb.org/vainio/
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/touchsevens/

2. Hornet
Angel/Hedonism |  eMego

http://www.myspace.com/angelnoise
http://www.editionsmego.com/

3. Grass
Richard Garet | unreleased

http://www.richardgaret.com

4. Don’t look back
Rinus Van Alebeek | unreleased

http://www.myspace.com/rinusvanalebeek
http://www.zeromoon.com/rinus
http://staalplaat.wordpress.com

5. Music for Plants in Rhodes Island
David last | unreleased

http://www.konque.com
http://www.davidlast.net

6. track 04
Keiichiro Shibuya/Maria | ATAK

http://atak.jp/en/about/shibuya.html

7. track 02
Roel Meelkop/ an ear for numbers | zang:records

http://www.r0m.nl/

8. B Behind The Radiators
Mika Vainio | Touch
http://www.phinnweb.org/vainio/
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/touchsevens/

~ time zone converter:  http://thesaturnv.com/converter.html ~
*for general info, playlists, podcasts, or to stream the latest edition

at any time: http://www.frameworkradio.net
<http://www.resonancefm.com/framework>*

*framework is supported by /soundtransit/: http://www.soundtransit.nl *

RESONANCE FM’S PROGRAMMING IS PRODUCED ENTIRELY BY VOLUNTEERS; PLEASE HELP US TO CONTINUE BY MAKING A DONATION.  CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP KEEP RESONANCE ON THE AIR: HTTP://WWW.RESONANCEFM.COM.  THANK YOU!

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Thessaloniki GR 07.28.2009 – framework

July.28.09

This sunday on Framework  resonance.fm : “these are few of my favorite things”
2nd installment by i8u/*framework* / – phonography / field recording;
contextual and decontextualized sound activity
presented by patrick mcginley

*framework*/ broadcasts:
-sunday, 10pm, london, uk on *resonance104.4fm*(http://www.resonancefm.com)
– tuesday, 12pm, thessaloniki,  on *cooradio (http://www.cooradio.com)
– thursdays, 7pm, lisbon, pt on *radio zero* (http://www.radiozero.pt)
– fridays, 1am, brussels, be on *radio campus 92.1fm*(http://www.radiocampusbruxelles.org)
– saturday, 5pm, south devon, uk on *soundartradio* 102.5fm(http://www.soundartradio.org.uk)

“these are few of my favorite things” (2nd installment)

As i mentioned in the first installment, my interpretation of field recording based works, is very broad however, there is a thread I like to follow, it is to find  artists who have mastered  their unique identity through the music of sound.

I chose to open and close this evening’s program with Mika Vainio’s Behind the Radiators released as part of Touch Sevens series, a 7″ vinyl releases only on Touch Music.

Enjoy!

i8u

Playlist

1.A Behind The Radiators
Mika Vainio | Touch

http://www.phinnweb.org/vainio/
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/touchsevens/

2. Hornet
Angel/Hedonism |  eMego

http://www.myspace.com/angelnoise
http://www.editionsmego.com/

3. Grass
Richard Garet | unreleased

http://www.richardgaret.com

4. Don’t look back
Rinus Van Alebeek | unreleased

http://www.myspace.com/rinusvanalebeek
http://www.zeromoon.com/rinus
http://staalplaat.wordpress.com

5. Music for Plants in Rhodes Island
David last | unreleased

http://www.konque.com
http://www.davidlast.net

6. track 04
Keiichiro Shibuya/Maria | ATAK

http://atak.jp/en/about/shibuya.html

7. track 02
Roel Meelkop/ an ear for numbers | zang:records

http://www.r0m.nl/

8. B Behind The Radiators
Mika Vainio | Touch
http://www.phinnweb.org/vainio/
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/touchsevens/

~ time zone converter:  http://thesaturnv.com/converter.html ~
*for general info, playlists, podcasts, or to stream the latest edition

at any time: http://www.frameworkradio.net
<http://www.resonancefm.com/framework>*

*framework is supported by /soundtransit/: http://www.soundtransit.nl *

RESONANCE FM’S PROGRAMMING IS PRODUCED ENTIRELY BY VOLUNTEERS; PLEASE HELP US TO CONTINUE BY MAKING A DONATION.  CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP KEEP RESONANCE ON THE AIR: HTTP://WWW.RESONANCEFM.COM.  THANK YOU!

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Review Ligne i8u | Tomas Phillips (ATAK) 2009 – by Giuseppe Angelucci, Spiritual Archives

i8u – Tomas Phillips ligne (CD by ATAK) 2009

Atak is a Japanese label born in 2002, founded by Keiichiro Shibuya and maria, a duo also known as “Slipped Disk”. Its catalogue comprises fifteen releases so far, including Shibuya’s newest work (“For Maria”). All published albums have electronics as predominant factor, although managed from different viewpoints, primarily dealing with experimentation fields and sound art aspects.

”Ligne”, out two months ago, marks a collaboration (a new synergy after “Anther” in 2006) between France Jobin, Canadian sound-sculpture artist (i8u) and Tomas Phillips, American composer as well as literature teacher.i8u creates, since more than a decade, acclaimed works, live performances and installations, Phillips’ sound is usually associated to reference labels like Trente Oiseaux, and/OAR, Non Visual Objects, Line, and, recently, Koyuki.

”Ligne” could be read as a report of visions, feelings and aesthetic attitudes, reflecting the intellectual background of its authors, whose abilities, combined together, produce an astounding result beyond expectation.

Four tracks here: two “lines” (which open and close the work) as boundary for a point and a data (names given to the other pieces), about a hour of encoded information, a persistent stream from the start-up to the last pulse, unpredictable sound sceneries proposed.
Environmental recordings are present, of course, but it is also possible to notice compositional moments, forceful changes of state, harmonic structures which tangle up.
Dilated, extended soundscapes burst on the scene, fade away and revitalize themselves after a while.

The first drawing is built on cracklings, glitches, interferences which intersect resounding patterns, melodic (in rare moments) or (more often) soaked with a hypnotic vein.
This scheme is kept for the first half of the track, then new, different perturbations on a more minimal ground and a new mutation around the thirteenth minute: electronic pulses meet repeated, manipulated piano tones.
In the second piece there’s a prevalence of subtle frequencies and defective insertions, what causes a granular effect in pure microsound style.
“Donnée”, the third track, is also the longest and the most fascinating: it starts with rustles, scattered noises, rumblings placed in continuum, then evolves in suave patches put on abrasive surfaces.
Lastly, “Ligne”, once more an immersion into profound sounds, exploded with more violence, sharp-pointed projections which afterwards dissolve into more peaceful states, almost meditative.
Excellent interaction between the two protagonists, intelligent use of (re)sources, spent for a very complex work, really expressive…or, to be precise, visual.

Label: Atak
Cat. #: ATAK013
Format: CD
Release date: 2009

Tracklisting:

01 – Ligne (18:23)
02 – Point (08:38)
03 – Donnée (19:15)
04 – Ligne (10:10)

-Spiritual Archives.

Giuseppe Angelucci

Address: http://atak.jp

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Review – 10-33cm (ROOM40) 2008 – by Eric Hill, Exclaim

i8u – 10-33cm (MP3 by Room40) 2008
From Holst’s The Planets to Eno’s Apollo, composers have glanced spaceward for inspiration and grandeur. Montreal’s France Jobin goes the extra step by turning outwards then inwards to explore ideas of String Theory, the title being the theoretical size of strings that make up, well, everything. Music, or purely expressed sound, is a logical art form to tackle these complex ideas, as little else exists in time and space quite the same way. The seven pieces have a scientific precision and clarity, placing each tone and texture in an aural description of nearly dimensionless particles. The vibratory interactions of these particles, or strings, stir high end frequencies that snap together like microscopic jigsaws, and waves of drone that describe a closed or looped model. Slipping just out of silence into the auditory field intensifies a reflex to lean towards the discovery of curious phenomena. Whether or not Jobin’s work inspires you to more deeply consider reality it can be enjoyed for its wonderful minimalist construction.
-Eric Hill
Address: http://www.room40.org

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Review – 10-33cm (ROOM40) 2008 – by Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes

i8u – 10-33cm (MP3 by Room40) 2008

Described by the press release as a “compelling meditation on the nature of sound in time”, this work by Canadian France Jobin was conceived by taking into account the “theoretical size of the strings that makes up the universe”. The impression is mainly one of morphing resonance, like someone manoeuvring an equalizer while a sequence of consecutive drones is unfolding. A chain of pretty static visions, some of them in fact engrossing, rarely presenting truly shocking elements yet effective, at least in spurts. Still, the compositional effort doesn’t appear extreme; this will probably determine a filing in the jam-packed folders of “good but not really memorable” near-minimalism, with the exception of “String 6” and “String 7”, whose impressive bottomless rumbles and subsonic purrs are something to be heard. Dulcis in fundo, indeed.

Touching Extremes
Massimo Ricci

Address: http://www.room40.org

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Review – 10-33cm (ROOM40) 2008 – by Marcus Whale, The Silent Ballet

i8u – 10-33cm (MP3 by Room40) 2008

A part of the spat of new releases on Room40 over late 2008 and early 2009, this offering is produced by Montreal-based sound designer France Jobin, best known for her conceptually mind boggling sound experiments as I8U. This latest work, 10-33 cm, focuses on string theory, an attempt to adapt these tenets of quantum physics to a sound context.

Being unfortunately shackled to an intellect utterly bereft of mathematical knowledge, I have no way of interpreting the conceptual basis for the piece, but Jobin’s skill as a sound designer is undeniable. Jobin creates a seven-part, 46 minute long universe of mainly sine-tone based sound worlds that are remarkable in their focus and detail. Each track is assigned a different ‘type’ of string and the disparity between the contents of each section is marked. The most beautiful moments in the work come at the very beginning, where tiny, high frequency sounds move in and out of each other and take on a delicate form. Massive arrays of sounds subsequently provide counterpoint to this initial moment, but ultimately don’t match the atmosphere that it creates.

The most remarkable element of this release is the ability for such intellectual, difficult music to become as evocative, even on an emotional level, as much of 10-33 cm is. A criticism may be, for all of its intricacies, these experiments occasionally lapse into over-repetition, becoming reduced to its subject matter, rather than finding identity through the medium by which the concept is being expressed – sound. However, as a whole, the suite is tight and well constructed, finding moments of great intensity and poise.

Room40 are known for managing the compromise between the intellectual aesthetic of this corner of experimental music and its ability to ascertain a human reaction to it, beyond the arguably dry conceptual origins that often mark the associated releases. I8U is an example of this success; above all, a demonstration of the complexity of Jobin’s craft, an approach to sound design that is difficult to fault, in its strong intent and flawless execution.

-Marcus Whale
Address: http://www.room40.org