Rubbed + Blown
(Nur/Nicht/Nur) Used CD $10.00
Claus van Bebber and Ron Schmidt’s well-constructed schizophrenic duet in five parts touches high-energy free jazz, isolationist noises, musique concrete, a barrage of droning, barely-changing synthesizer sounds decorated with a sprinkling of ugly samples, and conceptual art. Paul Hubweber gradually metamorphoses small cells of notes, via an ensemble of brass instruments and signal processing, into a dense slab. Another piece begins with homemade brass and deliberately clumsy edits, giving way to junk sounds and the virtual ambiance of industrial noises. Hubweber’s more minimal “Ab + Auf,” performed by a live ensemble, combines slowly sweeping drones with filigree solo-istic gestures. Metal box with inserts.
Bowed + Popped
(Nur/Nicht/Nur) Used CD $10.00
Michael Vorfeld’s improv / composition hybrid for percussion trio bears the influence of electroacoustics as much as Stockhausen’s rhythmic and textural complexity pursued to the fullest extent. Stephan Froleyks’s half-hour “Hispeedo” is more volatile, owing to an apparent love of loops moving in and out of phase a la Steve Reich. Relentlessly inventive guitarist Hans Tammen bows, pops, grinds, and squeaks Styrofoam, for a strange collision of a friendly, intentionally unsophisticated material and rather horrible sounds with satisfying imaginative overdubbed textures. Metal box with inserts. From 1999.