Sunday 18 January 2015

ODG034 : Mutantes Melancólicos / Mi Reloj Biológico No Necesita Cuerda



ODG034 : Mutantes Melancólicos / Mi Reloj Biológico No Necesita Cuerda  

AN INTROSPECTIVE ELECTRIC DISINTEGRATION
OF PHANTOM ROUGHNESS

Science fiction music for a life that needs emotion. It pretends to be immobile. It hypnotizes, seduces. Whispering voices, almost inaudible. Sparse piano chords interlaced with eternal trumpet howls. Demagnetized recording tape effects. Organ loops that create the ambience to listen to this album at night, in the dim light, to savor the intimacy that it offers to us.
The songs from “Mi reloj biológico no necesita cuerda” were born from the proposal of creating the soundtrack for a play in which Mutantes Melancólicos would take a key role playing this music live on scene. Even though the project never came to life, the music exists, lasts. This music was composed having as inspiration some of the backing chords for the melody of “Funeral March” by Frédéric Chopin. However, as Madrid recalls, some of his influences at this point of his career were the soundtracks for the films “Twin Peaks” by Angelo Badalamenti and “A Night on Earth” by Tom Waits.

Composed, played, produced and recorded by Gustavo Madrid between May and October 1995 at El Quinto with the support of Leo Kaplan and Marcelo Almejún. 

Coming from Buenos Aires - Argentina and conceived in 1992, Mutantes Melancólicos is the project behind Gustavo Madrid´s mastermind. The one he used as a vehicle to create new ways of making music without losing his personal imprint, pushing towards constant change and evolution. Guest musicians, free improvisation as the expressive force, and no formulas repeated led him to transform a style that was already his own.
The first traces of this project can be heard on a recorded version of “Dirt”, a song by The Stooges, that remains unreleased. Some critics claimed to find the influence of the appetite for low-budget productions; others found a dark spirit without optimism. We can say that both points of view are accurate to describe this group´s sound, but when a bit of black comedy is added as a third ingredient to blend and empower the mix, that´s when this mutant music is brought to life.

The first one of his 5 albums was published on cassette in 1993 and some of his songs appeared in 2 compilation albums: Unknown BA on Beat Records and Petronilo, an underground fanzine. Today, each one of those 5 original productions is available for the first time on CD with previously unreleased bonus tracks; besides, a sixth album with 16 tracks of unpublished material is added to the discography. Housed in carefully designed vinyl record replica covers, audio digitally remastered from the original stereo master tapes; each title is published in strictly limited editions of 1000 to document the career of a genuine artist whose commitment leads towards new and different sounds.

Line-up:
Gustavo Madrid : vocals + guitars + programming + organ + effects (1992-1998)
Special guests :
Christian Zerba : organ (1992-1993)
Martín Pavone : guitar (1993-1994)
Leo Kaplan : trumpet + organ + guitar (1993-1998)
Jorge Almejún : guitar (1994-1995)

Marcelo Almejún : programming (1993-1995)
 Gustavo Madrid

Leo Kaplan

Digital release on the 19th of January 2014.
The album was released by Mad-Ride Records at the time.

Track listing:

01 HUESOS DE METAL Y PLÁSTICO 05:53
02 MI RELOJ 02:39
03 LÁGRIMAS ARTIFICIALES 02:19
04 RELOJ BIOLÓGICO 02:40
05 DESPERTÉ Y ME DI CUENTA QUE ESTABA VIVO 04:35
06 DIOS SE EQUIVOCÓ 03:25
07 NO NECESITA 02:46
08 VIAJE ATEMPORAL TOTALMENTE CONTROLADO 04:01
09 NECESITA CUERDA 02:54
10 MÁQUINA DIOS 06:15








And in Bandcamp:



Off has the privilege to have a limited 15 cds copies for sale:



Prices


Wednesday 14 January 2015

ODG036 : Collisions / Sea Motions

Cover art by Fara


ODG036 : Collisions / Sea Motions

Second single out of the Masses / Sea motions video by Collisions to come out (see ODG035).

Collisions is a cybernetic utopia that became real when a unique interactive computer music technology created by Leonello Tarabella (saxophonist and computer music researcher at the National Council of Research in Italy) was combined with the organic and versatile drumming of Alessandro Baris (musician and composer known for his works and collaborations with L'Altra, Comfort, Young Boy, The Somnambulist, Caboto).

The two very different sound worlds melt together creating a huge range of differently shaped sound landscapes, which take the audience through a musical and visual journey for heart and mind.

“We want to share our music through a sensorial journey, magic and unusual, beyond ordinary sound and video experiences touching heart and mind of the spectator.”

MASSES AND SEA MOTIONS is a live perfoming video shooted in the amazing and evocative location of Theatre of Silence in Tuscany; born from a Collisions idea it has been realized with the collaboration of director Davide Abate and producer Francesca Holsenn, inspired by videos as Godfrey Reggio's “Koyaanisqatsi”, Beach House “Forever Still” and Pink Floyd “Live at Pompei” with such a high quality production and a great impact which makes it comparable to those videos.



The video in full, tracks:
1. MASSES (00:00 to 5:13)
2. SEA MOTIONS (5:13 to 10:41)



German review in Ragazzi Music here.

Digital release on the 16th of January 2015.

Track listing:
1: Sea Motions

Thursday 8 January 2015

ODG035 : Collisions / Masses

Cover art by Fara

ODG035 : Collisions / Masses

First single out of the Masses / Sea motions video by Collisions to come out sees the return of Alessandro Baris (see OCD010:Comfort), this time associated with Leonello Tarabella.

“We want to share our music through a sensorial journey, magic and unusual, beyond ordinary sound and video experiences touching heart and mind of the spectator.”

Two years after their latest release and the applauded performance at Robot festival 2014, this new work from Collisions shows an artistic step forward of the italian duo formed by Alessandro Baris (known for being a member of L'Altra, Comfort, Young Boy, The Somnambulist) and Leonello Tarabella (saxophonist and computer music researcher at the National Council of Research in Italy) .

MASSES AND SEA MOTIONS is a live perfoming video shooted in the amazing and evocative location of Theatre of Silence in Tuscany; born from a Collisions idea it has been realized with the collaboration of director Davide Abate and producer Francesca Holsenn, inspired by videos as Godfrey Reggio's “Koyaanisqatsi”, Beach House “Forever Still” and Pink Floyd “Live at Pompei” with such a high quality production and a great impact which makes it comparable to those videos.



Masses And Sea Motions is made of solid and brilliant grooves supporting a texture of synthesizers and dreamy melodies, creating an evocative crescendo.
From sunset to twilight the music spreads all over the place brought by a dinamyc and versatile drumming melted with digital sounds performed through a unique and spectacular computer music interactive technology, developed by Tarabella, which consists of two gesture recognition systems:
the first one is called Palm Driver and is a device that consists on infrared beams which detects the distance of different parts of the palms of the hands thus getting information based on heights and rotations of the hands.
The second system is called “Handel” and is based on real-time processing of grabbed video images. A video projector creates background scenarios  where the performer places and moves his hands.
In both the systems the information produced is sent to a computer creating an interactive computer music performance by controlling sound processing and sound synthesis programs both affecting melody, timber or effects.

An involving journey enriched by a creative video editing led by the eye of a drone camera.

composed and performed by COLLISIONS
recorded live by Alessandro Sportelli at Theatre of Silence,
september 2014, Lajatico - Italy

mixed and mastered by Alessandro Sportelli at West Link recording
produced by COLLISIONS and FRANCESCA HOLSENN
executive producer Information Science and Technology Institute
artwork by MOODIF
Alessandro Baris proudly plays UFIP cymbals and CVL drums
© 2014 Alessandro Baris – Leonello Tarabella (SIAE)
COLLISIONSmusic.com

COLLISIONS is: 
Alessandro Baris drums 
Leonello Tarabella handel, palm driver

Digital release on the 9th of January 2015.

Track listing:
1: Masses

A trailer from the Robot Festival in 2014:




Another great track "Sound Carrier":



"Flutter":



"Landscapes Serenade":



Sunday 4 January 2015

ODG033 : Lark Wool / Lark Wool

cover art by A.L. from a Jack Ison pic

ODG033 : Lark Wool / Lark Wool

After his Incidental Music period from the 80ties (see here Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3), Jack Ison started a new project in 2012: Lark Wool. 
This time, with more instruments and better equipment to record, he played and recorded all the tracks in Trenton, Ohio from 2012 to 2014. 
The music has matured from his debut, but stay ambient, intrigual and more spiritual than before. 
It's a universe in itself! Just close your eyes and listen to enter into it! Enjoy!

Digital release on the 5th of January 2015.

Track listing:

CD1:
1) Awkward Roller 
2) Corona 
3) Correct Well Hidden Order 
4) Fiction Room 
5) Forgone 
6) Galassia 
7) Lines 
8) Moire 
9) One from the Mare's Nest 
10) Other Thing 
11) Slow Space 
12) Threads Between 
13) Time and No Time 
14) Where at the End 

CD2:
1) Crescent 
2) Dia 
3) End Of 
4) Event Blank 
5) Filter Tricks 
6) Impulse Catalogue 
7) Moment Loops 
8) Resistance 
9) Shaky Event 
10) Simulated Origin 
11) Unknown 
12) Whisper 




And in Bandcamp: