3EEM – Third Segment (2009)

Bandcamp

• Improvised music 
• Avant-garde 
• Avant-rock 
• Experimentalism 
• Electronic 
• Post-rock 
• Experimental rock 
• Free jazz 
• Psychedelic 
• Avant-prog 
• RIO

 

It was almost a crime one did not have had officially a chance to get a copy of this excellent album by an excellent now defunct Italian imprint, Chew-Z for a while. The end of the 00s and the first couple of years of the 10s was a merry time span within the music scene. Lots of musicians with hope and passion, with zeal and power happened to be around there. This bunch of handful of compositions is a proof - an elegant, compelling drift between groovy free jazz, picturesque post-rock, razing progressive rock, some experimental electronic undercurrents (glitch, musique concrète) and borderline psychedelic music which makes the listener think outside of the formal walls of experimental music which otherwise used to happen quite frequently (related to the sense of being incarcerated in a dungeon – though dungeon noise is an OK subgenre of the generally rubbish genre dungeon synth). Lots of changes is up there but it is not the goal but an instrumental measure helping to come to fruition. Before starting listening to a contemporary improvised music release take this in before.

Christian Alati – Pietra (2007)

Grey Sparkle

• Drone 
• Avant-garde 
• Experimentalism 
• Electro-acoustic 
• Minimalism 
• Microtonal 
• Sound Art 
• Leftfield 
• Avant-electronica 
• Post-classical 
• Modern classical

Comment: this couple of very extended compositions clocking in at a 38 minute is not a nascent one. Vice versa, it was released on an imprint called Chew-Z which does not exist anymore. Fortunately another domestic imprint called Grey Sparkle is still with its discography up there. Yet it was supported by another defunct label as Canebagnato Records either. More profoundly, it was issued 10 years ago but the music is in spite of it thoroughly evergreen. Why should it be otherwise, isn't? Although it does not involve catchy hooks in the terms of pop songs it can be considered a poppy instance within the experimental electronic music scene. Pietra 1 is not the kind of it because the artist is inclined to have experiments with electro-acoustic sounds yet at the end of the composition it is going to lose its austere and rigid facade remarkably. At the ending part those subtle droning waves are flowing over the crackling bits and incisive sounds conjured up with contact microphones. It is going to remind me of something being produced by Penguin Cafe Orchestra many decades ago. However, Pietra 2 introduces even the more acquainted associations due to slowed down drones, lengthy piano chords and poignant electronic effects and then as if coming from nowhere putting on a swarm of fantastically chirping cinematic droning which would without any obstacles be the epic finishing backbone to the maudlin motion pictures. In a nutshell, I applaud the effort of Christian Alati.

Riga - EP (2008)

Chew-Z

• Indietronica
• Electronic pop
• Alternative dance
• Leftfield
• Glitchtronica
• IDM
• Experimental electronica
• Post-rock
• Ambient techno
• Experimental techno
• Glitch techno

Outstanding tracks:

H Lane 

Asa

Backhome
Exp
Psyche

Palumbo/Tomasini - The Hunting Dogs Of Boötes The Herdsman (2010)

Chew-Z

9.2

/Dark pop, Glam pop, Avant-garde, Experimental, Alternative, Pomp pop, Art rock/

Comment: the first association by listening to this 3-piece album was "spectacular" and "theatrical". More profoundly, it is highly accentuated through the high-registered male vocals, punching drums, brooding synths. It was just the kick-off merely. Later it will be variegated with a spoken word snippet in the storytelling way (in Italian), the baritone singing hovering above the mesmerizing layers of a throbbing dark-hued composition. In fact, the more you listen to it the better it gets - a grower. Weird but convincing indeed.

Riga - Escapism (2011)

Chew-Z
Bandcamp

9.1

/Glitch techno, IDM, Experimental techno, Glitch ambient/

Comment: firstly, it is techno music with balls from Italy. These 11 tracks do take on sizzling, smithereens-filled cadences which do pierce behind the gleaming, atmospherical veil of synth layers. Industrial visions at the club stage.

Lule Kaine - Radiation From Futurist Furniture (2007)

Chew-Z
Lastfm

9.0

/Krautrock, Epic, Progressive, Experimental rock, Avant-rock, Motorik, Post-rock/

Comment: Lule Kaine is an eminent experimental rock combo from Turin, Italy having the activities since 2002. They have opened Turin shows for such prominent post-rock/experimental rock groups as Explosion In The Sky, Tarentel, and Girandini di Mirò. However, Radiation From Futurist Furniture is the sophomore album under Chew-Z being accomplished in 2007. The first half of the issue follows the formula of krautrock through precise cadences, metallic echoes, step-by-step evolving through new layers, all in all resembling those proto-industrial whirls by Neu! and Faust conjured up approximately four decades ago. The second half (the last two tracks) is more precisely post-rock, made out through restraint guitar chords, subtle half-orchestrations and dainty electronics. Indeed, it is a convincing workout.

Japanese Gum Lost In Weirdness (Chew-Z)

Japanese Gum on duo Davide Cedolin-Paolo Tortora. 2005. aasta kevadel tegevust alustanud Genua duo esimeseks üllitiseks oli “Talking Silently EP” ning selle jätkuks “Without you I`m napping”. Kui esimesel albumil domineeris veel eksperimentaalne glitchtronica, siis järgmisel olid valdavaks elektroonilised kingapõrnitsemishelid – kitarrihägu IDM-rütmide ning glitch-elementidega.

“Lost In Weirdness” on remiksalbum, mille poolte lugude eest on duo ise hoolt kandnud ning ülejäänu jätnud oma sõprade hooleks. Mõttekaaslased - Arbdesastr, Die Stadt Der Romantisch Punks, Eniac, Grausamerg Eisenberg ning IDM-muusika suurnimi Isan – remiksivad eranditult Japanese Gum`i esimese albumi lugusid. Genualased omalt poolt pakuvad lisaks remaster`itele ka alternatiiv- (And Talk Silently) ning varajast demoversiooni (Cluster Of Bees).

Album on kõrgetasemeline – remiksid on väga tasemel. Seda esiteks. Albumit alustab Die Stadt Der Romantisch Punks world music-rõhuasetusega versioon. Arbdesastr`i versioon loost Could The English Rain (Wash It Away?) kõlab nagu Sigur Ros saanuks omale glitch-inglitiivakesed. Grausamerg Eisenberg`i versioon loost The Undertaker's Tombstone kulgeb eksperimentaalelektro ning abstraktsete hõllanduste eikellegimaal, hiilates kohati düstoopse pingestatusega. Igatahes võimas! Isan esindab oma teada-tuntud headust. Teiseks – Japanese Gum on oma ideede realiseerimisel uuele tasandile hüpanud. Eksperimentaaltehno/elektroonika ning abstraktse shoegaze`i seguse saundi uued valitsejad. Kuulake lugu Sunday, 1:00 pm. Täiesti geniaalne! Võimalik, et Seefeel on selle albumi näol leidnud endale väärika mantlipärija.

Kuula albumit siit

9.6