Dust brings together two far-ranging experimenters in live electronics for a set of mysterious and dark sonic improvisations. Hardly strangers, Dimuzio and Cutler have performed and recorded together numerous times, and the chemistry between them brings a thoughtfulness to their dark digressions that keeps the sound cohesive and controlled without becoming dry or, well, dusty. The cd presents two larger works, each of which is indexed into contiguous segments with subtitles, and are drawn from live improvisations in performance or in the studio with some editing, spatializing and overdubbing added.
The first work, "Requiem," is perhaps the more interesting, using electrified drums, samplers and live sampling, along with sounds generated from various objects and processors. The piece was recorded live in 2000 in New Mexico and is indexed into 6 sections with names like "Paralysis. Disbelief" or "A blur from the air still, but shapes begin to emerge." The latter is an apt description for the kind of unfolding constructions these two create, where the subtle dynamics of a punctuated drones slowly begins to emit concrete sonic images which slowly dissolve into the dark and throaty call of a distant horn. This might be the secret music of your vacuum cleaner's dreams.
The second work, "Universal Decoding Machine" was taken from studio recordings in Bertrand, France, and San Francisco, California. Indexed into 12 pieces, the music is further expanded by the realtime recording of E.M. Thomas wearing a binaural microphone as he wanders around the performance area, and by Bob Drake's live loudspeaker processing. The final work as heard on this CD also includes overdubs an d further mixing from Thomas Dimuzio. The sound of this piece is perhaps more chaotic, but also features more li ve drumming (albeit muted and processed) to add an air of familiarity to the overall results. EM Thomas's wanderings add a dimension of depth anddistance to the work, as though the performers themselves were wandering around, watching and reacting to themselves play. The work is dark yet playful, a fascinating exploration of interactive sound and studio manipulation.
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