The sixth volume in this ongoing collaborative series finds our intrepid Swiss musicians (Jason Kahn, Tomas Korber, Norbert Möslang and Günter Müller) engaging in improvisatory dialog with a passel of the young avant garde from South Korea (Hong Chulki, Ryu Hankil, Choi Joonyong, Bae Miryung, Jin Sangtae and Sato Yukie). This was a propitious meeting as, over the last couple of years, much of the music emanating from this area of Switzerland had taken on something of a bland, grey tone-competent but not so exciting--very much the opposite of the difficult, crunchy, hyper-exploratory sounds that these young Koreans had been producing over a similar period.
It was a good idea. There are seven tracks with seven different groupings, all duos or trios. The pared down nature of the ensembles serves to keep things crisp, not allowing excessive electronics to generate a murky, hazy atmosphere. As is their wont, the Europeans still tend to impart a pulse or throb but, offset by the scratchier, more abstract contributions from the Koreans, this doesn't become as overbearing as it can on its own. Their sonics are, as one would expect, as rich and lush as ever but when paired with more astringent offerings, a tasty stew develops. One might complain that the Swiss contingent predominates somewhat; heard under blindfold conditions, one would be more likely to credit them as the creators than Mssrs Chulki, et. al. There's also something of a sameness over the course of the disc, though that's a mere quibble as the level attained throughout is fairly high. Overall, volume six balances signal and noise quite well (the two cuts on which Tomas Korber appears are especially juicy), resulting in an approachable recording that packs enough information and surprise to reward repeated listens.
Comments and Feedback:
|
