Thursday 31 August 2017

ODG071 : Tunnel Ensemble / Tunnel Ensemble


Cover art pic by Veit Schmoll


ODG071 : Tunnel Ensemble / Tunnel Ensemble


Tunnel Ensemble aims to open up new sound spaces through examining the relations between the saxophone and electronics. 

The duo was founded in 2013 at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and has played several concerts in Europe and Asia and a live radio concert at the “Art's Birthday 2015” in Antonio Tapies Foundation Barcelona. 
It won the “1st Prize at the International Contest of Soundart Performance” in Zaragoza 2014 and the “Encouragement Prize” from the Tokyo Experimental Festival 2016.

Tunnel Ensemble sees itself as a band working in a tension of improvisation and research. 
Peter Breitenbach developed a controller with different sliders and sensors and a custom software. 

Marc Vilanova explores the most unconventional registers of the instrument, rethinking each sound as means which is processed.

Peter Breitenbach: peterbreitenbach.de
Peter Breitenbach (1987) is a sound artist, composer and sound designer whose work traverses sound installation, performative sound art, composition and sound for theatre. In his installations and performances he is investigating the relationship of movement and sound, through the development of software and hardware as part of sculptural objects and instruments.
His work was shown in many festivals and exhibitions in Europe and Asia. Amongst others, at the CCCB in Barcelona, Ryogoku Monten Hall in Tokyo, at Museum Biedermann in Donaueschingen, at the Zentrum für Kunst und Medien Karlsruhe (ZKM), at the Municipal Gallery Sindelfingen and the Embassy of the Federal State Baden-Württemberg in Berlin. He is creating sound designs, sound environments and sound installations for different theatre productions, regularly for the renowned theatre group Rimini Protokoll whose productions are performed worldwide.

Marc Vilanova: marcvilanova.com
Active as a performer in many art forms, including electroacoustic music, free improvisation,
contemporary repertoire and collaborations with dancers, saxophonist Marc Vilanova’s work is focused on the exploration of the instrument, as well as ongoing research into new sounds, techniques and expressions connected with technology and other arts.
His approach coherently encapsulates both performative feature and sound installation. 
His works have been presented in many festivals around the world including countries like Japan, USA, Canada, Brazil, Taiwan, Russia and many more within Europe creating a deep involvement with the viewers, who are urged to evolve from a condition of mere spectatorship.
He is also running several workshops of extended techniques and live electronics that had been performed at the Tokyo National University, MIT Saxophone Ensemble in Taipei, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Saxophone Academy in Sao Paulo and other universities within Europe like Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Royal Academy of Music Aarhus or Hochschule für Musik Basel. Those experiences meant the first step for some musicians that keep exploring successfully their instrument up until now.

For more info, pics and videos, visit their site here!

Credits:
Saxophone: Marc Vilanova
Electronics: Peter Breitenbach
'Mina': recording: Benni Grau, graumusic.de / mix: Peter Breitenbach
'Rami / Göng': recording & mix: Peter Breitenbach

Image: Veit Schmoll, veitschmoll.com

Peter and Marc

Two videos:


Work by Tunnel // Marc Vilanova - Peter Breitenbach from Marc Vilanova on Vimeo.


Tunnel Ensemble | @44Perills Art Sonor | Marc Vilanova & Peter Breitenbach from Marc Vilanova on Vimeo.

Digital release on the 1st of September 2017.

Track listing:

1: Gong
2: Mina
3: Rami



And on Bandcamp:

Wednesday 23 August 2017

OPV012 : Orchestra Exotica / Plays Martin Denny


Cover art by Bruno Vansina


OPV012 : Orchestra Exotica / Plays Martin Denny


Martin Denny revisited by Bruno Vansina and Pierre Vervloesem.

Bruno Vansina ( Flat Earth Society, Vansina-Verbruggen-Gudmundsson trio, Vansina orchestra…) was inspired by the famous exotica music of Martin Denny and Les Baxter for a children’s play: MaiTé, het meisje en de vogel



The songs were arranged by Pierre Vervloesem and recorded as a trio using a lot of electronics, guitars and vibraphones in quadraphonic for the play. The music can be heard on the second cd of this double album.
When presenting the show, mostly to children, they always play the music live.

A teaser from the MaiTé shadow play:




Later on, Bruno envisaged another way to play the songs appart from the play and considered to re record them as a full orchestra. The compositions were then rearranged by Pierre Vervloesem in a way to remain true to the originals, but to have a very contemporary feel to them as well, and soon started to lead a life of their own. This resulted in a new band – the 7-piece Orchestra Exotica – that performs the playful and multicolored music of Denny and Baxter with a healthy dose of humor, cunning craft and an infectious drive. The result can be heard on the first cd of this double album.

Both cds were mixed and mastered by Pierre Vervloesem.

LINE-UP:
Bruno Vansina - flute, synth & parafernalia
Pierre Vervloesem - guitar
Frank Van Eycken - vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, percussion
Peter Vandenberghe - keys
Filip Vandebril - bass
Kobe Proesmans - percussion
Simon Segers - drums


Orchestra Exotica

Bruno live
Pierre live

'Escales' live:



Physical and digital release on the 25th of August 2017.

Track listing:

CD1: Orchestra Exotica

1: Escales  
2: Cobra 
3: Misirlou (Slow Version)
4: Jungle Madness   
5: Kalua  
6: The Enchanted Sea  
7: The Left Arm of Buddha 
8: Llama Serenade
9: Mau Mau
10: M’bira
11: Misirlou
12: Simba
13: Tiki
14: Stone God
15: Tune from Rangoon

CD2: MaiTé Het Meisje En De Vogel

1: Escales
2: M’bira
3: Tune from Rangoon
4: Stone God
5: Cobra
6: Misirlou
7: Jungle Madness
8: Kalua
9: Tiki
10: The Enchanted Sea
11: Simba
12: The Left Arm of Buddha
13: Mau Mau
14: Llama Serenade
15: Akaka Falls




And on Bandcamp, Maité, the girl and the bird:



And on Bandcamp, Orchestra exoctica:



CD:

Price
Belgium
Europe

Thursday 17 August 2017

OUC006 : Prope Nihil / Sea of Tranquillity


Art cover by Prope Nihil, pic by Lucio D Cavallari



OUC006 : Prope Nihil / Sea of Tranquillity

Prope Nihil is a London based band fronted by Lucio D Cavallari (read more herewho's an Italian artist that combines a wide range of disciplines including painting, video, live performance and interaction design. 

He has exhibited widely, in the UK, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and further afield. The range of work he’s carried out over the years includes videos and scenography for fashion, music and interactive installations. Has exhibited regularly over the last few years, as well as helping to produce exhibitions of interactive works.

He currently lives and works in London, UK.

Their music vogues between contemporary classical and jazz and 'Sea of Tranquillity' is a contemporary mix of electronics and double bass inspired by Mare Tranquillitatis (Latin for Sea of Tranquillity), a lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on the Moon, once thought to be an ocean. The basin has irregular margins and lacks a defined multiple-ringed structure, likely formed as a result of a very large impact in the Moon’s early history more than 3.9 billion years ago.
In February 1965, the Ranger 8 spacecraft was deliberately crashed into the Mare Tranquillitatis, after successfully transmitting 7,137 close-range photographs of the Moon in the final 23 minutes of its mission.

The music depict that place sometime sensibly, sometime with power...
It is the first track of a forthcoming album.

Lucio D Cavallari - Electronics 
Alessio Bruno - Double Bass 
Lorenzo Dalla Barba - Silent Piano

Digital release on the 18th of August 2017.

Track listing:

1: Sea of Tranquillity





Thursday 10 August 2017

OAS005 : Even Less / Soundtrack to a Wasted Day



OAS005 : Even Less / Soundtrack to a Wasted Day

Originally released in 2012, the Ep 'Soundtrack to a wasted day' was recorded by Chinese based band Even Less.

The very first Depressive Rock band in China. Beautiful and melancholic music produced under the influences of Katatonia, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Anathema, Mono etc. Features 3 studio tracks plus an excellent cover of "The Day the World Went Away" by Nine Inch Nails. Light a cigarette and enjoy this melancholic moment.

One of his member is playing now under the patronyme of Broken Thoughts and is producing amazing electronic music. I encourage you to discover his Bandcamp page.

There is a review of the EP in Aristocrazia webzine written by LordPist:


"When it comes to alternative music in China, Beijing is the most frequently mentioned area when speaking about interesting bands and "Even Less" is no exception to this rule. This project was clearly inspired by Porcupine Tree (the name being taken from a track off the "Stupid Dream" album) and it only takes a snippet of the visual, lyrical and musical aspects to acknowledge the all but hidden influence that Steven Wilson's brainchild has had on this band.


Even Less formed in 2009 and in about a couple of years got noticed by the most dedicated Chinese rock/metal label, Pest Productions, which is doing so much in order to promote some of the top acts of the Chinese scene (this is also one of the relatively few bands that opted for English lyrics, helping them to get some international attention). After taking part in a compilation in 2011 with the "Opeth-esque" track "In Another Life", Luo Keju and the others went on to record their first official EP, "Soundtrack To A Wasted Day".

The dual lead vocalists combination is quite unusual for this kind of band, with guitarist Luo Keju and drummer Nong Andi alternating on vocals. The degree of similarity with the vocals and the interpretation of both Åkerfeldt and Renkse is nothing short of impressive. With eyes closed you could be forgiven for mistaking Even Less for Opeth or Katatonia.

Getting back to the EP, it contains four tracks, one of which is a cover of Nine Inch Nails' "The Day The World Went Away". The musical background is extremely clear, perhaps even too much, and sometimes it seems that Even Less don't want to try and get out of it as they are so comfortable within their environment. However, the disc is not a tough listen by any means and flows with ease. It works well as a "manifesto" and is coherent in both visual and musical terms. After all, this is something quite unheard of in China, especially played with such proficiency, even though this style is something that has been played around Europe for quite some time now."

 The back cover of the original EP

The band


Digital release on the 11th of August 2017.


Track listing:

1: Forgotten One
2: Dead End
3: The Day The World Went Away
4: Soundtrack To A Wasted Day



And on Bandcamp: