FROM %ARRAY, THE FÄLLT NEWSLETTER - WRITTEN BY CHRISTOPHER MURPHY
(posted 11/2000)
VA - Islands Series (6 x 3" CD) [Archipelago]
Archipelago n. 1 a group of islands. 2 a sea with many islands. [It.
arcipelago f. Gk arkhi- chief + pelagos sea (orig. = the Aegean
Sea)]
Of the two definitions above perhaps the latter is the more apt. It's
easy to see how electronica/microsound (even trying to establish a
name for this endlessly-mutating genre is difficult) can be likened
to a sea. So many eddies, currents and undertows; so few recognisable
landmarks to focus on. The Archipelago - a series of six 3" CDs from
The Foundry and Boxman Studies labels - is a gemlike snapshot of six
islands that map some of the more compelling landscapes, each well
worth visiting.
Like Darwin's Galapagos Finches - each showing markedly differing
features, yet retaining key common characteristics - each 3" CD in
the series offers its own evolved aesthetic and each offers its own
rewards.
From the fluctuating atmospherics of Seofon's 'Immanent' which veers
between the lush warmth of the opening 'skyle' to the beat-driven
loops of the closing 'eth' to the playful sound collages of Dean
Santomeri which humourously employ both analog and digital sampling
techniques, the Archipelago series is one of constant surprises.
Csero's 'Pikoliftor', created entirely using a PC-based Commodore64
emulator, is a welcome return to the elegant simplicity of pure wave
forms while Rhomb's, aptly-titled, 'Lunatic' features the results of
two years of collaboration between Foundry owner Michael Bentley and
fellow musician Nathan Kreisberg.
Needless to say, to try to describe six 3" CDs in brief is difficult
to say the least. Like a poor-quality satellite photograph one can
only hope to offer a glimpse of the land that lies below, but on the
evidence of this series each CD is an island well worth exploring in
further detail.