Monday, 27 August 2007
Francis Plagne - Subdivide & Never Stop
Another new Plagne release has surfaced on the Breakdance the Dawn label.
Subdivide & Never Stop is a cassette only release which i have been duly informed is split thus:
side a: a new 20 min 'concrete' work
side b: a 20 min live set
This sucker may be purchased at the Half Theory shop
Friday, 3 August 2007
SYN020 - Francis Plagne - "Francis Plagne" CD
New Release out now - (split release with Mistletone Records)
"Francis Plagne" is the second album by fractured kaleidoscope pop sound by the pound Francis Plagne. This eponymous release further explores Francis' obsessions with 'pop' and 'organised sound', all from a modest bedroom studio in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne, Francis has developed his craft to a level way beyond his 19 years. Incorporating field recordings, drones, electronics and improvisations, along with harmony-rich pop songs of the finest order. Unusual, identifiable and exciting. Leave your delay pedals and cheap drone at the door.
SYN019 - Pateras/Baxter/Brown - "Gauticle" CD
"Gauticle was recorded in 2004 in "Vienna" and "London," presumably live although no specific recording dates and locations are disclosed. It features composer/pianist Anthony Pateras, drummer Sean Baxter, and guitarist David Brown (the latter two of Bucketrider and Lazy) forming a tighter and more exciting trio than what can be witnessed on their debut recording Ataxia. These three musicians play their instruments in unorthodox ways, looking for quiet, delicate sounds. Pateras spends most of his time inside the piano, hitting, scraping, and rubbing its strings. Brown uses preparations on his guitar, focusing on its tortured acoustic qualities. As for Baxter, he mainly resorts to metal percussion and very light stick work to produce flurries of mice steps. Tiny sounds can make quite a racket at times, as can be heard in "Vienna Three," a tight stop-and-go improvisation in which at least 12 hands would seem necessary to produce all those sounds, yet only six are actually involved. That piece and "Vienna One" are the highlights of the set, with the latter being in a quieter vein, every sound being carefully placed within the whole picture. Generally, the three "Vienna" pieces are more satisfying than the two "London" ones, due partly to the latter's lack of stereo separation (a flatter sound), but also to a lack of distinctive character in the performance. The "Vienna" tracks (32 minutes of music in all) are sizzling with ideas and dynamics, beautifully rendered by Christoph Amann's wide-angle recording". ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
SYN018 - Francis Plagne - "Idle Bones" CD
Songs.
"The buzz around Francis Plagne's debut album, Idle Bones, roared through Australian indie music circles late last year. The Melbourne teenager's complex blend of pop, drone and musique concrete fascinated listeners used to the recent wave of great, but one-dimensional records.
Although conceptually interesting, albums built around found sounds like these are rarely the ones you grow to love though. However, Idle Bones mixes that kind of bedroom experimentation with a timeless bedroom pop whose roots lie in teenage parties, Brian Wilson and the Beatles, moving through up to three or four different parts in a single song, say on Clouds Collect. Although that might sound jarring, it actually works, quite poetically.
The reason why is tightly bound to the tension between and within tracks. Tense, fraught moments of dark ambience are quickly replaced with wonderfully accessible melodic material that somehow frees the listener. It is uplifting, but it also underlines the manic quality of the preceding sounds". Cyclic Defrost
SYN013-SYN016 - Marco Fusinato - "Synaesthesia Edition" Part 1-4 4LP SET
The 0_ in the trilogy refers to an absence of music. ironically this process has produced damaged vinyl of the highest (lowest) order. the space, density and shape of the grooves determine the random composition of the audio, resulting in unfettered grit /noise / texture / chaos. this process provides a curious link between aesthetics in opposition, of silence and noise, the visual and the sonic. these works disrupt notions of linear playing time as found in conventional sound recordings and as a result, the possibility of endless variation arises from the erratic wanderings of the stylus running across the vinyl surface. the traditional process is reversed. ie: music is not dictated by what information is stored within the grooves, rather, the 'empty' grooves themselves create the "music". the end result is a simple and crude observation on the means of expression via sonic reproduction, which encourages the owner to partake in the overall shape of the audio along with observing the uncontrollable input of the needle itself.
Ben Curnow writes that Fusinato’s work: “…does not reflect a single reality that can be thought of as 'out there' and a given once and for all, but rather concerns generations of reality; it works in addition to reality and, in itself, as an elementary generation of reality”.
SYN012 - Robin Fox - "Backscatter" DVD
The Fox! Where does one start? Well, to be honest - right here! Fox is a quality example of the Australian experimental scene. I mean his parents got a divorce over serialism (one was pro, one was anti!), it can't get better than that.
"Working solo, Fox has spent several years combining electronically generated images and music. At first he patched into his sound system a clapped-out old oscilliscope with a rotary display, showing the frequency of the waveform circling round a still, central point as its zero baseline. The visuals do not accompany the music, nor vice versa: the two are mutually dependent manifestations of the same signal. The image is generated by the sound's waveform, which is in turn restricted to a range of sounds which produce visually interesting pattern's. (this quote has been stolen from ben harper's supreme blog)
In recent years The Fox has moved from oscilliscope to laser:
and somehow managed to work with Metallica:
and the chemical brothers! :
SYN009 - Pateras/Baxter/Brown - "Ataxia" CD
One of our favourite SYN releases and one of the most consistantly rewarding live acts we have had the pleasure of lapping up on a regular basis. This, our first "all acoustic" release consists of a trio: Prepared Piano (pateras), Percussion (baxter) and Prepared Guitar (Brown) has proved to be more than a ponk in the ocean with extensive australian shows (inc wangaratta jazz festival) and 2 international tours. Extreme extended technique on conventional acoustic instruments.
SYN008 - Philip Samartzis / Rasmus B Lunding - "Touch Parking" PIC DISC LP
A strange release. Our only release to feature a drum solo. The artwork features a 'sample' from the orginal artwork to Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Relax' 12" (object of desire in our youth) which we got a firm slap on the wrist for using without permission. And without our knowledge or consent, the recordings were carefully prepared for vinyl through a unique mastering process conducted by elektronische folkist Gaeoudjiparl who also conceived and designed the freak tip "protecting the hive" artwork . All was fine by us as this was a knee scratcher from the start and remains as such!
Gaeoudjiparl - Mechanical Bird Performance:
SYN007 - Anthony Pateras and Robin Fox - "Coagulate" CD
Debut release from this well established duo who have carved out their own individual worlds but seem to have the most 'fun' in this live electroacoustic noise maelstrom outfit. This cd was once refered to as blatantly maximalist: loud, occasionally harsh, very in-your-face and occasionally quite entertaining. Now that's a sales pitch we can live with, although we perhaps prefer BIG, HAIRY and SCARY! Their 2nd cd 'Flux Compendium' was released by Editions Mego)
scope a shitty quality youtube snippet of the grizzly ones in action:
SYN006 - Snawklor - "It would have lived here" CD
2nd release from long term Melbourne act who channel the spirits of dash and unearth concrete land and wine. You can nab a downloadable version of this and their 2 follow up releases for free
Snawklor have a new cd due out this year on the label run by BUS gallery
In recent years the 2 klors have spent many an hour refining their supremo visual schtick which one may scope on their own accord: undodesign and hiddenarchive
SYN004 - Hecker - "2 track 12" LP
We are completely obsessed with Xenakis' 'la légende d’Er'. For us it is the greatest single electronic word made thus far. This German character Hecker has taken this batton and run with it in a way that no one else has dared approach. Having heard a limited cd release of these pieces we were determined to put these on to vinyl. There is something about heavily 'digital' music being released on this format that appeals to us immensly. Hecker has since gone on to have work presented at Tate modern and has recently released an LP on Warner classic (with haswell). Still the most fried jewel in the digital dungeon.
SYN003 - Bernard Parmegiani / Philip Samartzis - "Immersion" LP
This one took donkey's to come out. It was a matter of perpetual poverty more than anything else (vinyl is a luxury). This came about as Dr Samartzis had invited the charming Mr Parmegiani over too Australia as a part of the 'immersion' festival.
The festival also commisioned an exclusive track. A few years later Mr Parmegiani returned to play 'liquid architecture' and dropped by our shop. Being a foaming fan of Mr Parmegiani's work (Dedans Dehors remaining one of my favourite electronic works ever) and a fraction cocky, i simply asked him if it was possible if i could release some material and instantly Mr Parmegiani agreed. This came as a suprise, but he was serious, and so it was decided to put out a split vinyl release as a document of the initial 'immersion' festival. We had it mastered in Berlin by the golden 'Rashad Becker' and the strange and supreme artwork was tackled by filmaker Pia Borg. Joey at Plates of Sound in the US agreed to do this as a split label release helping with it's eventual release and distribution. Hat's off to all involved!
2 Parmegiani soundtracks:
une mission ephemere :
Scherzo Infernal:
SYN002 - Various - "Strewth!" CD
Time capsule compilation of active electronic fuckedness of the time (2000-2001) from Australia and New Zealand. This was mistaken as a compilation of digital music at the time which was not actually correct for instance Dion Workman's track was made soley from the use of mini disc feedback (well in advance of oncoming trend of mixing desk feedback i may add!). Anyhow many names are now familiar and have successful careers in the absurd realm of sonic art. Others vapourised into the abstract abyss. Features:
Candlesnuffer
Delire
Philip Samartzis
zyzx
Xonk
Cray
Matthew Thomas
Netochka Nezvanova
Darrin Verhagen
Dave Franzke
Rosy Parlane
Oren Ambarchi
Auigiugui
Squinch
Dion Workman.
Additional info:
Copies of this are still floating around, we pressed up 1000 and sold aprox 700. This sucker still ticks over which is neat.
The liner notes make referance to the Peter Carey short story 'The last days of a famous mime' which i was obsessed with at the time and still hold in high regard.
SYN001 - Fennesz/Rosy Parlane - "Live at Synaesthesia" 3"CD (out of print)
Our first label release came about from having one too many beers with Peter Rehburg who encouraged us to start a label. Having recently had an in-store in our humble prahran outlet by Fennesz and Parlane which sounded pretty nifty we decided to release this. This cd always reminds me of a scorching hot summer day in that tiny space, replete with bbq aroma threatening to swamp the whole affair. Being a Fennesz release this sold out rather quickly and, if we were sensible, we would have just followed this route of releasing 'big name' overseas acts. Alas, we are fools and this was not to be. Despite any chagrin we felt a label focussing on neglected Australian artistic wares was a more satisfying option. Oh and for what's it's worth i just noticed this was in The Wire's end of year list of 2000 as one of the best 'outer limits' releases of the year! Goodness!
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