Ganesh Anandan and Hans Reichel. Self Made.   Ganesh Anandan and Hans Reichel are instrument inventors as well as musicians, and this CD consists largely of duets between the two, recorded during a meeting in Wuppertal, Germany. Anandan, born in Bangalore, Southern India, and long resident in Montreal, performs on two different[...] Read more

Recordings Stuart Broomer Issue 106

Chris Abrahams and Clare Cooper. Germ Studies for Guzheng and DX7. As befits its name, Germ Studies for Guzheng and DX7 is a series of 198 miniatures, most ending in mere seconds, improvised on guzheng and the DX7 synthesizer. Partly intended, it seems, as a lark—the two-disc set comes with humorous illustrations of each germ, drawn by fellow musicians[...] Read more

Recordings Chris Kennedy Issue 106

empreintes DIGITALes turns twenty Canada has an abundance of resources including petrol-soaked sand, hockey fans, and electroacoustic music. These national assets can be found, respectively, in Alberta, in bars, and at <electrocd.com>. Most countries have no way of knowing what their electroacoustic scene consists of,[...] Read more

Recordings John Keillor Issue 105

Zeitkratzer and Carsten Nicolai. Electronics. With a repertoire encompassing composers as different as James Tenney and Lou Reed, the ten-piece Zeitkratzer group, led by pianist Reinhold Friedl, produces a unique CD with every outing. Electronics is no different. Hooking up with German composer Carsten Nicolai, who also plays on one[...] Read more

Recordings Ken Waxman Issue 105

Strotter Inst. Minenhund. Christopher Hess’ Strotter Inst. is a hybrid project that plays between the realms of visual and sound arts. The sounds from this CD are produced by installations Hess builds out of five manipulated Lenco turntables that he has deconstructed in a variety of ways. Photo documentation of[...] Read more

Recordings Chris Kennedy Issue 105

Cyrill Schläpfer. Die Waldstätte. Steam-powered engines appeal to the imagination. As an energy source steam is definitely a thing of the past, and compared to sources developed after it, it is inefficient, noisy, and smelly. Maybe that is exactly what the appeal is based on. That, and the design of the engines themselves[...] Read more

Recordings René van Peer Issue 105

Richard Pinhas and Merzbow. Keio Line. A surprising meeting of minds and one of the strongest CDs I’ve heard in a while. On these two discs French guitarist Richard Pinhas and Japanese noise musician Merzbow (who here returns to his analogue synthesizers after years as a solely digital artist) create beautifully[...] Read more

Recordings Chris Kennedy Issue 105

Pichelin, Charles, Grydeland. North of the North. Creating an imaginary aural landscape from an existing geography, Marc Pichelin, Xavier Charles and Ivar Grydeland mutate and reconfigure sounds collected on Norway’s Skjervøy and Arnøy islands using their own instruments, electronics, and phonographies. The result[...] Read more

Recordings Ken Waxman Issue 105

Toshimaru Nakamura and Mark Trayle. Stationary. Miguel A. Garcia. Armiarmak. A pure representative of what can be done with less, Toshimaru Nakamura has got an incredible amount of mileage out of the simple innovation of plugging a mixer into itself. Much of that is due to his ability to find complementary collaborators with whom to improvise. This recording[...] Read more

Recordings Chris Kennedy Issue 105

Gen Ken Montgomery. Drilling Holes in The Wall. Gen Ken Montgomery. Balls (3" CD-R) Drilling Holes in the Wall and Balls are the first releases of sound artist Ken Montgomery's work since Pondfloorsample. The sounds on Drilling derive mostly from modified toy synthesizers, hooked to a variety of electronic devices such as a film projector or a lamination machine. With[...] Read more

Recordings René van Peer Issue 105

Annette Krebs and Rhodri Davies. Kravis Rhonn Project. Max Eastley and Rhodri Davies. Dark Architecture. British improviser Rhodri Davies has created a singular niche for himself in improvised music. A master of the harp, he has expanded its sonic palette with a host of extended techniques: amplifying it, preparing it in ways common to the piano and guitar; and plucking, striking, and bowing it[...] Read more

Recordings Stuart Broomer Issue 105