From 1997
to 1998, in two years only, Mick Harris has released 3 albums and 2 EPs
for Sub Rosa, two in collaboration with Eraldo Bernocchi, one with Neil
Harvey (PCM). Overload Lady was created and mixed in The Box, late
december 1996, Birmingham, and published in early 1997.
Michael John Harris started out in the 1980s as a drummer working with
various punk rock and grindcore bands (most notably pioneering grindcore
band Napalm Death); as a drummer he is generally credited with
popularizing the blast beat, which has since become a key component of
much of extreme metal and grindcore. Since the mid-1990s, Harris has
worked primarily in electronic and ambient music, his main projects
being Scorn and Lull. According to Allmusic, Harris’s “genre-spanning
activities have done much to jar the minds, expectations, and record
collections of audiences previously kept aggressively opposed.” While in
Napalm Death, Harris also played drums for Doom and Extreme Noise
Terror, and participated in a side project with Mitch Harris called
Defecation, which produced two records, Purity Dilution and Intention
Surpassed, through Nuclear Blast, but this last one just with Mitch
Harris.
Eraldo Bernocchi is an Italian musician,
producer and sound designer. He created in 1985 the project Sigillum S.
Later, he expanded the cadre of musicians he would work with to include
people such as Mick Harris, Jim Plotkin and Bill Laswell. These
collaborations have up to this day provided an array of releases and
shows. Along with the aforementioned artists, the last 15 years have
seen collaborations with musicians and artists including Harold Budd,
Russell Mills, Toshinori Kondo, Raiz, Almamegretta, Thomas Fehlmann, Zu,
DJ Olive, and a host of others.
Trey Gunn and Markus Reuter (Live at SeaProg 2019)
by Barry Cleveland Reposted courtesy of Model Citizens, the Line 6 blog
Touch guitarists Markus Reuter and Trey Gunn are singular artists who play extended-range instruments that encompass both the guitar and bass registers, and which are played by tapping the strings with both hands, much like the Chapman Stick (from which they were derived conceptually). Reuter and Gunn also deftly deploy Helix amp and effects processors when crafting their idiosyncratic tones and expansive soundscapes.
Reuter has been a member of Stick Men (alongside Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto) for more than a decade, as well as performing solo and with a variety other adventurous ensembles, including Centrozoon and Tuner. He has released eight albums as a leader; collaborated on recordings with Ian Boddy, Robert Rich, Stephan Thelen, and other artists; and appeared as a guest on dozens of additional recordings. He is also an educator and hosts the video program Living the Dream. Reuter primarily plays 8- and 10-string Touch Guitars, which he designed, and currently relies on Helix Floor and HX Stomp processors to generate nearly all of his extraordinary sounds.
Gunn was a member of King Crimson from 1994 to 2003, as well as recording and performing with dozens of other luminaries, such as David Sylvian, Vernon Reid, Brian Eno, John Paul Jones, Steven Wilson, and Robert Fripp. He is a member of TU, KTU, 3Below, Quodia, and The Security Project, and has released 14 solo albums. Gunn also composes music for film and television, teaches, and runs the 7d Media label. His principal instrument is the 10-string Warr Guitar, which he developed with Mark Warr, and he has incorporated Helix Native into his live and recording rigs.
Both musicians studied Guitar Craft with Robert Fripp for a number of years and were active in the associated community in various roles.
When did you first begin using Line 6 processors?
Trey: I began using the original red POD back in 1999 or 2000. I can’t remember exactly why I was drawn to it, other than that it was the first amp-simulation device and there was nothing else like it at the time. That was also about the time that Tony Levin and I were both playing around with using distortion on the bass and we were trying to figure out how to do it without losing the bottom end. So, I ran the dry signal parallel to the distorted POD signal, using a giant rig with 16 audio loops, which is ridiculous by today’s standards, when you can do the same thing within Helix. And I actually used two PODs, one for each side of the instrument, as there are individual outputs for the guitar and bass sides. The PODs were mounted on a shelf with zip ties.
Markus: Stick Men has been touring the world for the past decade and I have used Line 6 gear for nearly the entire time, beginning with the POD HD500 on the second or third tour. It had that small display, but at least you could modify the signal path a little bit, and I liked the way it sounded. For me, all the concerns about “authentic” tones are really irrelevant, as when I plug my instrument into a modeler, it isn’t going to sound like anything else anyway. So, with that I was able to find my own sounds, including synth sounds, as there was an onboard monophonic string synth that was very useful for doing soundscape stuff. I also liked the distortions, as they were grittier and more raw-sounding than those in other processors, in a way that really worked for me. But even back then, I was already dreaming about something very much like Helix, so when it appeared it was literally a dream come true. The inserts, the four effects loops, the multiple outputs, Snapshots—all those things. And the ease of use is still unmatched. I could go on and on, because I really love that thing!
a u f b r u c h [an emergence] | post-rock/noise/glitch/soft-techno/ambient |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77:29
A remix or, more precisely, a repositioning of several of the tracks from the J. Peter Schwalm/Markus Reuter release (our review of the album can be found here); mixed with some new Robert Fripp/Grid, Rain Dogs (thanks Gareth), Nicola Di Croce (from 901 Editions), Iluiteq (courtesy of n5MD) & several other newer releases (as well as a few older chestnuts) that have hit the studio’s inbox as of late.
The f-l-o-w & installation of music always has to make sense to me: that usually takes the form of slow-to-fast, & softest-to-loudest — and this follows a similarly pattered pathway of aural exploration.
Thanks to Lee @ RareNoise Records for the promo pack that allowed me to steep in this while selecting the five tracks utilized for the project. The goal was to create a tribute to the album, while at the same time crafting a stand-alone mix/podcast; hopefully we have achieved those ends.
Download via Bandcamp
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01 Atmospheric Disturbances – Yuichiro’s Pupils Dilated Rapidly 02 Robert Fripp/Ambient Landscape – Water Music (swag+vocal edit) 03 Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois & Roger Eno – Signals 04 J. Peter Schwalm & Markus Reuter – Lebewohl 05 The Rain Dogs – Colour Fields ii 06 The Grid & Robert Fripp – Empire 07 Nicola Di Croce – Tone IV (excerpt) 08 J. Peter Schwalm & Markus Reuter – Von Anbeginn (excerpt) 09 Iluiteq – Glacier Ice Falling into the Sea 10 Robert Fripp&The Grid – Milkwood 11 J. Peter Schwalm & Markus Reuter – Abbau 12 David Torn – O.K. Shorty 13 J. Peter Schwalm & Markus Reuter – Der lange Weg 14 Ümlaut – To Leave it as It Is 15 J. Peter Schwalm & Markus Reuter – Der Aufbruch
“Aufbruch” translates from German into “departure” or “emergence.”
In listening to the 9 tracks that make up this new release (July 16th on RareNoise Records) from J. Peter Schwalm & Markus Reuter, what “emerges” is deconstruction; what emerges is fragmentation; and what emerges are the disjointed pieces of a disunited culture, reassembled into artistically crafted slabs of slightly caustic, slightly melodic & sometimes jarring sound.
The nine predominantly post-rock/experimental techno aural constructions are seamlessly blended; incorporating Reuter’s touch guitar (and its plethora of sounds, from electric/acoustic to atmospheric drone) & Schwalm’s multiple & leveraged electronic contributions. Some titles (Der Aufbruch, Von Anbeginn, Der lange Weg & Abbau) are painted with a darker perspective, others (Lebewohl & Abschied) are lighter while still others (Ruckzug, Losgelost & perhaps Ein Riss) occupy a “middle ground“ of timbre & tension.
As for my personal favorites . . . the reader/listener will have to wait until after the album’s release, as we’re crafting a mix/podcast to encapsulate our audiological thoughts on this masterwork.
ALL of the futuristic pieces are enjoyable for the experimental/soft-techno & slightly caustic sound-loving sonic aficionado: dark swashes of chaos, subtle bass-like groanings, explosions of gritty sonance, electro-acoustic strumming, fragmented beats and dulled thuds & thumps (along with several instances of angelic vocals) create a realistic look at the present environment while casting a vision & pointing us toward a better, more united & sustainable tomorrow.
The listener will be the final arbiter of what emerges for them – but for this listener a real sense of departure from industrialization to a not totally clear, slightly dystopian future emerges; yet with a glimmer of hope for humankind.
J. Peter Schwalm: Synths, Pianos, live treatments, electronic percussion and programming Markus Reuter: Touch Guitars® AU8 and U8 Deluxe, Soundscapes, Electronics Sophie Tassignon: Vocals on „Lebewohl“ and „Losgelöst“
A new collaborative album from electronic duo The Grid (aka Richard Norris & Dave Ball) and Robert Fripp, combining Fripp Soundscapes with synth, drums, programming and effects by The Grid.
‘Robert (Fripp) turned up with a truck load of amps and effects, two great big stacks including delay units with a 76 second delay and played and played and played.’
Fire Tower
A few years ago, The Grid rediscovered tapes from [several recording] sessions, including unreleased tracks they’d worked up but never completed or mixed. A set of long solo drone pieces from Fripp was discovered along with a lost track that was then remixed to become ‘A Cabala Sky’ by The Grid / Fripp and released as part of Bill Brewster’s acclaimed ‘Late Night Tales’ compilation series in 2014.
Further Fripp Soundscapes from the same period were added to the mix by DGM’s David Singleton, which inspired The Grid to add new synths, drums, programming and effects to create the album ‘Leviathan’ a CD/DVD-a set.
Inspired by the mythical whale ‘Leviathan’, the biggest prehistoric whale that ever lived, Norris adds ‘I like Philip Hoare’s book “Leviathan”, which is about his obsession with whales and whale watching and the awe of coming into contact with such massive creatures. They are quite mysterious. Their brains are enormous, and we don’t quite know what all the brain power is doing… A bit like Robert, really’.
Having completed the album’s stereo mixes, DGM suggested the music as ideal for a full 5.1 surround mix by The Vicar. Electronic music lends itself very well to Surround Sound mixing as the listener has no fixed notion as to where any sound should emerge from. This mix features on the CD/DVD-a edition (alongside the stereo mix) and while Surround Sound is sometimes regarded as “niche” in terms of audience, the same would have been said about any form of electronic music when Fripp turned up, guitar in hand, at Eno’s place in 1972.
But then inquisitive musicians, even (perhaps especially) when they approach music from very different perspectives, often arrive at places that are as intriguing to an audience as they were to the participants.
This was my first mix: Begun in 1999 (via cassette), revised in 2004 (CD) then in 2014 for its 15 year anniversary – digitally eclipsing the CD edition to 94+ minutes, ‘lanterna‘ (named after & wrapped around the classic album by Henry Frayne) was my first real (segued) mix, has earned numerous trades/requests, feedback from Henry Frayne himself…& has now been updated with new opening & closing tracks…(including a short composition from Pink Floyd’s The Endless River).
…a personal, ether/guitar-driven, ambient/experimental favorite that has held together over the years.
Update/ June 2019 (20 year anniversary): Track 1 was swapped out for ‘What Floats Beneath’, by Michele Rabbia & Gianluca Petrella & Eivind Aarset (from Lost River; ECM, May 2019) – The guitar work on this track fits in perfectly with the aural themes of this project. Now, at long last, this mix has been officially stamped “Complete” by our dedicated engineering staff. : ) 87:04 (headphones-earbudsrequired)
Download via Bandcamp
01 Michele Rabbia & Gianluca Petrella & Eivind Aarset – What Floats Beneath 02 Henry Frayne – Dawn 03 Brian Eno – Stars 04 Henry Frayne – Ethernet 05 OysteinSevag/Lakey Patey – Wind Wave 06 Jeff Pearce – Unrequited 07 Tim Story – Sister of the Flood 08 Henry Frayne – Dark Spring 09 R.E. Young – Magister Ludi 10 Henry Frayne – End of the Tunnel 11 Andy Summers – The Somnambulist 12 Henry Frayne – Passage 13 Robert Fripp – 1985 14 Channel Light Vessel – Train Traveling North 15 Henry Frayne – Silent Hills 16 David Gilmour – Mihalis 17 Tangerine Dream – Dolls in the Shadow 18 Henry Frayne – Achieving Oneness 19 Virlyn – Fjord 20 Pink Floyd – The Lost Art of Conversation (interpolating a few seconds of Pete Kelly’s‘Peace’ at track’s end)
Markus Reuter is the master of the ambient touch guitar. This instrument, in the hands of this virtuoso, produces a very distinct sound. When Markus adds manipulations and treatments, the sound goes over the top, into uncharted zones.
He recorded the tracks for The Longest in Terms of Being from July, 1999 through October, 1999 with one track from March, 2000. This set is a progression and a roller coaster of emotions. Markus has chosen to take listeners on a whirlwind tour of their own psyches. It promises to be an intense journey and to run the gamut of the dark side of the self. There are brief respites of contemplative melancholia but the overwhelming moods are dark, somber and ominous. At times, the disc even threatens to go sinister. This CD, released in 2001, is an excellent companion to Markus’ collaborations, group projects and other solo efforts.
– Jim Brenholts
released July 1, 2001
Written and performed in real-time by Markus Reuter
Composed By, Performer, Guitar – Markus Reuter Cover – Michael Kuhne Edited By [Digital Editing And Assembly] – Philipp Quaet-Faslem Producer – Markus Reuter, Philipp Quaet-Faslem
Guitarist and composer Stephan Thelen releases his debut album for Moonjune Records worldwide on January 18, 2019. It’s an instrumental, post-progressive album co-produced by Markus Reuter (Stick Men), featuring guest appearances of many leading electric guitarists including David Torn, Markus Reuter, Henry Kaiser, Jon Durant, Bill Walker, Barry Cleveland and Matt Tate, as well as drummers/percussionists Benno Kaiser, Manuel Pasquinelli and Andi Pupato. Stephan Thelen is American born Swiss who composes, produces and performs music at the fringes of rock, jazz, experimental and classical music. His current main project as a leader, guitarist and composer is the minimal groove band Sonar, who have quickly gained international reputation for creating a unique blend of music that fuses a rigorous minimal concept with the power of a rock band and the sensitivity of a jazz combo. Former projects include playing guitar and electronics with Swiss ensembles Radio Osaka, License To Chill, Broken Symmetry and Root Down, producing albums (for example Andy Brugger’s No No Diet Bang and Peter Schärli Sextet), as well as composing music for many theater and film productions. The celebrated Kronos Quartet recently recorded and frequently performed Stephan’s string quartet Circular Lines, a piece commissioned by the Kronos Arts Association and Carnegie Hall for a visionary project called “Fifty for the Future”. The Mannheimer Schlagwerk, a percussion ensemble from Germany, also recently premiered his composition Parallel Motion. Fractal Guitar features the atmospherically dense, polyrhythmic tapestry for which is Sonar is well known, but focuses much more on the sonic and ambient possibilities of the electric guitar. In the liner notes, Stephan Thelen writes : “After a few years of playing without effects apart from reverb in Sonar, I felt the urge to compose and record some pieces in which effects were an integral part of the music. I especially wanted to use an effect I worked with before Sonar, which I call “Fractal Guitar” — a rhythmic delay with a very high feedback level that creates cascading delay patterns in odd time signatures such as 3/8, 5/8 or 7/8. The other desire I had was to work with and to have some serious fun with a few of the many great guitarists I’ve met over the years to create an album that features some of the more forward-looking possibilities of the most mysterious, compelling and eclectic of all instruments, the electric guitar. ”
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After a few years of playing without effects apart from reverb in Sonar, I felt the urge to compose and record some pieces in which effects were an integral part of the music. I especially wanted to use an effect I worked with before Sonar, which I call “Fractal Guitar” — a rhythmic delay with a very high feedback level that creates cascading delay patterns in odd time signatures such as 3/8, 5/8 or 7/8.
The other desire I had was to work with and to have some serious fun with a few of the many great guitarists I’ve met over the years to create an album that features some of the more forward-looking possibilities of the most mysterious, compelling and eclectic of all instruments, the electric guitar.
The five tracks on this album grew out of a mind-boggling amount of activity and crystallized out of myriad soundfiles, recorded across the Western hemisphere during the last 3 years. Thanks to all my great friends who helped me pull it off, especially to Markus Reuter, who shared his exceptional talents and endless creativity with me on every step of the way. Thanks also to Grace, Devin and Anil Prasad for their generous hospitality, to Brandy Gale and Henry Kaiser for inspiration and to Leonardo “Moonjune” Pavkovic for inviting me into the illustrious Moonjune Club.
Ambient Landscape 