a r t i s t : Janek Schaefer
t i t l e : In the Last Hour
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Room 40
c a t : RM419
s o u r c e : CDDA
g e n r e : Electronic
r l s. d a t e : Oct/2006
t r a c k s : 04
b i t r a t e : Lame 3.97 v2 (APS)
s i z e : 84,9 MB
_______________________________________________________________________
Janek Schaefer first surfaced 10 years ago with his
sound-activated tape recorder installation "Recorded
Delivery". He followed that with a range of award winning
turntable and vinyl related projects including the random
playing Skate LP, and the Tri-Phonic Turntable which he hand
built to transform sound. In recent years, Schaefer's work has
expanded into areas revolving around composition,
installation, and the exploration of site specific instrument
and location recordings.
"In The Last Hour" is by his own confession, his favourite
album, and the result of years developing his approach to
installation concerts. A deeply moving and harmonious work
inspired by a sentence from the Iain Banks novel "The Bridge"
[as revealed in the track titles]. It is easily SchaeferÆs
most accomplished solo album, and reveals his increasing
interest in the combination of live instrumentation with his
trademarked textured electronics and vinyl manipulations. This
is not an improvised recording but a carefully constructed
live composition that unfolds through four distinct phases.
Floating melodies glide across tense textures, while
exhilarating chord structures disperse into drifting fields of
drone that inhabit many dark spaces. A mournful and uplifting
celebration of freedom.
The piece was commissioned as a site-specific work for the
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in 2005, and was
recorded in the local Town Hall with the audience lying down
in the dark with the sound coming from above and all around.
An immersive experience with sound sources including a Magnus
mini chord organ, grand piano, bell, music box, clarinet,
vinyl manipulations, town hall organ, and numerous location
recordings all intricately stitched together.
This is a truly spellbinding hour that confirms SchaeferÆs
presence as one of the most evocative sound artist composers.
His finest hour.
_______________________________________________________________________
01-In the Last Hour [11:13]
02-Between the Two [05:55]
03-Half Submerged by Each [20:10]
04-The Ruined City [22:40]
-------
59:58 min