a r t i s t : Filament
t i t l e : Filament Box
d a t e : 2004
l a b e l : F.M.N. Sound Factory
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : Nov/2006
t r a c k s : 05
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 201,6 MB
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Filament
Sachiko M
Otomo Yoshihide
Disc 1 recorded live by Shingo Yamazaki at Cafe Independants,
Kyoto, January 9, 2004
Disc 2 recorded live by Tommi KarΣnen at the Avanto Festival,
Helsinki, October 11, 2001
Disc 3 recorded live by Ferran Conangla and Ferran Fages in
Barcelona, December 1, 2002
Disc 4 recorded live by Luc Schaltin at Bruxelles/Brussels
2000, Kaaitheater, November 6, 2000
Disc 5 recorded by Otomo Yoshihide in his home, January 20,
2004
Mastered by Toshimaru Nakamura in March 2004
Design by rui-D
Released in May 2004
Someone must have said this already, but just in case:
Filament is like listening to a light bulb. Maybe itÆs even
like looking at a light bulb. Up close. Needless to say, this
is a good thing, light bulbs being the amazing objects they
are. IÆve done my share of drawings and paintings of these
gorgeous globes, including the delicate arabesques traced by
their filaments. ThereÆs the additional bonus of the intense
afterimages available while gazing at them in their active
state, perhaps a faint echo of the diverse effects one
achieves when moving oneÆs head in an onrush of sine waves. Of
course, most of the volume of a light bulb is ôemptyö space
thatÆs not empty at all.
ôFilament Boxö contains five discs, very attractively packaged
with designs that echo aspects of the music, each consisting
of a single performance ranging in date from November of 2000
to January of 2004. TheyÆre relatively short, the total time
clocking in at a little over three hours, but for at least the
first four recordings, the length is just about perfect (Disc
Five is something of a unique animal). Additionally, each disc
shines a light on a different facet of OtomoÆs and SachikoÆs
partnership. Their work is actually quite as varied as you
could ask for, even if the casual listener would consider much
here to be a lot of the same. ôKyoto 09012004ö may be the most
serene, Sachiko maintaining a steady, soft pitch for its first
half before subsiding to a low, calm hum, Otomo gently working
abstract vinyl, forming small, lacy swirls and eddies like
wisps of windblown sand on burnished metal. Ten minutes later,
Otomo introduces a wooly swatch of static, wrapped around a
deep, dangerous drone. ItÆs almost like a three-note
composition: 20 minutes, 10 minutes, 10 minutes. ThatÆs all
and thatÆs plenty.
The second disc, ôHelsinki 11102001ö is the shortest, most
rambunctious and, arguably, my favorite of this litter. It
begins with a low, abrupt thump that immediately forks into
high and deep hums, nestling there, biding its time until a
wavering throb spirals up from the depth about five minutes
in, smoothing the bass tone in its wake and leaving a
deceptive calm. From here on, the fluid drone is periodically
assaulted, punctured and strafed, like a cool pond riven by
kingfishers, but it coalesces implacably, always re-attaining
equilibrium until the very end where the chaotic forces lay
final claim to the territory. A wonderful performance.
ôBarcelona 01122002ö is all feathered softness, airy, distant
-sounding trills and powdery vinyl scratches, interrupted here
and there by gusts and rattles as though a slight breeze has
picked upàoutside. Disc number four, recorded in Brussels in
2000 is harsher, full of grainy buzzes and whines, like
several miniature chainsaws slicing through glass. Only
slightly less active (violent?) than the second disc, itÆs
perhaps more unsettling, the combination of pitches verging on
the queasiness-inducing. But, of course, thatÆs part of the
thrill, being affected by the music not only intellectually
(and, on all the performances, thereÆs plenty of meat on that
bone) but viscerally as well. When it settles into a crunchy,
33-rpm scratch-bed zapped through with needles of pure sine
tone, the effect is delicious. On this track, the duo possibly
achieves their most organic sound, a writhing, reptilian
aspect thatÆs as exciting as it is threatening. I seesaw back
and forth between this and Disc two as to my favorite. Oddly
enough, the two oldest pieces.
The final disc was recorded in Tokyo in January of 2004. IÆm
given to understand that Otomo and Sachiko were stationed in
separate rooms, out of both eye- and earshot, with the idea of
improvising for an hour. IÆm not certain if a similar
conception to RoweÆs currently-in-progress notion with MIMEO
was in effect (playing as though together, attempting to
anticipate what the other was likely to be doing) or not. In
any event, the result has a very different feel. If itÆs not
quite as successful as the prior discs, itÆs still enjoyable
enough on another level, one less overtly musical and more as
ôjustö an aspect of the environment. ItÆs the sparsest and,
unsurprisingly, most random sounding performance of the
collection, each musician apparently opting for reticence more
often than not, occasioning numerous patches of silence. Some
wonÆt care for the lack of cohesion and, if released on its
own, maybe that would be my take as well. But as a fifth of a
larger set, I rather like the implicit declaration: this, too,
is part of our persona.
If youÆve enjoyed previous editions of Filament, this set is a
no-brainer. Rich, wonderful and varied, itÆs also a fine place
to dip in for the first time.
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1 - Kyoto 09012004
01-Kyoto 09012004 [39:27]
2 - Helsinki 11102001
01-Helsinki 11102001 [22:12]
3 - Barcelona 01122002
01-Barcelona 01122002 [26:57]
4 - Brussels 06112000
01-Brussels 06112000 [37:06]
5 - Tokyo 20012004
01-Tokyo 20012004 [59:46]
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