a r t i s t : Richard Lerman
t i t l e : Music of Richard Lerman 1964-1987
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : EM (EM1063DCD)
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : Feb/2007
t r a c k s : 12
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 167,4 MB
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Japan's EM records strikes again. Without a doubt, the
coolest, weirdest, most amazing re-issue label EVER!!
Another long lost, long sought after holy grail of sorts, dug
up and dusted off and beautifully presented by EM, Travelon
Gamelon, a piece by Richard Lerman for amplified bicycles!
Performed on stage with upturned bikes, but also, performed on
the streets, the bikes mic'ed and each with it's own tiny
amplifier broadcasting the various sounds of the bike rolling
along streets, the metallic flutter of spokes, the sounds of
passing cars, squeaking brakes, whipping wind, all woven into
the organic whole. A piece of moving music, constantly
shifting, obviously improvised and random, and so totally
wonderful.
There are two versions of the piece, which has been performed
for years all over the world, one is the concert version,
which features musicians on stage, with upside down bikes,
using various implements with which to strike, rub and bow the
different parts of the bicycles, these are the versions that
are the most gamelan like, a gorgeous assemblage of metallic
clangs and percussive clamor. From dreamy and spare, to
cacophonous and wildly chaotic. A sort of junkyard gamelan,
definitely clattery but also strangely melodic.
But it's the other versions, the Promenade versions, that are
the most exciting. These pieces are basically field recordings
of cyclists on mic'ed and amplified bicycles, every sound
their riding creates being broadcast through little speakers
affixed to the bikes, and recorded by Lerman! So not only is
this group of bikes creating this gorgeous whirring mechanical
ambience, that sound is also travelling through city streets,
a self contained performance of sorts, a strange little cloud
of metallic shimmer and buzzing mechanical ambience performed
for all passersby. It's also cool to hear the organizers'
instructions, children laughing and playing, running
alongside, ringing their own bike bells, you can hear Lerman
giving orders to the cyclists as they prepare to begin the
piece, and various warnings like "Watch out for the metal!"
Street cleaners, random cars, voices and footsteps, all a sort
of organic backdrop to the divine slow shifting whir the
bicycles produce. Constantly shifting, and changing, depending
on the speed of the bikes, the direction of the amplifiers the
placement of the mics, the people or cars, amazing. It reminds
us a bit of the Taj Mahal Travellers in fact, TMT's method of
broadcasting their sounds out of loudspeakers, and then
recapturing them with microphones placed at various distances,
well, Travelon Gamelon is almost like a mobile Taj Mahal
Travellers. So cool!
This collection would be well worth it for disc one alone, 5
lengthy excerpts from various performances of Travelon
Gamelon, but also included is a second disc, of various other
pieces Lerman composed and performed over the years spanning
1964-1986.
"For Two Of Them" is a soundscape of old records, a spring
reverb, and manipulated tapes, very dark and dreamy, a fuzzy,
multilayered drone shot through with streaks of metallic
shimmer and sounding not all that different than contemporary
noismakers like the Starving Weirdos, the Skaters and the
like. In fact, most of the pieces on disc two, could just as
easily come from some super limited cd-r we just managed to
track down. "Sections For Screen, Performers And Audience"
features the score presented as a film projected on a screen,
the performers face the screen with their backs to the
audience, and their improvisations are electronically modified
into a gorgeous bit of twisted Twentieth Century. "End Of The
Line" is a very dramatic tape piece based on the deaths of
close friends, and is another piece that sounds presciently
modern, huge dramatic swells, very melancholic and resonant,
huge fields of drone and buzz. Even tracks like "Soundspot", a
piece for amplified 40 foot Slinky, with its gorgeously
resonant creaking and moaning and whistling metallic buzz, and
"Music For Plinky And Straw", a piece for bendy straw and
reverb, creating a dense field of abstract melodies,
crystalline shimmer and percussive chimes, sound less
Twentieth Century and more like any number of modern free
noise abstract drone releases! This is the sort of collection
we wish had been expanded to 4 discs, or 8 discs!! We want
more.
But even with two discs there is plenty here to keep you busy
and your ears full and happy for sure. Two hours plus of
remarkable sound, a massive booklet, with tons of photos,
liner notes in both English and Japanese, as well as notes on
each individual piece, but also included are a rare video of
Lerman performing his piece for bendy straw, as well as scores
for several pieces, and a killer photo guide to building a
tape delay out of two walkmans!! SO SO SO RECOMMENDED!
The perfect record to bring music nerds and bike nerds
together (most of us here are both!)...
http://www.aquariusrecords.org/index.html
http://www.emrecords.net/
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Disc 1 - Travelon Gamelon (Music for Bicycles)
01-Promenade Version (Boston, MA, July 2, 1979) [06:04]
02-Concert Version (Pittsburgh, PA, June 6, 1981) [14:16]
03-Promenade Version [05:08]
(Amsterdam, the Netherlands, April 27, 1982)
04-Concert Version [14:28]
(Amsterdam, the Netherlands, April 27, 1982)
05-Concert Version [17:55]
(Wellington, New Zealand at Victoria University, July 3
Disc 2 - Selected Works
01-For Two of Them [07:36]
02-Selections for Screen, Performers and Audience [09:22]
03-End of the Line: some recent dealings with death [14:17]
04-Accretion Disk, Event Horizon, Singularity [08:38]
05-2 and a Half Minutes for a BASF Loop [13:22]
06-Soundspot [02:11]
07-Music for Plinky and Straw [11:48]
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