An example before an explanation: I'm planning a series of thinkpieces for the end of the year and decade. Before I launch into paroxysms of introspection, critique, invective, hand wringing, finger pointing, genuflecting, wailing, gnashing of teeth, and (finally) affirmations for the future, this is one set I'd like some ssgs to wrap their best auditory apparatus around... I also think you might dig it... I hope so... also check out Sherbs' big megamix for unsound, which is another way to do critique without 'dancing about architecture'... it also all somehow fits back into Karin Dreier's outstanding RA podcast, which I'm sure some of you have heard, but deserves the widest possible audience.Ben is an artist that I think a lot of people working in electronic music with a groove-based mindset need to listen to; the application of the loud/soft dynamics of Kranky-associated post-X sounds reminds me of what's possible... and this is just such a great set.
Ben has also just released a new album, which you can check out at Boomkat.
Another important missive in the battle between creative expression and complacent recapitulation... but more on that very soon.
...
Thanks for the reminder about the Ben Frost set -- I still need to check that out (although, having actually been in that church, which is where Biosphere (zzzz) and Stars of the Lid (!!!) played this year, I'm afraid that the recording may come up woefully short on volume, space and vibration), but I've been listening more and more to "By the Throat," his new record. I don't always think it's perfect; for some reason he gravitates to a lot of scuzzy, glitchy percussive sounds that sound a little underdeveloped to my ears... But tonally, texturally and in terms of pacing, it's an enthralling record, and it just keeps getting better. I'm also open to the fact that those sounds that don't (yet) connect with me are simply an aesthetic choice on his part, one I haven't quite figured out yet. I think it's important to move away from the "thumbs up/thumbs down" assessments of DJ culture, to ask how and why a given piece of music works the way it does, to try to take taste out of the question, in some sense.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about Frost is certain: dude has range. At this year's Unsound he played in a quartet formation w/ Nico Muhly (piano, laptop), Sam Amidon (banjo, vox) and Valgeir Sigur∂sson, and what was remarkable was how all four musicians (longtime friends & collaborators) subsumed elements of individual style into something wild and unstable and unpredictable, caught between Muhly's cabaret-camp-meets-Scriabin, Amidon's rootsy Americana, and the laptoppers' swells of noise. Reminded me of Gastr del Sol in places, but with an almost comedic messiness to the proceedings... Amazing stuff.
Thanks for these. I'm listening to the live frost now. It's beautiful, despite the overblown bass at the beginning. I'd only ever heard frost on a small project he did with Lawrence English awhile back, but after hearing this I'll be sure to seek out more of his work. I'm in agreement with you on the Fever Ray RA. I Love to hear the blending of genres like she does in that mix. It's certainly one of the best RA's of the year, and one of my favorite mixes i've heard this year. As much as I love techno, and as great as it has been this year, it's nice to get away from it all once in awhile. This Ben Frost set is really hitting the spot!
ReplyDeletei wanted to admit that reading your blog really deepened my insight into music. your, arh, *seminal* connections between styles is awesome. also i like the discussion about music in the first place. on your website, there is a very critical stance towards new developments, without actually blocking them out. a pleasure to read&experience! sad to hear that you want to bring an end to your mix-series end of the year. but I understand this decision as the mere dedication towards evolution and progression. chapeau, as the french say.
ReplyDeletethe timing on this post was just perfect. the other night i finally got around to listening to this ben frost set and was really blown away by it. sometimes the recording is a bit fucked up, but it didnt detract much from the power and intensity of the music. very impressed. and the next morning i see pete has posted this. brothers of the same mind...
ReplyDeletelooking forward to giving his new album a spin.
Took a chance and spent my seven quid on the album and I don't regret it at all. Not usually the sort of thing I go for, which is a good thing in itself, but it's pretty epic.
ReplyDelete@ Philip: By the Throat is seriously one of the most amazing listening experiences of the year. I finally ditched my mp3 copy, got flac, turned it up LOUD, and nearly lost my shit... ...it's so great to hear such dynamic, powerfully-expressed music made inside and outside the 'box'.
ReplyDelete@ Philip's comments about sound choice & Chris' comments on the recording:... I dunno, might be the ex noise rocker in me, but I dug it... far less irritating than the effectively destroyed recordings of Byetone which have been online...
@ Philip's comment "I think it's important to move away from the "thumbs up/thumbs down" assessments of DJ culture, to ask how and why a given piece of music works the way it does, to try to take taste out of the question, in some sense."
...I totally agree... ...I think it's really important to try to nail the irreducibility/specificity of the 'workings' of a recording, and precisely how those workings work...
...I am sick of boosting/slagging... and this includes the now nearly ubiquitous 'review of the review' in the online comments section.
@ Devid: thank you very much, your kind words are appreciated...
For more on Frost, and a good example of an in-depther from the much missed Stylus, here's Todd B getting Q&A with Ben:
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/interview/ben-frost.htm
Couldn't agree with your recommendation of the set more - still think it's one of the most stunning (& demanding) things I've heard all year.
ReplyDeleteCoverage on Lend Me Your Ears (& a cut-down 10-minute version, should anyone have use for that) plus other Unsound/Frost stuff = http://earslend.blogspot.com/2009/10/gothic-gravity.html
Not sure how deliberate it is, but enjoying the apparent broadening of mnml ssgs' coverage recently - Frost & Anticipate two examples, but also that fascinating spoken word mix (Dasha Rush)...
Best,
Julian
Lend Me Your Ears
earslend.blogspot.com
@ julian: i'm not sure how deliberate it is, either... our tastes are broader than this blog sometimes suggests. one thing i felt like we havent focused enough on here on ssgs is the more ambient/experimental side of things, so i'm glad it has started appearing more recently.
ReplyDeleteAs long-standing enthusiasts for both the traditional ssgs stuff & the more ambient/experimental side of things, so are we!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Julian