Whilst Buck is more renowned as the drummer of the sublime improvisational trio The Necks, he has also forged a simultaneous career as an improviser of note. Dorner, who incidentally lives in the same apartment block as Buck in Berlin, is also widely regarded throughout Europe for his improvisational work and pioneering techniques on trumpet. A couple of years ago the duo began playing together and Durch Und Durch is their first release on Buck’s own Tes records. To say that this single 40-minute track is nothing short of breathtaking is an understatement. Dorner creates a warm atmospheric wash by simply allowing the air to pass through his instrument and then manipulates the results via laptop, whilst Buck tinkers and thuds along, allowing the duo to progress through fragile minimal moments, to bizarre electronic buzzes or increase in volume and density into dull roars of electrics. In fact some of the music is either so dense or unexpected that in the tradition of some of the more interesting electroacoustic performances, at times it becomes difficult to determine who exactly is doing what – which is always a sure sign that things are really cooking. The duo appear to utilise a similar technique to The Necks, allowing ideas to simmer, develop or gradually fall away until the piece has altered dramatically from where it was only minutes before. Whilst the sounds are strange soundscapes, the interplay between the two is absolutely exhilarating, not due to their ability to adapt at split seconds, rather due to the fact that much of Durch Und Durch feels so tightly connected that it could easily have come from the mind of one person. There are little or no jazz elements in this work, it is pure experimental improvisation owing more to the world of sound art than jazz or rock. There’s even a couple of moments of pure silence, that when broken serve to reorientate the piece. An incredible document, it’s a challenging and at times difficult piece, however this only heightens the rewards when they come.
Bob Baker Fish
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