Thomas Korber is a Swiss-Spanish composer from Zurich who has an impressive list of past collaborations. At just 26 he has worked with the likes of Otomo Yoshide, Keith Rowe, and Toshimaru Nakamara. Those familiar with the work of these artists will know what sound territory we are in immediately.
Korber works with a very simple setup: guitar, mixing board and effects pedals. What he produces though is anything but simple. His compositions are very much in the lowercase/microsound realm. Taken as a whole, “Effacement’s is a journey through crackles, bass tones and almost silence. The only recognizable guitar sound is on “Fred Austere’, the middle piece of six (the entire record is just over 1 hour), and briefly in the fourth piece, “Too Thin A Skin’. For the rest of the record Korber treats the listener to gradual layering and sound elements far removed from their guitar-based source.
In many of the pieces, there is a wonderful build-up to a crescendo of volume and an immediate, sudden return to silence. The strength of “Effacement’s is Korber’ attention to detail and the morphing quality of his compositions. Not one for the faint hearted but great all the same.
Cut: http://www.cut.fm/
Thomas Korber: http://tomaskorber.com/
