Ecstatic free jazz percussion is the premise here, but with chalky, scraping electronic contrasts and mid-range harmonics. Tapes of Paul May’s percussion work, which accelerate and decelerate with wild abandon, have their malicious residues renewed and reconfigured by Platform’s active and gestural programming.
To May’s passion and high energy, Platform often adds lighter, more edgy textures, creating the sense of high energy contained through concerted self-restraint. “The Last Barber” accomplishes this most plainly: the bristling electricity of May’s looped scrawl and scribble is matched with the feral, almost tidal motion of Platform’s textures and solitary keyboard strokes. It’s far from the only penetrating moment here, however, as each and every one of the discs twenty minutes possesses clarity in its restraint and an astringency and head-rinsing litheness of touch that is almost cleansing.
Max Schaefer
