One Man Nation – Suspended In A Vortex In The Middle Of A Bowl From Tibet / When I Was Young I Was Easily Amused, But Now It Is All, The Same And The Same… (Moozak)

0

Portuguese producer Mark Chia aka One Man Nation states that these two long collages follow a similar trajectory to Erik Satie’s gnossiennes, but aside from the drifting formlessness, common to much sound art, there’s no similarity. A better comparison would be early Philip Jeck, diverse, often crackly sources slowly jumbled together, or the recent cinematic compositions of Klimek, with less processing.

‘Suspended In A Vortex In The Middle Of A Bowl From Tibet’s merges gusts of wind with the resonance of, yep, ceramic bowls, which then morph into the sustained clang of church bells, finally becoming wind chimes. This takes place over restless din and random clamour, obscure field recordings, hiss, electronic tones. Textures shift and moods change, from distant, indifferent and indeterminate rustling through to impassioned screaming, with the final trumpet call making for a mournful conclusion.

With slow, sustained piano notes and strummed piano strings over portentous wooden banging, “When I Was Young I Was Easily Amused, But Now It Is All, The Same And The Same…” recalls the opening moments of The Necks’ Black/White. The strings buzz and twang, and the banging grows in intensity, as a rickety drone sweeps in. Bell tones resound over frenzied breathing and whispered panic, but Chia avoids emotional manipulation, indeed both tracks are disarmingly cold and removed. That is what is so compelling about Suspended/ When,this emotional distance, the total abstraction of sound and referent.

Joshua Meggitt

Share.

About Author

Long Live Radio! For details of past and future shows visit: http://www.dead-and-alive-radio.blogspot.com

Comments are closed.