There’s a sublime ambience to the latest solo album from David Evans, encapsulated by the piece Connection; a nine minute track which looms through layers of clicking and metronomic rhythms, before basking in a claustrophobic, swirling motion.
The tracks on Domestic Cinema were created by Evans using an eclectic array of tools, call them “non-traditional instruments’ if you must, including typewriter, electric razor, hair dryer, hand mower and kettle, as well as “loaned’ sounds from the Telecommunications Museum; ancient analogue technologies transformed into new music. As it turns out, Evans was able to access equipment at the Telecommunications Museum and then record sounds generated, eventually creating the pieces that make up this release.
Beyond the context, musically there’ a lot to consider here. For me though it’s the tonal nuances which generate the most interest, like the gentle flow of Upswing Spiral which feels like an ancient loop by German innovators Can; lulling, before evolving into a burst of primal drums, then dropping back into a seething, summery hum.
There are moments here that evoke members of the Touch label alumni, all one note drones and field recordings, setting a scene and not attempting anything but a meditative state. Elsewhere it’s scratchy timbres, forms shapen, unknown items beaten.
Suffice to say, Evans produces a thought-provoking set on Domestic Cinema from a veritable soundlab.
Steve Phillips
