Denis Kolokol is a Ukrainian sound artist, composer and performer currently residing in Krakow, Poland. He used to be a key figure in the underground scene of Almaty, Kazakhstan, also ran some really good zines. I have never heard of the guy and just stumbled upon this new Audiotong release. Audiotong presents online quality music since 2005. This is no exception.
Kolokol composed a series of three strong works. The first track, Ily, starts with a harsh layer of electronic sounds which arise from a reverberated background. Suddenly there is a movement after which the reverberation subsides and cold, hard electronics take over. Then gradually those electronic tones are broken down. Etcetera. What I like most about this music is that it has a strong helmsman. Kolokol is a composer who is definitely in charge of the music and directs with a firm hand.
The second track is quite different. It's droney in a quite simplistic way. Flanged electronic organ like sounds interfere with each other and by gradually raising the volume tension is built up. Shortly a more prominent sound is added, subsides and the volume is lowered for a moment. Brilliant. It's based on drones but here again things are not being played by themselves but following the directions of the composer again.
At the center of the final piece is a guitar. Which presents again a new appproach of the music. While the other two tracks were abstract, here the guitar playing is clearly audible. Kolokol first recorded a simple guitar session with a rhythm section. Then he starts breaking down the recording and uses the pieces as material for his compositorial process. He does so again with great skill. Denis, in an e-mail adds: ""chasing 43" is a pure improvisation with no overdubs, the recording was only slightly mastered to fit the sounding of the rest. in fact it's a part of the recording of much longer improvisation, which lasted 43minutes, hence the title. the impression of the approach of making this piece, that you described (cut-up of the previously recorded material), can appear because the majority of the electronics here represented by SC granular algorithms that take the input signal and distribute it's particles in time according to intensity, length, freq scopes, etc."
The East again brings us something surprisingly good. My favourite for this year, sofar. |
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