Continuing where .aiff (12k1004) left off, the latest release from 12k highlights those artists and sounds that will carry 12k into a new year of microscopic sound experimentation. From Richard Chartier’s lowercase sounds to the glitchy groove minimalism of Surge’s Casio VL Tone, this untitled collection represents the refining of 12k’s style and aesthetic with a roster of artists that spans the planet.
Note: all tracks are previously unreleased.
Below is a more detailed look into the synthetic microcosm of 12k1008:
01. Richard Chartier: “Untitled” Inaudible tones and ear-itching stereo tactics represent flawless Chartier. A pristine digital signal path provides the perfect backdrop for this lowercase sound painting. Listen carefully.
02. Goem: “Comp Zeven” Goem uses a broken, yet still sound-producing Dr. Rhythm drumcomputer, which is treated by unique processings. This track was recorded in Stockholm’s EMS Studios and edited in Roel Meelkop’s studio in late 1999. A decidedly jarring twist of churning rhythms and deep textures.
03. Kim Cascone: “BufferDrift”“BufferDrift” is a continuation of work with pulsar synthesis and convolution techniques that Cascone used in the “pulsar studies” release for Falsch (www.fals.ch). By generating pulse trains and convolving them with various material created for earlier projects, he was able to conjure new textures and micro-events that almost sculpted themselves into final form.
04. Miki Yui: “>B io” Born in Tokyo, educated in California and now living in Cologne, Miki Yui is an installation artist working with sound and multimedia sound/space projects. “>B io” is an electronic wash of sine tones and reverberated scratches, a brief glimpse into her fascinating small sounds and spatial creations.
05. Dan Bbrams + Albert Tan Shuttle358’s Dan Abrams teams up with motion graphics designer Albert Tan in the formation of this untitled piece which blends Abrams’s software stylings with Tan’s rhythmic sound movements. Like Ahuttle358, their collaboration breathes some humanity back into the microscopic genre with a more grounded rhythmic foundation and digital, yet warm, dsp processing. Look for a release from this duo on 12k in the near future.
06. Surge: StrictlyA C Surge is a two piece group from the remote areas of the Netherlands with a fascination for nostalgia: they use the Casio VL Tone 1 (the early 80s revolution for the bedroom musician and currently rediscovered by electronic-musicians) in a bizarre slice of minimal techno with stuttering, skipping qualities.
07. Komet: Würm The digital, bubbling sounds of Frank Bretschneider (Raster Music, Mille Plateaux, 12k) are ever present in this effervescent bath of microscopic rhythms and the interplay of clean and static/noise tones. Look for a Komet full length on 12k this summer.
08. Taylor Aeupree: A100study00.01.31 This track is part of an ongoing series of experiments with a Doepfer A100 modular synthesizer. Square wave lfo’s provide clock pulses for various sine wave oscillators and geiger clicks and the gentle drift of time.
09. *0: 2.000 Japan’s Nosei Sakata is back after 2 excellent releases on 12k and Meme. Utilizing signature hypnotic repetition and pure tones, Sakata creates subtle interactions that play with acoustic space and the listener’s perception.
10. Tetsu Inoue + Taylor Deupree: Active/Freeze A collaboration a long time in planning, Tetsu Inoue (Tzadik, Fax, Daisyworld, Rather Interesting, etc..) And Taylor Deupree finally team up in an intercoastal exchange of audio data. Finely crafted cuts and splices create a frenetic digital soundwall that works itself to a surprisingly melodic outro of intentional errors.
11. Shuttle358: Sequence Rrounding out the compilation is a new track from the upcoming Shuttle358 full length Frame. Dan Abrams, who created a stir with his debut release Optimal.LP (12k1005), is back with a style he can call all his own. Sparse ambient melodies and digital generations perfectly juxtaposed into an original and evocative form.
