Philippe Petit is a busy bee. He promotes modular artists through his modulisme and still has time to make music of his own. This year alone, two double CDs, of which this is the latest. “Passing Thru” is a release by the Australian label Eternal Music Projects, and while reading up on both artist and label and everything to write this review, I was caught by these beautiful words on the label’s website. “Eternal Music Projects acknowledges the Woi Wurrung (Wurundjeri) and Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nations where we live and work. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their land, water and community connections. We pay respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.” What does this have to do with music? Maybe nothing, maybe everything. But I just think it’s beautiful to read words like these once in a while. I’ve always had a weak spot for cultural influences like this in experimental music. Jorge Reyes, Stephen Kent, O Yuki Conjugate, Burundi Black … So when a label opens their website with a quote like that, I have high hopes.
The two CDR’s Philippe presents here are created with various machines and attributes. A prepared piano, a fully (contact)mic’ed soundboard of a piano, a Buchla 200 system, a Serge 73-75, an EMS Synthi A, a Hordijk Benjamin, field recordings, Buchla Easel, bowls and cymbals … And more. The first CD has nine tracks and is just under an hour; the second is a 5 track 45-minute one. So you’re getting more than enough music for your money. So, what to expect musically? On the Bandcamp page of the release there is a lot of information on what is used on which track and about the whole concept of the album. From a listener’s perspective, this entire album is about the symbiosis between concrete sounds and synthetic sounds, as well as the use of concrete sounds manipulated through electronics. In most tracks, for example, the piano is not used as an instrument for harmonic sounds but more in a rhythmic or acoustic matter. Ticking, rattling, scratching and yes, here and there a note.
There are a lot of staccato sounds all over this release, and without validating those as ‘good’ or ‘no good’, there are moments where I miss a bit of the coherence in the compositions. With more stretched sounds like pads or drones – each track has some synthetic layers or basics – the staccato noises could have formed more of a unity. Instead of sometimes feeling like a collection of staccato sounds without a real story. A bit like the difference between ‘loads of words’ and ‘a story’. For me, the track “Elegiacallity” is an example where there is a story, a lovely one for that matter.
This 2CDR is a well thought of release showing many aspects of modular sound generation and composition. Because of this, I think this is an album worth listening to. Face it: many modular artists use their often very elaborate systems to make 4/4 techno that might as well come from a computer and Philippe is NOT one of them. For that, I applaud this release. As for the cultural aspects I didn’t find, maybe I expected something different, but in that case, I’m the one to blame. Not Philippe.
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