Utility Fog

Sunday, 22nd of September, 2013

Here we are again... Tonight, an interview with Satu Vänskä from ACO Underground a week away from their next performance, plus strings, folk and idm!

LISTEN AGAIN via the link at the bottom, or stream on demand from FBi!

With a decidedly strings-oriented beginning to the show, tonight we start with the magnificent solo album from Toronto's Sarah Neufeld, violinist in the Arcade Fire, sure, but also in the excellent postrock ensemble Bell Orchestre, from whom we heard a pretty crazy cover of a crazy Aphex Twin track among others. Neufeld's album in comparison is pared down to almost solely violin, with almost no overdubs from what I can hear - similar in approach to collaborator (and guest on one track) Colin Stetson's sax material, with Neufeld replacing his multiphonics with double-stops and sinuous lines that give the effect of multiple melodic lines. Gorgeous and unique stuff.

Next up, I had a chat with the extremely talented Satu Vänskä, violinist in the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the main driving force behind their leftfield and unusual project ACO Underground. We learnt that ACO concertmaster Richard Tognetti is actually behind some of the arrangements, including the pretty amazing Nirvana cover we heard tonight (you should really check it out on YouTube!), and it was great to hear how much they relish the challenge and opportunity that comes from playing non-classical music in non-classical venues. They're doing something really valuable here.

Keeping it stringy, we have one track from the ew album from Sydney's Crooked Fiddle Band, who are taking their gypsy/klezmer/folk roots and mixing them with a solid rock/postrock sensibility, aided & abetted here by the sympathetic ear of Steve Albini on production duties. It's raw yet accomplished, cohesive despite its varied inputs. One of the best local releases in some time and I'll definitely be playing more.

And now we have a treat - the latest (and last) volume in Second Language's Music and Migration series is out, a third compilation of original music from this superlative English label, all about birds in the name of raising money for nature conservation organisation BirdLife International.
So we start with Glen Johnson of Piano Magic, who is one of the people behind the label, and gives us a touching song from the perspective of an old & tired migrating bird. Then we're back to the first compilation with a typically delightful piece of prepared piano from Hauschka. M&M compiler The Home Current gives us a track from the second compilation, which forms the basis of the supscription bonus disc that came with the latest comp - a stash of remixes including one from idm/folktronica hero Opiate! Also in there, another from the new compilation, pretty vocals and twinkliness from Icelandic duo Pascal Pinon.

But Opiate has brought us into more electronic waters, and we have to hear this next one right away - an incredible new Tricky remix from Andy Stott, perhaps Burial-esque, but in fact nothing less than Andy Stott-esque in its slow-growing minimalism.

And that's it, we're then into our other mini-special for the evening - once a young upstart, now a don of the Warp label, none other than (Chris) Clark, who has just released a double remix album - mainly highlights from his own remixes, with a few remixes of him thrown in for good measure.
I only played a couple of the remixes tonight - a new post-dubstep techno monster remixing Letherette, and an older breakcore-styled monster remixing the sadly-missed Milanese. In the middle a few highlights from across Clark's career - his first couple of albums are an interesting amalgam of disparate styles from idm & acid to solitary piano; but he swiftly grew into a producer of uniquely organic, tactile electronica. Only perhaps James Holden in recent years approaches something similar.

Sarah Neufeld - You Are The Field [Constellation]
Bell Orchestre - the upwards march [Rough Trade]
Bell Orchestre - Bucephalus Bouncing Ball [Arts & Crafts]
Sarah Neufeld - Forcelessness [Constellation]
...interview with Satu Vänskä of ACO Underground...
ACO Underground - The Price of Cows is Stable at Present (aka "Milk It" by Nirvana) [unreleased!]
Crooked Fiddle Band - The Vanishing Shapes of a Better World [Bird's Robe Collective]
Glen Johnson - L'abandon [Second Language]
Hauschka - Lipstick Race [Second Language]
The Home Current - Theme from Mizieb [Second Language]
Pascal Pinon - Fuglar [Second Language]
The Home Current - Theme from Mizieb (Opiate remix) [Second Language]
Tricky - Valentine (Andy Stott remix) [False Idols]
Letherette - D&T (Clark remix) [Warp]
Chris Clark - Sabbath [Warp]
Chris Clark - Tycan [Warp]
Clark - Herzog [Warp]
Clark - Secret Slow Show (feat. Martina Topley-Bird) [Warp]
Milanese - Mr Bad News (Clark remix) [Warp]

Listen again — ~109MB

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