| CAPUT KAPUTT 7“, Korm Plastics 1997 (kp7297) |
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Die erste Scheibe in der neuen Serie "Kapotte
Muziek by", in welcher Aufnahmen von K.M. von anderen Soundartisten
bearbeitet werden sollen. RLW beweist hier mal wieder (die Aufnahmen
stammen aus dem KM-Gig im Kramladen zu Kaiserslautern, 07.02.97)
seine Sensibilität im Umgang mit fremdem Material (wie auch
schon bei der Splintered – Zusammenarbeit) und reichert die
ruhig-konkreten Klänge noch mit einigen weiteren Komponenten
an.
Drone, Germany 1998 |
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| ORGANIZED (w/ Aube) 10“, Meeuw Muzak 1997
(MM 06) |
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The organisation of sound is one
of RLW´s prime interests, and this new release is the result
of a collaboration through mail between him and Aube. They worked
on each others sound material, respectively RLW´s recordings
of a church organ and Aube´s recordings of an electronic organ
and bell. RLW´s side consists of sampled drones and short, interrupted
sounds and builts slowly. His side has a quiet, subdued feel
to it, even at the point where the sound gets loud (about 2/3
in the piece). This is a well-structured piece. Aube stays in
likewise „ambient“ moods, but is more monochrome in his approach.
Vital Weekly, Holland 1997 |
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| SPLINTERED RLW CD, Black Rose 1996 (BRCD
96-1005) |
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| Full of haunted studio space,
fractured tremolo-wail and a unique understanding of the brink
of chaos sound. Melody Maker, UK 1997 |
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Äußerst dynamisch. RLW zaubert
phantastische Noise-Collagen, die das Splintered-Material als
Rohstoff für beunruhigende Dark-Ambient-Loop-Dekonstruktionen
verwenden.
Artefakt, Germany 1997 |
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PULLOVER CD, Table of the Elements 1996 (Ge 32) |
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Un travail qui, comme ses dernieres
pieces, continue de confirmer la place centrale qu´ occupe son
auteur dans le champs des musiques electroacoustiques.
Metamkine, France Dec. 1996 |
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Ausschließlich das gesprochene
oder gesungene Wort dient als Klangstoff, entweder so, daß man
Caspers Prosaskizzen (mit Themen wie „Reise“, „Beziehung“und
„Autos“) noch verstehen kann, oder zum bloßen Geräusch abstrahiert.
Entscheidende Bedingung des Konzepts war es, daß alle Beteiligten
die Texte in Deutsch abliefern mußten. Was gar nicht so einfach
ist für französische, US-amerikanische oder japanische Zungen.
Die im „Atmosphere“-Text eingefangene Stimmung Henscheidschen
Sonntagsnachmittagsstumpfsinns, dieses Pendeln zwischen einem
Abgrund an Ennui und faunischer Glückseligkeit, kommt ein bißchen
dem nahe, was sich im Kopf abspielen kann, wenn man ihn in den
RLWschen PULLOVER hineinsteckt.
Bad Alchemy, Germany 1996 |
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RLW has always been creating extremely
intelligent electro-acoustic works. He creates electric collage
sound with extraordinary quick transformations, inserting text
readings by members of Gastr Del Sol, K2 a.o. on this new release
from Table of the Elements. Listening to this blend of wildness
and silence on the CD I only can say „splendid“.
REMIX, Japan Dec. 1996 |
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RLW has always been creating extremely
intelligent electro-acoustic works. He creates electric collage
sound with extraordinary quick transformations, inserting text
readings by members of Gastr Del Sol, K2 a.o. on this new release
from Table of the Elements. Listening to this blend of wildness
and silence on the CD I only can say „splendid“.
REMIX, Japan Dec. 1996 |
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Mit Pullover hat mich RLW nun
endgültig verzaubert: welch eine Magie steckt hinter solch einem
planvollen Umgang mit Klängen? Welche unsichtbare Hand kann
Stimmen in solche Bahnen lenken, kann dichtes Geschnatter in
magische Brummtöne auflösen. RLW bricht menschliche Stimmen
zu neuen Geflechten zusammen, in denen man sie manchmal noch
erkennt, in denen sie aber oft auch zu fremdartigen Geräuschen
umgebastelt werden. Die Texte des Caspers erzählen einfach,
sachlich und irgendwie morbide von befremdlichen Begegnungen
und schreckhaften Gedanken. Bisher die grandioseste CD des Jahres.
Auf Abwegen, Germany 1997 |
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Simply astonishing collection
of digital (de)compositions from, without doubt, one of the
medium´s leaders.... Listening to this work and, indeed, actually
feeling the amount of effort, time & unbridled passion behind
it is as rewarding an experience one could wish for if truly
sharing a penchant for what can only be described as adventurous
modern music.
Fourth Dimension UK 1997 |
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NAMELESS VICTIMS MCD, Metamkine -Cinema pour l´ Oreille-
1996 (MKCD 020) |
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Another truly amazing work. RLW continues
to inhabit an area usually owned by more „academically“ trained
composers. To me, he also has a better ear and more „life“.
Compares favorably to the newer releases I´ve heard on the INA/GRM
label.
Swill Radio, USA 1996 |
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RLW filtert und verdichtet hier den Saitenklang
von Ulrich Philips Kontrabass, gespielt in Lachenmannscher Manier,
zu elektroakustischen Abstraktionen. Die Herangehensweise ist
insofern nicht filmisch, sondern ikonoklastisch. Die Konzentration
gilt dem Klang als Materie und nicht einer wie auch immer gearteten
Erzählung. Die Gewohnheitsehe zwischen Signifikant und Signifikat
wird geschieden, das Geräusch kommt ohne seine assoziativen
Pflichten zu sich selbst. RLW ist ein Webern der radikaleren
Mittel.
Bad Alchemy, Germany 1996 |
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UN OCEAN DE CERTITUDE (w/ BERNHARD GÜNTER) 3MCD, V2-Archief
1996 (V 222) |
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BG and RLW seem to want to tap into desire,
and with no excuses. To start with the sensual experience of
sound; to listen, above all with the attitude that sound, which
is now replete with memory, with reference, with social significance,
may tell you something no apriori rules about its place and
possibilities may even get close to. To see where the sound
leads, what rules it generates from its own specifity, and then
use these patterns to go on, always listening to the other patterns
spinning off the new sounds created from the rules of sound
itself. A crystallization process, in other words, or the unfolding
of a specific intensity tracking its own duration. A sound event,
in which the story of its organisation will necessarily appear
as a sort of delay or why not say as another sound effect. This
extremely attractive perspective lies behind the triple CD UN
OCEAN DE CERTITUDE. This release has quite a lot of interest
vested in the question of the inevitable and the given inevitability
of desire and of sound being, of course, both sublime and „oceanic“.
This means, however, that „certitude“ comes at a price. For,
listening to the given, to the sound that is there, and letting
this sound become its own paradigm, means also accepting that
which is necessarily imperfect, which necessarily breaks rules
or expectations. And with every such sonic purpose there is
the possibility of searching out how sound may actually escape
these structures, how a real sound event may even come to rely
on accidents and mistakes, on the excess that is seeping out
through the cracks in the sound system. If UN OCEAN... is a
sound event, it is an event that hovers on the verge of enthropy:
Its sound effects are partly a story about its organization,
and partly a dispersal of organization. Listening to UN OCEAN
is in a sense listening to such accidents, such excess. And
in a sense it is also listening to listening: an impossible
state of hyper-attention, doomed to fail. There are lots of
silences or near silences, where high frequencies or mere shadows
of sound shimmer somewhere within the range of your attention.
Listening to listening, because there is no way you can let
it pass as an interesting soundscape, a cool background. Even
as its many breaks and silences make it merge with your surroundings
or (if you use headphones) with your body in a way few records
do, there is continual triggering of expectation: What next.
More, please. What are you doing to me. One could simply say
that it is a very sexy record.
Ina Blom, Siksi, Norway 1997 |
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Bernhard Günter's and Ralf Wehowsky's cooperation
began in 1990 on an informal basis. In mid 1992, Wehowsky having
finished the recording of his CD RLW:ACHT, they decided to begin
a closer collaboration project. The idea for Un Ocean De Certitude
was born. First results were presented at the Festival Experimenteller
Musik in Koblenz, Mutter Beethove Haus December 1992. This CD-set
follows the structure of that presentation (and later concerts):
one part is a collaborative work and two parts are solo works
by Wehowsky and Günter, Results and side effects of the collaboration
can not only be found on these CD's but also on the other releases
from 1992 on (Günter's Un peu De Neige Salie (1993) and '...'
(1994), Wehowsky's RLW:14 (1993) and ...Freezing Air... (1994)).
Untitled Triptych's three wings reach back to the beginnings
of the collaboration: Part 1 (Wehowsky with Günter) was conceived
in July 1992, part 2 (Wehowsky) in Janurary 1992, part 3 (Günter
with Wehowsky) in June 1993. All were reworked and remixed in
August 1994. The basic idea was not only an exchange of sound
materials (as it was established in the 80's) but also of the
composition (sequence) as material for further compositional
transformations. Ralf Wehowsky's Maze was recorded in June (I
Am Sitting In A Maze) and July (Still In A Maze) 1994. The basic
work for Sitting Amazed dates back to the beginnings of the
collaboration (August 1992), it was completely reworked to become
an integrated part of Maze in July 1994. Every part of Maze
has some special relation to Bernhard Günter: the first quotes
some typical compositional methods, the second includes a recording
of Günter 'playing' a newspaper and his dog barking, the third
consists of samples taken from pieces which later made their
way to the Un Peu... CD.
Bernhard Günter's Deceptive Likeness (a phrase originally coined
by the late Morton Feldman, pointing to the 'instrumental image'
interfering with the actual perception of sound) was recorded
in July 1994. By blending passages of 'instrumental' character
with more abstract ones, this piece is sometimes similar to
something one would rather expect to come from Wehowsky, referring
to the on-going discussion between the composers on the issue
of 'abstractness' in sound (number one favorite obsession) as
well. Under the working title 'Details Agrandis' two passages
of the piece have been developed by Günter, resulting in an
over 21 minutes long composition Stone Circles (For Richard
Long) found on his second solo CD '...'. |
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Superb.
Absurd, Greece 1996 |
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... est un disque qui comme son titre l´indique
seme le doute le plus complet, et ces deux compositeurs à
la demarche déjà bien mysterieuse, jettent la
un trouble encore plus grand. L´ interêt magistral de
leur travail se situe au niveau de cette remise en cause de
nos habitues de perception. Leur musique est d´une telle complexite
que jamais on ne peut prevoir ce qui va se passer, même
apres plusieurs écoutes; elle nous replace en permanent
etat d´alerte. Les sons qui la composent sont soit presque reconnaissables,
quoique... soit carrement inouis, dans le sens ou „on n´a jamais
entendu ca de cette manière“. Ce qui nous amène
à un exercice actif de la perception sonore, plutot que
de la laisser ramper comme un outil inutile dans la simple reconnaissance
semiotique: „oui, je sais que j´entends tel son“ ou „oui, je
sais, que la c'est de la musique“. Alors que non, là,
nous ne savons pas. Pas plus d´ailleurs que nous savons ce qu´est
la musique. La perception sonore reste quelque chose d´étrange
en ce qu´elle agit sur notre mémoire et notre pensée,
d´autant pour la plupart de nous qui ne sommes pas aveugles
et qui n´avons jamais appris vraiment à douter. Et de
même de ce disque, nous ne saurons pas qui y fait quoi
et comment, il n´y aura que le choix à faire de se laisser
porter par la poésie qu´il contient. Cette reflexion
sur le trouble et la non-certitude est aussi radicalement politique,
a l´encontre exacte de notre civilisation qui s´imagine „savoir“
et „connaitre“ comme des actes d´ultime possession, pour mieux
assoir sa suprématie totalisante. „Supposons cette question:
Est-il vraiment correct de nous fier au temoignage de notre
mémoire (ou de nos ses) comme nous le faisons? „ Wittgenstein
in „De la Certitude“. RLW et BG me semblent offrir avec leurs
disques de très belles réponses. Fascinant.
Revue Et Corrigee, France 1996 |
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