Connected – Oren Ambarchi & Robin Fox (2012, FLAC+320)

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/404/0pcr.jpg/)

Tracklist

1. Standing Mandala
2. Game of Two
3. Connected
4. Trios
5. Invigilation

https://mega.co.nz/#!FB0UmKjA!XOakW6JsK6yGyfsGpNOIlB0IA2ClJfm7NWhdbnO L_54

———- Post added at 03:00 AM ———- Previous post was at 03:00 AM ———-

Commissioned as a soundtrack for a dance production, Connected brings together two of Australia’s most notable exports of aural experimentation. Setting this effort apart from normal drone collaborations is the scant similarities between the players. Other than their country of residence, Robin Fox and Oren Ambarchi dwell in polar opposites of technique and output.

Fox, having released a handful of solo and collaborative albums for heady labels (Editions Mego, Room40, Taiga), generates clinical regimens of synth tones and processes. Ambarchi, who kind of needs no introduction here, has attained a definite signature guitar sound that carves cavernous spaces and dizzying, lofty heights. Everyone from SunnO))) to Fire! has employed Ambarchi’s enormous tones.

Another pleasant surprise with Connected comes with its release on Kranky, after a recent string of releases from label alumni Windy & Carl, Jessica Bailiff and Loscil. While neither artist is a fresh face on the scene, it’s still a curious choice on the label’s part. Outside of Keith Fullerton Whitman’s largely untouchable drone efforts Playthroughs, Multiples and Sch�ner Flu�engel, the label rarely delves this deep into abstract sound studies. That’s not to say the Chicago powerhouse isn’t prone to rewarding collaborations (See Clear Horizon, A Winged Victory for the Sullen, Mirrorring, Aix Em Klem, et al).

So Connected brings forth a varied mix of wordless, amorphous sound, not really requiring the accompanied visuals to enjoy. “Standing Machines” leads off the disc channeling Robert Fripp and Brian Eno at their most pussyfooting, eyes to the sky while capturing periodic flashes of sound and color. The tones (both synth- and guitar-generated) fill endless black space with brilliant sheets of color and light. One of the stronger pieces here, the song organically builds from its humble amble of blips and plucked tones to an expansive swell of pure Cluster-inspired resonance.

“Connected” is a welcome returned to Ambarchi’s own Grapes from the Estate, a devastatingly robust tone exploration that simultaneously blows and boggles the mind. Accompanied only by touches of chimes and bowls, the expansive tone seems to have no beginning or end. The arc is perceived if you need it, but it almost feels better to drift in its vastness. Depending on the playback volume, the epiphany is correlative, and ultimately addicting.

The duo go deep into amorphous synth patchwork with “Trios,” a piece that lays layer upon layer of cyclical, resonance noise. The piece ends abruptly with a drum hit, a curious choice given the near-absence of percussion throughout. So curious, that I honestly wouldn’t even bet on the drum hit at all. The details are foggy at best. The album closes with “Gallery,” a spacious drift that gives nu-kraut drone fanatics like Emeralds a run for their money. Shimmering with a sonic brilliance similar to Greg Davis’ Somnia (also for Kranky), Ambarchi and Fox introduce an elegiac theme seemingly inspired by beauty in nature. Again, depth is created with juxtaposition. Light backed by dark. Robust tones supported by empty chords. Soaring altitudes caught at their peak, beginning a swift descent. It was anyone’s guess as to what Connected would play like, but the results are concrete. Now we just have to play the waiting game to see if the duo will return years from now.