Blog ›› Archive ›› By Date ›› 2000 ›› August

8 August 2000
By Scott Russell in White Noise (UK), August 8, 2000

Text

“If you thought guitar, bass and drums had nothing left to offer, Klaxon Guele have served up a whole new cocktail that deserves your attention”

If you’ve had enough of the fidget and scrape school of improv, may I suggest you try a large draught of Klaxon Gueule? Klaxon Gueule is not an exotic liqueur, it is in fact a band, a guitar,bass and drums trio to be exact. As such you might fairly expect them to do a lot of muscular interplay and virtuosic soloing but you’d be wrong, in fact they make sounds that are about as far removed from traditional power trio playing as it’s possible to make.

The trio’s first effort, a double entitled Bavards, was an energetic ensemble effort which touched on improv, punk and a variety of other styles. Muets, their second disc, throws out the rulebook and sets about creating an eerie world of dry scrapings and sudden electric interjections.

Stylistically AMM may be the closest reference, however the trio eschews longform investigations in favour of short, measured meditations.

The first few tracks concentrate on a microtonal sound world of string scrapings, rustling noises and gentle electric rumbles then track 4 breaks the gently lulling ambience with shocking electric blasts. A metronomic device ticks away quietly in a bath of fidgeting, buzzing drones (a la Keith Rowe’s desktop guitar excursions). Assorted devices are rattled and strummed whilst dense jolts of power chords threaten to blot out the whole thing.

Track 5 displays a sudden change with a chorus of incomprehensible whispers are ridden over by Michel Côté’s rattling percussion work set against a background of phasing drones.

Track 8 inhabits a world of huge bass drones. A chiming percussion sample keeps time whilst Alexandre St-Onge’s arco bass thrums and bends the bottom end all out of shape. Bernard Falaise’s fractured electric guitar scrapes and keens over the top and the thing eventually mutates into a pulsing, vibrating mass.

The trio are credited with only guitar, bass and drums as instrumentation however I could swear other assorted electronic devices are in use such are the range of looped and manipulated sounds, Bernnard Falaise’s guitar in particular is expertly employed throughout like some kind of finely tuned sand blasting instrument, burnishing and tarnishing the contributions of the others.

If you thought guitar, bass and drums had nothing left to offer, Klaxon Gueule have served up a whole new cocktail that deserves your attention.

blogue@press-1266 press@1266
1 August 2000
By Etero Genio in Blow Up #26/27 (Italy), August 1, 2000

Text

“…Roger, la cui concezione del "drumming" soffice fresca moderna…”

Sto pensando da tempo a un anticolo su Joëlle Léandre, ogni approccio viene però scoraggiato dalI enorme moie e varietà di situazioni attraversate dalla contrabassista francese - improvvisatrice con Derek Bailey, Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, George Lewis, John Zorn… oltreché raffinata interprete di John Cage.

Giacinto Scelsi… Un’attitudine a 360˙ che oltretutto ha dato sostanza a una produzione come mimmo interessante. Un nuovo colpo alle mie velleità viene ora dato da questa coIlaborazione con la percussionista francofono-canadese Danielle Palardy Roger 11 background delle due strumentiste trova sistemazione in 9 improvvisazioni dove la cerebralità gnumosa della musica contemporanea, improwisata e non. si disfà via via in straniati attimi di melodia e ritmo, fino alle premonizioni ritualistico-iniziatiche di Coupes blanches e ai 59 secondi, tutti cageani. Della conclusiva Derniere minute,

Tricotage è un dovere per coloro che già rimasero impigliati nella rete tesa dall ammaliante contrabbassista, e un ottimo inizio per tutti i neofiti. Ma stiano attenti gli ultimi, e si ancorino ben bene alla realta. perche e arduo sfuggire atle lusinghe di tali Sirene; okay, al plurale, perché sarebbe ingiusto ignorare il contributo dato dalla Roger, la cui concezione del "drumming" soffice fresca moderna faniasiosa e contraltare perfetto alle scorribande della contrabbassista. (7)

blogue@press-1278 press@1278
1 August 2000
By Etero Genio in Blow Up #26/27 (Italy), August 1, 2000

Text

La musica del disco di Tanguay è suonata con oggetti riciclati, strumenti etnici e strumenb autocostruiti. La musica del disco di Tanguay e sottile. elegante e leziosa, La musica del disco di Tanguay è nostalpicamente ambientale, Frammenti di quartomondismo. fuochi etniambientale visti da lontano, sogni flautati suggeriti dal dio Pan, elementi edulcorab per un caleidoscopio di colori e idee tanto brillanti quanto inconsistenti, Una nuova era in cui la ricerca sonora può fare salotto, Fumo e arrosto. Mancanza di sincronia. (5)

blogue@press-1279 press@1279
1 August 2000
By Jérôme Langlais in Tow Letter #4 (France), August 1, 2000

Text

“Derome joue la musique dans tous les sens du terme.”

Qui a déjà vu Jean Derome sur scène, seul ou accompagné de la perceuse d’oreilles Joane Hétu, sait que l’homme refuse l’ennui. Sur ce 3ème disque en compagnie de ses Dangereux Zhoms il porte l’improvisation musicale à ses limites: jouer live pour l’honorer au maximum (la notion de «risque» dans cette discipline est plus forte en public), et tutoyer la composition (certaines structures complexes sont préétablies et fixent parfois le point de départ des passages free). Ainsi naît un jazz déboité, tellement fourré de polyrythmiques, qui élude volontairement l’aspect sombre et trop sérieux souvent employé en improvisation. Derome s’amuse, prend du plaisir à jouer cette musique pourtant trés précise où l’aléa introduit par les partenaires (ici entre autres: René Lussier, Tom Walsh, Pierre Tanguay, Pierre Cartier… ) peut déstabiliser l’ensemble à tout moment. Derome joue la musique, dans tous les sens du terme.

blogue@press-1334 press@1334