Material Things – 2015-2020
12th Isle
120 lei
The debut album from 12th Isle co-founder Stewart Brown collects a slew of the musician's archival collaborations, linking him with drummer Pike Ogilvy, cult outsider folk guitarist Bob Theil, Greek percussionist Christos Chondropoulos, Grenoble's Vague Imaginaires and others. Fuzzy multi-rhythmic fluxes for fans of Valentina Magaletti, Donato Dozzy, Lena Wilikens and Don't DJ.
Since 2016, 12th Isle has been assembling a tight catalog of vital outsiders, issuing material from Tarotplane, Bruxula, Christos Chondropoulos, Best Available Technology and Vague Imaginaires, among others. Brown's debut comes in the wake of these, revealing the producer-curator's driving interests on a surprisingly coherent suite of collaborations - some freeform, one-take jams, and others developed remotely over a longer period of back-and-forth. On opening track 'Peckham', Brown works alongside Dan MacIntyre and Jo Ridley, who play MPC, Yamaha DX7 and FX, and the blocky Yamaha RX7 drum machine respectively. Fluttering tuned metallophone-style hits comprise the track's backbone, fleshed out by eerie drum sequences and plasticky hits; not techno, it's also not jazz, despite its improvisational approach. Each player sounds as if they're motivated by the texture of the material, avoiding showboating or simplicity to focus on the groove. 'No Direction' is even more prismatic, locked into Pike Ogilvy's dizzying performance on congas and contact mics, with Brown adding electronic drums, FX and a familiar Korg MS20 rasp. Pike famously studied under Cuban percussionist Hector Borjas, and his training - as well as his tenure as one half of In Tongues - comes into play here, as he fluidly splits rhythms into rattling trills that seem to slither between Brown's assured thuds. Denis Morin, aka Vague Imaginaires, opens 'Grenoble' with washing, new age pads, and Brown takes care of the percussion, arranging a slow-burning balearic melter that sounds like sunlight on wet sand, while Bosco Taylor plays a vintage Elka organ on the undulating, Jan Jelinek-esque 'Hospital Grounds'. The most personal moment comes with 'Westway', a collaboration with loner folk guitarist Bob Theil, who released the cult private-press album 'So Far' back in 1982. Starting life as a jam on guitar and synth at Brown's family home, the track is a surprisingly placid coda to the album's feverish, rhythmic thrum, adding perspective to Brown's personal narrative. Needless to say, if you're fascinated by asymmetrical rhythms, unexpected collaborations and 12th Isle's sprawling catalog, '2015-2020' will be a doozy. Big tip!
Since 2016, 12th Isle has been assembling a tight catalog of vital outsiders, issuing material from Tarotplane, Bruxula, Christos Chondropoulos, Best Available Technology and Vague Imaginaires, among others. Brown's debut comes in the wake of these, revealing the producer-curator's driving interests on a surprisingly coherent suite of collaborations - some freeform, one-take jams, and others developed remotely over a longer period of back-and-forth. On opening track 'Peckham', Brown works alongside Dan MacIntyre and Jo Ridley, who play MPC, Yamaha DX7 and FX, and the blocky Yamaha RX7 drum machine respectively. Fluttering tuned metallophone-style hits comprise the track's backbone, fleshed out by eerie drum sequences and plasticky hits; not techno, it's also not jazz, despite its improvisational approach. Each player sounds as if they're motivated by the texture of the material, avoiding showboating or simplicity to focus on the groove. 'No Direction' is even more prismatic, locked into Pike Ogilvy's dizzying performance on congas and contact mics, with Brown adding electronic drums, FX and a familiar Korg MS20 rasp. Pike famously studied under Cuban percussionist Hector Borjas, and his training - as well as his tenure as one half of In Tongues - comes into play here, as he fluidly splits rhythms into rattling trills that seem to slither between Brown's assured thuds. Denis Morin, aka Vague Imaginaires, opens 'Grenoble' with washing, new age pads, and Brown takes care of the percussion, arranging a slow-burning balearic melter that sounds like sunlight on wet sand, while Bosco Taylor plays a vintage Elka organ on the undulating, Jan Jelinek-esque 'Hospital Grounds'. The most personal moment comes with 'Westway', a collaboration with loner folk guitarist Bob Theil, who released the cult private-press album 'So Far' back in 1982. Starting life as a jam on guitar and synth at Brown's family home, the track is a surprisingly placid coda to the album's feverish, rhythmic thrum, adding perspective to Brown's personal narrative. Needless to say, if you're fascinated by asymmetrical rhythms, unexpected collaborations and 12th Isle's sprawling catalog, '2015-2020' will be a doozy. Big tip!
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