[ reviews ]
17. untitled (1998) [ • rec. 1998 ]> rel. 2000 - CD Generator, USA ()
Francisco López "Untitled (1998)" (CD, Generator, USA, 2001)
Seven new tracks by the master of low volume music. The first track is inaudible on normal volume, even on headphones, so when you pump the volume up, there is an ever so gentle hum, very dense and still light, with very slow fades in & out. Quite remarkable. The second track is indeed audible and sounds strange for López at first: there seems to be a synth in there! Of course, later it becomes clear that it is not. This track remains kind of new though: recorded in an extremely reverberant space (or with the addition of reverb), sounds swing from left to right and back again. Almost ambient this. Track three is a very soft hissing, being filtered slowly over time. Again the volume is very very low. Later on in the piece a lower hiss is added. Track four has a more or less normal volume and is different in composition. It starts with one rumble, then another one cuts in, then another one and so on, creating an rich texture which fades into a new layer that goes very very quiet. So far the most exciting piece. Track five starts with a ringing hiss and a dark drone, giving the whole a strong presence. Very slowly during the piece, a drone of mid frequencies is added. Track six sounds as if there's a whole buch of turbines running in the room nextdoor, then suddenly fades away and finishes. Probably the shortest piece by López I've ever heard. The last track is one of those really soft ones again but again sounds very nifty when audible. So, once again a good and strong release by López. Vital Weekly (The Netherlands, 2001)
Seven new tracks by the master of low volume music. The first track is inaudible on normal volume, even on headphones, so when you pump the volume up, there is an ever so gentle hum, very dense and still light, with very slow fades in & out. Quite remarkable. The second track is indeed audible and sounds strange for López at first: there seems to be a synth in there! Of course, later it becomes clear that it is not. This track remains kind of new though: recorded in an extremely reverberant space (or with the addition of reverb), sounds swing from left to right and back again. Almost ambient this. Track three is a very soft hissing, being filtered slowly over time. Again the volume is very very low. Later on in the piece a lower hiss is added. Track four has a more or less normal volume and is different in composition. It starts with one rumble, then another one cuts in, then another one and so on, creating an rich texture which fades into a new layer that goes very very quiet. So far the most exciting piece. Track five starts with a ringing hiss and a dark drone, giving the whole a strong presence. Very slowly during the piece, a drone of mid frequencies is added. Track six sounds as if there's a whole buch of turbines running in the room nextdoor, then suddenly fades away and finishes. Probably the shortest piece by López I've ever heard. The last track is one of those really soft ones again but again sounds very nifty when audible. So, once again a good and strong release by López. Vital Weekly (The Netherlands, 2001)