[ reviews ]
44. untitled #180 [ • rec. 2005 ]Francisco López - "untitled #180" (CD Alien8 Recordings, Canada 2006)
"Untitled #180" is perhaps López' most playful and humorous release. While it features López' trademark swells, bursts of pure sound and extended periods of silence, a unique element captured on this release is the predominant electroacoustic feel to the sound. This has a lot to do with the sound sources, short samples borrowed from blockbuster motion pictures. As a result many of the clichés of both the world of academic electroacoustic music and film sound effects are beautifully exploited on this recording. Press release www.alien8recordings.com (Canada), May 2006.
Francisco López - "untitled #180" (CD Alien8 Recordings, Canada 2006)
This time we got a slightly more agitated soundscape from López. Even if this composition has no shortage of long, breathtaking moments where we're left alone within natural (or less) reverberations, subsonics and our own heartbeat, there is also an incredible amount of cut-and-paste of the most various sources, such as breaking glass, animal growls, closing doors, walking on snow, powerful winds. And many additional noises, often coming in fragments so short that we don't have the time to understand what they are. As usual with the Spanish composer, the quality of the recording is at the highest level; the listener is subjected to a continuing series of changes in the sonic scenario, abrupt shifts that always seem to catch us off guard, forcing a mental reorganization. One tends to expect "the worst" even in the tranquil sections - and it usually happens. The piece ends with about five minutes of buzzing hiss, another enigmatic choice for the prolific López, a man that never releases anything under the "very good" grade. www.touchingextremes.org (Italy), September 2006.
"Untitled #180" is perhaps López' most playful and humorous release. While it features López' trademark swells, bursts of pure sound and extended periods of silence, a unique element captured on this release is the predominant electroacoustic feel to the sound. This has a lot to do with the sound sources, short samples borrowed from blockbuster motion pictures. As a result many of the clichés of both the world of academic electroacoustic music and film sound effects are beautifully exploited on this recording. Press release www.alien8recordings.com (Canada), May 2006.
Francisco López - "untitled #180" (CD Alien8 Recordings, Canada 2006)
This time we got a slightly more agitated soundscape from López. Even if this composition has no shortage of long, breathtaking moments where we're left alone within natural (or less) reverberations, subsonics and our own heartbeat, there is also an incredible amount of cut-and-paste of the most various sources, such as breaking glass, animal growls, closing doors, walking on snow, powerful winds. And many additional noises, often coming in fragments so short that we don't have the time to understand what they are. As usual with the Spanish composer, the quality of the recording is at the highest level; the listener is subjected to a continuing series of changes in the sonic scenario, abrupt shifts that always seem to catch us off guard, forcing a mental reorganization. One tends to expect "the worst" even in the tranquil sections - and it usually happens. The piece ends with about five minutes of buzzing hiss, another enigmatic choice for the prolific López, a man that never releases anything under the "very good" grade. www.touchingextremes.org (Italy), September 2006.