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Reviews
Luigi Archetti - Null
Die Schachtel Zeit
Composers C 03
Release: Januar 2010
www.experimedia.net
Februar 2010
Die Schachtel presents an album by Switzerland-based composer, experimenter,
guitarist and visual artist Luigi Archetti. Null is a monolithic, sinister
and doomy drone masterpiece. Oscillating in filigree nuances, the modulation
of a drone that seems to last an eternity alone indicates that the sense
of real time has been canceled, while, at the same time, another acoustic
track surfaces like a distant memory, only to disappear again. A universe
of sound particles spreads out, in which the sounds provide no references
to a possible location. What the ear might consider to be the crunching
sound of snow crusts, the deep droning of ice breaking, the scraping
of migrating glaciers is often merely an acoustic hallucination, while
actually the sounds have been composed using the finest of sound particles,
which Archetti's ear has taken from completely different sources, such
as the hum of generators, or the white noise of a blank video tape being
played, or drone sounds created with the E-bow, which he extracts from
his electric guitar (often with scordatura tuning). An intermediate realm
is created in which acoustic sedimentations are layered into a sound
tapestry so dense, that it feels like there is almost no air left to
breathe or to hear with anymore. But it also draws one in like an invitation
to journey further into unexplored regions, a journey through timeless
and spare acoustic events with a rivetingly hypnotic effect. Housed in
a deluxe tri-fold digipack edition.
temporaryfault.blogspot.com
März 2010
Never I would envision, by reading the name Luigi Archetti in Krautrock
chronicles of many years ago, his records standing among my favourite
listens, independently of the genre, in 2010. Archetti’s work is multifarious
– recordings, installations and whatever you could imagine from a bright
55-year old who left a depressingly decaying place (Italy) as a kid to
go living in a wonderfully civil one (Switzerland). But, most of all,
this man’s field of research deals with the analysis of the relations
between the small constituents of an instrument and, at large, of the
sonic consistency. He steers clear of styles and definitions, utilizing
his axe as a generator of multitudes of different emanations. Drones
are present, of course - intelligently deployed and with the right dose
of gravel. Then, prickling granules of harmonics, portentously misshapen
loops and gripping oscillations, often in the space of a single track.
Music that expresses disagreement with the norm, yet doesn’t need noise
to become another piece of obviousness. There’s nothing that can be described
as comforting in the thirteen episodes of Null; still, the record
has been spinning endlessly for two days and its qualities keep shining.
Coldness revealing a heart, turbulence masked as immobility, breathtaking
vistas apparently confined by structural limitations. Either percussively
or with some kind of bowing technique, the radiance expressed by these
detachedly calm sabotages is something unique. One of the few masterpieces
heard in the year’s first quarter, an outing that will put guitar-manipulating
pretenders to shame.
Massimo Ricci
http://www.special-interests.net
Februar 2010
Listened this thing 2 times today. It's 60 minute CD. And was thinking
of writing review since I found the album so great. But it seems too
difficult to even say anything about it. So I rather not post on vague
talk of electro-acoustics than actual review... hah http://www.dieschachtel.com/ label
probably makes the total noise heads puke on its clean contemporary music
approach... This sound, as though grains of finest sand trickle
onto a membrane–the last thing that the narrator in Stanislaw Lem’s “Solaris”
hears when he starts out on his journey to a world that is falling apart–is
the most fitting way to describe the characteristics of Luigi Archetti’s
music NULL. Stylistically, the compositions can be placed within the
field of planar tonal design, and with this, also an experimental treatment
of static sounds and microtonality, out of which finally something like
monolithic sound sculptures have emerged.
Well, that's what it is. At the best, album is quite blends in the sounds
which could be as well metal pipes or other resonating industrial elements,
but most likely are piano strings. Slow, bounding but "tonal" qualities.
There are some painfully disturbing moments of almost pure sound waves,
where for a while it feels like bands such as Dominator should take some
lessons of actually disturbing composition. The best thing is the perfection
of many sounds. The dynamics of composition, purity and utmost craftmanship
of reproducing the sound on the disc works so well, that even if many
times the actual layering is almost nonexistent, those are the moments
what work amazingly well. Just the quality and tension of the one thing
what is happening, is already so strong. And opposed to many recordings,
I find this to be something that requires your attention all the time.
Many things happen, and they happen pretty short amount of time.
This could be one of the best purchases that I have done recently without
knowing ANYTHING about the artist, or the label. Nor how artwork is.
Just bought it when brain registered few phrases and words in description
of release. For finns visiting Sarvilevyt, there might be copy at artfag
section. Otherwise you probably have to go further than typical noise
distro to find it.
...and to add, I guess it's about the time I can hear one computer glitch
cd what I won't complain about..
by: FreakAnimalFinland
www.badalchemy.de
[Bad Alchemy Magazin 66]
13 Reisen in zerfallende Welten, 13 Stürze
in Schwarze Löcher. Dreizehn Mal tut sich aber nach dem Nullpunkt eine
neue Unendlichkeit auf. Eine Spiegelwelt. Oder eine maßstabsverschobene.
Der vergrößerte Maßstab zeigt wieder Fülle in der scheinbaren Leere. Archetti
lässt Generatoren summen oder eine leere Videokassette rauschen. Meist
aber ist eine Gitarre im Spiel, per E-Bow gestrichen, geklopft. Mit dröhnenden
Schwingungen. Oder kristallin aufgesplittert. Schnarrend und bebend. Immer
aus der Perspektive eine Incredible Shrinking Man, dem harmlose akustische
Phänomene als überdimensionierte, absurde ‚Unmöglichkeiten‘ entgegen quellen.
Erdrückend, schneidend, bohrend, nadelig steppend, flirrend, stupsend,
fauchend. Wenn man sich Archettis metalloiden Phänomenen aber mit kühlen
Sinnen sich stellt, geht von ihrer Eigenart jene wundersame Faszination
aus, die Ror Wolfs Notizen seiner unerschrockenen Forscher füllt!
„Ich hatte also ein Rauschen gehört, und dann [...] also die daumennagelgroßen,
vielmehr faustgroßen, keine Spur, kopfgroßen Hagelkörner [...] Ziegelsteine
und Glassplitter, mittags war es nicht besser, wie Streichholzschachteln
knackend durch diese Luft platzend oh wirklich bis weit in den Abend
hinein... Das hat nichts zu sagen, es kracht, das ist wahr, und es klirrt,
das stimmt auch; aber alles zusammen ist es eben nicht mehr als ein Krachen
und Klirren, es ist nichts als ein kleines Zusammenstürzen, als ein unerwartetes
Aufplatzen und ein leichtes Herabfallen; sogar dieser Luftzug ist nicht
sehr bemerkenswert, es ist Luft, weiter nichts...“
Rigobert Dittmann
www.boomkat.com
"Archetti's work thrives on this level of abstraction, and given how pastoral
and atmosphere-fixated contemporary electroacoustic music seems to be getting
-- what with all the environmental field recordings you hear in ambient records
these days -- it's refreshing, and arguably more engaging to hear something
that's all about sound for sound's sake."
www.wheredallmyfriendsgo.blogspot.com
April 2010
Superior new disc on Italy's Die Schachtel label by Switzerland-based
composer/guitarist Luigi Archetti. He's probably best known as for his
output on Rune Grammofon (Low Tide Digitals I & II), and as a former
member of Guru Guru, but his memorable solo career spans nearly twenty
years. Archetti projects began as an extension of Guru Guru rock experimentalism,
moved to free-improvisation, and ended up in the wide realm of electronics.
'Null' finds Archetti digging out his own corner in the field of electro-acoustic
music. His style is markedly minimal yet, given his peers, he is uncharacteristically
austere, a result of his treatment of time and tonality. The thirteen
tracks here seem to be built of an underlying, uneasy stasis which is
in turn challenged by cold, densely undulating electronics. This may
not grab those not already in his neck of the woods, but if you're already
there -- watch out. Highly recommended.
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