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review by Dene Bebbington Released by Quantum Records in collaboration with the Databloem label, Wichman and Other Pieces could be considered to be two albums in one. The first forty minutes is made up of seven tracks taken from the Alfa Centauri concert in March 2004, and the remaining four tracks are studio recordings. The music of both these Dutch artists (Dennis Knopper aka Spielerei, and Jeroen Vermeent aka Mantacoup) is new to me so I've been able to approach this album with no preconceptions. The thing that struck me right away this album is the sense of being underground that the sounds tend to conjure up. This is especially the case on the opening track "The Wichman Concert part 1" where tremulous and echoey drone washes combine with percussion to make one imagine being on a subterranean railway passing through damp caves. As the concert tracks progress the music evolves to become more glitchy and downtempo in style. Finishing off the concert part of the album is a lively piece where sequencing builds up in intensity to include hollow drum beats and zigzagging melodies. It then surprisingly ends quietly with insect like noises fading away to nothing. Moving on to the studio pieces we find that the mood lightens a bit, is less industrial sounding, and less pensive in nature. In fact many of the elements from the prior seven tracks are still there but put together in such a way that the sounds are a little more abstract or experimental. Take the track "Sfunato", with all its squawks, high pitched rubbing sounds and other assorted effects and whistles it made me imagine walking through a zoo of otherworldly creatures. Hats off to Dennis and Jeroen. Wichman and Other Pieces carefully combines elements of floating/drifting ambience, a dash of drones, percussion, and glitchiness to deliver an unsettled and interesting aural journey above and below ground. This is music to give careful attention to, listening in a darkened room is ideal. |
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