STUMMFILM (Jon Coats)

stummfilm (EP)

Dank Disk (2003)

Sorry, no album cover art available at this time

review by Bill Binkelman

Here is an EP that plays like a second cousin to Ben Swire's Foundry EP Equilibrium. As on that CD, the artist (Jon Coats, assisted by mix from Randall Peterson) layers skitch/glitch ambient beats over a somber minimal layer of electronic shading (a combination of notes, e.g. on piano or synthesizer textures, drones, or washes). While not as moody or fluid as Equilibrium, stummfilm still finds a mellow yet lonely and evocative groove and stays there for the three songs.

Per the label's website, the intended purpose of the stummfilm EP is "…to make a soundtrack for any visual that the listener would care to watch. so put in a tape or dvd, turn off the sound and let stummfilm change the intended mood." An ambitious goal, to be sure, but the three tracks on the disc could make for some startling and intriguing (if not downright disorienting) viewing/listening.

The EP opens with "werk" featuring what sounds like organ notes underneath a swirling synthesizer buzz. Scratch noise effects start to filter into the soundfield, and eventually a steady midtempo rhythm is laid down featuring glitch, snare, and high hat beats. The synth washes and textures sound like classic slices of analog spacemusic, but the underlying vibe is solidly beat-driven ambient. Next is "metal birds" which begins things off with nice glitch/skitch beats of assorted variety and this time it's the drone that is folded slowly into the mix. The drone this time is more ethereal - higher pitched, in other words, accompanied by nicely echoed minimal piano and a gently disturbing subdued chattering effect. This song is quite moody, speaking to me of deserted cityscapes under a dark gray sky in late autumn, possibly even post-apocalyptic, although the music itself is not oppressive or depressing in the extreme. The last song, "taschen," starts off sounding more like dark ambient drone music than the previous two selections. Midtempo beats are introduced as well as floating synths with a slightly warm feel to them. These are counterpointed by strange machine-like vibrations and hums, which are not in the least bit oppressive or alienating. In fact, what surprised me the most about stummfilm was engaging and human it all ends up sounding. I don't know if that was the intention of Coats and Peterson, but it certainly makes their intended purposes more successful (I can see the music on the EP as soundtrack to a lot of different types of movies, although an Adam Sandler comedy isn't one of them).

As I stated in my review of Swire's Equilibrium, I think one test of a successful EP is does it leave you wanting more. In the case of stummfilm, the answer to that unasked question is a big YES! I recommend all lovers of beat ambient (and those drifting ambient purists who don't mind rhythmic elements grafted onto swirling synth textures) to pick up this CD pronto. You won't be disappointed.