artist: JON TULCHIN
title: Location Recordings
catalog number: and/2
release year: 2002
format: CDR
status: sold out
title: Location Recordings
catalog number: and/2
release year: 2002
format: CDR
status: sold out
Don't be fooled by the simple track titles of this subtle but great collection of
interesting field recordings from various parts of the United States. Jon is known for
being understated when it comes to words, but his attention is very acute when it
comes to listening and recording. He often captures soundscapes that seem to be
processed or mixed in a studio, when in fact, they were not.
Track listing:
1. Fire Alarm From A Distance (Winter Park, FL.)
2. Water Pipe Beneath A Pier (Bainbridge, WA.)
3. Power lines (Wallace Falls, WA.)
4. Metal Structure In The Desert (Dead Horse Ranch, AZ.)
5. Bugs Near A Lake (New Mexico)
6. Tree In The Wind (Moanalua, HI.)
7. Rain Within A Parking Structure (Seattle, WA.)
8. Docks (Seattle, WA.)
9. Log Partially Submerged In Water (Seattle, WA.)
interesting field recordings from various parts of the United States. Jon is known for
being understated when it comes to words, but his attention is very acute when it
comes to listening and recording. He often captures soundscapes that seem to be
processed or mixed in a studio, when in fact, they were not.
Track listing:
1. Fire Alarm From A Distance (Winter Park, FL.)
2. Water Pipe Beneath A Pier (Bainbridge, WA.)
3. Power lines (Wallace Falls, WA.)
4. Metal Structure In The Desert (Dead Horse Ranch, AZ.)
5. Bugs Near A Lake (New Mexico)
6. Tree In The Wind (Moanalua, HI.)
7. Rain Within A Parking Structure (Seattle, WA.)
8. Docks (Seattle, WA.)
9. Log Partially Submerged In Water (Seattle, WA.)
ABSURD (DECEMBER 2003)
Jon Tulchin is a new name to me and his Location Recordings on and/OAR was
my first encounter with his work. Including various location recordings (as the title
suggests as well) around Arizona, Washington, Florida, New Mexico, etc, Jon
presents us here his own obscure views. The cdr starts with an intensity (which is all
around it and that's pretty cool), a dense sound of a "fire alarm from a distance" to
continue with the "water pipe beneath a pier" then. Atmospheres that brought in
mind some of the best Hafler Trio moments. Things slowly start changing
regarding the moods from the 4th track, especially the 5th which is titled "bugs
near a lake" can somehow be seen as the point of change. What i admired here is
that the bug sounds were treated luckily and not left almost unaltered (unless I am
wrong. If so, pardon me). The "tree in the wind" was a piece of a little different
mood, I'd say a bit more "static", though not lasting long, can be perceived I think,
as a documentation of an experience, but I enjoyed it a lot, such as the "rain
within a parking structure" that follows it, and also found it charming too. The
closing "log partially submerged in water" was also a piece to show a different
mood too, perhaps not so "obscure" as the opening one, but however I think that
gives a different aspect of Jon's soundscapes. I think that if you fancy manipulated
field recordings seen under an "obscure" (to say the least) perspective, then this is
a great cdr to be discovered. (Nicolas Malevitsis)
Jon Tulchin is a new name to me and his Location Recordings on and/OAR was
my first encounter with his work. Including various location recordings (as the title
suggests as well) around Arizona, Washington, Florida, New Mexico, etc, Jon
presents us here his own obscure views. The cdr starts with an intensity (which is all
around it and that's pretty cool), a dense sound of a "fire alarm from a distance" to
continue with the "water pipe beneath a pier" then. Atmospheres that brought in
mind some of the best Hafler Trio moments. Things slowly start changing
regarding the moods from the 4th track, especially the 5th which is titled "bugs
near a lake" can somehow be seen as the point of change. What i admired here is
that the bug sounds were treated luckily and not left almost unaltered (unless I am
wrong. If so, pardon me). The "tree in the wind" was a piece of a little different
mood, I'd say a bit more "static", though not lasting long, can be perceived I think,
as a documentation of an experience, but I enjoyed it a lot, such as the "rain
within a parking structure" that follows it, and also found it charming too. The
closing "log partially submerged in water" was also a piece to show a different
mood too, perhaps not so "obscure" as the opening one, but however I think that
gives a different aspect of Jon's soundscapes. I think that if you fancy manipulated
field recordings seen under an "obscure" (to say the least) perspective, then this is
a great cdr to be discovered. (Nicolas Malevitsis)
E / I MAGAZINE (AUTUMN 2003)
Discussing 'truth' vis-a-vis music has become an occupation virtually abandoned
in this age of internet authorship and facile 'criticism'. Jon Tulchin's Location
Recordings, however, begs that the consideration for truth be taken to absurd ends.
Included on the CDR are recordings from around America of: a distant fire alarm,
a water pipe beneath a pier, power lines, a metal structure in the desert, bugs near
a lake, a tree in the wind, rain heard splattering a parking structure, docks, and a
log partially submerged in water.
Each track varies in length from three-and-a-half to six-and-a-half minutes, giving
the appropriate location a proper chance to introduce itself, express its make-up,
and then diminish, usually within the unyielding parameters of the sound level
control. Where the beauty of these recordings lies is embellished in their lonely, if
active, nature. For people sensitive to everyday sounds, this disc is the ideal
panacea. The quality of the recordings is unbelievable, with a broad, dynamic
range and vibrant authenticity, fat in bass and sharp in treble; hear transformers
sizzle and rain approach such cacophony, the intensity of it could shatter your
eardrums at high volumes.
Because these recordings are not in any way manipulated, which Tulchin points
out with pride in his liner notes, the recording makes its prima facie case for
validation of the phonographer's specialty-in-trade. These are the crusaders for
sonic truth; they traverse the sonic aspects of culture and environment we all take
for granted, transliterating the fundamentalism of 'sound' into a fabric
recognizable as 'music'. Tulchin makes us forget there's even a difference.
(Michael Bernstein)
Discussing 'truth' vis-a-vis music has become an occupation virtually abandoned
in this age of internet authorship and facile 'criticism'. Jon Tulchin's Location
Recordings, however, begs that the consideration for truth be taken to absurd ends.
Included on the CDR are recordings from around America of: a distant fire alarm,
a water pipe beneath a pier, power lines, a metal structure in the desert, bugs near
a lake, a tree in the wind, rain heard splattering a parking structure, docks, and a
log partially submerged in water.
Each track varies in length from three-and-a-half to six-and-a-half minutes, giving
the appropriate location a proper chance to introduce itself, express its make-up,
and then diminish, usually within the unyielding parameters of the sound level
control. Where the beauty of these recordings lies is embellished in their lonely, if
active, nature. For people sensitive to everyday sounds, this disc is the ideal
panacea. The quality of the recordings is unbelievable, with a broad, dynamic
range and vibrant authenticity, fat in bass and sharp in treble; hear transformers
sizzle and rain approach such cacophony, the intensity of it could shatter your
eardrums at high volumes.
Because these recordings are not in any way manipulated, which Tulchin points
out with pride in his liner notes, the recording makes its prima facie case for
validation of the phonographer's specialty-in-trade. These are the crusaders for
sonic truth; they traverse the sonic aspects of culture and environment we all take
for granted, transliterating the fundamentalism of 'sound' into a fabric
recognizable as 'music'. Tulchin makes us forget there's even a difference.
(Michael Bernstein)
