pop_and

On the night of Sunday, May 6, 2001, composer Kenneth Kirschner,
as part of a series of pieces documenting the sounds of different
New York City neighborhoods, took his tape recorder to the
Financial District of Lower Manhattan to begin field recordings for a
new piece. The resulting low-resolution portrait captured the
sounds of a deserted urban landscape: the empty, winding streets
of old Dutch New Amsterdam, its modern, towering skyscrapers --
and a region of the city that, several months later, would be
renamed Ground Zero.

and/OAR is proud to present "May 6, 2001", a collection of five
interpretations by five renowned contemporary composers of the
aforementioned field recording portrait.

With excerpts from Kirschner's original 2001 composition based on
the field recording, the CD also includes pieces by Taylor Deupree
(USA), Tomas Korber (Switzerland), Ralph Steinbrüchel
(Switzerland), and Aaron Ximm (aka Quiet American; USA), all
utilizing the 2001 Financial District field
recording as their sole source material. The result is a project that
obliquely and subtly evokes the source recording and its
subsequent meanings, while also standing on its own as an
estimable example of each artist's mastery of his craft.

In conjunction with the release of the CD, and/OAR is pleased to
present two MP3s of related recordings. The first is the raw field
recording itself, which is the source material for the entire project.
This 46-minute, low-resolution soundscape of the New York City of
early 2001 is presented here both for interested listeners, and for
fellow artists who may wish to make use of it:
http://www.kennethkirschner.com/field050601.mp3

In addition, here is the unedited, 36-minute version of Kirschner's
composition based on the field recording is available here:
http://www.kennethkirschner.com/kirschner050601.mp3

TOKAFI (SEPTEMBER 2006)
***Album Of The Month***
A bond between seemingly unconnected compositions...

The sampler (as a collection of thematically connected tracks) and
the remix have been two of the driving forces behind electronic
music. The former allowed for the public to catch up with
developments in an increasingly atomised world and for red
threads to appear within purely individual lines. The latter was a sort
of virtual handshake – the 21st century equivalent of the cover
version. May 6, 2001, even though it will for convenience’s sake be
dubbed thus, is neither a sampler nor a remix album. And yet, it is
interesting to keep these terms in mind when writing about a record,
which plays with conventional forms of collaboration.

If it didn’t sound utterly ridiculous considering the proportions of
their fame, one could well call this a super-group. Yet it is no
exaggeration to claim that within their clearly defined circles, the
artists involved here have all sharpened awareness for certain
aspects of their trade. Kenneth Kirschner is one of the main
proponents of the Open License and of Creative Commons, a man
of word and deeds, who has followed up his statements for
freedom of expression with the decision of freely releasing his
entire oeuvre on the Web. Taylor Deupree founded 12K and LINE,
two of the leading labels of the past five years and visionary outlets
of microtonal music. We’ve already had the pleasure of previously
reviewing material by Tomas Korber, whose veinal mix of Spanish
and Swiss blood, as well as a passion for Rock in his early career,
has led to a unique style of emotionally charged passages as part
of often very up-front and direct encounters in sound. Steinbrüchel,
meanwhile, who has been received with open arms in the “club
scene”, despite his approach being strictly non-entertaining, is likes
his audiences to “be quiet and to listen”. And finally it is good
welcoming back Aaron Ximm, who will be better known under his
“Quiet American” moniker and whom we had slightly lost track of.
Without a doubt, he is one of the few acts, who have turned field
recordings from being mere aural documentaries into an art form of
their own. So, while they are not exactly likely to pop up in the charts
next to Britney Spears any time soon, these distinguished
gentlemen have all contributed to the debate in music and
sharpened the senses. And that makes them a perfect team for a
project initiated by Kirschner.

For it was him, who took a walk down the Financial District of Lower
Manhattan on the date mentioned in the album’s title, with his
microphone picking up the noises and sounds around him. This
field recording, which can be downloaded in its entirety from Ken’s
site, in turn served as the basis for all of the pieces on May, 6.
Which brings us back to the remix and the sampler and why this is
neither. The aim of the project was never to simply present the
source material from different perspectives, but rather to use it as a
common pool from whence to draw inspiration. Every kind of
electronic treatment was allowed and there was no obligation in any
way to include a certain amount of the original. And yet the record
lives off the belief that even after several manipulations and
dissections, the spirit of that day in Manhattan will shine through
and create a bond between seemingly unconnected compositions.
At the same time, the result is never just a string of tracks bunched
together on the same disc. It is more like different artists weaving
together a huge carpet, each one connecting the knots at his side of
the room. And even though this is not the first time it has been tried,
things have turned out especially rewarding on this occasion.

There are two reasons for that. Firstly, the original field recordings
seems to have been a particularly appealing muse. The finished
tracks are all abundant with ideas, three dimensional textures and
surprising structures and they all sound fresh and inspired. And
secondly, all artists have taken the liberty of confounding
expectations just a bit by stepping out of their usual contexts.
Steinbrüchel’s airy piano breaths over a heaving and groaning bass
line, in stark contrast to his mostly extremely poignant efforts, stretch
for a majestic fifteen minutes. In the meantime, Aaron Ximm’s
“Negative Architectures”, surprisingly, hardly leaves a shred of the
source material intact, while Taylor Deupree’s finely woven,
glistening chain of harmonies is set behind a wall of gurgling and
rumbling. Korber’s “Financial District”, meanwhile, is close to his
recent album work (this would have worked perfectly on
“Effacement”), but it is a daring twenty two minutes nevertheless:
High-pitched sonorities lead into a cascade of sounds slowly dying
down like a camp fire in the night. Kirschner’s own contribution is
darkly tinged and mysterious, transporting the recordings to five
minutes to midnight. Something is going on here, among a dream
of rustling leaves and the wind whispering in the moon-lit streets,
but it is impossible to pinpoint, what. A multi-layered musique noire,
drastically abridged from the 36-minute original for continuity’s sake.

Which is yet another proof that the point behind May 6, 2001 was not
to satisfy anyone’s vanities, nor to present yet another compilation of
loosely connected tracks. Instead, this is about sharing the same
moment, then telling a story about it and allowing yourself to be as
subjective as possible. It is a joint experience and a common
understanding that binds these pieces together. And that is so
much more than any old remix album or sampler could claim.
(Tobias Fischer)

EARLABS (JUNE 2006)
This release on Dale Lloyd’s and/OAR label is especially significant
to me for two reasons: First, it serves as an archetype to what ever
name one wants to assign to the art of
reinterpreting/recontextualizing pristine field recordings , and,
second, it showcases the talents of five prolific and talented artists.

The five compositions are all derived from raw field recordings of
Lower Manhattan’s Financial District captured by Kenneth Kirschner
on the evening of May 6, 2001. Personally, I would recommend
listening to the untouched field recording (46 m 43 s) to get a
general feel of what these five artists had to work with before
listening to CD (Note 1). However, nothing is really lost should you
choose not to do so.

Ralph Steinbrüchel’s interpretation titled "bank" (15 m 45 s), which
is the lead track, contains his signature style of beautiful tones and
harmonics, and I was pleasantly surprised by the dark undertones
that are clearly evident throughout the track. This is followed by
Aaron Ximm’s "negative architectures" (5 m 27 s). The Quiet
American’s unique contribution is the only rhythmic piece present
here with some scratchy percussive effects and a catchy wah-wah
sound. Kenneth Kirschners’s contribution (14 m 22 s) is the third
track and is a truncated version of a lengthier on-line mp3 that can
be downloaded from his website (Note 2). Kirschner’s version
definitely falls in the drone genre - dense and thunderous at times
but interrupted by comparatively milder episodes of noisy static.
Following Kirschner’s opaque version, is the more abrasive
approach of Tomas Korber's (22 m 07 s) "financial district".
Although relatively quiet at the beginning, the initial calm evolves into
a brief rush of white noise and then Korber’s trademark sounds
make their presence known - not harsh, but coarse and abstract.
The track is surprisingly milder than what I expected being very low-
keyed at times and even containing a gently resonating drone
towards the end of the track. The album ends with the Taylor
Deupree’s beautiful interpretation (4m 16s) appropriately titled
"dust". Although the shortest track, Deupree’s construction is a
vigorous, flowing, and slightly gritty microtonal drone sprinkled with
the 12K microsound aesthetic, but textured with some interesting
discordant sounds. (Larry Johnson)

REVUE & CORRIGÉE (SEPTEMBER 2006)
Nouvelle apparition de Tomas Korber au sein d'un collectif
international qui planche sur une prise de son faite le 6 Mai 2001
dans le district financier du bas Manhattan par Kenneth Kirschner.
Le document quasi 'brut' est inclut dans la compilation permettant
une écoute comparative.

Si l'ensemble des traitements et analyses de l'outil electronique
misent en oeuvre par les protagonistes de '6-05-2001' est un des
intérets du disque l' autre tient à leur complémentarité.

En ouverture Steinbruchel à disséqué la masse bruitiste en
tranches fréquentielles bien précises qui portées par des
dynamiques variées met en valeur la nature ondulatoire et
mélodique des trames issue du fichier MP3 de K Kirschner. On est
immergé dans une fine stratification de hauteurs qui gomment les
références de départ soulignent l'invariance des paramétres
sonores en musique. L'opération aurait par exemple pu s'appliquer
à un orchestre avec des résultats approchant. Purgés des attaques
et des transitoires d'attaques l'identité d'un timbre ce fond dans le
creuset générique des pressions d'airs.

Vient ensuite le travail plus ou moins rythmique d'Aaron Xxim: large
usage de traitements donnant une couleur classique à la piéce et
le "document " de Kenneth Kirschner; Deux pistes ou 'le message
est le medium': timbres brouillés, longs espaces réverbérer, souffle
urbain et chaire numérique s'écoulant d'une artére USB.

La piéce qui suit deTomas Korber est plus complexe, plus longue,
composer avec des articulations subtiles jouant d'achoppements
bruit / silence, onde / corpuscule, espace / temps qui la rend
passionnante et pleine d'une poésie trés personnelle. On pense au
processus si étrange de particules à la fois ondes et corpuscules,
grains et étirements,séparations et superpositions,au terme de
Louis de Broglie 'onde de guidage' comme suggétions de ce que
l'on y entends.

Le premier tiers est une puissante monté de bruit filtré suivi d'une
granulation assez massive qui peu a peu va maigrir pour laisser
percecoir la succession de chaque grain jusqu'au silence.

John Cage dans un livre éponyme écrit : 'un son est aigu ou grave
doux ou fort il a un certain timbre,dure un certain temps et posséde
une envellope '.

Cette réalité Tomas Korber l'explore brillamment et gageons que
l'auditeur aura envie de découvrir les autres parties de ce bijou qui
confirme son style unique et une grande cohérence.

La derniere piéce de Taylor Deupree, acteur connu oeuvrant à la
frontiére de l'expérimental et de la pop délivre des douceurs
mélodiques peu à peu contaminer par un monde plus sale de sons
traités. Une monté en puissance qui s'arréte brutalement comme si
la place avait manqué.

Conclusion, 6 may 2001 est une construction bien
faite,passionnante par endroit qui offre un panel de propositions
proche du vade mecum de la musique electro et acoustique
actuelle.

VITAL WEEKLY number 547
(OCTOBER 2006)
The Financial District of Lower Manhattan... perhaps this won't
immediately ring a bell or two, but it's the area of New York where
the World Trade Center was. At night this used to be a quiet
neighborhood, with big skyscrapers and office buildings. Several
months before September 11th, 2001, Kenneth Kirschner walked
out one Sunday night to make a field
recording of the area, as part of a series to record various New York
neighborhoods.

This recording was sent to various composers to ask their
interpretation of the sound material, using solely these field
recordings. We find here luminaries as Taylor Deupree, Ralph
Steinbrüchel, Tomas Korber and Aaron Ximm along with a piece
that Kirschner did himself. As you can imagine this is an album you
can listen with mixed feelings: either ignore whatever happened at
the World Trade Center and view this a series of highly processed
and highly 'silent' music (with Tomas Korber being its champion
here) or one could see this as solemn requiem to those events.
I prefer to choose the latter.

The emptiness that was there when Kirschner made his recordings
versus the real emptiness that is now there, and that comes alive
through the music. Each of the five musicians seems to be aware of
this, keeping in mind the tragedy through softly humming and
buzzing of sounds that slowly evolve and revolve. Not a release to
make you happy, but quite an essential and highly human release.
(Frans de Waard)

DIGIMAG issue 19 (NOVEMBER 2006)
La notte di domenica 6 maggio 2001, Kenneth Kirschner,
compositore americano noto per i suoi esperimenti di riproduzione
random-infinita del suono, si aggira per i quartieri di New York con
la sua attrezzatura per riprese audio alla ricerca di spunti per nuovi
pezzi.

Dal materiale acquisito, che contiene anche un prezioso
documento degli spazi del Financial District di Manhattan ancora
occupato dalle torri, nasce oggi un cd dal titolo May 6, 2001. Il lavoro
contiene cinque tracce per altrettante interpretazioni, tutte ottenute a
partire dallo stesso materiale, ed è stato pubblicato lo scorso
settembre da and/OAR, etichetta attiva dal 2002 nota ai cultori del
field recording, che focalizza le sue produzioni su audio-reportage,
documentazioni e registrazioni d'ambiente e minimalismo sonoro,
con una particolare attenzione alle implicazioni puramente
estetiche, oltre che documentaristiche, presenti in queste tecniche
di audioripresa.

L'acquisizione di esterni sonori (ma talvolta anche di interni...si
pensi, per esempio, alla medicina) si può avvalere di svariate
attrezzature, più o meno professionali, impiegate ad esempio nel
giornalismo o nel cinema, che vanno dall'assemblato di microfono,
cuffie e registratore portatile (o computer), all'utilizzo di particolari
microfoni a contatto (per esempio da muro o per intercettazioni) e
binaurali (cioè auricolari), fino alla scelta di strumenti
specificamente nati per la ricerca scientifica come idrofoni, geofoni
e così via.

In fondo il concetto è molto semplice: acquisire il suon. Lo si può
fare come più ci piace e a seconda della quantità di gusto che
abbiamo in dotazione: se digitiamo su Google la parola “rutto” per
esempio, abbiamo immediatamente accesso a una libreria
vastissima di registrazioni che documentano l'attività digestiva di
ignoti. La gamma dei prodotti per le registrazioni ambientali è infatti
molto vasta e la fantasia con cui questi possono essere combinati
insieme è pressochè infinita. Lo testimonia anche la diffusione del
field recording in Italia, che spesso viene praticato con strumenti
comuni e di uso tutt'altro che specialistico come minidisc portatili,
walkman, telecamerine digitali ecc...

Tralasciando la musica concreta o l'utilizzo del nastro nella musica
cosiddetta colta, dove l'utilizzo del materiale sonoro prodotto senza
artificio è piuttosto evidente, prendiamo in considerazione le
produzioni musicali pop elettroniche degli ultimi anni.

Qui il field recording viene spesso utilizzato come materiale da
sottoporre a processi digitali attraverso il software e, per lo più,
concepito come un particolare effetto sonoro: una sorta di sfondo o
disturbo indifferenziato che, mescolato con altri media, è in grado di
generare connessioni casuali e inaspettate che arricchiscono una
composizione, un brano o una canzone.

In questo senso moltissimi dischi che hanno fatto la storia della
musica pop o folk possono rientrare a buon diritto in questa
categoria; basta pensare, banalmente e senza sforzo, alla presenza
delle regitsrazioni d'ambiente nei primi come poi in quasi tutti i
lavori dei Pink Floyd (motociclette che partono in Atom Heart Mother,
uccelli del paradiso in Ummagumma, colazioni a Los Angeles, fino
alle mense affollate in The Final Cut). Si tratta spesso di un uso
puramente descrittivo delle registrazioni, volto a sortire un'effetto di
immedesimazione quasi visiva dell'ascoltatore in un determinato
contesto.

Pensando invece ad etichette come Folkways, impegnata da
decenni a documentare e collezionare le trasormazioni del suono
negli ambienti naturali ed urbani, ci accorgiamo inoltre che esiste
un'arte ristretta del field recording che consiste nell'uscire di casa,
possibilmente viaggiare, ascoltare e catturare dei suoni. Ma questa
è solo una questione di metodo e in fondo ciò che conta è che nella
musica, da quando esistono strumenti in grado di acquisire il
suono, niente è mai nuovo, alla faccia dell'autoralità e dei primati...E
meno male!

Se poi uniamo il field recording con la vera e propria filosofia
dell'Open Source allora il passo è fatto! Finalmente, come si
augurerebbe Blanchot, potremmo assistere alla scomparsa, o
meglio all'esaurimento dell'autore, cioè del soggetto che
percepisce illusoriamente l'opera (il suo oggetto) come frutto di una
qualche attività intellettuale originaria (l'ho fatto io!) piuttosto che
come rielaborazione di un materiale già dato. E in qualche misura
questo vale anche per la musica stumentale se prendiamo in
considerazione l'idea di genere...

In ogni caso and/OAR propone lavori interessanti sia per chi ama la
musica sia per chi è semplicemente curioso di calarsi con le
orecchie dentro differenze geografiche, come nel caso del lavoro di
Marc Behrens e Paulo Raposo uscito a ottobre, che hanno ripreso
Lisbona (città-sonora già evocata Wim Venders nel suo film Lisbon
Story) spostandosi su Ferry Boats, creando un ritratto di 23 minuti
molto suggestivo.

May 6, 2001 contiene cinque interpretazioni a partire dallo stesso
field recording di partenza. Oltre quella di Kirschner : Taylor
Deupree, Tomas Korber, Ralph Steinbruekel e Aaron Ximm. Ogni
singola interpretazione appare particolarmente ispirata nelle
intenzioni lasciando emergere suggestive riflessioni distese nel
tempo, coadiuvate dall'utilizzo di strumenti musicali, equalizzazioni
raffinate, tagli, sovrapposizioni o dall'accostamento di parti grezze e
parti manipolate.

Dal sito web di and/OAR è possibile scaricare l'mp3 contenente la
versione grezza di 46 minuti a bassa risoluzione e l'editing (molto
bello secondo me) realizzato da Kirshner sulla base di quel
materiale: il ritratto che ne esce è un paesaggio urbano sordo e
desolato, fatto di echi lontani e profondi e segnato dai percorsi
dell'aria ventosa di New York e da piccole raffiche di corrente che
sfiorano, rivelandole, le geometrie degli edifici.

Tutto, le strade, gli uffici, i grandi spazi metropolitani appaiono
immersi in una strana atmosfera, insolita rispetto al viavai e
all'operosità che animavano il Financial Districy allora: è normale
che i critici americani siano stati colpiti dalle similitudini di quel
silenzio con il silenzio di oggi a Ground Zero.
(Alessandro Massobrio)

TOUCHING EXTREMES (DECEMBER 2006)
The strange coincidence between the intentions of Kenneth
Kirschner, who on May 6, 2001 recorded sounds from the Financial
District of Manhattan to start a new documentary work about New
York, and the disguised organizations that decided that this
particular area would become a symbol of destructive political greed
masked as "war of religions", is what gives this work its ominous
complexion. All the involved composers designed their tracks by
working on the same sources, most of them with stunningly
engrossing results and - above all - keeping their own artistic
personality intact and recognizable. Kirschner's field recordings -
here presented in an abridged version, the full one being available
for downloading at the label's website - privilege obscure imagery of
pulsating nocturnal energies, whirring loops of distant noise, traffic
and subterranean hiss as disquieting presences scrutinizing us
from behind. Steinbrüchel and Ximm are at the extreme opposites
of the sonic range: the Swiss artist offers an almost immutable,
low-frequency electronic drone while Ximm seems to depict the
movement of inhuman entities from the underground in what's the
most active track in terms of scansion. Taylor Deupree's is probably
the most "musical" contribution, his short track mixing interlocking
circular patterns of harmonic semi-degradation with what sounds
like heavily processed "concrete" sounds. Finally, total silence and,
possibly, solitude are necessary to appreciate the dynamic range of
Tomas Korber's piece, clocking at 22'04" and, for this reason, the
one track that touches all the different sensations - silence,
menace, human and urban activity - that the whole record means to
let us experience, and that become reasons for more and more
anxiousness with each new listening, thus determining the
complete success of this conceptual, yet emotional project.
(Massimo Ricci)

E / I (SEPTEMBER 2007)
Some few months before the event which seemed to hamper all
motion like a jammed cinema reel took place, Kenneth Kirschner
was prowling the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, that area
where a rupture in the real took place on the eleventh of September.
These now overexposed events would seem to have retroactively
infused Kirschner’s recording with a certain ominous complexion. In
the staid immobility of pieces, in their reliance on heavily processed
concrete sounds which oftentimes sound frozen, halted, they render
this urban activity more fully alive and visible. Strange, then, that
while the events which gave this recording its bite is now itself dead,
assassinated by the camera, perhaps, Kirschner’s work still
possesses a certain glimmer, a certain vitality or sense of life.
Asides from Kirschner himself, Taylor Deupree, Aaron Ximm,
Steinbruchel, and Tomas Korber act as parasites, colonizing the
surprisingly quiet aural environment that collected like dust around
the Twin Towers. The selection from Steinbruchel is a dry, intimate,
and detailed low frequency drone while Ximm, filling out the other
end of the spectrum, features slurred electronic tones interspersed
with sudden moments of panic and fluidity. Even in the clearer,
more coherent moments, as in the work from Deupree, where tone
clusters are allowed to refract gently in subtle ways, there is an
overarching sense of something physical and dangerous. All of this
comes to fruition in the twenty-two minute piece from Korber, which
is an endless sliding from silence, to methodical probing of
nocturnal themes, to downright unsettling audio murk. Korber’s
piece is thus vigorous and vibrant; especially near the latter portions
of the composition where particular parts exceed their limited place
and explode the constraints of the balanced totality, that is, when the
high-density textures ring out in deranged exaltation before
collapsing into a dull shimmering. It’s a rich and inventive set of
interpretations, and a fine twisting together of individual fibers into
an intricate whole. (Max Schaefer)

THE SQUID'S EAR (APRIL 2008)
From the Pacific Northwest's most visible city, Seattle's and/OAR
label has been quietly — surely and steadily — passing
considerable muster amongst experimental music's cognoscenti.
Aligned with a veritable who's who of folks doing work around,
throughout and across the margins, artists bursting at the
underground's seams where the truly innovative recordings reside,
label owner Dale Lloyd's a crafty conduit for talent; each and/OAR
release, smartly if simply packaged (though Lloyd's recently moved
the catalog into more tangible digipaks), offers tantalizing glimpses
into psyches pushing at those sacred envelopes, be it isolationist
drone, murky microsound, electroacoustic paraphrasing or any
number of twilight zones in between.

The best and the brightest are well represented on May 6, 2001. The
nucleus of the recording arises from, as the inside sleeve tells it, "a
field recording by Kenneth Kirschner recorded in the financial district
of Lower Manhattan on May 6, 2001." Exactly how that date is
significant is unclear, nor is the modus operandi of said "field
recording" in evidence anywhere amongst the five contributors
tracks. Nevertheless, what is significant is that each artist, in their
own indomitable styles, has flensed out whatever inherent traits
Kirschner's sample contained. Distorted low-end "bass" thrums
launch Steinbruchel's "Bank" until long-distance cushioned static
charges and a single elongated tone attacks the fundamental
waveform: one could almost see this as the artist's "re-imagining" of
Alvin Lucier's "Music On A Long Thin Wire" outputted through the
skein of contemporary signal processors. Brittle, if a bit cold, it
remains well connected to Steinbruchel's trademark imprimatur.
Aaron Ximm's built a respectable career out of documenting sonic
texture via his own astute field recordings, but "Negative
Architectures" is nothing if not atypical: fixing Kirschner's sample
inside a cyclotron, he's concocted a diminuitive tornadic whirligig of
sound that tosses off random bits like so much aural debris.

Kirschner's own contribution makes a blizzard out of Steinbruchel's
narrow tone, stretching it tautly across barren, desolate horizons
creased by digitalia as tiny microevents attempt to rise above the
machinic gusts — riveting stuff for certain. Tomas Korber chimes in
with the lengthiest piece: at over 22 minutes, "Financial District" at
first is barely noticeable, just near-invisible curdling sounds that
gently fizz right at audibility's edge, but it doesn't last long. Soon
those brusque digital windstorms blow again, gusty enough to
achieve torrential rage, the rising rocket exhaust blast attaining
Merzbow-ian proportions, before those earlier sound curdles begin
to metamorphose into herds of otherworldly, scuttling
microorganisms — listen close and revel. Finally, Taylor Deupree's
closing "Dust" is the "sunniest" piece of all, its somersaulting hums
and strange rubbings something of a balm compared to the coarser
grains that preceded it. Rubberstamp the date: May 6, 2001 affixes
itself in memory sans any pre-existing genre conditions.
(DARREN BERGSTEIN)