Tom Recchion - Chaotica
(Birdman Records - birdmanrecords.com)
[Genres: experimental, sound collage, avant-garde]
This '96 album, played with
tape loops, prerecorded records and cassettes, and keyboards, is really interesting. The
first piece is completely abstract, while songs like "Flying Weather" use
instrumental samples, looped, that come from much larger songs. This is all really well
done, especially since they are all live improvisations, and were not edited after they
were created. He gives special thanks to Esquivel, and there are definitely some
influences running amok around this music. Pieces like "Space Ship" and many
others sound like many tape collagists (such as People Like Us and The Bran Flakes),
because they use what sounds like odd little scraps from old records, except there are no
vocal samples, and it's slower and experimental. Lots of this stuff is very inspired, like
the sad, powerful, Godspeed-esque "Enormos Horses," "The Perpetual Motion
Clock," which like a labyrinth of music, and "Chaotica," the squiggly,
crashy mixture of sounds that closes it off. Mix elements of People Like Us, Rainer Buerk,
Esquivel, Matthew Ostrowski, some maraschino cherries, and possibly Philip Glass
this is what you get. Recommended.
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