From the upcoming Album "Vegetal Negatives"
Release Date 29 March 2019
Hallowground.com
HG1901
Vinyl / Digital

”Let us unfold the animal outward: the bronchia will become a thick foliage, keeping its respiratory function, but in reverse, naturally (CO2 absorption), reversed also concerning color, from the tint of calves’ lungs to its complementary cabbage green. The digestive system will become roots, maintaining its role of drawing in nourishment from the outside environment. […] for each animal form there exists a corresponding vegetal form. The man who would find his vegetal negative and unite with it would restore the integrity of the cosmos.”

Vegetal Negatives is a game of sonic mutations, mimicry, inversions, and association inspired by a text called "On pataphotograms", by the French writer René Daumal – a quasi-metaphysical essay that toys with breaking the conceived separateness of natural forms through poetic imagination.

Marja Ahti (b. 1981) is a Swedish-born artist living and working in Turku, Finland. She has been an active part of the Finnish experimental music scene for more than ten years. Now arriving at her debut LP under her own name, Ahti explores a new formal language and sonic palette that ventures far from the path of her earlier work.

The four electroacoustic compositions on the album combine and arrange field recordings, electronic feedback, Buchla and ARP synthesizers, bowl gong and harmonium, textures of detailed acoustic sound, and sustained tones with gentle microtonal beating into a precise musical narrative. She juxtaposes recordings of rooms and empty vessels, natural and artificial climates, spontaneous and staged events. Ahti draws upon Annea Lockwood's ideas about associative movements between sounds based on shared characteristics and sonic energy. Her approach to field recordings is neither diaristic, documentaristic, nor purely acousmatic, but rather it starts out from somewhere in between these notions: the sounds hover between abstraction and the deeply familiar, moving into a realm of poetic metaphor where they are set in relation to each other, fleetingly mirroring or shadow-dancing. Acoustic environments mutate into synthetically derived shadow forms.

The opening track, "Coastal Inversion”, moves from a seemingly familiar seascape into an ocean of wavelike synthetic staccato patterns, turning itself inside-out on the shore, before diving back into a sea of resonance. ”Rooftop gardens” arranges a series of largely unprocessed field recordings into a dream-logic sequence of upward movement towards the clouds. On the other side, ”Symbiogenesis” brews a slow evolution of wet, airy and earthy sounds and resonant friction. The closing track, ”Chora”, imagines a meditative space of breath: filter resonance posing as organ pipes against a backdrop of breezy industrial hoovers merges halfway with a harmonium improvisation that foregrounds the frictions of the wooden instrument itself, just before filtering out into resonant harmony.

Tracklist:
A1) Coastal Inversion (12:14)		B1) Symbiogenesis (07:22)
A2) Rooftop Gardens (05:44)		B2) Chora (10:47)

Credits:
Marja Ahti: composition, production, field recording, Buchla 200 and ARP 2600
Recorded at EMS, Stockholm, WORM, Rotterdam, and on locations in Greece, Alaska, Finland and Sweden.
Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi
Designed by Ruth Stofer

Vegetal Negatives

BUY VINYL/DL

MARJA AHTI - Symbiogenesis (HG1901)

「Small Stone」

"In Japan during the Covid-19 lock down we saw a movement. It was created from a woman who raised her voice to say NO via SNS to one of the controversial bills, a revision of the public prosecutor's office law* that was about to go through the Lower House without a fair public hearing. This tiny voice of hers went viral and formed an online demonstration to protect our democracy. It is very rare in Japan for the public to be actively involved in any policies. Alas the bill was temporarily suspended because many finally stood up.

“ When we threw lots of small stones, the mountain got moved a little. However we shouldn’t celebrate yet. We need to be calm and grounded and observe what the government will do.” says Kyoko Koizumi, an actress and a producer whom I respect dearly. Her phrases sums up things that do not change so easily. 


*A proposed legal revision that would raise the retirement age for prosecutors became the centre of controversy this week when it was taken up by the Lower House. Unlike officials in other administrative organizations, prosecutors have wide powers to investigate, arrest and indict anyone, even prime ministers and other high officials. They must remain highly neutral and independent from other authorities and political powers. Since the proposed revision could allow the Cabinet to intervene in the personnel affairs of prosecutors’ offices, many experts fear it could jeopardize the independence of prosecutors and the separation of powers.

「Serene」

The music of Eric Dolphy lives with Breathing.

We never forget the day May 25th 2020 for the world we can freely breath in and out. 

「Two Blue Kites」

June 4th 1989 , it is a very memorable day for me. 

31 years ago I took part in a demonstration for the first time ever in my life. It was a small resistance held in Tokyo. I was with the Chinese people raising my voice out loud in the crowd. I couldn’t do anything but I felt that I had to do something. 

In the beginning of the 90s I was going back and forth between Tokyo and Hong Kong making music. I was offered to make music for a film portrait the night before the Chinese Cultural Revolution called “ The Blue Kite”. The producer of this film invited me to make the music for the film. The film director was banned from making this film in mainland China and he escaped to Japan via Hong Kong. The film was finally completed in Japan. Hong Kong was still in British colony then. This film made my film music career begin. 

June 4th 2020 The Hong Kong government banned the public to organise and attend the candlelight rallies to mark the Tiananmen Square massacre. Despite the harsh policing and the Covid-19 regulation many people (still) defied the ban and tried to attend the commemoration. I was thinking of many of my friends there at the moment.  

I wonder how this little country, Hong Kong, that “brought me up” and “ shaped me who I am today” will be from now. My heart is full of concern for its future.

The film The Blue Kite is still banned in China to this date."

- Otomo Yoshihide



In Japanese / 日本語訳

「Small Stone」

日本では、ステイホームの期間中の5月8日、一人の女性の発言をきっかけに、現

政権がやろうとしていた三権分立をゆるがすようなひどい法案(検察庁法改正案)に対し多くの人々

がSNSを使って異を唱え、それがデモのような効果をもたらし、5月18日国会で

の法案決議を阻止するに至った。

「小さな石をたくさん投げたら山が少し動いた。が、浮き足立ってはいけない。

冷静に誰が何を言い、どんな行動を取るのか見守りたい。」敬愛する女優であり

プロデューサーの小泉今日子が5月19日にSNSで呟いたこの発言は、そのうねり

のことと同時に、しかしそう簡単に現状は変わらないことも表している。

「Serene」

エリック・ドルフィーが作る曲は呼吸とともにある。2020年5月25日は忘れては

ならない日だ。みなが伸び伸びと息ができる世界のために。

「Two Blue Kites」

  6月4日は個人的にも忘れられない日だ。31年前のこの日、わたしは初めてデモに

参加した。東京でおこなわれた小さなデモだった。東京に住む中国人たちと一緒

にわたしも声をあげていた。いてもたってもいられなかったのだ。

90年代初頭、わたしは香港と東京を行き来して音楽をつくっていた。そんな中

1993年、文化大革命前夜の北京を描いた「The Blue Kite」という中国映画の音楽

を作ることになったのが、わたしが映画の世界に入る切っ掛けだった。中国で作

ることを禁じられ、香港経由でフィルムを持って日本に脱出した監督が東京で完

成させた映画で、香港のプロデューサーがわたしを誘ってくれたのだ。当時香港

はまだイギリス領だった。

2020年6月4日、香港では天安門事件31周年の集会が新型コロナを理由に禁止され

ていたにも関わらず、多くの人たちが集まり追悼集会が開かれていた。きっと多

くの友人もそこにいるのだろう。わたしを育ててくれた香港はどうなっていくの

だろうか。「The Blue Kite」は今でも中国での上映が禁止されている。

TR045 - Otomo Yoshihide - 'Small Stones 2 (The Diet May 18th 2020'

Brin - Alone Jazz On Safari

An all new collaborative release by two exciting Belgian artists:

"The first time we collaborated as a duo was for our interpretation of The Sinking of the Titanic by Gavin Bryars at les Ateliers Claus. At that time, there was an audience surrounding us. Now secluded and on our own, we went back to the same venue and locked ourself for 2 days arranging and recording the music Ben Bertrand wrote while he was in confinement.

We designed a dense and mineral triptych. Digging into this music, we experienced the current and pressure of the passing time. At some point we saw light coming in. The transformation has already been done, reversion to fundamentals is now our single option." - Ben Bertrand & Otto Lindholm

Ben Bertrand
Ben Bertrand is a Belgian Bass Clarinetist and composer. With his instrument and countless machines, Ben creates his live with a hypnotic web of sounds. Listening to his music is like sitting at the sea, watching a slow motion of our crazy life sailing by. With his former works (Era/Area, Off-Record 2017 and NGC 1999, les albums Claus 2018), Ben toured in Belgium, France and Netherlands (Meakusma Festival, Ancienne Belgique, Le Lieu Unique, Schiev Festival, Le Guess Who?, World Minimal Music Festival). His last album, Manes, has been released in March 2020 in collaboration with Stroom and les albums claus.

Otto Lindholm
Brussels-based composer evolving in drone music and modern classical, Otto Lindholm employs an array of loop pedals and electronic effects in partnership with his double bass to produce a range of rich and voluptuous tones, emotions, and elongated melodies. He released music on Icarus Records, Gizeh Records, Houndstooth, Blackest Ever Black, Aurora Borealis Recordings, Bedouin Records.

TR066 - Ben Bertrand & Otto Lindholm  - Acerilla

A contemplative aural journey across the stillness and massive scale of the landscapes of northern Iceland, as captured in Peter Hutton’s painterly film ‘Skagafjörður’. 

Numbered edition of 90 copies with download coupon. 
Inlay offset printed in silver.

Andrew Chalk & Timo Van Luijk – Skagafjörður

First track of my new record 'Titania Moon' on Ultra Eczema !
https://ultraeczema.bandcamp.com/album/titania-moon?fbclid=IwAR1_8jUkSTF6u2G1KM1_wjE4iK1XOQOUPzDrIjndulPsEXIfmlmDK_l-tSQ

Melting Ice Giant

"I first played with Derek Bailey in a quartet with Christine Jeffries (voice) & Jonny Dyani on bass. Thereafter we played mainly as a duo. I had frequented the Little Theatre Club since the late 1960s & was a member of FREE SPACE along with Trevor & the second generation of improvisers, but have no recollection of this gig…...!

The AMAZING BAND was Mal Dean’s creation, & I was privileged to be amongst the last personnel & play on the last recordings prior to & after Mal’s demise. Sadly Mick Brannen is also not around to enjoy the release of The Last Amazing Band recordings."

---

The AMAZING band were:

Mal Dean / trumpet 
Mick Brannen / alto sax
Radu Malfatti / trombone
John Russell / guita
Marcio Mattos / bass
Terry Day / drums

---

Recorded circa Early 1970s . Mixed & mastered by Yadley Day

TDA019 - Derek Bailey, Trevor Watts & Terry Day at Little Theatre Club

OM67 - Bill Nace & Graham Lambkin - 'Dishwashers' [excerpt]

AUTRE BROUSSE par Johann Mazé & Jihem Rita
Huit morceaux, huit tentatives d'approcher, parmi d'autres obsessions habituelles, la chanson, la pop, l'emballement rythmique, la danse, et ce qui se situe entre.
Avec les voix et les sons précieux de Cesar Amarante, Lou-Mah Al Abed Ratier, Johann Loiseau, Christophe Ratier, Antoine Souchav et Laszlo Mazé.

Enregistré à Floirac, à Bordeaux, à Marcillac-Vallon, à Lima, à Saint-Laurent-des-Bâtons, à Porspoder, à Bergerac, quelque part entre Tan-Tan et Dakhla, et le plus souvent à la maison.

Joué et assemblé en 2020.



Mixé en décembre 2020 à la Grange Cavale avec Manuel Duval.
Mastering par Fabien Meunier
Conception graphique par P.M Laroche

Merci à Cesar pour son inspiration lumineuse et rapide, à Lou-Mah pour avoir finalement accepté de chanter, à Christophe, à Johann, à Antoine, à Valentin Portron pour le moment “chapelle“, à Manuel, à Johan Mailleret pour la proposition, à Elise Amiet pour le piano, à Anne-Cécile et à Laszlo pour leur patience.

Autre Brousse

Au cœur la molle vie

Playlist and other information available at: https://www.freeformfreakout.com/fffoxy-podcast-177-paradigm-discs-feature/

*The episode includes an interview with Clive Graham of Paradigm Discs.

FFFoxy Podcast #177: Paradigm Discs feature

Emptiness Reworked, Rewoven

Sequences - Woven Empty (R. Schwarz Rework)

As you can imagine we are under huge pressure at the moment and are working flat out to ensure Cafe OTO survives this. The impact of this situation is extremely acute for small venues like ours and we need all the support we can get to pull through. Please donate what you can, if you can. Thank you. 

Cafe OTO opened in April 2008 with the aim of providing a home for creative new music that exists outside of the mainstream. It comprises one large cafe/performance space open during the day serving food and drink with an evening programme of live music almost seven nights a week. 

OTOROKU is part of OTOProjects - a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) that has been set up to manage the programme at Café Oto. Any profits from OTOROKU are put back into supporting what we do and will help us to continue programming the best musicians and performers from all over the world.

www.cafeoto.co.uk

TR045 - Otomo Yoshihide - 'Small Stones 2 (The Diet May 18th 2020'

cafeOTO

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