A reading by the JACK Quartet on May 2, 2014

II. Toccata
III. Lamentation

A product of a time of personal growth and transition, the Second String Quartet walks a thin line between traditional forms and idioms, and more contemporary styles and techniques. For example, the first movement is in Sonata-Allegro form, but the octatonic collections obscure any Classical or Romantic harmonic norms. The second movement is labeled “Toccata,” but is a display of group virtuosity rather than the individual virtuosity of Baroque keyboard toccatas. 

The principle motive of the Second Quartet is not found until this second movement, yet there are hints of it throughout the first, and it appears in some form in the third and fourth movements. The work teeters on the line between traditional and contemporary, with several headfirst dives into one extreme. Inspirations of minimalism, and composers such as Bartók and Giacinto Scelsi are evident along with traditional Late Romantic styles and tropes. 

String Quartet No. 2, Mvts. II and III (JACK Quartet Reading)

'Entanglement' is out on April 13, 2015.
Pre-order CD/LP/DL via Erased Tapes:
http://www.erasedtapes.com/store/index/ERATP067
Or via iTunes: http://geni.us/entanglementitunes

“No click tracks, no headphones, and no film. Just the spontaneity of performance and the sound of musicians hearing, connecting and responding.” 

‘Entanglement’, the debut album by Michael Price fulfils his long-term desire to explore new musical territories, featuring Michael on the piano, with the addition of cello, soprano voice, string orchestra, modular synth, tape effects and electronics.

Throughout the record you will hear street sounds from 'Budapest' captured and processed on Michael’s mobile phone, as well as chamber music recorded direct to tape with vintage microphones in single takes. Album track ‘The Attachment’ was partly recorded onto a 1940s magnetic disc recorder, which immediately connected the piece back to a pre-digital musical age.

The cello and soprano vocal parts throughout the album were written specifically and directly for cellist Peter Gregson and vocalist Ashley Knight, whose expressive voice features on tracks ‘Maitri‘ and ‘The Uncertainly Principle‘. The lyrics for both songs are Japanese poetry sung in English, dealing with age, loss and the inevitable fading of beauty.

‘Entanglement’ was written over a period of two years on paper and by hand with Michael exploring oldest and newest technology at Abbey Road Studios and Snap Studios in London, before most of the recording and mixing took place at Vox-Ton in Berlin.

“I wanted to make an album that sounded like a dark, Berlin record store discovery from the 30s. Something that had timeless emotive power, and pre-digital rawness. Something that I hope would make a deeper connection in superficially networked times. I think there is a duty for artists to be honest, and vulnerable. Because then there is a possibility of real connection. Entanglement is both honest and vulnerable and to go through the two year process of writing, refining and recording an album has been more intense and more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined.

Entanglement is a very personal expression of my obsessions: music, love, physics and the inter-connectedness of things. There is structure and freedom, chaos and control, and the beauty of ancient instruments set against impassive machines." – Michael Price

ABOUT THE ARTWORK: Resembling the inter-connecting parts, the cover art for ‘Entanglement’ was created by South London artist Supermundane, with the packaging’s layout done by long-term Erased Tapes-collaborator Torsten Posselt at FELD in Berlin.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Tape Overture 2. Easter  3. Little Warm Thing 4. Budapest  5. The Attachment  6. Maitri  7. Digital Birds  8. The Uncertainty Principle 9. Entanglement

erasedtapes.com · michaelpricemusic.com

Entanglement

Budapest

Michael Price – Budapest

The What (excerpt)

Music: Paolo Alberto Samonà
n° repertorio 183900366
Modified track (increaseing presence) for the production by Giovanni Lo Monaco Profumio - Other tales, 2018.
Traccia modificata(incrementando la presenza dei corpi sonori) per lo spettacolo di Giovanni Lo Monaco Profumio-Altri racconti, 2018

In Grani

IN GRANI

Rêve

Ochre

Composer and drummer of Dawn of Midi, Qasim Naqvi, releases his debut album for Erased Tapes on May 3rd. 'Teenages' captures the sound of electronics living, breathing and mutating of their own accord – almost autonomously – with only subtle, sparing but perfectly-judged and masterful guidance.

This album is one singular synergy between Qasim and his machine within a broader milieu of sound, also explored by contemporaries Sarah Davachi, Alessandro Cortini, Caterina Barbieri and also the forefather, Morton Subotnick. At points tonal, textural and rhythmic, over six evolving and growing audio organisms, the album flourishes upwards in stages, from initial micro-sonics to something bigger, brighter and anthemic.

With 'Teenages', Naqvi summoned all the material on an analog modular synthesizer – a voltage-controlled sound generating system comprised of multiple modules. Naqvi built this synth over the course of two years and amassed a collection of works for this album. The album chronicles both Naqvi’s understanding of writing for this type of instrument and the growth of the instrument itself:

“I started with just a few modules. And naturally things had to be layered and pieced together but as the synthesiser and its components grew over time, I was able to create broader and more complex strokes in the moment. And by the time I got to ‘Teenages’, it was possible to create a robust, large-scale piece spontaneously. This is very much an experiential album for me because it was borne out of my direct experience of learning the instrument. And as the synthesiser grew over time with more components, it matured. At times I felt like it was even rebelling against my instructions or surprising me with what felt like its own choices. When everything was finished and I was thinking about track titles, this idea of artificial intelligence came into my head; a machine that reacts to your impulses and is capable of giving you something different from what you ask, and even defying you. It felt like different stages of growth and adolescence, and that lead to the album title, ‘Teenages’.”

Deeply rewarding on close listening, Naqvi has created an inspiring and synapse-stimulating new masterwork, within the analogue/modular cannon.

· pre-order 'Teenages' on LP/CD/DL: https://idol.lnk.to/QasimTeenages

Rêve

Strange Sea

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