The fourth collaboration between electronic composer Rutger Zuydervelt, aka Machinefabriek, and violinist, violist and vocalist Anne Bakker, in a work that merges and contrasts Bakker's string work and wordless vocals with soundscape, obscured field recordings and concrete sounds, using consonance and dissonance to create emotional pressure and release.
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Sample The Album:
Rutger Zuydervelt-electronics
Anne Bakker-violin, viola, vocals
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Label: Where To Now?
Catalog ID: WTN63
Squidco Product Code: 29279
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2020
Country: Netherlands
Packaging: Cardboard sleeve
Recorded by the artists and mixed in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in December, 2019.
"Rutger Zuydervelt aka Machinefabriek needs no introduction - a hugely prolific Electronic Experimenter who has recorded for labels such as Type, Digitalis, Dekorder, Western Vinyl, and many many more, Where To Now Records are truly humbled to handle his latest collaborative work Oehoe. Produced in collaboration with viola/violinist Anne Bakker, a classically trained solo artist in her own right, and currently performing strings as part of Agnes Obel's band, Machinefabriek here has sown a landscape of Anna's raw violin, viola, and vocal improvisations into a stirring body of work which merges tradition, experimentation, and whimsical curiosity to create a distinctively unique album which is both deeply moving and playfully dissonant in equal measure.
Given that Anne's improvised vocals are wordless throughout, it is to Rutger's absolute credit that he has assembled and transcended these intonations to often devastating emotional effect. Anna's vocal experiments exude classical polyphonic antiquity, they lushly hover above her own Reichian minimalist string arrangements, and Machinefabriek's deeply brooding, cacophonic synthesized soundscapes. Across these 10 pieces we delve into a world which seamlessly moves between a state of harmonious contentment; or a very murky calm, to moments of lively ecstasy, and deep deep down to a vast and brooding melancholy."-Where To Now Records
"Oehoe is a collaboration with Anne Bakker, whose viola, violin and wordless vocals are woven throughout the tapestry. The album's title is translated "eagle-owl," which seems appropriate as the owl is a symbol of wisdom, a gift sorely needed right now. Other titles are translated penny (good for making wishes in a fountain), gesture and forward. From these we can glean the positive nature of the release, which possesses an otherworldly timbre, bordering on sci-fi (you're welcome, Rutger!). One can imagine drifting in space, coming into contact with an alien species whose language is akin to that of "Sirene." The only difference: as a siren, Bakker is benign. There are no rocks to crash upon, only soft lights and permission to dock. The lasers and taps of this track seem like cautious attempts at communication; one early sound (00:28-00:40) even seems like a meow. We hope the captain has brought fish.
The combination of strings, voice and electronics also recalls This Mortal Coil, whose triptych of releases from 1984-91 still manages to sound timeless. The three-part title track offers an ongoing chorus of sorts, a unifying glue. But the beauty of the release is that it comforts as it disorients, a curious combination. In "Harrewar" (no Dutch translation; Hausa for "The Harrowing"), sudden string passages topple head-first into hungry gears. The halting tone is akin to that of "Barker," an excellent Machinefabriek track released earlier this year. The culmination is "Voorwaarts," which develops a pulse, inviting newfound friends to swivel across the dance floor.
It's interesting to see the preponderance of female voices in A.I. depictions; perhaps one can blame HAL 9000 for ruining it for men. Bakker's voice is combined with electronics in order to sound alien. In other projects, electronic voices are fed through computers in order to sound human. There's no telling where Bakker ends and Machinefabriek begins; one would need a Turing Test to untangle the threads. But comfort is comfort, no matter the source. The cyborg nature of this release is an example of the positive melding of humanity and technology, a sign that maybe, just maybe, we're moving in the right direction after all."-Richard Allen, A Closer Listen
The Squid's Ear!
Get additional information at A Closer Listen
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Rutger Zuydervelt "Machinefabriek is the alias of Rutger Zuydervelt. Rutger's music combines elements of ambient, noise, minimalism, drone, field recordings and electro-acoustic experiments. His pieces can be heard as an attempt to create sonic environments for the listener to dwell in. Finding tension in texture, tone and timing, the result can be very minimalistic at first glance, but reveals itself upon closer listening. The devil is in the details. Rutger was born in 1978 in Apeldoorn (The Netherlands) and now resides in Rotterdam. He started recording as Machinefabriek in 2004. After a series of self released cd-rs, his official debut Marijn was issued in 2006, with great critical acclaim. Since than, a solid stream of music was released on labels such as Type, Important, Home Normal, 12K, Entr'acte, Dekorder, Miasmah, Consouling Sounds, Experimedia and Staalplaat. He performed all over the globe, from Canada to Israel and from Russia to Japan. Rutger collaborated (on record and/or live) with numerous artists, such as Steinbrüchel, Jaap Blonk, Aaron Martin, Peter Broderick, Frans de Waard, Mats Gustafsson, Steve Roden, Gareth Davis, Stephen Vitiello, Michel Banabila, Dirk Serries and Dead Neanderthals, amongst many others. He frequently works with film makers, like Makino Takashi, Mike Hoolboom, John Price, Paul Clipson and Chris Teerink, for whom he composed a soundtrack for his documentary about Sol LeWitt. Rutger also recorded the music for the Canadian drama The Cold and the Quiet from 2014. Furthermore, his music was used in Edward Burtynsky's Watermark, the drama Stone (with Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton) and Josh Fox' influential Gasland and Gasland Part II documentaries. Besides films, Rutger also composes music for dance pieces, like Alix Eynaudi and Kris Verdonck's EXIT (premiéred at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin), Alexander Whitley's The Measures Taken (for the Royal Opera in London) and Beheld (for Candoco Dance Company), and multiple pieces by Spanish/Dutch choreographer Iván Pérez. Then there's Rutgers installation work, in which the dialogue with the environment plays an important role. He did projects for Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, NAi (Dutch Architecture Institute), the new Armando Museum MOA, Sounds Like Audio Art in Saskatoon (Canada), the Into the Great Wide Open Festival, Netwerk in Aalst (Belgium) and children's museum Villa Zebra in Rotterdam." ^ Hide Bio for Rutger Zuydervelt • Show Bio for Anne Bakker "Anne Bakker (1989) is a violin player who is active in a wide range of musical genres. Recently she has been touring Brazil, Europe and Dubai, as a member of the acoustic trio of former Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley. Anne is also a member of the Goskel Yilmaz Ensemble, with whom she plays Turkish oriented music. They released 2 albums and toured in the Netherlands and Indonesia in collaboration with the Internationaal Danstheater. With Toby, Anne toured in Europe, Australia, the USA and Canada. Anne is also active writing songs. She performs her songs either with her duo Eira, or on her own, accompanying herself on viola or guitar. As a vocalist, Anne recorded with producers such as Kalima and Quibus. Anne started music lessons at the age of 6. She studied violin (jazz & improvised music) in the conservatories of Rotterdam and Arnhem and graduated in 2011. At the moment Anne is studying vocals (master) at Codarts, Rotterdam. Anne gained much experience in the Dutch theatre scene, touring with theatre groups such as John Buijsman, Kalterflug and Theatergroep DNA. As a violin player, she worked with many artists, such as Kristoffer Gildenlow, Machinefabriek, Bob Zimmerman, Celine Cairo, Baba Zula, Crescent Double Quartet, Kevin Toma and many others." ^ Hide Bio for Anne Bakker
11/20/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/20/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
1. Introductie 2:08
2. Sirene 3:23
3. Oehoe I 1:27
4. Harrewar 3:03
5. Stuiver 3:24
6. Oehoe II 1:56
7. Schim 3:48
8. Stemmig 0:35
9. Voorwaarts 4:44
10. Oehoe III 1:45
Electro-Acoustic
Electro-Acoustic Improv
Duo Recordings
Stringed Instruments
Electronic Forms
Unusual Vocal Forms
New in Experimental & Electronic Music
Electro-Acoustic
Electro-Acoustic Improv
Duo Recordings
Stringed Instruments
Electronic Forms
Unusual Vocal Forms
New in Experimental & Electronic Music
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