The electroacoustic improv trio of flutist Paolo Pascolo and electronics guru Alberto Novello (JesterN') on modular synthesizer, and Slovenian drummer Vid Drašler, for seven haunting improvisations of unfaltering patience, electronic tones commingling with atmospheric flutes and subtle percussive intervention, creating rich sonic environments or quirky conversation.
"Returning to a late 2020 release on Creative Sources, Odboqpo is another instance of an album appearing without a recording date (other than simply 2020) or location (but again with an engineer): In this case, I was attracted by the participation of Slovenian drummer Vid Drašler - whose often subtle contributions to Nauportus have been rather compelling for me - and who's joined on Odboqpo (a made up word featuring rotational symmetry?) by the preexisting duo (neither of whom was known to me), Paolo Pascolo (flute, bass flute & effects) & Alberto Novello (modular synthesizer). And that the electronics mainly seem to manipulate & respond to the flute, while Drašler "accents" over the top, suggests the possibility of non-synchronous interaction - again generally evoking a mellow or leisurely vibe à la Neigen (which is more interactive per se).... (And again, there are quite dissonant clashes at volume, but it's more their affective orientation that I'm feeling. Some listeners might disagree, but one could trace notions of dissonance producing calm e.g. in Japanese traditional music....) Some quite striking textures result, and I'm enthused by these sorts of forces: Flute appears to be on a little (cyclical?) upsurge lately, and parts of Odboqpo do suggest parts of e.g. the very far-ranging Solar Wind (including in what is a less common new age evocation for the latter, but also in low breath "effects," presumably achieved rather differently...) - although not so much of the recent rhythmic tempest that's Flatbosc & Cautery (with its sometimes surprisingly prominent flute). Indeed, Odboqpo projects more of a consistent ritual vibe (& perhaps even some "anthropology" per my opening, although I do have to question the underlying colonial & appropriative dynamics in general of the so-called new age flute style...), and suggests various intensifications at times as well. Sometimes it's more "atmospheric" over extended stretches, though (including noisily), and can come to feel more about (ambient) presence. (Odboqpo also reminds me a bit, in its mixture of weirdness, of e.g. Parak.eets & Natura Venomous, but perhaps that's as much about the classical-linguistic flavor of the track titles as it is any detailed sense of the musical interaction....) There's thus a strong sense of gravity, broken sometimes by the occasional cliché (whether flute or electronic), but also a sense of layering, including in some more traditional configurations with the synth serving as bass/harmonic binding. (One might recall that medieval polyphony is generally considered to have been built up in a layered manner, one part after another....) Perhaps Odboqpo ends up being overly placid at heart for me, and it's a long album of over an hour, but there's generally some tenser or burbling activity not far behind. (And I'd be interested to hear these performers in a more traditional interaction - if that's not what this is, or again even if it is....)"-Todd McComb Jazz Thoughts