The Squid's Ear Magazine


Chemical Expansion League, The (Bohman / Lynch / Northover / Mengersen): Salute To The Rabid Raspber (Creative Sources)

The UK-based Chemical Expansion League of Adam Bohman (prepared strings, voice), Adrian Northover (sax, theremin, wasp synth), Sue Lynch (sax, clarinet, flute), and Ulf Mengersen (bowed & prepared double bass) present thirteen mostly succinct and eccentric improvisations that oscillate between sanity and absurdity, punctuated by industrial elements, bent tones, and surreal soundscapes.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Adam Bohman-prepared strings, objects, vocals

Sue Lynch-tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute

Adrian Northover-alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, synthesizer, autoharp

Ulf Mengersen-bowed and prepared double bass


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UPC: 5609063408362

Label: Creative Sources
Catalog ID: cs836
Squidco Product Code: 35326

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: Portugal
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Red Hill Studios, in Mill Hill, London, UK, in January 2024.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"I haven't heard very much from English "prepared strings" (and homemade instruments in general...) performer Adam Bohman, but enough to be intrigued, including by his second album as part of The Chemical Expansion League, Salute To The Rabid Raspberry: I reviewed this quartet's first album, Grappling with the Orange Porpoise (also from Creative Sources, recorded in 2018), back in July 2020, and then Bohman's prior collaboration with Adrian Northover (in The Bellowing Earwigs), The Perpendicular Giraffe Compartment (recorded in 2015, but not released - by FMR - until '20...), the following month. (Bohman had also released a duo album with vocalist Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, who appears on the latter quartet album, in 2016 on Confront, Bagpipes and Blackberries.) and then Salute To The Rabid Raspberry features vocalizing, basically Bohman's very British diction in what comes off as a sort of lo-fi or disinterested presentation, sometimes leaving the musical activity to itself, but sometimes rather active, e.g. seemingly reading off lists.... The vibe is thus transformed from the instrumental-only quartet, although the music per se remains similar to that on Grappling with the Orange Porpoise - an album that doesn't exude much foreground (but then the recitations can also seem to eschew foreground...). So the most direct comparison for me is 13 Asperities (released in 2020, but belatedly reviewed here in January 2023...) from Trokaan Project, involving a somewhat larger ensemble (including piano) around recitation of poetry: Mood of the voice can seem similar (while the extended instrumental techniques recall each other...), but also differs substantially in the offering of poetry per se, much more clearly presented sonically, and in foreground diction rather than embedded lower in texture. There's a sort of flatness to the vocal expression around roiling and colorful music in either case.... (The recitations from Bohman can also recall the "impersonal" "stage directions" of e.g. Anthony Braxton's Syntactical Ghost Trance Music....) [...] There's obviously a sort of whimsy animating many of these titles then, projecting as well a kind of calm through dissonance - ramified now (over a very long album...) by Bohman's dispassionate vocal readings. At some level then, I'm not sure if the resulting figurations are of sanity or of insanity...."-Todd McComb's Jazz Thoughts


Get additional information at Todd McComb's Jazz Thoughts

Artist Biographies

"Adam Bohman has been operating on the outer fringes of underground music for decades. Working with home-built instruments, found objects, tape cut-ups, collages, ink drawings and graphic scores. Favouring acoustic sounds over electronics, he explores the minute tendrils of sounds coaxed from any number of non-musical instruments and objects. He is a member of British experimental groups, Morphogenesis, The Bohman Brothers, Secluded Bronte, and The London Improvisers Orchestra. Adam's music is unique and experimental, incorporating Fluxus japery, musique concrete, sound poetry and free improvisation."

-Cafe OTO (https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/artists/adam-bohman/)
12/3/2024

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"Sue Lynch runs 'The Horse Improvised Music Club' with Adam Bohman and Hutch Demouilpied. www.horseimprovclub.wordpress.com/.Since 2014, The horse has been based at IKLECTIK Art Lab, so this and other projects have been in conjunction with Eduard Solaz. Lynch is currently a member of David Petts-'Remote Viewers',with John Edwards, Mark Sanders, Caroline Kraabel , Adrian Northover and David Petts. She also performs with Adam Bohman, Eddie Prevost,Hutch Demouilpied,Richard Sanderson,Steve Noble and Sharon Gal. Sue Lynch is organiser and arranger for Hogcallin' a Mingus tribute ensemble, performing at the London 2016 Jazz Festival.

In 2015 she performed with Maria Vatentina's opera 'Mannequin'. She has recently performed as part of Tarek Atoui's 'Reverse Collection' at The Tate Modern, with Pat Thomas,Mark Harwood, Angharad Davies + Luke Younger. Sue Lynch is currently one of the featured musicians in Julie Kjaer's Interviews with Female Musicians on The London Improv Scene for The British Music Collection."

-Sue Lynch Website (https://suelynch.wordpress.com/)
12/3/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"ADRIAN NORTHOVER - saxophones, Played and recordings with B Shops for the Poor, The Remote Viewers, Sonicphonics (with Billy Bang), The London Improvisers Orchestra, Ensemble Trip-Tik, Anna Homler, Ricardo Tejero, The Custodians, Sabu Toyozumi, Terry Day, Tristan Honsinger and JJ Duerinckx ,duo CDÕs with Adam Bohman, Tasos Stamou, Daniel Thompson and others. Current projects include ÔHard EvidenceÕ with John Edwards and Steve Noble, playing the music of Thelonious Monk, Vladimir MillerÕs Notes from Underground, ÔHogcallinÕ - a septet playing the music of Charles Mingus, and a trio with Marcio Mattos and Marilza Gouvea. This year (2016) has also seen collaborations with Neil Metcalfe(flute), Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg (voice), Vladimir Tarasov (drums), and Marcello Magliocchi (drums) and Daniel Thompson(guitar). Adrian is also involved with Indian music (Jazz Thali ) and works with live music for film (Ensemble Kino)."

-Adrian Norhover Website (http://www.adriannorthover.co.uk/Marchtrio.html)
12/3/2024

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Ulf Mengersen is a German bassist living in Berlin. He studied at Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar. He is a member of Berlin Improvisers Orchestra, Ensemble MIA.

-Squidco 12/3/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Sharp Signal Happiness 8:50

2. Armed Rhubarb Rhumba 3:13

3. Armchair Sobbing 5:46

4. Fluctuation Warden 4:24

5. Blood Vision Voices 3:27

6. Filler Screwdriver 2:37

7. Yorkminster Odour 12:08

8. Dripping Heart Medication 2:54

9. Salt Mine Salutation 2:14

10. Southern Sandpaper 4:43

11. Salute To The Rabid Raspberry 4:13

12. Zeroton Police 3:46

13. Beyond Dino Mountain 4:54

Related Categories of Interest:


Creative Sources
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Jazz
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Quartet Recordings
Spoken Word
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

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Creative Sources.


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