Lee, Okkyung & Phil Minton

Anicca [VINYL]

Label: Dancing Wayang Country: UK

"The result of a first time meeting between boundary pushing cellist Okkyung Lee and legendary vocalist Phil Minton, ANICCA presents a set of four explorations of timbre and of minds.

Recorded in studio in London and presented in hand screenprinted sleeves designed by Okkyung especially for this release, ANICCA is a very limited, heavyweight pressing. Liner notes have been provided courtesy of artist Christian Marclay, a frequent collaborator of both Okkyung and Phil, who rightly declares: 'Beware, this is scary stuff!'

Recorded acoustically and with the aim to capturing the rawest, smallest, biggest and most beautiful sounds of their respective instruments, Okkyung's cello and Phil's voice sound nothing like they should. At their most powerful the resonance of both strings and vocal cords trade places, merge and tangle to create a storm, a wave and a crackling fire. But each gust of the wind is preceded and followed by the hush tones of two strangers meeting for the first time.

The Korean track titles allude to a stillness encountered in such a meeting, a void ready to be filled with willing stabs at forming friendship. Soon this nothingness is filled with 'chanting and banging, hooting and hacking'. Numbers are exchanged and songs are sung together in exuberance and quiet beauty. The track 'Mu-Byun' ends on such a delicate note, a moment of mutual understanding. But true to the album title ANICCA's true meaning of 'impermanence', this fleeting moment is torn apart by the following 'Mu-Jin' which begins with a guttural growl by one instrument only, the voice.

Following ANICCA is witnessing a constant state of flux. Just as the strings meet in celebration, turmoil pulls them apart and therein lies the thrill of this music."-Dancing Wayang