The Squid's Ear Magazine


Lambkin, Graham / Michael Pisaro-Liu: Schwarze Riesenfalter (erstwhile)

Balancing active organized sound worlds from Graham Lambkin with Wandelweiser discretion from Michael Pisaro-Liu in five tracks that punctuate concrete sound compositions with Feldman-esque piano progressions, bound together by a short poem; captivating and elusive.
 

Price: $14.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 2.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Graham Lambkin

Michael Pisaro-Liu-Liu


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




Label: erstwhile
Catalog ID: Erstwhile 075
Squidco Product Code: 20446

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2015
Country: USA
Packaging: Digipack - 3 panel
No recording data listed.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Schwarze Riesenfalter is an album that is folded in upon itself. Both the musical content and the track lengths of this fantastically confounding disc are mirrors of each other, with two short yet highly dramatic piano pieces bookending the proceedings, nestled up against a pair of lengthy field recording-heavy compositions. These four tracks sandwich the album's drone-based centrepiece, the lovely "Ein eisiger Wind."

As conceptually heavy and full of emotional depth as this collection of music is Ñ the music is accompanied by a short poem that was allegedly set to the songs afterwards Ñ there are elements of humour dotting the soundscape. Graham Lambkin is a former member of the Shadow Ring, a group that turned post-punk on its head and chuckled at it with a dry English wit. His is an oeuvre that doesn't differentiate between musical and non-musical sound; frequently working in the duo format Ñ his trilogy of albums with Jason Lescalleet is particularly noteworthy Ñ he finds joy in the mundane, often recording random events around his own house for use in future projects. Michael Pisaro-Liu, on the other hand, is a member of the notoriously quiet Wandelweiser Group, a collective of composers and performers that seek to integrate the notion of silence and sparseness into their work.

It's tempting to point to the light-hearted moments of Schwarze Riesenfalter and immediately think of Lambkin (the buzzing cellphone, the almost drone-like drawn-out voice passages) and similarly attribute the musical piano lines to Pisaro. The reality is most likely not even close to such a conclusion, as the separation between the two contributors is lost in the wake of a happy synergy. It's of no consequence, really, as the music itself obliterates the need to single out the individual personalities. Two men worked as one and unleashed a beast of an album for people to enjoy; enough said."-Bryon Hayes, Exclaim.CA


Artist Biographies

"Graham Lambkin first entered the public consciousness at 19 when he formed his band The Shadow Ring, in Folkestone, a small town in Kent, England. The band was memorable and built an rabidly passionate fan base because of its sui generis approach, blending elements of folk, noise, cracked electronics, and surrealist poetry, while radically changing the overall formula with each release. A decade of increasingly skewed and inspired work culminated in 2003's I'm Some Songs, constructed long distance as Lambkin had relocated to the US in 1998. Over the last few years, Lambkin has primarily worked under his own name, most notably with 2007's brilliant Salmon Run, a precursor to The Breadwinner."

-erstwhile records (http://www.erstwhilerecords.com/catalog/052.html)
12/4/2023

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

"Michael Pisaro was born in Buffalo in 1961. He is a composer and guitarist, a member of the Wandelweiser Composers Ensemble and founder and director of the Experimental Music Workshop, Calarts. His work is frequently performed in the U.S. and in Europe, in music festivals and in many smaller venues. It has been selected twice by the ISCM jury for performance at World Music Days festivals (Copenhagen,1996; Manchester, 1998) and has also been part of festivals in Hong Kong (ICMC, 1998), Vienna (Wien Modern,1997), Aspen (1991), London (Cutting Edge, 2007), Glasgow (INSTAL 2009), Huddersfield (2009), Chicago (New Music Chicago, 1990, 1991) and elsewhere.

He has had extended composer residencies in Germany (Künstlerhof Schreyahn, Dortmund University), Switzerland (Forumclaque/Baden), Israel (Miskenot Sha'ananmim), Greece (EarTalk) and in the U.S. (Birch Creek Music Festival, Wisconsin). Concert length portraits of his music have been given in Munich, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, Vienna, Merano (Italy), Brussels, New York, Curitiba (Brazil), Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, Austin, Berlin, Chicago, Düsseldorf, Zürich, Cologne, Aarau (Switzerland), and elsewhere.

He is a Foundation for Contemporary Arts, 2005 and 2006 Grant Recipient. Much of his music of the last several years is published by Edition Wandelweiser (Germany). Several CDs of his work have been released by such labels as Edition Wandelweiser Records, Compost and Height, confront, Another Timbre, Cathnor, Nine Winds and others, including most recently "transparent city, volumes 1-4", "an unrhymed chord", "hearing metal 1", "A Wave and Waves" and "harmony series (11-16)".

His translation of poetry by Oswald Egger ("Room of Rumor") was published in 2004 by Green Integer. He is Co-Chair of Music Composition at the California Institute of the Arts near Los Angeles. He has performed many of his own works and those of close associates Antoine Beuger, Kunsu Shim, Jürg Frey and Manfred Werder, and works from the experimental tradition, especially John Cage, Christian Wolff, James Tenney and George Brecht."

-Edition Wandelweiser (http://www.wandelweiser.de/michael-pisaro.html)
12/4/2023

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


Track Listing:



1. Leuchtfeuer 4:30

2. Aufflattern Die Fledermause 17:17

3. Ein Eisiger Wind 5:26

4. Zerbrochene Munder 17:17

5. Unkonig 4:30

Related Categories of Interest:


Electro-Acoustic
Organized Sound and Sample Based Music
erstwhile
Duo Recordings
Staff Picks & Recommended Items

Search for other titles on the label:
erstwhile.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
Pisaro-Liu, Michael (Guy Vandromme / Adriaan Severins / Luciana Elizondo / Fabio Gionfrida)
A Room Outdoors [2 CDs]
(elsewhere)
Two realizations of Michael Pisaro-Liu's 2006 work for sustaining instruments, harmonium & field recordings, recorded first at Wild Gallery, in Brussels with Guy Vandromme (keyboards) and Adriaan Severins (field recordings and synthesizer); then at the Museo Archeologico San Lorenzo, in Cremona, Italy with Luciana Elizondo (viola da gamba) and Fabio Gionfrida (field recordings), in collaboration with Guy Vandromme (Indian harmonium).
Unami, Taku
Bot Box Boxes [3 CDs]
(erstwhile)
Performing live in a virtual festival performance at his home studio as an extension of his work at erstwhile's 2011 Amplify festival, Japanese sound artist Taku Unami recorded these three extended works using cardboard boxes and small robots, creating the curious sounds of their interactions and capturing them on binaural microphones to recreate their dynamics as exactly as possible.
Lambkin, Graham / James Rushford
Gondolas [2 CDs]
(erstwhile)
The first collaboration between electroacoustic composers and performers, Graham Lambkin (The Shadow Ring) from Kent, England and Australian composer, improviser and concrète collagist James Rushford, the two developing a series of fascinatingly mysterious and detailed sound compositions that incorporate live playing; beautifully packaged.
Chulki, Hong / Will Guthrie
Mosquitoes and Crabs
(erstwhile)
Recording in Seoul, South Korea at Mullae Arts Village in 2016, the duo of Australian drummer/percussionist Will Guthrie and improvising noise artist Hong Chulki release 8 pieces with concise works under 1 minute to larger improvisations up to 8 minutes, contrasting interesting rhythms with indescribable electronics, found sounds, and unusual environments.
Rogers, Derek
Silence is Being Substituted
(Glistening Examples)
Derek Rogers sculpted these six compositions from live performances, organizing them using strings and synthesizers, and employing digital processing and granular synthesis with concert and field recordings, creating richly complex works that evolve with beautiful pacing.
Albro, Tim / Tyler Keen
Summary Dismissal
(ErstAEU)
A first-time collaboration between two American noise/sound artists, Tim Albro and Tyler Keen, using electronics, guitars and other lo- to medium-fi sounds and crackles to create well-paced stories in sound, apparently mysterious travelogues from city to city.
Rosenberg, Reed Evan / Ethan Tripp
Medium Rude
(ErstAEU)
A journey in sound--drone, abrasive noise and subtle ambiance--in a well-paced example of non-idiomatic soundscape from the first meeting of Reed Evan Rosenberg on microphones, pedals, max, and voice, and Ethan Tripp on speakers, microphones, motors, junk.
Pisaro, Michael
Melody, Silence (For Solo Guitar)
(Potlatch)
A collection of materials for solo guitarist, written by Michael Pisaro-Liu and here performed by Christian Alvear, presenting the performer with up to 12 fragments which can be played in any order and which allow for various transformations, cuts, extensions and silences.
Pisaro / Chabala
Black, White, Red, Green, Blue (Voyelles) [2 CDs]
(Winds Measure Recordings)
Guitarist Barry Chabala's interpretation of composer Pisaro's piece, instructing the performer on structure and pitch but allowing the precise timing and sound to the player; plus a reworking of Chabala's recording taking advantage of cassette hiss and sine tones.
Pisaro, Michael / Greg Stuart
ricefall (2)
(Gravity Wave)
Ricefall (2), the 2nd is a 72-minute piece for 64 separate tracks of rice falling on objects, performed with percussionist Greg Stuart, a composition of unusual dynamics and pacing.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Breschand, Helene / Floy Krouchi / Zafer Tawil / Elliott Sharp
disPOSSESSION
(zOaR Records)
Expanding the collaboration between guitarist, saxophonist and electronic artist Elliott Sharp and electric & acoustic harpist Helene Breschand, in a quartet with Zafer Tawil performing on oud, violin & percussion and Floy Krouchi on electric bass, for an exotic, globe-embracing, groove-oriented album of unusual and often ecstatic acoustic and electric orchestration.
MMM Trio (Mascolo / Mira / Maglioccho)
Bridge In The Dark
(FMR)
The MMM Trio of Carlo Mascolo on prepared trombone, Miguel Mira on cello and Marcello Magliocchi on drums & percussion recorded this album during a concert series in Puglia, Italy, placing each musician in a separate room with headphones, promoting the close listening and concentrated interaction each brings to their unusual approach to free improvisation.
Lasserre, Didier
Silence Was Pleased
(Ayler Records)
Working with sound designers, cinematic and theater artists along with free improvisers, percussionist and composer Didier Lassere's performance project focuses on the relationship between sound and silence, composing entry, exit and superimposition points that the members of his septet improvise around, reconfiguring to smaller groupings throughout the work.
AAVD Trio (Alexander Adams / Danny Andrade / Daniel Van Duerm)
Anti Glow
(Amalgam)
Experimental improvisation driven by the foundations of electric piano, organ & electronics of Chicago keyboardist Daniel Van Duerm, fueled by the flexible and unusual drumming of Alexander Adams and passionately expanded by the cathartic tenor sax wrangling of Danny Andrade, dark and light come together to form an "anti-glow" from this intriguing young trio.
Tong, Brianna / Johanna Brock / Andrew Scott Young / Ishmael Ali
Akjai
(Amalgam)
Part of the Chi Away project bringing together new collaborations of Chicago improvisers, Akjai is the unique experimental chamber jazz quartet of Brianna Tong on vocals, Johanna Brock on voice & violin, Ishmael Ali on cello and Andrew Scott Young on double bass, blurring 20th century classical music, art song and free jazz with texts by Brianna Tong, Octavia Butler, and RA Washington.
Marhaug, Lasse / Jerome Noetinger
Top
(erstwhile)
A tribute to late experimental sound artist Peter Rehberg (Pita) from collaborators and friends Lasse Marhaug and Jérôme Noetinger, ten recordings of wildly creative, slippery electronics, crunching sound bunts, rapid fire electronic turmoil and tapehead jamming, ending with a beautifully drifting tribute to an artist who widely influenced modern sound culture.
van Houdt, Reinier
Drift Nowhere Past / The Adventure Of Sleep [2 CDs]
(elsewhere)
Interested in compositional work involving sound, timing, space, physicality, memory, noise & environment, Dutch composer Reinier van Houdt shares six works developed for erstwhile record's festival AMPLIFY 2020: quarantine, each piece focused on a specific day of the month; and a complementary set of four compositions about everyday recurring situations.
RedGreenBlue (Paul Giallorenzo / Charlie Kirchen / Ryan Packard / Ben LaMar Gay)
The End and The Beginning [VINYL]
(Astral Spirits)
After a 4-week residency in 2018 at The Burlington in Chicago, the quartet of Paul Giallorenzo (keys & electronics), Charlie Kirchen (bass), Ryan Packard (drums, electronics) and Ben LaMar Gay (cornet & electronics) workshopped their exploratory approach to free electric improv for 6 months before recording this mesmerizing version live at Chicago's Hungry Brain.
Vandromme, Guy / Bruno Duplant
l'infini des possibles (12 etudes pour piano) [2 CDs]
(elsewhere)
Twelve etudes for solo piano by French composer Bruno Duplant and interpreted by pianist Guy Vandromme, each etude consisting of eight lines of lowercase letters a-g representing white keys, with accents, uppercase shifts, apostrophes, &c. affecting those letters, the performer given an "infinity of possibilities" through choices of combinations and repetions of the score.
Pisaro-Liu, Michael
Tombstones (performed by Barbara Dang & Muzzix)
(elsewhere)
Applying techniques that Michael Pisaro uses in his audio compositions to song formats, this album presents 11 new versions of songs from his 2013 Human Ear Music album, here reworked for clarity and recorded under the artistic direction of the Lille-based pianist Barbara Dang and six members of the Muzzix collective (Bellefont, Cruz, Orins, Pruvost & Pruvost).
Novak, Rebecca / Danny Kamins / Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith / Jerome Bryerton
Groundwater Recharge
(Balance Point Acoustics)
Explorative improvisation, from mysteriously quiet moments to scrabbling and determined conversation, configured as trios and quintets by Rebecca Novak on piano, cornet, radio & glassware, Danny Kamins on baritone saxophone, Sandy Ewen on guitar, Damon Smith on double bass and Jerome Bryerton on percussion, all bringing unique moments through extended techniques, objects & radio.
Rumback, Charles
Seven Bridges [VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(Astral Spirits)
Merging disparate styles into music that is clearly jazz-based, warm and beautifully structured, Chicago drummer and composer Charles Rumback's 7th album as a leader assembles a large group of luminaries including Jim Baker, Ron Miles, Jason Stein, and Greg Ward for a set of instrumentals and songs that are effusive but never sentimental, a beautiful balance.
Strictly Missionary (Pitsiokos / Eisenberg / Lenz / Murray / Neuburg)
Heisse Scheisse [VINYL]
(Astral Spirits)
Skronky multi-faceted NY Downtown-style improvisation with an electric edge from the quintet of Chris Pitsiokis on alto sax, winds, electronics & samples, Wendy Eisenberg on electric guitar, Richard Lenz on electric bass, Kevin Murray on acoustic & electronic drums and Nick Neuburg on percussion, rolling and rollicking through riffs and scrabbly exploration.
Olive, Tim / Kayu Nakada
Entenka [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD]
(Tsss Tapes)
Applying techniques similar to those of the prepared piano, Japanese experimental artist Kayu Nakada uses circuit bending--circuit boards from electronic instruments short circuited for new effects--joining forces with Japan-based Canadian electronic instrument maker Tim Olive (845 Audio) for four works of intriguingly interactive glitch, hum, static and sonic inexplicables.
Puntigam, Werner / Beat Keller / Georg Wilbertz
UND JA, AND YES
(zOaR Records)
Freely improvised, noisy chamber music performed on guitar, trombone, conch shell, drums & percussion from the trio of Swiss guitarist Beat Keller, Austrian trombonist Werner Puntigam and German drummer Georg Wilbertz, bridging genres while keeping a sense of free jazz as an implied basis, with a sly sense of humor and wonder through marvelous technique and timing.
Hatcher, Gerrit
Good Weight [CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD]
(Amalgam)
Chicago tenor saxophonist Gerrit Hatcher, known for his duos with Anton Hatwich and with Julian Kirshner, the improvising trio Devouring the Guilt with Eli Namay & Bill Harris and a trio with Mars Williams & Lia Kohl, is heard here in three extended solo improvisations, with strong tone riffing on grooves, exuding warm melodies, and running demanding technical passages on his horn.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC