This Boston-area collective ensemble explores chaotic rhythms on metallic instruments, heard in this 2019 recordings with three horns, doubled percussion and electronics, analog synthesis, and driving drum and bass work from Yuri Zbitnov and Mike Gruen, leveraging the Evil Clown arsenal of percussive devices as they perform an extended improvisations covering a wide scope of sonority and concept.
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2020 Country: USA Packaging: Digipack Recorded at Evil Clown Headquarters, in Waltham, Massachusetts, on March 5th, 2019.
Personnel:
David Peck (PEK)-alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet, contralto clarinet, tarota, game calls, [d]ronin, orchestral chimes, glockenspiel, gongs, castanets, Tibetan bells, bowls, brontosaurus bells, tank bells, maletkat/moog subsequent, recitation, Ableton mix
Michael Caglianone-soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, game calls, bells, rattles, Tibetan bowls, orchestral chimes, balafon, wind siren
Bob Moores-space trumpet, guitar, synthesizers, gong, crotales, signal processing
"Metal Chaos Ensemble was formed in early 2015 by PEK and Yuri Zbitnov as a working project to explore chaotic rhythms on metallic instruments. I had started to amass the Evil Clown Arsenal of percussion, electronic and wind instruments and we needed a workshop to develop this universe of sounds for the Leap of Faith Orchestra. It was immediately obvious that Metal Chaos Ensemble had a sound to itself and over the last three years has been one of the most prolific Evil Clown ensembles. We have produced a bunch of albums covering a wide range of sonority sets, but always with the presence of gongs, chimes, glockenspiel, Tibetan bowls and many other metallic sounds and the horns of PEK. All Metal Chaos Ensemble sessions include at least me and Yuri, along with a whole bunch of different guests.
MCE has always contained more rock elements that the other Evil Clown projects. This aspect of the project has really come into focus in the sessions over the last year or two. Recently, the group has stabilized a bit, with the same sextet doing a string of albums (a bit unusual for an Evil Clown ensemble) ... This band has three horns doubling percussion and electronics, analog synthesis, and the killer driving drums and bass of Yuri Zbitnov and Mike Gruen. Leveraging the Evil Clown Arsenal, we craft concert length improvisations that cover a sonority scope of huge extent... See The Call of Cthulhu (12/19), The Nameless City (8/19), and Proteus IV (7/19) for the earlier work by this sextet.
I like the power and flexibility of this ensemble and plan to continue to schedule sessions for this exact band. I expect we will get even tighter and more unpredictable as we continue performing as a fixed unit. One thing I really like in this version of MCE, fundamentally absent in all the other Evil Clown projects, is the combination of a deep groove in the rhythm section with chaotic accompaniment from the electronics, guitar, horns & percussion. Leap of Faith and the other bands do not have this rock-oriented element, and while sharing generally the same improvisation technique, occupy a completely different sound-world."-PEK, from the liner notes