Phill Niblock - Works For Hurdy Gurdy And Voice '2000

Tracks list

Sound artist/composer Phil Niblock does not record often. His music is best
heard in live settings with adequate amplification. Only listeners with
high-quality stereo systems and comprehensive neighbors will be able to fully
experience Niblock's slow-evolving microtonal pieces. Nevertheless, unless you
live in New York City, a CD is your best chance to hear the man's work at all.
Touch Works: For Hurdy Gurdy and Voice presents two pieces (one in two versions)
created in October 1999. "Hurdy Hurry" (15 minutes) uses samples of a hurdy
gurdy played by Jim O'Rourke. The whiny tones are duplicated and pitch shifted.
The composer brings them closer, takes them apart, all very slowly. From the
apparently static piece arise subtle modifications as one is invited to leave
the macroscopic world to study microscopic details. Of course, that's the case
for all drone-based minimalist microtonal music, but Niblock's long-standing
mastery has rarely been equaled. "AYU" (aka "As Yet Untitled") features samples
of baritone Thomas Buckner (who commissioned the piece). His soft throat singing
is sampled over 24 tracks. Only pitch shifts (up to two octaves) were used as
treatments. The resulting piece has some qualities of Tibetan meditative chants.
The listener often gets the illusion that the voice(s) turns into a cello or
even a hurdy gurdy (blame that on the previous piece). For "AYU, Live," Buckner
went back into the studio and sang over the previous version while four channels
of pitch shift were added. He repeated the exercise twice, thus adding 15 more
tracks. The second version is better, richer, and somehow more entertaining than
the first. ~ François Couture

Tracklist:
1.01 - Phill Niblock - Hurdy Hurry (15:33) 
1.02 - Phill Niblock - A Y U (21:12) 
1.03 - Phill Niblock - A Y U Live (21:00)

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