Saturday, January 21, 2012

Sense & nonsense of censorship

This reminded me of the sense and nonsense of CENSORSHIP. Being CENSORED as a poet is not even a bad idea. It certainly has some advantages. It adds some mystery and magic to the CENSORED poem. Nowadays it is even an honour to be CENSORED. My poem is saved because of CENSORSHIP. Oh yes, when a poem is published you are open to criticism and scorn. But if you publish only your name and the title of the poem, well... What can they say? What can they do? The poet is visible but the poem remains 'invisible'. You know the poem exists but you can't even read it. Poets should be CENSORED once in a while. Only then they are real poets. There must be something really dangerous and subversive about them to get CENSORED. Why else would they get CENSORED? Poems should be worked upon in total silence and in secret far from the social media. Far away from the public eye. Then the poets will be really worshipped. Consider me as the Osip Mandelstam of Dutch poetry sent to my own Siberia. It is a real honour. (Also: the censorer is mostly wrong as was proven many times by history).

Gedichtenforum

Welkom op het Gedichtenforum van De Contrabas. Hier kunt u de reeds geselecteerde gedichten lezen en voorzien van een inhoudelijke reactie. Wilt u zelf kopij aanbieden voor plaatsing, stuur dan uw recente ongepubliceerde gedichten met een maximum van drie per maand naar contrabasforum@live.nl. Onder reeds gepubliceerd verstaan wij gedichten die eerder in bundels en tijdschriften zijn verschenen, zowel op internet als in papieren vorm. Gedichten die eerder verschenen op weblogs, dichtfora of facebook zijn wel toegestaan.

Index:

* Peter Wullen, Genealogie
* Menno van der Beek, In Memoriam de Blauwe Boekanier
* Ingrid Strobbe, Kindje
* Paul Hautmans, Winterlicht
* Fred Jenner, De zin van dit allesAfficher la suite

Literair Weblog De Contrabas: Genealogie

dat de keltische vorst milesius in 45 voor christus vanuit spanje het bevel gaf tot invasie van ierlanden er de oorspronkelijke inwoners de fomoren verjoeg

Oren Ambarchi - 'Audience of one'

Oren Ambarchi used to be the uncrowned king of suspended guitar notes. 'Suspension' from 2001 is after 10 years still a worthy masterpiece. The album created a new genre. In 10 years time Ambarchi gained a lot of respect and he worked together with everyone in the experimental scene with music ranging from suspended ambient to sheer noise. His new album 'Audience of one' on the Touch label is kind... of a milestone too. Audience of one? Yes! But Ambarchi is not alone on this record. His trademark guitar playing is here nicely integrated in a set of 4 tracks with lots of collaborators like Eyvind Kang, Joe Talia, Crys Cole, Jessica Kenney and many others. 'Salt' features lyrics and voice of Paul Duncan from Warm Ghost, an Australian band well worth seeking out. 'Knots' is a different beast, a freakout free improv trip of 33 minutes, which reminded me a lot of New Zealand improv scene of the nineties. 'Passage' and 'Fractured Mirror' are vintage Ambarchi tracks but executed with such brilliance! The year only started and here is already a masterpiece. 'Audience of one' from Oren Ambarchi comes out on the 30th January 2012!

http://www.orenambarchi.com/

Monday, January 16, 2012

Guts of a chihuahua

Oh, I was impressed by Francisco López and Reinier Van Houdt deconstructing the piano on 'Untitled #275'. And I was even more astounded by Reinhold Friedl's (Zeitkratzer) 2 hour trip inside the piano. But this is even more radical & extreme... 'Guts' really means the insides of a piano. You don't know what you hear when you listen to this. Sometimes the sound of shrieking metal. Sometimes the sound of trampled & shattered glass. This is an eeping, screeping record. It's abrasive but the funny thing is: I actually enjoyed listening to this Menche album. It's not just noise. He has a method. There's a method in all this madness. Or maybe there's not. Daniel Menche simply destroys the image of the piano as a romantic instrument for once and for all in exactly 4 movements: 'Guts 1', 'Guts 2', 'Guts 3' and 'Guts 4'. So, guts, guts, guts & bloody guts. A piano that screams like a tortured chihuahua. What about that? And oh yes... The x-ray photo on the cover does show the guts of a chihuahua dog. Impressive stuff!

'Guts' by Daniel Menche is now out on Editions Mego, www.editionsmego.com.

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Jacaszek - 'There are no others, there is only us.'

There are no others there is only us from Michal Jacaszek on Vimeo.

New wave of Polish composers! Here's Jacaszek. Btw, gorgeous videoclip by Marc Silver. I just keep looking & looking & looking... There is something in the flight of these birds. A language we don't master.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Best albums of 2011

Wols - "Unframe" on Pingipung - www.pingipung.de

Pimmon - "The Oansome Orbit" on Room40 - www.room40.org

Janek Schaefer - "Double Exposure" on Crónica - www.cronicaelectronica.com

Francisco López - "Untitled #275" on Unsounds - www.unsounds.com

Stephan Mathieu - "A Static Place" on 12K - www.12k.com

Cindytalk - "Hold Everything Dear" on Editions Mego - www.editionsmego.com

Zeitkratzer - "Karlheinz Stockhausen" on Zeitkratzer Records - www.zeitkratzer.de

David Sylvian - "Died In the Wool" on Samadhisound Label - www.samadhisound.com

Rehberg/Schmickler - "USA" on Pan - www.pan-act.com

Reinhold Friedl - "Eight Equidistant Pure Wave Oscillators, While Slipping Very Slowly To A Unison, Textually Spatialised On Eight Speakers, Concret, 60 Minutes" on Room40 - www.room40.org

Chris Watson & Marcus Davidson - "Cross-Pollination" on Touch - www.touchmusic.org

BJ Nilsen & Stillupsteypa - "Big Shadow Montana" on The Helen Scarsdale Agency - www.helenscarsdale.com

Bill Gould & Jared Blum - "The Talking Book" on Koolarrow Records - www.koolarrow.com

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Best reads of 2011


'Blödmaschinen - Die Fabrikation der Stupidität' - Markus Metz & Georg Seesslen - Edition Suhrkamp.

'Crimea. The Last Crusade.' - Orlando Figes - Penguin Books Ltd London.

'Bloodlands. Europe Between Hitler and Stalin.' - Timothy Snyder - Perseus Books.

'Hemelsblauw' - Jan Lauwereyns - De Bezige Bij Amsterdam.

'Zoo van het denken' - Peter Verhelst - Prometheus Amsterdam.

Saturday, December 03, 2011

Francisco López vs. Zeitkratzer

A couple of days ago I had a vision that German new music ensemble Zeitkratzer played 'untitled #231' from 'untitled (2009)', the new album of Francisco López on Baskaru. I'm convinced that they could make something spectacular of this ultradeep, spectral and multilayered sound. But just now the label Unsounds released 'untitled #275', a collaboration of López with Dutch new music man Reinier Van Houdt of the Ensemble MAE. This is fabulous as well. The two part work is based on a kind of radical reconception of the piano, see the Reinhold Friedl album 'Inside Piano' from a couple of months ago. 'Movement 1' starts with some serious rhythmical thumping on the piano. Later other orchestral sounds join in. This remains a typical López composition with loud parts and relatively silent parts, where you can only hear the musician(s) rumbling with instruments amidst some white noise. The last minutes of 'Movement 1' are particularly beautifull with a stark melody of four notes repeated endlessly and some minimalistic piano playing. In 'Movement 2' López explores and transforms the piano part in his studio to a fascinating electro-acoustic composition of 35 minutes. This is probably the best contemporary 'classical' music you will hear this year made by an electronic artist.

http://www.unsounds.com/26u.html

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Francisco López - 'Untitled (2009)'

I'm a fan of Francisco López. It would take a lifetime to follow everything he produces but once in a while I pick something out. After 'köllt/kulu' here's another nice release, this time on the French label Baskaru. 'untitled (2009)' is a good starting point if you don't know López yet. It's noise but soothing, structured & organic. For this album he worked together with Phill Niblock, Rutger Zuydervelt of Machinefabriek and others. Although the sounds are derived from natural sources most of the time you can't figure out what you are hearing. Which is part of the process of course. Luckily the nicely designed innersleeve contains some references and info. Impressive and timeless stuff!

http://www.baskaru.com/karu20.htm

Friday, November 25, 2011

Janek Schaefer - 'Double Exposure'

Excellent new concept double album by Janek Schaefer on Crónica. His best to date. 12 commissioned pieces that range from dreamy to truly hairraising. 'Asleep at the weel...' is absolutely fabulous. An installation consisting of ghost cars & in-car soundtracks. The 20 minute piece on the album documents the dangers of overconsumption & overuse of natural resources from inside the biggest culprit of the last century: the rise & fall of the car. It's like praying for survival inside an erupted vocano. It's really quite spellbinding. One of my favourite albums of the year 2012.

www.cronicaelectronica.org

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Pimmon - 'Yicco'



Nieuw album van Pimmon 'The Oansome Orbit' is nu uit op Room40 http://room40.org/store/PIMMON_OANSOME.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

De brakke Hond 0411

Speciale boomeditie van het literaire tijdschrift 'De Brakke Hond' met 4 gedichten van Peter W.: 'Idioticon', 'B4 I Leave', 'Belle Au Bois Dormant' en 'Nom De Plume'.

www.debrakkehond.be

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Mazzy Star - 'Common Burn'


At last two new songs by Mazzy Star. The last new work from reclusive David Roback & breathtakingly beautifull Hope Sandoval dates already back from 1995! Roback kind of retired to Norway. Sandoval released two intimate soloalbums and worked together with almost everyone: The Jesus & Mary Chain, Bert Jansch, The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Vetiver and more. The world has changed considerably since Roback and Sandoval last got together. After 16 years you would think that they would release something like 'the best record of the year'. But 'Common Burn' is vintage Mazzy Star, with that trademark crystal clear guitar sound we all know & some beautifull harmonica by Sandoval. Great ambiguous lyrics too! A well produced but very laid down song. Not so mysterious & dreamy as before. 'Common Burn' is not revolutionary or worldshaking but simply a gorgeous song. It's like Roback & Sandoval knew that nobody - not even the record companies! - is really waiting for a new Mazzy Star (Mazzy who?) album after all these years. But this means that the couple sounded relaxed enough with eachother to bring out their best music to date. A full album & a tour follow early next year.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

EAM conference "Material Meanings" - University of Kent at Canterbury UK - 7-9 September 2012

Received an invitation from the 'European Network for Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies' to submit a paper for their 'Third Biannual Conference of the European Network for Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies' at the University of Kent in september 2012. This conference investigates the avant-garde's reconfiguration of matter and materials in the quest to generate new meanings and effects. To be honest, for the moment I have absolutely no time to contribute anything at all. I do see something though in co-authorship or editorship with other experimental artists or musicians. If there's any interest around the world, feel free to contact me at any time.

http://www.eam-europe.be/

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Zeitkratzer plays Karlheinz Stockhausen

You can't say listening to a Zeitkratzer album is a 'nice' experience. The ensemble plays with all possible forms and conventions. They can switch from Lou Reed or Whitenoise to Alvin Lucier in one minute. It takes a little bit of effort to get into their world. But the result is rewarding. The Karlheinz Stockhausen album that just come out is one of their easier ones and certainly one of the albums of this warm autumn. Although he threw away all musical conventions Stockhausen was never really a rebel. He fits in quite nicely in the timeline of contemporary composers. He has a reputation of turning chaos into beauty. So, Zeitkratzer plays Karlheinz Stockhausen. No notations or notes. The musicians only get some instructions from the composer and have to play the score intuitively. The result is, well, remarkable and absolutely gorgeous... Although the two works come from a different world the climaxing 'Setz die Segel zur Sonne' could be a precursor or the originator of Pink Floyd's 'Set the Controls to the Heart of the Sun'. Same era. Same title. Release date of 'Zeitkratzer plays Karlheinz Stockhausen': 29 november.

http://www.zeitkratzer.de/

Reinhold Friedl - 'Eight Equidistant pure wave oscillators,...'

Zeitkratzer renaissance man Reinhold Friedl releases one interesting record after the other. 'Inside piano' still rings in our ears and here's already another project. You can hardly call 'Eight Equidistant Pure Wave Oscillators, While Slipping Very Slowly To A Unison, Textually Spatialised On Eight Speakers, Concret, 60 Minutes' a follow-up to 'Inside piano' because it is a completely different concept. While listening I kept asking myself: how can you play this album on a 2-speaker system when it was made with 8? How can I listen to this in the right way. I noticed too that you have to put the volume at a certain level to hear all the details, overtones, fluctuations and the sound jumping from one speaker to another until they all get together in unison. If volume is too low it becomes a background mesh. I really enjoy this one though. Very quiet & calming sounds. This album really deserves a lot of attention. Very special indeed!

http://www.room40.org/store/REINHOLD_FRIEDL_8_OSCILLATORS

Friday, October 07, 2011

'Das Kapital' in Art04.

My English poem 'Das Kapital' was published in Art04, the threemonthly magazine of VC De Geus in Harelbeke.

http://www.vcdegeus.be/pagina9.html

Friday, August 12, 2011

Peter Wullen op Klara door Bart Stouten

http://radio.klara.be/radio/10_programmas.php?datum=110714&xml_program=KL28110714MTUI.xml

Op donderdag 14 juli omstreeks 18u15 las Bart Stouten aan het begin van de uitzending De Tuin Van Eden op Klara, zo ergens tussen muziek van Duke Ellington en Kurt Weill, het gedicht 'Alcaline' voor. Het gedicht verscheen eerder in de dichtbundel 'Kelp' van uitgeverij 3-Werf uit Moeskroen en kreeg nu een tweede stem op Klara dankzij Bart Stouten.

'Duister' en 'Schibboleth' van Peter W. kun je nog steeds beluisteren via de volgende link: http://radio.klara.be/radio/10_programmas.php?datum=110317&xml_program=KL11110317NTUI.xml

To Be A Dad Again - 'Angel'