Fickle

VITAL WEEKLY

Behind Tacet Tacet Tacet, we find Francesco Zedde, who sometimes also performs as Tonto, from Utrecht, The Netherlands. Tacet means, [hello wiki]: Tacet is Latin, which translates literally into English as “(it) is silent”. It is a musical term to indicate that an instrument or voice does not sound, also known as a rest.” John Cage famously used it in 4’33 to suggest silence for all instruments in all three parts of the piece. Cage used silence as a way of listening to the environment. What this has to do with Zedde’s music kind of eludes me; he “assembles sounds in a way that lets musical structures emerge from the ambient noises themselves. Almost subliminally, the listener experiences a transition from small noisy sounds to rhythms and, eventually, melodies – and back again.” The results are something I didn’t expect based on this text. The opening piece, ‘Gamble’, starts as a piece of improvised percussion music, and one could think this goes into Cageian territory. However, quickly this piece goes into a completely different direction, that of ambient, techno and music heavily relying on rhythm. Don’t get me wrong; the starting point and the text do not blow me away, but I love the music. These are intense compositions, not too straightforward techno-like, but the intelligent kind, without being too IDM. The ambient part plays a significant role via synthesisers and extensive use of sound effects, crushed samples, glitches and such. Maybe there is some kind of nifty improvisational tool behind this, but it all sounds damn coherent. I don’t know about suitability for a dancefloor; I somehow doubt that, but this certainly made my head nod and feet tap.

https://www.vitalweekly.net/number-1469/

Tessa Roumudis:
"‘Fickle’ by Tacet Tacet Tacet is a collection of 6 pieces, each unfolding a unique soundscape. As it collects fragments of perception—a squeaky tone of a field recording, classical instruments, spherical synths—the track will slowly create a mental map, guided by repetitive percussions or rich basses. A slowly uprising synth-surface resonates with a tiny click. A single recording of a bell sound changes the massive structure of a white noise. Yet the mind starts combining pieces into comfortable patterns; the composing beholds its breaks, and a new soundcarpet flows in. Unlock a new way of perception. In his album, Fra Zedde invites the recipient to an experience-based listening—his richly composed tracks allow to emphasize sometimes one, sometimes the other structure of a track. It gives a hint on how he experimentally works with tons of field recordings and carefully calibrated synths, drums, and instruments—generating a composition yet unknown. As the fragments of each track built a unique composition, the tracks alongside each other composed a continuum of a sound happening.
And so the artist manages to give back a part of the creative process to the listener: Let your mind flow through an unknown environment, connect fragments to a whole, never get used, stay curious and open, repeat. Everything is connected."