Kern und Frage
by CASTRUP I EMERGE - N(127) / licht-ung
“Kern und Frage” was the title of a joint painting/photo exhibition by Hans Castrup and EMERGE. This album was recorded on the opening night of the exhibition at abraxas, Augsburg, 20 September 2024. Painter Hans Castrup and photographer EMERGE took on their musician roles and played at the opening, supported by another duo, namely N and licht-ung. The cover art shows examples from EMERGE’s black and white photography and Hans Castrup’s painting, offering a small glimpse of the visual work that created the frame for the concert.
The evening, and the resulting album, form a diptych showcasing two different approaches to experimental music. Castrup and EMERGE improvised an instant composition based on a pre-defined set of sounds including piano, violin, and more noise-type ‚objets sonores‘. A sort of live-electronic musique concrète, ‚covalent radii extended‘ (extending their collaborative studio album of the same title, which is based on the same sound material) forms a dialogue between musical and noisy vocabularies, interspersed with long pauses for thought – not so much ‚call and response‘, but rather ‚question and counter-question‘.
Drone guitarist N and drone violinist licht-ung, on the other hand, created an immersive roomful of harmonic string drones, relying not only on amplification, but also on the acoustic properties of the concert space. The live recording beautifully preserves their play with volume and dynamics and offers an immersive listening experience even in a home environment. For N, it was the second live recording collaboration at the same venue: At the 2020 re:flexions sound-art festival, he recorded the album ‚abraxas‘ in collaboration with now-defunct bass drone duo Deep, available (also on vinyl) from attenuation circuit as well.
File under: experimental, drone
ACU 1087
factory-produced CDr in Digisleeve
Released in 2025
limited to 100 copies
price: 10.00 EUR (excl. postage)
live @ abraxas, Augsburg, 20.09.24
recording, photo and design by EMERGE
painting by Hans Castrup
CD image by licht-ungv
thanks to Gerald Fiebig
hanscastrup.bandcamp.com
immerge.bandcamp.com
n1511.bandcamp.comv
licht-ung.bandcamp.com
Also available here: http://www.discogs.com/seller/dependenz?sort=price&sort_order=asc&q=attenuation+circuit&st
ISIDOR
Vom Abend des 20. Septembers 2024, an dem diese beiden Aufnahmen entstanden, habe ich bereits in einem früheren Isidor geschwärmt. Es war die Vernissage einer Ausstellung von Hans Gastrup (Zeichnungen) und Emerge (Fotos). N und LICHT-UNG waren die musikalische Gäste, hatten einen sehr langen, mit Hindernissen gespickten Anfahrtsweg und erreichten das Abraxas in Augsburg sehr spät. Aber von Hektik keine Spur, wie wir in ihrem hier festgehaltenen, rund 50 Minuten dauernden Soundscape nachhören können. Dicht verpackter Ambient aus Gitarre und Violine, deren Töne differenziert oder ineinander verschlungen großartige Wohlfühl-Flächen ergeben. Bei den Kollegen CASTRUP und EMERGE passiert mehr, was aber nicht als Kriterium, sondern eher als Ergänzung des abwechslungsreichen Klangabends herhalten kann. Piano-Versatzstücke werden in einer 25minütigen Performance elektronisch weiter verarbeitet, finden ihren Platz, bis ein akustischer Aufprall wieder für eine Neusortierung sorgt. Toller Abend, tolle CD.
https://isidor-fanzine.de/
VITAL WEEKLY
On the same label, and also a document from an evening of concerts in Abraxas, Augsburg, September 20, 2024. Two lengthy collaborations here. The first is by Castrup and Emerge. Of course, you recognise the name Emerge, also known as Sascha Satdlmeier (proprietor of the Atennuation Circuit label), and the first is Hans Castrup, who had a lot fewer releases reviewed. Their piece is called ‘Covalent Radii Extended’, and maybe you think, “hold on, I know that title. Wasn’t there a review in Vital Weekly 1453?” True, but without the word extended but ‘Covalent Radii Revisited’. I assume that the previous release was primarily about a re-investigation of the live recording now featured on this new release, as I recognise elements such as the drones and the violin plucking. They play their piece not as an ongoing drone, but as various shortish elements, coming together in alternating figures. It has a slightly modern, classic feeling, maybe a bit too pretentious. Twice as long, 50 minutes, is the piece by N(127) and Licht-ung, combining the icy guitar drones of N and the drones of Licht-ung. Maybe he used a guitar as well on this piece, but it’s perhaps the trusted violin that keeps him company, just as the many effects of both musicians to arrive at such lovely glacial drones. It’s a long piece, and at one point, about 3/4 in, the music changes quite a bit, so the last section is a sort of coda, but maybe something we could do without. But, all in all, a lovely piece of music.
https://www.vitalweekly.net/number-1498/
BAD ALCHEMY
Zur Eröffnung der gleichnamigen Ausstellung mit Malerei von HANS CASTRUP und Fotokunst von EMERGE im September 2024 im Augsburger abraxas entstand Kern und Frage (ACU 1087), als akustische Annäherung der beiden an des Pudels Kern. Mit 'covalent radii extended' ließen sie mit fein dosierter Tönung, die Klangkürzel von Pianotasten und -drähten, Geigenkratzer und 'objets sonores' in Bröseln, Wellen und Fäden mit sich trägt, die stabile Bindung ihrer Edelgaskonfiguration Raum greifen. N & LICHT-UNG, sprich Hellmut Neidhardt & Johannes Garbe als zweite Paarung reicherten das weiter an mit changierenden Drones von Gitarre und Violine. Und auf die Frage, was ihren zeitvergessen schweifenden Dröhn- und Dreamscape im Innersten zusammenhält, murmelten sie nur: 'ueber Deinem schlaf / zimmern'.
www.badalchemy.de
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