Search - Stephan Mathieu :: Wurmloch Variationen

Challenging yet listenable sound deconstruction

Andrew Ross | Chicago, IL USA | 11/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great record! The Ritornell label is, in my opinion, the most consistently *listenable* of the microsound labels. The releases are always challenging, but they also never seem to lose the element of musicality and regress into pure noise, like some Mego or Rhiz releases. Mathieu's two CDs on the label are standouts, in my opinion. Wurmloch's liner notes make it sound high-concept (re-construction, or evolution vs. de-construction) but don't let that put you off. The tracks are a journey, using one 12-minute piano piece as a base. Mathieu reconstructs the track from almost pure sound to the original over the course of the CD. It's fascinating to hear the progression by track back to the source material. The piano tones lend all the sounds a warmth and "analogue" feel that make this a far cry from some purely digital intellectual exercise. This release fits with Eno's definition of ambient - it's fascinating to listen to in detail on headphones, and it can quite happily sit in the corner of the room when you're doing something else, as an attractive sound sculpture. Very highly recommended!If you like this release, be sure to check out Vert's "Koln Concert," which uses similar source material (samples from Keith Jarrett's original release) and plays around with them in a similar way."