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Recommended by us on 9th November 2011
...according to our Mike on Wed 09 Nov, 2011.
RVNG's FRKWYS series continues to go from strength to strength with this mega-relaxing offering of minimal psych chunterings from Blues Control & Laraaji. The series pairs up modern day musicians with their aesthetic forebears to create collaborative albums. The recent one that paired David Borden with all the modern American cosmic synth types was great, and this continues to tap that rich vein of inspiration which this series has stumbled across. Apparently Laraaji's electric zither explorations of the late '70s were a big inspiration to Blues Control, and this album is a modestly paced and understated affair, with Blues Control very much in their more minimal cosmic psych zone. Tinkling new age chimes and semi-ambient high end tinkle and bubble laid over warm liquid drones are the order of the day, sometimes with some Eastern-sounding vocalising over the top to provide some kind of focus. The A side is entirely percussionless drifting, and then the flip kicks off with a bouncy kraut groove underpinning everything, which really brings some colour to proceedings, before the drums drop out and the groove continues on a more new age tip, with dripping microbeats and sinister synth washes making it feel like that bit in every horror film where they've got to go down into the sewers. This gradually eases off until by the end of the track there's near-silence bar the occasional twinkle and static whoosh. Then on the closer we're back into the healing relaxation of the first track, with perhaps a little more density and melodic focus. This one's probably my favourite of the collection. There's nearly an hour's worth of downloads included that wouldn't fit on the album, too, so you're really getting your money's worth here.
Volume 8 in the ongoing FRKWYS series on RVNG Intl. is a double album-length collaboration between Blues Control and Laraaji.
Following the "fodder first" tradition of previous FRKWYS installments, Vol. 8 was birthed over e-mail dialogue between RVNG and Russ Waterhouse and Lea Cho of Blues Control. Blues Control's evolved output gracefully arcs with influence and innovation that gleams electronic, New Age, and hard rock terrains. Laraaji's name came up early in that conversation and felt intrinsic to Waterhouse and Cho's own musical calling.
After learning various instruments in his formative years and studying composition at Howard University, Laraaji eventually found his musical conduit in an electronically-modified zither. Laraaji's 1979 album Celestial Vibration (recorded as Edward Larry Gordon) places the stringed instrument at the forefront on two side-length excursions in rhythmic ambiance. The 1980 album Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, produced by Brian Eno for his ambient record series, further documented Laraaji's zither explorations alongside Eno's soundscaping. Laraaji continues to pursue music both in its recorded form and as a healing tool.
Blues Control and Laraaji convened at Black Dirt Studio in upstate New York on December 9th, 2010. Over the course of a single studio day, the three musicians (accompanied on certain jams by Laraaji's "musical friend" Arji Cakouros) improvised on several themes, providing nearly four hours of material and the basis for FRKWYS Vol. 8. After meticulous note taking, sharing, and rough edits among Blues Control and Laraaji, the album was fully fleshed out.
Without context, it's hard to imagine that these musicians never creatively collaborated before this juncture. The dynamic breadth (and breath) of the album feels both effortless and epic, a line usually straddled only after years of playing together. It's clear a cosmic force is at play, and that this playfulness is the creative mediator of the music.
Over two album sides, the listener is transported from the urban sound garden of "Awakening Day," through the soulful yow of "Light Ships," into the texture bliss of "City of Love," and finally the reflective pool of "Freeflow". The first bonus track "Somebody Scream" demonstrates Laraaji's dexterous zither-playing over thirty-five minutes of music, while the second, "Astral Jam," starts with a Wu-like beat (courtesy of Laraaji) and warps into a rolling snare trance.
The limited edition LP version of FRKWYS Vol. 8 is packaged in thick black jackets with a two-color adhesive wrap, both printed on post-consumer goods papers at Stumptown Printers. 50 subscriber LPs come packaged in leatherette jackets. The CD version resembles a miniature version of the LP. A double-cassette version of FRKWYS Vol.8 will also be available, the first tape addition to the series. LP, CD, and cassette will be available November 15th, and digital download will be available November 29th at igetrvng.com and through the drab internet universe.
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Norman Records,
Unit 20, Croydon House,
Croydon Street,
Leeds,
LS11 9RT, UK.
Tel/fax: (+44) 0113 245 4399
Email: phil@normanrecords.com
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