Fennesz, Phillip Jeck, Various - Spire Live â�� Fundamentalis

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5...according to our Mingus on Wed 28 May, 2008.

Spire Live: Fundamentalis (Autofact/Touch) As a couple of customers have already added some very glowing recommendations to this much anticipated document, not to mention the very informative press notes from Touch, it doesn't leave me with much room to big this up enough. As I attended the fuseleeds06 leg of this project, missed out on the York leg, I'm rather taken with the idea of this pan-European project: the way it tries to fuse the idea of an oldy-worldy instrument with its connotations of tradition and stuffiness, religion and classicism. It manages to marry the old and the new technologies of the organ and recording processes, improvisation with computers and electronics in a collision with music & architecture in a way that makes me want to waffle on about how profound this concept is. Then there's the actual thing itself: two slabs of vinyl with some great recordings that capture both the grandeur of classical music with the nowness of contemporary music. It's also very beautifully packaged with a stunning picture of a sunlit lane contained within its gatefold sleeve. Magnificent!

Spire Live - Fundamentalis is a collection of live tracks recorded at various Spire events held throughout 2005 and 2006. Released in association with US label, Autofact, Touch presents a selection of tracks performed by the main performers of Spire: Fennesz | Philip Jeck | BJNilsen | Charles Matthews | Marcus Davidson. Improvised pieces from Fennesz, BJNilsen and Philip Jeck contrast with a performance by Charles Matthews of a scored composition by Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi, 'In Nomine Lucis', and Marcus Davidson's self-penned 'Standing Wave', which ends side two with a locked groove. Cut to preserve and enhance the bottom end frequencies, Fundamentalis is not merely a document; the tension between and within the individual pieces is palpable. Fennesz's set "...evokes the rolling centuries in all their pain and beauty, leaving us at once becalmed and energised, but never oppressed under the weight of time." Electronics breathe new life not only into the organ, but also into the setting. But successor does not mean replacement. Ultimately, it's the majestic sound of the organ, so steeped in centuries of tradition, that one remembers above all else.
Spire is one of the most innovative projects around, drawing on the full canon of organ works, from the very first annotation in the Robertsbridge Codex from the 14th Century, to max msp patches and software sampling... With two CD releases and 9 performances in cathedrals and churches throughout Europe, Spire remains a potent live force in harnessing the sounds of the ages.

Track Listing:

Side One Philip Jeck - Live in St. Michel & St. Gudula Cathedral, Brussels [as part of Les Nuits Botaniques] 7th May 2006 16:36 Side Two 1. Charles Matthews - Live in St. Michel & St. Gudula Cathedral, Brussels [as part of Les Nuits Botaniques] - plays Giacinto Scelsi: In Nomine Lucis 7th May 2006 11:29 2. Marcus Davidson - Live in Masthuggs Church, Göteborg [as part of the GAS Festival] - Standing Wave 4th October 2005 9:11 locked groove Side Three BJNilsen - Live in Masthuggs Church, Göteborg [as part of the GAS Festival] 4th October 2005 19:36 Side Four Fennesz - Live in St. Michel & St. Gudula Cathedral, Brussels [as part of Les Nuits Botaniques] 7th May 2006 16:02

5...according to Rich.

Spire are the Touch records supergroup, or at least thats the way I like to think about them. This double LP is material culled from various live performances with each side being given over to a seperate artist except side two which is split between Charles Matthews and Marcus Davidson. This side ends with a lockout groove which plays the reverberating organ sound on 'till eternity or at least until the people next door ring the police. The compositions are some of the best I've heard from these artists and thankfully they don't spoil the mood of tranquil throbbing by getting all bang-squeal-crash half way through.

It reminds me of the later stuff from The Caretaker after he stopped sampling old music hall stuff or maybe Rafeal Toral meets a mad Sunday school teacher. The gatefold sleeve nice too.

Rating: 5 out of 5

So, what do you think? Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!