CHRISTINA KUBISCH

Plus

Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

MP3
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WAV

Boomkat Product Review:

'Plus' is a major work for veteran German polymath Christina Kubisch, who assembles five compositions here that show the full range of her artistry, blending collage, field recording, synthesis and sound poetry. RIYL Robert Ashley, Henning Christiansen, France Jobin.

Since the mid-70s, Kubisch has been challenging audiences with uncompromisingly experimental sound installations, multimedia performances and experimental compositions that have helped push sonic art relentlessly forward. 'Plus' doesn't come burdened with conceptual bells and whistles, but hardly needs it - the detailed, expertly realized sound says all it needs to. The album's lengthiest track, the side-long 'Vasenresonanz', is the most startling of all, a celebration of her private collection of 1950s vases that was penned as a radio play. Kubisch taps, brushes and caresses the vases, while what sounds like heavy machinery hisses in the background; she speaks clearly, reciting words in alphabetical order that are interrupted by ceramic rattles and cracks that, if they're processed at all, seem to heave intensely, dipping and cutting against the elements. Her skill here is in balancing the peaceful, resonant clangs and the mechanical whirrs that remind us of the industrial process behind these serene, ornate objects.

'Teatime' is another highlight, a pastoral scene that imagines an outdoor tea party: birds sing and water babbles in the distance, then voices intertwine, repeating nonsense phrases and mimicking the birdsong. "Tea kettle, tea kettle," they repeat, purring like a cat and skewering the serenity. And it's not all sound poetry either - 'La Nuit De L'Arène' is a simmering nighttime scene constructed from wary synth drones and mutated animal sounds that reminds us of Delia Derbyshire's finest moments, and 'Chaleur' is an industrial-strength, rhythmic experiment that finds Kubisch looping rusted machine noise and imitating it with hiccuping oscillations and, to our ears, what might be a boiling kettle. Her sense of humor, experise and confidence is infectious - 'Plus' is a relentless, meticulous listening experience, but it's also funny, light-hearted and resolutely human.

MP3 Release (5)