Ben Bertrand
Relic Radiation
Boomkat Product Review:
Crystalline, cosmic Fourth World brainmelt for fans of CV & Jab, Mats Erlandsson and Jon Hassell or Gavin Bryars, Belgian composer and bass clarinetist Ben Bertrand's latest huffs noiresque atmospheres over gorgeous woodwind repetitions.
Bertrand's third full-length, 'Relic Radiation' continues the artist's long process of refinement. The bass clarinet isn't a widely recognized solo instrument in the experimental sphere, so albums like 2020's 'Manes' worked as a proof of concept for Bertrand's technique, queering his Hassell-inspired muted woodwind curlicues with on-the-fly looping and pedalwork. And although he took a diversion with 2021's medieval-tinted 'Dokkaebi', bringing in instrumental assistance from Christina Vantzou, Indré Jurgeleviciuté and others, he's on familiar territory again here. Bertrand appears to have reached a point where the character of the instrument is less important to him than its outline. The fluttering Reichian clarinet phrases that were central to his debut are often mired in reverb here, or transformed into rich, resonant oscillating clouds. When the clarinet does make itself more visible, it's to dramatically furrow out mystifying solos, like on the ominous standout 'Stereo A'.
On 'Event Horizon', the woody sounds are fanned out to create a heaving mass of xenharmonic hums, whisltles and squeals. Organ-like at times and more like a set of pan flutes at others, it's a rich and fractal approximation of the Fourth World concept, sounding as if we're being ushered through South America towards a vast Spanish cathedral. Best of all is the atmospheric 'Big Bounce', where Bertrand uses pitched and processed insect recordings to offset his humanistic, chirped replies. Even his two more ostensibly "minimalist studies", 'GW 150721' and 'GW 190905', just add color to his palette, the latter bringing the album to a close with a sequence of interlocking notes that highlight the similarities between Bertrand's clarinet technique and the Berlin school's latticed saw wave arpeggios.
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Boomkat Product Review:
Crystalline, cosmic Fourth World brainmelt for fans of CV & Jab, Mats Erlandsson and Jon Hassell or Gavin Bryars, Belgian composer and bass clarinetist Ben Bertrand's latest huffs noiresque atmospheres over gorgeous woodwind repetitions.
Bertrand's third full-length, 'Relic Radiation' continues the artist's long process of refinement. The bass clarinet isn't a widely recognized solo instrument in the experimental sphere, so albums like 2020's 'Manes' worked as a proof of concept for Bertrand's technique, queering his Hassell-inspired muted woodwind curlicues with on-the-fly looping and pedalwork. And although he took a diversion with 2021's medieval-tinted 'Dokkaebi', bringing in instrumental assistance from Christina Vantzou, Indré Jurgeleviciuté and others, he's on familiar territory again here. Bertrand appears to have reached a point where the character of the instrument is less important to him than its outline. The fluttering Reichian clarinet phrases that were central to his debut are often mired in reverb here, or transformed into rich, resonant oscillating clouds. When the clarinet does make itself more visible, it's to dramatically furrow out mystifying solos, like on the ominous standout 'Stereo A'.
On 'Event Horizon', the woody sounds are fanned out to create a heaving mass of xenharmonic hums, whisltles and squeals. Organ-like at times and more like a set of pan flutes at others, it's a rich and fractal approximation of the Fourth World concept, sounding as if we're being ushered through South America towards a vast Spanish cathedral. Best of all is the atmospheric 'Big Bounce', where Bertrand uses pitched and processed insect recordings to offset his humanistic, chirped replies. Even his two more ostensibly "minimalist studies", 'GW 150721' and 'GW 190905', just add color to his palette, the latter bringing the album to a close with a sequence of interlocking notes that highlight the similarities between Bertrand's clarinet technique and the Berlin school's latticed saw wave arpeggios.
Boomkat Product Review:
Crystalline, cosmic Fourth World brainmelt for fans of CV & Jab, Mats Erlandsson and Jon Hassell or Gavin Bryars, Belgian composer and bass clarinetist Ben Bertrand's latest huffs noiresque atmospheres over gorgeous woodwind repetitions.
Bertrand's third full-length, 'Relic Radiation' continues the artist's long process of refinement. The bass clarinet isn't a widely recognized solo instrument in the experimental sphere, so albums like 2020's 'Manes' worked as a proof of concept for Bertrand's technique, queering his Hassell-inspired muted woodwind curlicues with on-the-fly looping and pedalwork. And although he took a diversion with 2021's medieval-tinted 'Dokkaebi', bringing in instrumental assistance from Christina Vantzou, Indré Jurgeleviciuté and others, he's on familiar territory again here. Bertrand appears to have reached a point where the character of the instrument is less important to him than its outline. The fluttering Reichian clarinet phrases that were central to his debut are often mired in reverb here, or transformed into rich, resonant oscillating clouds. When the clarinet does make itself more visible, it's to dramatically furrow out mystifying solos, like on the ominous standout 'Stereo A'.
On 'Event Horizon', the woody sounds are fanned out to create a heaving mass of xenharmonic hums, whisltles and squeals. Organ-like at times and more like a set of pan flutes at others, it's a rich and fractal approximation of the Fourth World concept, sounding as if we're being ushered through South America towards a vast Spanish cathedral. Best of all is the atmospheric 'Big Bounce', where Bertrand uses pitched and processed insect recordings to offset his humanistic, chirped replies. Even his two more ostensibly "minimalist studies", 'GW 150721' and 'GW 190905', just add color to his palette, the latter bringing the album to a close with a sequence of interlocking notes that highlight the similarities between Bertrand's clarinet technique and the Berlin school's latticed saw wave arpeggios.
Boomkat Product Review:
Crystalline, cosmic Fourth World brainmelt for fans of CV & Jab, Mats Erlandsson and Jon Hassell or Gavin Bryars, Belgian composer and bass clarinetist Ben Bertrand's latest huffs noiresque atmospheres over gorgeous woodwind repetitions.
Bertrand's third full-length, 'Relic Radiation' continues the artist's long process of refinement. The bass clarinet isn't a widely recognized solo instrument in the experimental sphere, so albums like 2020's 'Manes' worked as a proof of concept for Bertrand's technique, queering his Hassell-inspired muted woodwind curlicues with on-the-fly looping and pedalwork. And although he took a diversion with 2021's medieval-tinted 'Dokkaebi', bringing in instrumental assistance from Christina Vantzou, Indré Jurgeleviciuté and others, he's on familiar territory again here. Bertrand appears to have reached a point where the character of the instrument is less important to him than its outline. The fluttering Reichian clarinet phrases that were central to his debut are often mired in reverb here, or transformed into rich, resonant oscillating clouds. When the clarinet does make itself more visible, it's to dramatically furrow out mystifying solos, like on the ominous standout 'Stereo A'.
On 'Event Horizon', the woody sounds are fanned out to create a heaving mass of xenharmonic hums, whisltles and squeals. Organ-like at times and more like a set of pan flutes at others, it's a rich and fractal approximation of the Fourth World concept, sounding as if we're being ushered through South America towards a vast Spanish cathedral. Best of all is the atmospheric 'Big Bounce', where Bertrand uses pitched and processed insect recordings to offset his humanistic, chirped replies. Even his two more ostensibly "minimalist studies", 'GW 150721' and 'GW 190905', just add color to his palette, the latter bringing the album to a close with a sequence of interlocking notes that highlight the similarities between Bertrand's clarinet technique and the Berlin school's latticed saw wave arpeggios.
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Boomkat Product Review:
Crystalline, cosmic Fourth World brainmelt for fans of CV & Jab, Mats Erlandsson and Jon Hassell or Gavin Bryars, Belgian composer and bass clarinetist Ben Bertrand's latest huffs noiresque atmospheres over gorgeous woodwind repetitions.
Bertrand's third full-length, 'Relic Radiation' continues the artist's long process of refinement. The bass clarinet isn't a widely recognized solo instrument in the experimental sphere, so albums like 2020's 'Manes' worked as a proof of concept for Bertrand's technique, queering his Hassell-inspired muted woodwind curlicues with on-the-fly looping and pedalwork. And although he took a diversion with 2021's medieval-tinted 'Dokkaebi', bringing in instrumental assistance from Christina Vantzou, Indré Jurgeleviciuté and others, he's on familiar territory again here. Bertrand appears to have reached a point where the character of the instrument is less important to him than its outline. The fluttering Reichian clarinet phrases that were central to his debut are often mired in reverb here, or transformed into rich, resonant oscillating clouds. When the clarinet does make itself more visible, it's to dramatically furrow out mystifying solos, like on the ominous standout 'Stereo A'.
On 'Event Horizon', the woody sounds are fanned out to create a heaving mass of xenharmonic hums, whisltles and squeals. Organ-like at times and more like a set of pan flutes at others, it's a rich and fractal approximation of the Fourth World concept, sounding as if we're being ushered through South America towards a vast Spanish cathedral. Best of all is the atmospheric 'Big Bounce', where Bertrand uses pitched and processed insect recordings to offset his humanistic, chirped replies. Even his two more ostensibly "minimalist studies", 'GW 150721' and 'GW 190905', just add color to his palette, the latter bringing the album to a close with a sequence of interlocking notes that highlight the similarities between Bertrand's clarinet technique and the Berlin school's latticed saw wave arpeggios.
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