PHILL NIBLOCK

Touch Food

Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT, DARK AMBIENT / DRONE / METAL

MP3
FLAC
2CD

Boomkat Product Review:

Witness a master at work with the black hole drone traction of Phill Niblock’s 2003 opus, newly available again on its 20th anniversary. Essential RIYL Éliane Radigue, Stephen O’Malley, Reinhold Friedl, Charlemagne Palestine, Tony Conrad, Pauline Oliveros

Phill Niblock is one of few artists to have a Sunn 0))) track named in their honour, which speaks volumes to his prowess and uncompromising avant approach to thee heaviest drone music. 2003’s ‘Food’ is hugely powerful example of his ascetic process at work, with four pieces deriving a mesmerising, sustained microtonal drone pressure from acoustic recordings made by Ulrich Krieger (baritone sax), Carol Robinson (bass clarinet, basset horn, clarinet), and Reinhold Friedl (piano). Sunn’s mantra, “maximum volume yields maximum effect” applies acutely to Phill’s music, and never more so than on this 2.5 hour motherload, in which he implores listens to play “VERY LOUD” in the liner notes.

‘Sea Jelly Yellow’ opens the account with an oceanic deposit of smeared baritone sax, layered up and held in place like the intro to a cataclysmic riff that never comes, but nevertheless fixates attention for the duration. ‘Sweet Potato’ follows with an exploration of higher register tones knit in gnawing discord that may leave one unsettled, before ‘Yam Almost May’ supplies some sense of resolution as it recedes into subharmonic mire producing intoxicating overtones. However, the meat of this session is ‘Pan Fried’, a five-part stunner rendering Reinhold Frield’s prepared piano tekkerz at an astonishing, galactic scale of billowing resonance and speaker-worrying low end that just gives and gives.

MP3 Release (8)