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Music LIVE REVIEWS
‘AMBISONIC’ CINEMA SOUNDTRACKS DAZZLE OF FOG Film City, Glasgow, Sat 29 Sep ●●●●●
Billed as a ‘unique, experimental audio/visual event that platforms ambisonic, immersive sound technology’, Dazzle of Fog gathered the work of seven Glasgow artists, mixing live performances, film and installations over four specially commissioned pieces. Curated by independent producer, Jim Hutchison (co-founder of Glasgow’s Hum + Haw records) and Giles Lamb (director of the Film City-based sound post- production company Savalas), the project used Savalas’ facilities and other creative spaces within Film City to let the artists present their own interpretation of a cinematic experience.
Shown in the domed Chamber Room, James
Anderson and Niall Walker’s ‘Suilven’, is a timelapse film of a day in the life of the far northwest Scotland peak. A live performance of a composition by Lafoden (Giles Lamb’s composer alter-ego), accompanies images of the mountain’s unique topography; its ensemble of piano, violin and cello seeming to offer respective, aural representations of both the changeable light and ebbing cloud cover that plays across its terrain, from dawn ‘til dusk. Next, a collaboration between electronic producer Alex Smoke and visual artist Florence To, ‘Fovea’ combines his soundtrack of differing tones, rumbling bass, crackle and fizz with her experiments with light, darkness and differing visual textures; an ever-changing montage of white dots, lines and patterns move across, eight tray-sized screens, semi-circled before us, creating a hypnotic experience. Rob Kennedy’s ‘Untitled’ manipulates various sounds to create a disorientating experience. The ambisonic installation uses a number of audio outlets in Savalas’ unlit studio, toying with our conceptions of sound; one recording we hear seems to have been made at a carnival, however, a speeded-up voice follows, discusses the London riots and suddenly, our understanding of what we previously heard is reinterpreted. Shown in the same space, Tom Scholefield aka
digital artist, Konx-Om-Pax’s work, ‘Local Ambience’ completes the evening’s proceedings. Again making use of ambisonic technology, it combines his animated, virtual noise machine creations with live footage of various Glasgow locations, the field recordings made at these seeming to be ‘played’ by these alien-like speakers, giving the piece an eerie, otherworldly feel. Certainly a more unusual way to enjoy the cinematic artform, the Creative Scotland-funded project Dazzle of Fog is probably due praise for its experimental presentational approach alone, however, the event’s stimulating and thought-provoking content also makes it a more than worthwhile venture, which will hopefully be repeated. (Colin Chapman)
86 THE LIST 18 Oct–15 Nov 2012
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ELECTRO POP CHVRCHES Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Fri 28 Sep ●●●●●
This Galleries’ Friday evening ‘Picasso By Night’ event played host to one of the most talked-about Scottish bands in recent years. While art lovers listened to curator’s talks and poetry readings, the downstairs café was transformed into a dark and intimate live venue for Glasgow trio Chvrches. In a little over half an hour, singer Lauren
Mayberry (The List’s LGBT editor) and synth- pushing musicians Iain Cook and Martin Doherty (veterans of Aereogramme, The Unwinding Hours and Twilight Sad) dispelled the notion that they’re the product of one good track and a slew of well-targeted and fortuitous hype. They look the part, Mayberry wearing glitter across one eye and Doherty in ravey baseball cap and Nicki Minaj t-shirt, and their sound runs from the crystalline synth-pop of debut track ‘Lies’ (with added ‘Fix Up Look Sharp’ bass crunch, as remarked upon everywhere) to the insistent, techno build-up of ‘Science’ and fiercely contemporary digital anthem ‘Night Sky’. Next single ‘The Mother We Share’ is a tentative step forward, but it still wouldn’t sound out of place on Radio 1’s A-list. (Paul Little)
HIP HOP AZEALIA BANKS O2 ABC, Glasgow, Sat 29 Sep ●●●●●
Before ‘Yung Rapunxel’ (as she calls herself) takes to the stage, the crowd are put through a thorough preparation session. Gimp-mask-and- leather-shirted support act Zebra Katz let everyone know this is not a family show, and Banks’ own DJ Cosmo performs a set of early 90s-house tracks to bring up to speed those who were absent the first time round. When the potty-mouthed Harlem hip hop artist Banks appears, the mood has been perfectly engineered for her winning blend of uptempo party beats and smut-heavy content.
It’s a high-energy atmosphere Banks sustains throughout, aided by eye-catching props: a light- up bra, flashy projections, backing dancers, lasers, the hair (oh, the hair!). The songs are word-perfect, with singles ‘Liquorice’ and the C-bomb-dropping ‘212’ getting the enthusiastic response they deserve. If there’s any criticism, it’s that things are over way too soon: there’s no encore, and Banks’ stage time amounts to less than an hour. Evidently the performance has been highly tuned to get the best of Banks’ energy; an increase in stamina might be something to look forward to next time. (Niki Boyle)
MEDITATIVE METAL OM Stereo, Glasgow, Fri 28 Sep ●●●●● WITCH HOUSE/CHILLWAVE BALAM ACAB Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, Tue 9 Oct ●●●●●
Om’s new direction and rhythm section has polarised some older heads inclined towards the more Sleep-heavy vibes found on earlier releases. There’s an obvious difference in the live amalgamation of Om in the past few years with newish sticksman Emil Amos (Grails, Sleep) in tow, aided by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Robert Lowe (who performs solo as Lichens), who performed on their last two Drag City releases. Lowe adds a honed dimension tonight, providing high-end backing vocals and jazzier keyboard breaks while orbiting a tambourine high towards the ceiling. Choice moments from recent Advaitic Songs let them hit their stride on Al Cisnero’s heavier bass moments, as heard on ‘State of Non-Return’ but it’s somewhat fleeting tonight. Given the stripped-back nature of the amplification onstage, it’s clearly a tactical manoeuvre away from their subbed-out sets of yesteryear. That said, their sound is pristine and about as close as you’ll get to the new record without employing an entourage of Middle-Eastern musicians. The main gripe has to be the shortened set; under an hour long. A premature end to a performance that should have been far more tantric. (Nick Herd)
Just 21-years-old, Ithaca, New York native Alec Koone has already delivered two deliciously transporting albums, awesome for wigging out to in your living room post-club. But as with so many anonymous hoodie-sporting young men, hunched over laptops and mixers making slow, dreamy, ghostly, wobbly-bass music – witch house being Balam Acab’s most oft-applied micro-genre designator, though chillwave would also do – how it’s going to work live seems to have been an afterthought. As such, this show is underpowered at best and dreary at worst. Beats squelch, harps glisten and canned
vocals chirrup what sounds like a drunk Kate Bush trapped down a well sucking helium, while artily-shot super-slo-mo videos of leaves and lakes – sloshing water samples run throughout Koones’ tunes – loop on a screen behind. It’s all incredibly pretty, but too weak and too damn quiet to fully excite the senses. A few nod along trance- like, a couple attempt some 60BPM dancing. Increasingly, the crowd just talk over the top of Koones’ set, evidencing his entire movement’s acute challenge to be respected as more than mere trendy background listening. (Malcolm Jack)
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