Editorial Reviews The offering from Vertonen, aka Blake Edwards, serves to remind us that it's not just a question of having good material but of knowing what to do with it. "Untitled for air organ and turntable motor" is reminiscent at times of the vast soundscapes of Jeff Wrench (aka Brutum Fulmen, whose excellent "Flesh of the Moon" appeared on Edwards' Crippled Intellect imprint last year), while "The last great circus of desperate heritage" sounds as if Edwards has dropped the stylus on a plate of porridge, but settles into squeaking gate groove by the time it checks out. Some sound sources are easily recognisable - "Four chambers plus the various fluids" ends in birdsong - others cunningly disguised. The sustained major ninth tonality of "Soma trio study (#2)" has me wondering whether the title might refer to the mind-numbing drug of the same name in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", while "Harbor surfacant" starts out sounding like one of those extraordinary fucked-up asymmetrical samples Tricky used to love (you half expect his phlegm-rattling voice and crashing backbeats to come slamming in at any moment) until the fragments of piano become progressively buried in a humid moss of drones and surface noise. - Dan Warburton, Paris Transantlantic Some notes on "the ocean is gone, the ship is next" from Blake "Vertonen" Edwards. 1. Untitled for Air Organ and Turntable Motor "The most recent piece on the disc, reflective of my recent interest in longer, dronish compositions. Prior to utilizing the air organ, I'd been doing some dronish compositions with contact mics placed at various locations around and on the motor and wheels of the turntable. This piece brings those elements together." 2. The Last Great Circus of Desperate Heritage (metals, metal construction, contact mics, turntable motor, LPs, effect processor) "A reworking/reinterpretation of one of the pieces I performed while on tour in April 2002 with Ven Voisey. The sampled and skipped recording near the end is one of my standbys, a 1940s 78 of "the devil and the deep blue sea." This is also one of the first recordings I made with the effect processor processing itself." 3. Four Chambers Plus Their Various Fluids (cassette and VCR motors, metals, metal construction, turntable motor, water, LPs, field recordings, effect processor) "I began this piece with the intent of doing something "conceptual," but by the time I was ready to record the whole piece, my feelings toward a "concept piece" had morphed from a decent idea into a sense that it was little more than self-indulgent wankery which I could later point out to people and get a response of a chin scratch and "mmm, Yes, I see". In the end, all that remains of the "concept" in this piece are the title and idea of creating a track with four sections with distinctly different sound elements per section." 4. Soma Trio Study (#2) (CD, effect processor) "I started noodling with this particular CD in 2001 but, sadly, overworked it; I shelved the idea for almost eight months before giving it a second go 'round." 5. Harbor Surfacant (LP, effect processor) "At the apex of my intrigue with developing pieces from LP run out grooves and the spaces between songs I came across a particularly messy record a friend had given me before he moved. I was puttering around with the run out groove when my cat jumped on my lap and I bounced the tone arm. A snippet of audio entered the loop, and I liked it more than the hiss, pop, and crackle elements I'd layered thus far. Having always enjoyed pieces based on skipped records, but not having recorded one in a long time, I erased the existing loop and began working with the audio on the record, with and without processing."
Music Review:
Music Review
Music: The Chicago Years: Blues
Daft Punk Is Playing at My House [CD-single] [Import]
Dirty Little Secret [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
About the Artist
"Vertonen (Blake Edwards) enters his second decade of recording with this five track, nearly hour-long set. The opening piece, "Untitled for Air Organ and Turntable Motor" was recorded live for radio in Chicago, sounding like the tinny insides of an aircraft motor being tuned up. The effect simulates a barren foreground, with a tonal shifting horizon. Ground Fault has done well to separate their series into three distinct sections, this disc falling into the Series II (medium) category, defined by adjectives like surreal, experimental and textural - all of which this recording could be described as. The sources in other tracks like "The Last Great Circus of Desperate Heritage" and the slightly more caustic "Four Chambers Plus their Various Liquids" use metals and other objects to placate the irrational ear. Through distortion and pace setting Vertonen defines some specific sound-making pleasures by risking the naked roots of improv and fashioning a voice that is both analytical and beatless. Edwards can also quash noise in developing pieces like "Soma Trio Study" which uses a quieter, more wave lapping vibe. Its vivid surface is a bit like a bed of clouds. Closing the disc is "Harbor Sufacant" which is a deconstructed western saloon on squeaky scratched vinyl. The repetitive merky beat is a clash between and a filthy, brainwashed hypnotism and ghostly drones." - TJ Norris, Contributing Editor - Igloo Electronic Music Magazine
Album Description
Vertonen is the name under which Blake Edwards has been recording experimental audio since 1991. Drawing on a wide array of sound sources--sometimes processed, sometimes not--Vertonen's sound output explores audio terrain ranging from crunchy and dense sonic chaos to off-kilter rhythms to deep evolving drones, making plenty of stops between. In addition to recording as Vertonen, Blake also runs the experimental music label C.I.P.