Larry Kucharz Techno Unit 32: Misc. Tracks International Audiochrome IA32
Larry Kucharz has been a regular subject here (2.05, 2.07, 2.08, 2.10, 2001_01) as one of the first artists to offer me material. Most of his releases are beautiful tone drenched ambient with a classical renaissance and minimalist mood - all highly recommended. With “Techno Unit 30” he surprised those who had come to know his work with a Detroit-techno release, based on rapid pulsing loops rather than his normal choral works. With this disk he has let his hair down even further with an album of techno tracks. Kucharz has given some hints in track titles - we open with “U955, techno” which is fast and furious, layered rhythm loops and varied percussive elements (cymbals, synth loops) providing the momentum, over which a range of themes are introduced (descending synth lines, guitar, house pianos and other keyboards) which provide colour during the breaks. These are well placed and rebuild nicely, usually maintaining the themes so that the track gets denser as it pelts on. Fast and mellow “U969, drum & bass & strings” lays long string tone chords (described as atonal) over a complex percussive bed and a deep woobly bass. Complex again with “312, techno” shifting from a squiggly mouthed sound into deep thunks and a good monotonous beat, squiggles and a deep synth solo, whistles and voiced sounds again at the end - featuring some quite unusual melodies. In all these pieces Kucharz shifts the mix and layers magisterially in a way you would hope for in the best techno tracks - this is not some sort of techno-lite! I was intrigued by”U962, progressive classical” expecting that perhaps here we had a crossover, but to me the “classical” is the tiktik percussion of the artists who released material on Nova Zembla (anyway that was my intro to this form) - a minimalist form where the rapid percussive loops are foregrounded and a bloopy melody skitters through occasionally, distant keyboards burst and there is some humming supports. More techno with “U313” a dense base with a slightly bloopy melody over, somewhat metallic in tone, rapid fire percussive and keyboard notes with a bit of squelch. We then move into “310, hardcore” with a thudthud beat and spacey synths swirled over, and then a melody from long, porous toned notes: the surface layer is slower as percussion variations are made underneath. Tangerine Dream came to mind when I heard “U311, progressive classical”: an echoey bass and hand claps open, then shimmers develop, into which a couple of melody lines slide along with a cymbal riff. A nice break, a deep deep bass enters, the melodies are regained. And then some vague reflections of the Orb in “U922, dub” which has a fast beat but is accompanied by a very slow very low pulse, there is some bass and echoed doodles, and the mood is overall relaxed, a chukchuk loop appearing later. Complex rhythms rule in “U350, house - four on the floor then three” apparently shifting between the two in a spacious and moody piece highlighted by piano and claps (and I must agree with Larry, it is elegant as it switches beats). An old element, voice tones, are apparent in “U921, dub” where the rapid percussion and keys shift pitch, there is a weird backward sounding keyboard break, a deep breezy pulse and a simple tonal end. And finally “U333, minimal techno” which, over its 15 minutes, builds up layers of percussion - pulse beat, tictic, claps, what appears to be a dockdock piano sample - lightly coloured with shimmers and chords, plays with them and then drops them out. Complex and fascinating. As a techno album this is a strong and pleasure-filled work; as a Kucharz album it seemed unrepresentative of his other recorded works to date. The tracks are infused with his classical consciousness - in some pre-release notes he describes chord changes and so on - and some aspects are based on earlier compositions. But I must admit that while I enjoyed the album immensely (and it will get many a play as a thumpy techno thang), I was a little disappointed that there was less obvious subversion of the genre. Because of this feeling, I contacted Larry about the disk, and his comment indicated points I had missed: I didn1t hear the Beethoven motif (310), or the references to Stravinsky and Prokofieff (311), let alone key changes. So there is much more to this than I extracted in my first listens. But in the end, get it, play it and enjoy it because it is a fun and satisfying album, with density and subtle complexities - just don”t expect the electrochoral aethers. &&&&&&&&&&&& http://ampersandetc.virtualave.net/ampersand.html ------------------------------------ available from cdstreet.com http://www.cdstreet.com/artists/internationalaudiochromeinc ----------------------------------- also available: Techno Unit 30: Audiochrome --------------------------------- Approaching utter two-lane blacktop anonymity, Larry Kucharz’s pure Techno project paradoxically has ten times more ‘personality’ than most CD’s here. ... in brief electronica Ian Penman The Wire ---------------------------------- Audiochrome, the latest disc by Larry Kucharz blurs the line between contemporary composition and techno music... newmusicbox. - American Music Center --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
