Jim O’Rourke & Jos Smolders – Albumin

When is a rumble a rumble, when is a bubbling sound music? The answer to questions of sound research is provided by Albumin. It is the second collaboration between experimental eclectic Jim O’Rourke and Dutch sound artist Jos Smolders, following Additive Inverse from 2021. On Albumin, O’Rourke supplies the musical basis with his algorithmically processed sounds from the Kyma audio workstation, which are then manipulated separately by the two participants. What emerges is a masterclass from the school of extraordinary electroacousticians.

»HP-HP«, on the first side, develops very slowly, making changes in the textures comprehensible. In this way, an organic flow emerges from industrial sounds, glitchy fizzing and echoes from the depths of the electroacoustic test laboratory. »r(OP-OP)«, on the second side, has a far more dystopian effect, with deconstructed string sounds, ultra-deep drones and suggested feedback. If it helps with understanding, one may also happily call this music »ambient«.