It was a slow, consciously unfolding sound, which French composer Eliane Radigue had in mind when, at the beginning of the 1970s, she started composing on the synthesizer after having completed her apprenticeship at Pierre Schaeffer’s and later Pierre Henry’s. Eliane Radigue has just turned 80 years old, and the first track of Keith Fullerton Whitman’s new release is dedicated to her. »Issue Generator (for Eliane Radigue)« starts out as a slow drone, slowly “unfolding“ as time goes on. More and more notes are accompanying the other ones, and while the continuing muffled sound slowly begins to fade, the notes break into a wild dance. At the end of the 17 minutes and 34 seconds, there’s even a tender rhythm to be found. The b-side, »High Zero Generator«, was timed to the exact same length. Here, the sounds don’t actually unfold, but rather break through. For nine minutes, it’s crackling in the system, glass shatters and it scratches on the control panel – all this in a sequence of sounds which make the track seem as if Keith Fullerton Whitman has tried to imitate Squarepusher’s »Solo Electric Bass« on his audio frequency generator. After that, the sounds are sent to the particle accelerators to let off steam, until the locks in need of oil close again. Both pieces were originally recorded live, from performances in New York and Baltimore. Hence, the music was given the chance to unfold in a breathing room, full of rustling and harrumphing. That way, the recordings were given the sparkle of the immediate, which is hardly to be found in experimental music otherwise. On these 35 minutes, everything comes together. The result is a unique sound – and the best thing I’ve heard from Keith Fullerton Whitman in a long time.
Scott Gordon
Metals
Diagonal