Two sides of the same coin – this fundamental principle of dialectical juxtaposition also shapes Breach / Orchid Mantis on the esteemed Portraits GRM label. Originally conceived by Peter Rehberg (Edition MEGO), the label’s LPs are still based on commissioned works from the Parisian institute Groupe de recherches musicales. The format remains open: while often intended as solo LPs, it regularly brings musical positions into vinyl correspondence.
It comes as no surprise to see Olivia Block appear in this series. The US multimedia and installation artist and composer has spent a quarter of a century exploring the fields of avant-garde and experimental sound. Block’s acousmatic approach, which frequently combines field recordings with electroacoustic sound synthesis, is presented in its purest form on the chirping piece »Breach«.
Michelle Helene Mackenzie and Stefan Maier, on the other hand, might have been less expected on this platform, as the two Canadian musicians have remained relatively under the radar until now. Yet their orchid-mantis-inspired »Orchid Mantis«, drawing on the idea of a Taiwanese lost city, fits the label and Block’s work so seamlessly that there is no doubt: this flip-LP truly does present two sides of the same coin.
