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an-men > a different soundscape ~ another world... GOZYASI, a catalogue of mirrors [cata3]

2011-09-23T11:13:00.108+01:00

original photograph by steven lee rees 2010

The eyes where love in chastest fire would glow,
Joying to be consumed amidst their light,
The face whereon with wondrous lustre bright
The purple rose was blushing o'er the snow;
The hair whereof the sun would envious grow,
It made his own less golden to the sight;
The well-formed body and the hand so white,
All to cold earth reduced lies here below!
In tender age, a beauty all entire,
E'en like a blossom gathered ere its time,
Lies withered in the hand of heartless death:
How doth not Love for pity's sake expire?
Ah! not for her who flies to life sublime,
But for himself whom night extinguisheth.
luis vaz de camoes >

original photograph by antonio benjamin da silva-pereira
original shankarian engraving

gozyasi [a catalogue of mirrors] cata3 ~ late march 2010 we received a very short email from someone calling himself an-men. any other names are until today unknown to us. that short message said simply: i am an-men. i live in morocco and i make collages in the form of sounds. i’d like you to hear some of them, which i attach to this missive. would you be ever so kind as to respond? of course we did answer the email after listening to the demos. we never quite heard anything like those. we thought they were not demos at all but finished recordings. there was a very earthly and strange low-fidelity qualities to the recordings presented. they had an assurance and a organisation diverse from what we were and are used to. they were not ambient but noise, akusmatica, arabica, melodic, experimental, with tones of sampling improvisation and an evolution in themselves that easily could tell one story or various simultaneously.

original sleeve design for 'gozyasi, a catalogue of mirrors' [cata3]
photograph by steven lee rees
design by wassily blossfeldt for ars publica 2010

we contacted an-men and we agreed to a recording session at the naked lizard lounge studios in london in september 2010. without knowing the semblance of an-men we went to heathrow airport to find this pale man recording the environment in the arrivals’ lounge. he records everything at any given time. believe or not these recordings are transmuted with basic equipment and used in the entirety and all tracks of what became ‘gozyasi’. we spent four days in the studio and basically an-men refused to be known as a person, his sounds (he never called it music) are the important, and only those. his work was intrinsically instinctive and simple. he refused to use any form of technology he couldn’t master and he brought his own equipment. the time we spent in the studio could well been spent in a hotel room or any other part of a house. an-men refused to use effects also and dubbing was partially allowed in two tracks only. a revox was used to re-record the compositions and a simple analogue echo chamber we found on a second-hand shop. the drum sounds were compiled by an-men playing the back of a carton box with the microphone inside, and other percussion was sampled from vinyl records (he brought himself also.) a great part of the recording sessions were spent analysing and editing birdsongs an-men recorded by the streams around east sheen, in richmond park and by the river thames (some at night time.) [...] an-men used too a great deal of turntablism and work with scratching and then treating the sounds with simple reverb and echo. [...] the time in studio produced several other compositions not in the album ‘gozyasi’ (‘varese’s ant’, ‘blooeddroatee’, ‘bolorgir linga’ and ‘remains today’.) additionally two other tracks were produced for side projects, one with pianist and composer matteo marchisano-adamo (yet untitled and yet to be released) and ‘bolorgir manark’, a composition for the orchestra eclettica e sincretista (led by composer marco lucchi) and to be released on the album ‘curtains’ in 2011.

the titles of the compositions were decided by an-men even before the recording (and, in some cases the re-mixing) tracks; he knew perfectly well what he wanted to achieve and how: thus the speed of the sessions. for what we could perceive an-men has his own language (and spelling) which brings an added charm to the ‘gozyasi’ album. ‘leeleein blume’ seems to be a wrong spelling to ‘lily in bloom’, but he uttered something about people springing the sounds and the environment, and while working on this theme he referred several times to ‘bloom of the novel, the man that lived more in a day than we all live in our whole life...’ so we must presume (maybe wrongly) that an-men was referring to leopold bloom from james joyce ‘ulysses’, but we never know. ‘artehamo’ is even more difficult to decipher as he recorded the whole tracks almost in silence and only seemed concerned with the sounds and not in explaining them (as with all the other tracks.) we must indulge in our ignorance and use our imagination, but then we don’t have to explain anything. we presume it may have to do with ‘art i love you’(?) – arte/te/amo? ‘anaïs’ is, undoubtedly based and made for miss nin (the writer) as an-men kept on reading pages of her diaries. ‘lalla bai’ seems to be a misspelling of ‘lullaby’ but then nothing was said about it. ‘ammehlea’ presumably is another woman with a different spelling as ‘maria’ is for sure another woman (but whom?) ‘gozyasi’, we discover some weeks later, is ‘tears’ in turkish, but well can be something or someone else whatsoever...

original photograph and design by wassily blossfeldt
for ars publica, london

original photograph by antonio benjamin da silva-pereira
from shankarian engraving

an-men wanted the sleeve of ‘gozyasi’ to be a picture of some old labyrinth taken from some ancient book or illustration. he had his own collection cut and paste in a kind of diary or notebook he kept all the time with him. it was only after dinner one night in steven lee rees home that an-men fell in love with some photographs taken that day (of a glass of wine, exactly) and there he immediately asked permission to use them. he preferred them to the labyrinth idea as ‘they look like an enigma, they are liquid and though they seem airborne... perfect for the water and air and fire and earth’ (decipher yourself what he meant with it!) we wanted to interview an-men for a post on the catalogueofwonders.eu website but instead he produced some cuttings from magazines and newspapers referring to ‘prospero’s books’ (by peter greenaway) and a thick volume, ‘the house of leaves’ (by marc z. danielewsky.) he preferred us to copy the articles and photos and just do not write anything about him. (the photographs and articles are posted on an-men’s page on the website.) he provided us also with some handwritten pages (maybe on his own calligraphy) regarding a dictionary of a language (invented?) regarding water, labyrinths and other strange facts (created?)

original photograph by steven lee rees 2010

apart from the music we do not know many things about an-men, and we are sure he will be upset with this introduction to his first release. after his departure to tangiers we received one single simple email saying: “‘gozyasi’ is what it is supposed to be, since ever. the sounds may one day turn themselves into music. it is not up to me to transmute them more than they are. thank you for letting me be.”

sample edition of extra tracks and samples from
gozyasi, a catalogue of mirrors
photography by steven lee rees
graphic design by wassily blossfeldt for ars publica, london 2010

john cage >

i am part of the load
not rightly balanced
i drop off in the grass,
like the old cave-sleepers, to browse
wherever i fall.
for hundreds of thousands of years i have been dust-grains
floating and flying in the will of the air,
often forgetting ever being
in that state, but in sleep
i migrate back. i spring loose
from the four-branched, time -and-space cross,
this waiting room.
i walk into a huge pasture
i nurse the milk of millennia
everyone does this in different ways.
knowing that conscious decisions
and personal memory
are much too small a place to live,
every human being streams at night
into the loving nowhere, or during the day,
in some absorbing work.

original photograph & design by wassily blossfeldt for ars publica, london 2010

gozyasi, a catalogue of mirrors [cata3]

TRACKLIST & CREDITS >

an-men > gozyasi (cata 3) by catalogue of wonders

anaïs > percussion, electronics, treatments, field recordings, mellotron, loops, samples, found objects, poetry, human voice, analogue tapes and loops, sound design by an-men > page turning by mário cesariny de vasconcelos > venus in furs & a spy in the house of love by anaïs nin >

lallabai > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men >recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, april 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, may 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > melodic, turntables, water bowls, treatments, synthesiser, plastic bags by an-men >
IMPROVISO > synthesiser, turkish flute, cello, wooden blocks, samples by an-men >
varese's ant (2) > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > piano and treatments by an-men >
varese's ant (piano) > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > piano and treatments by an-men
gozyasi (a catalogue of mirrors) > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > double bass, synthesiser, mellotron strings, field recordings by an-men >
ammehlea > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > handmade wind plastic tubes, percussion, loops, human voice, field recordings, electronics, treatments, flutes, readings, poetry, studio ambience, water bowls, found objects, editing, analogue tapes, research, treated piano, treated guitar, sequencer by an-men > thanks to natália correia, marcel duchamp, brion gyson, rumi & suna atkas >
artehamo > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > didgeridoo, found objects, field recordings, percussion, synthesiser, loops, treatments, live mixing, ocarina, bells, cellophane sheets, homemade electronics, contact microphones, turntable, whistling, stones, sticks > thanks to messiaen >
bolorgir linga > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > drum machine, vinyl records, matches, xylophone, percussion, programming, metal sheets, percussion, feedback, electric piano, tapes, sucquir, mellotron >
maria > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > synthesisers, field recordings, human voice, treatments, samples, vinyl records, french horn by an-men >
blooeddroatee > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > plates, water bowls, metal sheets, percussion, loops, tapes, synthesiser, mellotron, live mixing, field recordings & treatments by an-men > additional mixing & percussion by benjamim silva-pereira >
leeleein blume > composed, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and performed by an-men > recorded @ the naked lizard lounge, june 2010, london > mastered by david sphere, june 2010 @ the lunatic asylum, london > cello, treatments, violin, zuk, saw, synthesisers, water bowls, drums, percussion, silver bells.

(text & artwork fully copyrighted, please contact catalogue of wonders (arts) llp for reproduction and duplication rights: catalogueofwonders@ymail.com)
© 2011 an-men under exclusive license to catalogue of wonders (arts) llp, london

materia prima

2011-09-22T15:59:00.091+01:00

second compilation of sounds from around the globe > cata9 >

artists from audiogeographical places of uncommon perceptions >

please feel free to comment and send additional materials
>catalogueofwonders@ymail.com >
on sale on itunes, emusic, amazon and all the very good digital stores including catalogueofwonders.bandcamp.com

> EEROHZ > is at the end of its tethers, dixit! non-musician ecletist or eccle? (sic) debutant or obtuse? sound or no sound as otto the otter would ask? other days will come. jellyfish for hair transmutes into sounds. 'the wave v.6' is the contribution to matéria prima.

> LABAROME > ruggero patrizi aka “labarome techno music industries” is an electronic music producer and dj from rome, italy. he started his musical activity playing guitar in a punk rock band when he was just thirteen years old and, some time later, he started studying jazz guitar and composition.

when he bought his first synth in 1987 (roland d20) he discovered electronic music and became keen on techno music. buying his first record players and records he started to play as a dj and live performer in the illegal rave scene of rome and in 1997 he released his first vinyl e,p. for the “latitant records” label.

in 1999 he established “surphase records” label with paolo schettini (aka qubit – abrugiato) and luca roberti. the ambitious target was to change the electronic scene of rome aiming to a bigger sound research. as “psychofunk” he realeases two idm-experimental compilations (electronic junction – surphase001) with artists like leo anibaldi, lory d, andrea benedetti, mat101 and others.

he took a eight years break from music in 2000 and re-started playing again in 2008 performing only live. today he is working for a four track ep on “stato elettrico netlabel” (just released, click the buttons!) and for a compilation on “stirpe999 antilabel”. he is part of matéria prima with the composition 'dubdrone'.

his main musical influences are aphex twin, autechre, squarepusher, uziq and cylob, with a courious look to everything that may surprise him >

> OORLAB > oorlab joined soundcloud in 2008 and contributed circa fourty-five tracks. his music can be both electronic or acoustic. most tracks start with a simple melody, serving as a linchpin between rhytm and chords. oorlab is a way to cooperate with other musicians and exchange ideas. a side project which sometimes seeps into his music are fieldrecordings of thunderstorms, birds, seashores etc. in the past years he tried out accounts and contributing recordings on bandcamp, last.fm, jamendo, garageband, myspace, freesound.org and archive.org but soundcloud has been the best forum - up till now. he is always open to new things. OORLAB has released "van het water" (2005, 3eilanden), "soundtracks for gametrailers" (2007), "van de horizon" (3eilanden 2008), "soundtracks for gardening" (2009), all full albums.
oorlab is from the netherlands and contributes to matéria prima with the composition 'b) g sharp auftakt (prelude in g sharp)' >

> JAMES MCCALL > experimental, ambient sound designer, he began creating with synthesizers and music software in 2006. his first nine recordings, 'light on a lake' were published in early 2008. all of his sounds are sourced from either a microphone or synthesizer and then processed with software. he continues to hone his craft at his home studio in cincinnati, ohio. take a peek: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JamesMcCall http://jamesmccall.bandcamp.com/ james contributes 'the parade' to matéria prima >

> SARDÓNICO > they say passion knew himyet today he lives hiding under dark glassessits in the shivering of the night recounts what’s left of the adolescent face blurred by the light nausea of old age he knows the solitude of those who are kept awakealmost always laying the side of sleep forecasting the soft age’s flight stands for the mirror that returns a smile the size of fear they say that in the transparency of the dream by the sea he grew old slowly without that any tenderness no joy neither singing skill convinced him to stay amongst the living (al berto) > 'study for a fugue no.1 ' is the contribution by sardónico to matéria prima, a portuguese composer that this time has the re-works of benjamin croaxford as a remix artist >

> DAS SOMBREROS are pedro wong and klaus patel. with a combination of intellectual wit, high camp and an ambivalent froideur, the fey patel and taciturn wong established themselves as one of the premier electronic pop duos of the 80s. the pair met as schoolboys at a railway station when patel enviously eyed the clutch of delta blues records under wong’s arm. they soon formed a band, taking their name from a cult book that documented the unspoken sexual proclivities of the american public.

in their late teens and early twenties, the lovable moptops earned their stripes in the bierkellers of hamburg with a gruelling regimen of performance, amphetamines and besotted teen fans. it was here that wong developed his trademark guitar sound by using a coin instead of the more traditional plectrum.

their erotically-charged pelvis-swivelling dance moves both thrilled and appalled the nation in equal measure.

initially guided by a shock-haired svengali who claimed the whole venture as a situationist prank and took much of the credit for the nation’s growing interest in the band, das sombreros released a series of self-titled albums, more commonly known simply as i, ii, iii and iv.

as ambitions grew, however, so did egos. the behaviour of both wong and patel became increasingly erratic. on wong’s insistence, a sandpit was built in their recording studio and patel was hospitalised after biting the head off a live bat onstage.

relationships within the band also became strained and started to fracture. the songs that comprise the last album of what is seen as the classic line-up document, in unflinching detail, the dissolution and creation of various romantic partnerships within the band. decamping to berlin, wong and patel changed direction dramatically with a trio of albums that married icy minimalism with an ill-judged flirtation with fascist imagery.

tragically, a jaded wong, disillusioned by the vagaries of the music business and the hollowness of celebrity, was gunned down outside his new york apartment by a crazed fan carrying a copy of ‘catcher in the rye’. tragically, after countless attempts by friends and industry insiders to reinvigorate his career, patel, bearded and bloated, was found dead in a bathtub in paris. some suspect his death to be a hoax.

> SYNOPSIS DECAY >

synopsis decay is the ambient and contemporary project of dutch musician marcello dirks. marcello has been making music solo for the most part of his life but has also been playing in –mainly gothic, bands in the late 1980’s and the first half of 1990. born and bred in rotterdam, marcello now lives in nijmegen.

after falling in love with the electric guitar and music in general at the age of ten, the tone was set for a life of discovery and wonder. later, in the early 1980’s and getting introduced to artists such as brian eno, harold budd, john hassle, steve reich, phillip glass, white noise, this heat, einstürzende neubauten, holger czuckay, tuxedomoon and the residents really opened up a whole new world and in them were the foundations for synopsis decay, the pavement was laid down to walk on.

being extremely shy and insecure in those days, marcello started buying recording equipment and instruments to compensate for the lack of band members and consequently, became a self taught multi-instrumentalist. the very first recordings (which have been lost for the most part) where basically synth-tributes to the residents and tuxedomoon and later evolved into an eclectic mix of all sorts if genres. every moment not recording, was spend experimenting with any instrument and piece of effects’ equipment he could lay his hands on. though most of those experiments, where done with synthesizers and guitar, marcello also used woodwinds, voice and percussion. especially on the early days of midi, it delivered some nice, unexpected results of which only three (live/rehearsal room) recordings survived. these recording – na1, na2 and na3, where the first made using a strict template and created from a clear concept and is what synopsis decay is all about.

where a project like the ‘songs for the deceased’ for instance, was born from the need to deal with the subject of loss, and had its particular timbre evolve from there ,the ‘memorized skies’ piece (five movements all together) was conceived through the combination of algorhytms and computer-generated notes (movements 1 & 2 are part of the catalogue of wonders’ first release ‘fables against gravity’ cata1). once these outlines where set, the process of human intervention began and the piece was written around those generated and pre-calculated notes using a strict setup of (virtual) instruments.

while working on the piece, an image of 1980’s rotterdam sprung to mind. it was an era of discovery and wonder, frequenting all sorts of exciting (mostly squatted) places like hal4, de bunker, exit and so on, to satisfy the thirst for new, unusual, undiscovered sounds and acts. tuxedomoon in particular became an act marcello followed almost religiously. therefore, this piece is a tribute both to the city of rotterdam in that period and tuxedomoon.

'a catalogue of wonders' is the contribution to matéria prima by synopsis decay >

> PIETER HURST died in 2007 leaving behind an unknown musical work displaced and abandoned in several european countries. serendipity allowed us to collect the majority of the music sheets and historical recordings and since 2008 the catalogue is curating and restoring them. ‘mirages’ 2 is one of the compositions now available everywhere and result of this effort. the catalogue of wonders released the albums ‘mirages’ and ‘piano mobile’ and another one will be available in the beginning of 2012.

> FVM AKA MOCHKA is brazilian weird music. when the latin swing meets the data error. the unpredictable crashes against what is not welcome. composing sounds, not music. building it, sound by sound, with a lot of care and even more detachment. cause the idea of composing sound, without a system, without rules, just composing it, is the best way for mochka to increase his brazility. making it the most of a stereotype. selling once more what the world expects from a brazilian. cause his music, in the deep end, it’s all about stealing. stealing references, technology, stealing ideas and consequences, taking it all from wherever it comes. and so it is this biography, stolen. saravá exu ogum.

> BIPOLARBEATS > is a vinyl junky that collects beats and ambiences in dance forms that goes from breakbeat to techno and back through experimental odd vibes to the most incredible titles of his compositions. he produces his tracks in the states that being bipolar permits and he absorbs all music possible. he started a very special project, bipolarbeats records which intends to release limited editions of seven inch singles. mister bipolarbeats seems to have made and releasing an entire album inadvertently... well, a compilation album, nevertheless a full length album, and in collaboration with other musicians and remixing artists from the divine catalogue of wonders: ‘the art of lithium...’ (cata11).

> AN-MEN lives and works in morocco, an englishman self exiled libertarian and lover of sophisms and hedonism. the north african refuge gave him the opportunity to explore his own interests and frustrations. from that resulted the album ‘gozyasi, a catalogue of mirrors’ and ‘aaradh’, both released by the catalogue of wonders in 2011. ‘satoh satoh’ is one of the new compositions from the second album to be released near the end of 2011 (runamorian, cata21)

> BÊDEUX is a duo of british men living in paris since childhood and producing mainly live theatre soundtracks for the theatre. they have released two albums with the catalogue of wonders, ‘untuned pieces (live) and ‘untuned pieces remixes’ (cata4 & cata6)

compilation curated and produced by benjamin silva-pereira at the naked lizard lounge, east twickenham, london

dedicated with immeasurable love and gratitude to all the artists and collaborators, ricardo v pereira, clara rodrigues dos santos, dulcineia silva, steven lee rees, maya edmundson & stephan o’goodson.

art direction: wassily blossfeldt for ars publica, london

photographs by benjamin silva-pereira

cata9

3661585772729

TRACKLIST:

materia prima (digital download worldwide) by catalogue of wonders

1 > THE PARADE

music, production & performance by james mccall

united states of america

2 > SATOH SATOH

music, production & performance by an-men

recorded at the naked lizard lounge by david sphere

morroco

3 > MUSTAFA’S LAMENT

music, & production by pedro wong & klaus patel

performed by das sombreros

great britain

4 > MIRAGES 2 (opus 13, 1885)

music composed & produced by pieter hurst

pianos: pieter hurst & marcella cozza

recording, live mixing & echo deck by david h. hillman

mastered & restored at the naked lizard lounge by gyorgi telemann in october 2009

germany

5 > ESTUDO PARA UMA FUGA (NR. 1)

music composed, recorded & performed by sardónico in espinho

samples, electronics, mixing & production by eerohz at the naked bunch, putney, 2011.

portugal

6 > DUBDROME

music, production & performance by labarome (ruggero patrizi techno music industries)

italy

7 > KIA KAHA TRACEY

music, mix, production, turntables & production by john dwyer for bipolarbeats records

performed by bipolarbeats

ireland

8 > REWORKED FOUND ORGASM (i hear the voice of jesus christ)

produced & performed by bêdeux

music by jonathan cotterell & karl wolf recorded at laboratoire de musique electronique, lyon, 2010

remixed by kalliban x (allegro noir & don pi)

france

9 > G SHARP AUFTAKT

music, production & performance by oorlab

netherlands

10 > A CATALOGUE OF WONDERS

music, production, remix & recording by marcello dirks

performed by synopsis decay

11 > JUST ANOTHER CHEESE LOVE SONG

music, production & performance by fvm aka moshka

brazil

12 > THE WAVE V6

music, production & performance by eerohz

remixed & mastered by david sphere >

‘real music, sound. the work that burroughs did with gyson, which wasn’t really known at the time they were doing it, was all about deconstructing language and form. the only way to arrive at some new way was to deconstructing or changing – by the cut-up method or by erasing the word, rub out the word – all that is incredibly valuable for the musician. (...) it makes you think and then not think. it is really to bypass the brain and get to the knowing of something by direct contact and not always taking the maze of the learning experience which is, for most part, systems based on other people’s discoveries which might have been random. collaborations – that’s the key.’ [bill laswell]

‘an archaeology of figures who have warped consensus reality. curating, retrieving, connecting fragile links between a graphic here, a text there, a sound, a lost soul, a smothered history, or a recorded moment which disabuses the notion that we are all on the same path. creating what burroughs and gyson called the third mind.’ [david toop]

AVANTI, MARINAIO!

19th july > fables against gravity > digital download >

2010-07-14T21:00:00.005+01:00

dear monsieurs et mes dames, senhoras e senhores, ladies and gentlemen:

what happens when you have a portuguese sous chef with literary pretentions, a vinyl junkie porno actor turned kitchen porter cum d.j. from norway, a moroccan kitchen assistant obsessed with the trajectory and sounds of flies and, finally, an aged greek/american philosophy professor perambulating through the kitchen and corridors of the american university in richmond upon thames? many things could happen, but what resulted of this chance meeting was the creation of ‘the monday evenings of music and words’ in gyorgi telemann’s quarters (the prof.), what follows was that benjamim silva-pereira (the chef) recommended stockhausen to don pi (the k.p.) and ephebeus el-ahamar (you guessed, the kitchen assistant) the master musicians of jojouka to the professor that influenced them all to read james joyce and listen to john cage, or was to read john cage or listen to james joyce?!

thus, from a 25 year old idea, the catalogue of wonders, the monday evenings; turned into a larger discussion circle and ‘salon’ of people without academic studies (apart from the prof.) and interesting things started to happen. collage books and paintings and drawings and sound mixes and experiments sprung from litter and old tapes and battered laptops. they created the ‘odd recordings corporation’ that died a natural death, after some 120 handmade cd’s (remixes, live performances, sampladelica, etc, etc.)

gyorgi and don have gone to other divertimentos, but other came close to make things based on the d.i.y. punk attitude, and the good old ideas of the ready made, of what is available, on burrowed/borrowed equipment and crashing computers... they created their own world, the catalogue of wonders. apart from the barbara cartlandish title (that continues with the first semi-official release of the ‘fables against gravity’ compilation...) and, no, we do not like cataloguing, we like to create new abstractions, we do not live in a pinky fluffly romantic world. we live and work around richmond upon thames, hanwell, rhodes island, in são paulo, los angeles, skopjie, kiev, porto, berkeley, istambul. that’s true.

that is the wonder of the internet. no budget whatsoever, no manifesto (actually yes, there is a manifesto-anti-manifesto being re-written everyday), no special rules. anti-fascist, anti-corporations, yes, we are (almost all of us, but there are deviants...) and anti-religion. the word was being spread over on soundcloud and suddenly we thought of making a few pennies to form a non profit organisation, and that is on the way too, and to start a website (catalogueofwonders.eu) not yet in the net with all this conglomerate of kinds of arts and ideas, dada dede caca titi.

cata1 > fables against gravity > july 2010 >

2. pieter hurst > erezioni (miniature no. 14, from ‘nude maschile’, opus 14, 1986) > composed and performed by pieter hurst > demo recorded by simon brown at the naked lizard lounge, london, 22nd february 1999 > 1950 (germany) ∞ 2007 (portugal)> © 1999 catalogue of wonders > germany >

3. hey exit > you could see through it for miles > written & produced by © 2010 brendan landis: prepared guitar, contact mics (licensed under a creative commons attribution share alike license) > brendan landis is an improviser and composer living in berkeley, california > his work with hey exit explores alternate methods of playing the guitar using extended technique, preparation, and alternative amplification methods > he prefers to keep modulation effects to a minimum > he studied guitar and computer music at berklee college of music, and is presently studying koto under a sawai school teacher > hey exit mostly involves mostly improvised music. it is an attempt at contributing to and building on the tradition started in the 60's and 70's by people like keith rowe, derek bailey, cecil taylor. (how successful it will be in this endeavor remains to be seen!) > it has been said often enough that this area of music that defies description and definition. it has taken on a lot of names - free jazz, free improv, electroacoustic improvisation - but none have yet managed to encompass all the players working in this tradition. if we listen to the music of fred frith, sachiko matsubara, yellow swans, zbigniew karkowski, kazue sawai, paul metzger, phil minton, thurston moore, we see radical differences in almost every aspect of their approach to putting music in the world, from conception to production to distribution. but! there are at least a few commonalities between artists working in this field that we can point to: an emphasis on improvisation, an interest in texure- and timbre-oriented material (often to the exclusion of tonal or rhythmic material), a tendency to eschew idiomatic reference (or to use it briefly in a self-conscious way). these are a few commonalities we see in this music; there are probably more > if it can be said that these artists are participating in the same tradition at all (and i would like to think they are on some level), perhaps their differences can be attributed to the relative youth of the tradition (it is about fifty years old, give or take). maybe because of this, and definitely because of their lack of stylistic concerns, each player is forced to develop a personal language on their instrument, divorced to some degree from whatever tradition they may have grown up with. that is a big part of what attracts me to this music, and developing a personal language is, for now, a big part of what hey exit is about > heyexit.com > hey@heyexit.com > u.s.a. >

4. b.atl > legorobot in my room > written & produced by © 2010 aleksander baldazarski: is just a guy from skopje. influenced by: city, sun, numbers, future, technology, computers, nature, weather, mountains, industrial zones, bikes, architecture, art sound, art installations, visualizations, disco, machines working, old machines, movies, old technology, robot life, photography, rap, graffiti, old school.. listening to electronic sounds since 98 -99. studying architecture, and getting the knack of it, i realized architecture is music, or at least they are related. arts. (arch & musik) i sound like impromptu grand machinations of buildings and landscapes filled with towering madness and mind skyscrapers. all this stuff affect on me and i started music producing in summer 2009. it is maybe a way to express myself, or to express something. recording ever since > macedonia >

5. synopsis decay > memorised skies (1st and 2nd movement) > written and produced by © 2010 marcello dirks for synopsis decay > mcello@xs4all.nl > http://soundcloud.com/synopsis-decay > synopsisdecay.eu > netherlands >

6. heinali > ave moog > written, produced and performed by ©2009 by oleg shpudeiko > dedicated to robert moog > minimalist composer, music producer from kiev > started his first experiments with music in 2003 > never took music lessons, self-taught, his sound evolved with time and became eclectic under the constantly changing influences of different music > since 2009 he is composing for films, art performances and installations > heinali@ya.ru > ukraine >

7. tentaculo > in praise of indecision (deny reality) > composed, performed & produced by © tentaculo, february 2010 in são paulo >tentaculo is the one man project of brazilian based sonic conspirator elias cheika jr. formerly a guitarrist and initially composing electronic music influenced by the soundtracks of italian horror movies of the 60's and 70's, as well as the sounds of electronic pioneers kraftwerk, as the time passed, a multitude of eclectic influences were incorporated to the "tentaculo sound". retrofuturistic with a love for experimentation, tentaculo approaches the act of digital composition with a analogue d.i.y. spirit, not afraid to sound lo-fi, cheap, harsh, weird or in just having some fun at the expense of other people's ears. absolute obsolete and loving it. old school/no school, audio schizophrenic, he refuses to be categorized, his work residing in a grey area where electronic, rock, collage, found sounds, noise, horror movie soundtracks, ambient and industrial feed on each other peacefully (or not), always mutating and evolving. punk idm? electronic heavy metal? industrial world music? pop noise? none of the above. this is the soundtrack to your sickness. musick for the masses hole. down with the hierarchy of sound >http://soundcloud.com/tentaculosound > http://www.myspace.com/tentaculospace > http://www.lastfm.com.br/music/tentaculo > brazil >

8. phirnis > who is this who is coming? > written & produced by ©2010 kai ginkel > recorded in 2006, additional mixing and editing in 2010 > recording this particular kind of electronic music serves as an outlet for exploring some of the topics i feel most passionate (or even downright obsessive) about. some of the inspirational sources i personally deem most important include brian wilson, aquatic life, religious imagery, african culture, whimsical pop music, all-out noise, prehistoric times, mythology, and vintage synthesizer music. lately i've been incorporating real-time sound manipulation into my own music making, increasingly exploring methods such as granular synthesis and general improvisation > mail@phirnis.de > http://www.phirnis.de/ > germany >

10. bipolarbeats > the bubble in the bong > written & produced by by © 2010 bipolarbeats > this is my alter ego who produces music at wako studios west london this music is inspired by a deep love of techno and electro and days lost on the dancefloor. long live the noisemakers of the world! > ireland >

11. ainst > rave wave > written & produced by ©2010 andrej nizamoff > child prodigy, born in 1983 in a small provincial town of the former soviet union, descendent from a family of artists > went to school at 5 years of age and first live piano concert at 7 > he lives now in naberezhnye chelny, a place he cannot stand at all > created ‘the fantasts’ in 2004 and in the final stage the band created the virtual character miki > he left the band and now he just do what he can > attention: group "the fantasts" is an intergalactic ultra-luxury mega conglomeration of musicians, producers, djs, free artists, punks, and people whose mind we are saving. the first rule groups: never mention the group "the fantasts". the second rule group: nowhere and never mention the group "the fantasts"! the third and most important rule group: all audio tracks added to the group "the fantasts" will automatically become the property of the group "the fantasts" and part of her repertoire! all tracks are added to the group can be used by the most unusual and fantastic way, including for commercial purposes. each band member has the right to use all the tracks the group at its discretion, including for commercial purposes! let the force be with you! >korichneshtannik@gmail.com > russia >

13. damjan cvetkov-dimitrov > welcome exactly > written & produced by ©2010 damjan cvetkov-dimitrov in skopje > damjan cvetkov-dimitrov has been producing what he wants to listen to and afterwards not listening to it, for over a certain insignificant amount of time that certainly rhymes with some word or other > his music wants to explicitly show uncomfortably marginal sounds immensely overemphasized and aggravated through a series of forceful and sometimes exhausting questioning and brainwashing procedural surprises > his rhythm often leaks through audible patterns and almost completely incoherent ontological festivals and eyebrows > his other less known projects are @defaultusername and audiot > being landlocked into oblivion, he uses unorthodox ways to send pigeon messages through the walls of his country, and that is how this song got liberated > www.faultyweb.blogspot.com > a disturbing charade of epilepsy inducers, and a taste of a not-yet published album at the end of all that faultiness > damjancd@gmail.com > damjancd.deviantart.com/gallery/ > birth certificate number: 198623 554 135432 > macedonia >

14. b2 > untuned piece (interlude #6) > written & produced by © 2010 jonathan cotterell & karl wolf (b2 editions musicales, paris, 2010): prepared acoustic guitar, amplified saw percussion, distorted car spring modulation oscillator > recorded live in the studio (atelier de musique electronique, paris, xii arrondissement) on the 12th december 2009 by augustin pierre leblanc > free love couple composing for the theatre and experimentalists > france >

compilation mastered by noitu (s. puckovski) at noitu's lab - skopje, macedonia noitu7@gmail.com > graphic design by vassily blossfeldt based on the composers/artists artwork > this compilation © 2010 catalogue of wonders llp® > the copyright of each track belongs uniquely to their composers and producers and are licensed to catalogue of wonders llc® by special arrangement >

catalogue of wonders can be found on facebook.com group and fan page

special thanks to the composers and performers and all involved in the project > blessed are the noisemakers and the arts on the verge of an attack of genius > avanti marinaio > a very special thank you to suna aktas, john dwyer, hugo oliveira, john o’gorman and bilginar sadulova > this album is dedicated to the memory of gyorgi telemann & pieter hurst >

UPC: 3661585410676

€ 8.99 / $ 9.99 / £7.99

Duration: 01:18:13

# Tracks: 16

digital download has got 2 extra tracks:

13. heinali : Ave Moog (for Robert Moog) (Eerohz Epic Remix)

14. Who Is This Who Is Coming (Optophonica Antropologic Remix)

blessed are the noisemakers!

avanti, marinaio!

the ordinary life of elements 2. > steven lee rees >

2010-07-06T09:37:00.001+01:00

the most beautiful record label in the world >

2010-06-19T11:19:00.001+01:00

what is the most beautiful label in the world? used to be 4AD and factory, subrosa, mille plateaux but, but, but they are not the most beautiful label in the world anymore. atmoworks is, without a simple shadow of a doubt.

In the winter of 2001, AtmoWorks was founded by Ambient-Electronic musicians Vir Unis & James Johnson. The idea and vision from the beginning was to create a way in which music could be released for these two artists outside the existing model of the corporate business structure that most labels, even those that deemed themselves "independent", adopted. The label was formed with the intent that music could be released at will, whether that be 1 release a year or any number. Over the course of the next several years, AtmoWorks grew to include a few more artists and started streaming live performances from the studios of well known and respected artists, such as Vidna Obmana, Saul Stokes, Sarana, and The Ministry of Inside Things. Building a solid fan-base that was small but loyal, open minded, and receptive to a wider definition of "ambient" music, AtmoWorks came to be a widely known and respected purveyor of eclectic electronic music. Today, AtmoWorks continues to work hard on releasing quality music from a growing list of various artists around the globe. In the Spring of 2008, James Johnson decided to leave to pursue personal interests and other projects. With the help of longtime friends John Koch-Northrup and Matt McDonough and more recent addition Steve Brand, AtmoWorks has been reworked and has evolved to include an even wider range of quality music. AtmoWorks invites people of all walks of life to join this growing community. We respect and work to foster the growth and enjoyment for each of our members.

"Dark Rites Of Mesmer" was created as a kind of darker brother to mystified's 2010 Hypnos Secret Sounds release, "Primal Mystification". Where "Primal" tended to lighter, more ethereal sounds and rhythm patterns, "Mesmer" is deeper and more hypnotic. It is a beautiful kind of music, with washes of background drones that entrance and looped sequences adding texture. It presents a continuous interplay between immediate and distant, allowing the listener to cycle mentally between these layers. Three pieces were written with Yogic meditation specifically in mind. One was inspired by internet cyber comic "Manmachine". The longest piece, "Critical Dark", is a mid-length journey into ominous moods and tones. Many of the sounds in "Dark Rites Of Mesmer" were created using a special technique that transforms field recordings into bell drones.

"Sunprints was begun in the early Spring of 2008 as an expression of yearning for the first signs of Spring after a long, cold Winter. As I began to work on Sunprints, I could gradually see the first stirrings of life: grass greening again, buds forming on the trees, animal life becoming more active—life was literally welling up from the Earth to re-animate and start the cycle all over again. I could really feel this energy of growth, expansion, gentle warmth and hope infusing the work, informing every note, every sound choice. Listening to Sunprints now, on the cusp of the Spring energy of 2010, it almost seems necessary to listen to and sit in the field that Sunprints creates. It occurs to me how symbolic this is, that after a challenging time in our lives, how important it is to feel hope, a sense of renewal, and time in suspension, no matter what season it is where you live, and I’m excited to share this with listeners.

Timing in at just over an hour, Sunprints features the sounds of nature (streams, wind, rain, thunder, etc.), insect and animal life, various flutes, conch, bells, zither, kora, prayer bowls, gongs, didg, voice, harmonium and subtle keyboard textures. My pal Jonathan Benham contributed some of the environmental recordings, and the harmonium and plucked gutterphone. Track 2, “Honoring the Beautiful Spirit,” is a tribute to the work of Stefano Musso (Alio Die), whose work has often inspired my own.

Here is what Dean has to say about "With This Night":

"This album was recorded live in my "hotel", studio in Zephyrhills, Florida using two reel to reel tape recorders and an electric guitar with effects. This is a technique I've used many times on both solo and collaborative albums. I began including this technique into the way I make music in early 1977, and through the years have applied it to many and varied instruments as well as voice,pedal harmonium,percussion and found sounds.

Having said all that, I must add, this has to be one of the most unrefined and unglamorous ways of working you'll ever find...there's nothing pretty about this technique, it has a mind of it's own..if it works, it's a miracle. Mind, body and machines have to be at one with each other. Through the years I've coaxed some decent sounds and some serious flubs outta this system...on this occasion, it worked and I made "With This Night".

AtmoWorks is pleased to announce the return of one of 2009's break-out artists, Vladimir Kozlov. Following up on the success of his debut album "Nanoclock", Vlad is back with "Gates of Atlantida", a new six-song set of mind-bending rhythms and swirling synths. Vlad had this to say about his latest release.

"The 'Gates of Atlantida' is my second release for Atmoworks. It is dedicated to all people who are trying to know themselves and learn from others. Ambient sound is a great instrument to focus on the internal world; to explore it and clean it. I hope you all find this album useful."

Vlad's signature style is on quick display, combining pulsing rhythms and asynchronous glitches with broad pads and drones. The album is technically 6 songs, but works equally well as a single piece - moving effortlessly from track to track, frame to frame. Fans of Nanoclock will find much to love on "Gates".

“"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”

AtmoWorks is proud to announce the release of Rabbit Hole Radio's first volume of session edits, “Language of Forms, volume 1”. Rabbit Hole Radio is a weekly radio show hosted by Vir Unis and currently streamed by StillStream.com. This show promotes the music of Vir Unis and AtmoWorks artists with album streams, excerpts of longform pieces, remixes, and mashups of different pieces from various AtmoWorks artists coming together in real time direct from the Bubble Studio. The Language of Forms is a series of edits from those archived sessions on Rabbit Hole Radio, representing a confluence of artists ranging from Disturbed Earth to Steve Brand to Vir Unis to Mark Tamea and MjDawn, to name a few. There's also music from Subseason, Mike Radice, Vladimir Kozlov, Exuviae, OVDK, BunkData, Phobos, and many more. Check with AtmoWorks.com for Rabbit Hole Radio air times and schedules, as it also covers live events and guest djs! Join us now as we tumble down the rabbit hole and into a strange world in which sound and inner-vision is mutable and language is communicated in pure form.

"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop." - Alice in Wonderland

atmoworks

poem

2010-06-12T09:57:00.001+01:00

heroes or not eerohz, no eros at all!

2010-06-12T09:37:00.002+01:00

a codex of nostalgy and spleens in the shape of one/two un-non-existent people/band! strange? we've seen worst! this is a tiny little article about two men called benjamin that formed a band called eerohz, that split once and then the non-story of that one eerohz with one benjamin that never existed too, well, that's the way or one way to say it. if at the end of this scribblings you understood something about it, please write back and explain it to us. avanti! eerohz was an amalgam of inventions, pseudo-artistic inventions ¬ fodder for onanism ¬ l'entretiens des fous ¬ a clown, two clowns that happened to share the same christian name - benjamin (s) b-square ¬ eerohz was an amalgam of inventions, pseudo-artistic inventions ¬ fodder for onanism ¬ l'entretiens des fous ¬ a clown, two clowns that happened to share the same christian name - benjamin (s) b-square ¬

considering themselves ugly ducklings they didn't show themselves ¬ they used images of porno actors for their demos ¬ it didn't work ¬ once they thought they would fall in love with each other ¬ that didn't happen ¬ as eerohz didn't happened ¬

les memoires des jours dans la plage, le soleil et la nudite ¬ masks and behind the masks more masks ¬ they thought they could produce techno tracks (they didn't) ¬ they tried to be human league mixed with fad gadget (they were crap) ¬ the english and the mad dog ¬ the portuguese and the tears ¬ in the end only the tears survived ¬ french tears ¬ benjamin is portuguese ¬ benjamin is english ¬ they are not anymore eerohz ¬ croaxford went to have babies ¬ silva-pereira persists in giving tears away (an old habit) ¬ eerohz, what is that? ¬ heroes ¬ 'heroes' ¬ eros ¬ herois ¬ heras ¬ eerohz ¬ r.i.p. ¬ vanita vanitas ¬ eerohz was an amalgam of inventions, artistic inventions ¬ blue athletic boys for pictures ¬ visual masturbations ¬ entertainment for the fool, the foul ¬ hera ¬ era ¬ oz ¬ nasty feedback, noise out of colected manure ¬ but then eerohz became for a little while, eerohz ¬ hero ¬ odd ¬ eerohz, a pastiche, a vanglorious little dream, a surface rippling in acid tears ¬ then it was silence ¬ there is silence ¬ now ¬ silence ¬ it will be silence ¬ there will be silence ¬

les poetes son morts, la pluie chant ¬ d'amour sur la ville ¬ a feather of a pigeon, an open book, an empty book of memories ¬ a stain of coffee on the page ¬ swirl the piano ¬ echoes and the songs of the moon never written ¬ the dreams on the lunatic asylum ¬ images and of images the sound of silence or the silence of sound ¬ abort ¬ abortion ¬ nadomorto ¬ born dead ¬ the full moon is the faithfullest of companions ¬ ripples ¬ the pregnant noon ¬ eerohz, here, reflected by non-sense and emptyness and very bad recordings ¬ no moon, no melodies, no siren, no remembrance ¬

if you go to myspace and look up for eerohz, yes, they are there with some plinky plonky very forgettable musiques ¬ b. Croaxford never wanted to be photographed and he choose to be the blue boy looking at the stars soviet kind of propaganda macho, enigmatic, there and distant at the same time (that’s why one night b. Silva-pereira wrote a song/verses about blues boys riding horses! The text must be lost or somewhere – linda, would you search for ‘blue boys’ on the tera computer? Thank you darling!) after linda found them we realised the blue boys thingy was/is absolutely stupid and very badly written – but as this is about someone and something that came to be – oops, hehey! – here they are (blue was the choice of colour for their nasty horrible promo cd’s) ¬ / BLUE DANCE KIDS PIERCING VIOLETS CRAZILY ON A DREAM like house luminous blue dance kids, unclothed smiles and nothing but a palimpsest of joy violet dance kids remembering cunningham’s silence or a cage interlude violet dance ephebes pulling branches riding glittering horses on spring moon dance boys of gold pubescent genitalia adoring Bacchus and phallus – parenthesis: burroughs on a street of london through the invisible lens of the snake jarman’s hold, shattered glass blood shit cut-up reality, medusa’s head, ivy dipping dope, slit wrists, scrying sages on a black alley, the screeching of homey and rum on some sailor’s crotch, oh, oh, vidal smiles and smokes a cigarette (around 1948 in paris), almada’s nakedness on a pedestal rising pederast narcissus of egypt and wooed by imbeciles, reflexes on the river’s muddy waters balancing dreams and forgotten flames [enters orpheus crying for a lost Clepsydra:]

/ the end of a story wandering (or wondering?) immortal flesh proud in sorrow praises of liars twilight of desires, flesh immeasurable HEAVENS… / gold dance men kissing cocteau’s mirrors on a bright garden of silence golden dancing satyr fornicating ariel’s oak quietly startled. / black nubian dance man erecting genitalia ejaculating stars, black egyptian god dancing around a fire of flying poems: I salute the foolish man and woman, ashes of ashes! / obliterating the angels oh, what a strange ADAGIO depending on laughter and a queue of symbols forced upon one, what a strange oblivion, TRANSFORMATION (absolutely naff, obsolete and meaningless, don't you think?)

¬ 53 seconds left ¬

don't forget to save ¬

what?

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¬¬¬ dub echoing 53 ¬¬

the queen is dead ¬ on the right hand side you can see the only authorised photograph of benjamin croaxford old of a few years ago, so it is very possible that he grew up, doesn't smoke anymore and is not a hoody anymore. yes the top says 'vans' or 'swans', we are not sure at all. above you can peruse through some of the graphic work that mister croaxford produced along the years of eerohz first incarnation (2001-2009) - yes, he is supposed to be the blue imposing boy on that sleeve on the left hand side (but we can not recall the photo shoot, even if we have a very nice copy framed on the corridor at home.) the orange/red portraits is the other benjamin, the silva-pereira, that one early morning wondered naked around the flat and produced those images for his first film called 'the wordS' (that you can have a sneak view (naked and all, wow!) on his facebook page, and other more un-naked bits on youtube (yeap, eerohz.) so, are you getting any of this? did they exist or not? we presume they did, but we are not sure. the fact is that eerohz collaborated with bipolarbeats in two songs, 'lithium' and? can not even remember, oh, 'luciano berio's chair'. but then that was after b. croaxford left the duo immersed in disappointment and unglorious frustrations. no surprise there.

the second incarnation of eerohz, the non existent band, was very short indeed, very vey short. apart for the aforementioned two songs with biploarbeats (little snapshot on the right) nothing worth of note was composed or produced. that saying, on last wintry december mister silva-pereira went to his coccon back to portugal, found his very old revox and came up with four ambientish and very poorly recorded and worthless four tracks based on his readings of french poets. they are part of a little data dvd that he, sometimes plays alone in the living room while reading even more french poetry. so, eerohz are and were not any kind of valuable contribution for the wondrous world of music and arts, just a little accident that could well be mistaken with a bad piece of fiction. alas, could have been worth. there are not many facts about the two benjamins and we are glad this is over. AH! if you wish to have a copy... bah, forget it.

a catalogue of inexistent recordings by eerohz

will follow for those interested in fictional bands

and curiosa obsoletanea!

avanti marinaio!

the strange 'dream' of mister pedro amaral > opera >

2010-05-20T14:13:00.000+01:00

for those in the know, the twentieth of april (1974) is a very important date, for democracy, for dreams and for a tiny little country seated by the atlantic, the western part of europe, where land ends and the sea/dream starts. it is indeed the day of the ‘carnation’ revolution, as once was knew, in portugal, and symbolises the defeat of fascism in europe with the kick out of marcello caetano, president of the last fascist country in europe (?) – an important day to all, aware or not of these struggles and oppressions, as the supposed new world was starting. they were free, therefore we were free. this preamble makes me sad as last twentieth of april i put my legs and my brain on the way to ‘the place’, a very nice organisation for multi-arts/media, that i visited before several times to see, watch and be marvelled with words, songs, theatre plays, performances and installations (of which, just once, i was involved in the way of words for an art installation/video performance of the lovely sonia rodrigues.) i arrived and had a portuguese lager (i hate lager, but, patriotism oblige...) and i smoked a disgusting cigarette and observed languidly the people arriving to ‘the place’ trying to guess who was portuguese or not. the reason is that i was completely excited, like a little child to whom there was the promise of a wonder, a lollipop perhaps or a fable... yes, i recognised immediately this elegant and sculpture-like woman smoking gently, long hands and dark eyes, dressed very properly but with something odd, better say extravagant (the word applies to difference.) i consulted my booklet and i read her name while she finished the cigarette. she was fernanda lapa, the exquisite and legendary actress, producer, theatre founder, director. when she was about to extinguish her cigarette a plump young man approached and kissed her. apart from i wanting to celebrate the so said twentieth of april there was the man that made me travel from the quiet suburbs to central london, to ‘the place’. as i said above, the date was propitious to this event, it is/was my personal date of all things portuguese and this gentleman represents the idea of freedom and liberty, of dreams.

‘the place’ announced this event months in advance: ‘o sonho’ (the dream), an opera by pedro amaral, based on passages from ‘salome’, an unfinished play by fernando pessoa. things were getting even more exciting because is the 25th of april, a world premiere of a new opera and then, based on my beloved mister pessoa! i even had the t’shirt to prove that i am, not a fan but a lover of all things pessoana! mister amaral looked briefly to my t’shirt and then he went with miss lapa. we were about to be witnesses of a pre-opera talk. let me just note, for assurance, mine than anyone else, that i do abhor pre-talks of any kind (except of conductor alsop that was a delight!) so i sat and the small white room was almost full with the usual intellectual types (or at least they seemed to me): glasses, tartans, leather coats, photographic cameras and non-blinking eyes avid to hear mister amaral that entered to a big applause. there was to be an interview with an intellectual with very bad english, which didn’t help at all during the brief conversation. after the usual eulogies and personal details, where mister amaral studied and where he is teaching now [author of a long analysis on stockhausen's "gruppen" (masters degree, 1998) and a vast dissertation on "momente" and the form problematic in serial music (phd thesis, 2003), professor at the university of évora, where he teaches composition, orchestration and contemporary aesthetics], mister amaral apologised for his bad english (that is not bad at all) and launched himself in a fervent discussion and elucidation as how the project came to fruition (with the sponsorship of the calouste gulbenkian foundation and the commission by the beautiful and awesome london sinfonietta, etc.) mister amaral discourse was filled with high gestures of excitement while he was trying to tell the audience who fernando pessoa was (and that after 77 years of his death there are still being published new works) and how he came around to adapt the unfinished play. things were reaching an ecstasy point when we learn that this opera was very different from others based on oscar wilde’s ‘salome’ (richard strauss) and the play different from the biblical story. the dream of the title was supposed to be the dream of salome and her two slave-maids that would interchange their thoughts/dreams to a point where, near the end of the opera, salome’s role was to be sang by one and the other maids. no, the dream was subjective and a virginia woolf’s kind of stream of consciousness, all very connected. salome would ask for a captain of her father’s death, but not of john the baptist, and the initial dream of salome about the saint would have a twist in the end. the head on a platter would be of a murderer and not of the saint, just to be ‘twisted’ in the final scene by her father’s announcement that the head was after all of the saint baptist...

now you know why i don’t like pre-talks of any kind. mister amaral spoke too much too fast in his, blessed, excitement to be understood and comprehensible. well, the dream was not a dream anymore and i felt betrayed. so, now on it would be very difficult to go again to a pre-whatever-talk, i have no doubts. maybe the lager was too bitter and acidic and maybe it made me dizzy and confused after all. too many words in one life’s is sign of emptiness, my dearest l. k. de nerval once wrote. desist i would not. so i re-read the booklet and thought that this special day would let me down, there were too many dreams going around on my head. (you can obtain the libretto and comments on www.musica-gulbenkian.pt or www.gulbenkian.org.uk or visit his very good website www.pedro-amaral.eu with awesome photographs of the lisbon performance of ‘o sonho’ that look much better and beautiful than the world premiere at ‘the place’.)

to be honest i didn’t have a clue what to wait, i was a novice about mister amaral’s music (shame on me) and i was open to be delighted, surprised and enchanted (i am naive still at 43 years of age!) i sat and saw these figures seated on the small stage, i was on the first row with my pessoa t’shirt, and they were multiples of mister pessoa himself! one, two, three. the orchestra entered to rapturous applause (that they did and do deserve!), the usual tuning of the instruments (cellos, an array of percussive instruments, not many violins, flutes) and lights out, the dream was about to start, at last. my heart was paced and my ears and eyes wide open. i attach a photograph of a part of the score for your analysis (the envelope one.) two ladies in night gowns and a pale light. they observe us (and my t’shirt) – then the shadows of the several mister pessoas come slowly to surround them (nice effect) and the thing starts. the thing, i wrote. the thing, not the dream. or at least mister pessoa’s ‘the dream’. if you can imagine a small orchestra as described above playing mark-anthony turnage (that’s another sad story) etudes and elegies at the same time as ‘le pierrot lunaire’ by schoenberg with percussion bursts of george benjamin’s ‘olicantus for 15 players’ interspaced with layered multiple plays of wolfgang rihm’s ‘canzona per sonare’ with a very well possessed diamanda galas, voila, that’s the dream. now you can call me a reactionary and conservative and old fashion, please do (and i can assure you i am not!) there was a scene where one of the fernando pessoa’s shadows/characters picks up a video camera and films salome, being relayed to the backstage screen to the effect of absolutely nothing. it was appalling and ugly, unnecessary to the opera/story/singing/drama. worst than that was that this slow spectacle happened again. and again. i know, i know, multiplication of characters, multiple personality of the writer, blah, blah, blah, humbug! the frenzy of the sound was at moments delightful, especially the flute trio on the flashback scene, number 7 –analepse, with wonderful arabesques and melodic pieces that actually dramatised the idea of this ‘dream’, a magic twist of sorts. not that i prefer melody above all, no, you know! a splash of beauty happened also in the previous moment, number 6, largo desolato, where an incredible harmony and musicality floated for moments (dreamy, yes, dreamy and lyrical and ethereal) just to go back to the cacophony and inarticulate musical language. i may be a sous chef and mister amaral a composer and professor and good luck to him and his music. do we need this kind of music? of course we do! this way we can remember webern, berg et al, stockhausen and ligeti, there is nothing wrong with that, at all! let’s not forget the title of this opera, ‘the dream’. ugliest of nightmares more possibly. i write this not comfortable, long time ago i promised to write only about the things i like and be indifferent to those i don’t. this time is different. fernando pessoa was/is the foremost writer/inventor of the past century. if someone embarks in a voyage to compose ‘the dream’, at least should have a revolutionary and daring language as pessoa, invent, imagine, dream! what i saw and heard was ugly, dissonant, macabre. it was a revisit of past glories (dodecaphonism, serialism, schoenberg especially.) it is disrespectful and almost offensive (maybe not for newcomers and novices, but... says the chef!) fernando pessoa was an inventor not only of others but above of himself, he multiplied his genius so many times that it will be centuries for someone else to be equal to him. but then, i wrote above i was open and wasn’t expecting nothing (and all, actually.) no, i like to be surprised, socked, offended and dared, all the time, please! but mister amaral’s ‘the dream’ has no inventiveness, no fulcrum, no ideas, no centre, no maelstrom to talk about (like it or not.) obviously knowing the writing of pessoa i certainly was expecting tricks of multiplication, miracles of doubles on stage and singing... on the elements of the orchestra... it was a nightmare. so it was, that i didn’t stay to talk with mister amaral or to drink a glass of wine (oooo, maybe it was portuguese wine, i should have stayed after all!)

the bareness of the stage and clothing, i think now it is enough (the mariner theatre play has got more momentum and life than this, and pessoa described it a static play!) the screen on the back of the stage was presenting the words from the singers (the beautiful words of pessoa) in english – the translation was not even bad, it was crap, unprofessional... enough, i say. ah! mister amaral conducted as well.

last word of exception and tenderness, admiration and honour goes to the three sopranos: carla caramujo, angela alves and sara braga simoes. they have the voices of angels, trained, beautiful and professional. applause to the london sinfonietta for its dedication in presenting new compositions and bravura for playing this piece. otherwise i am completely disappointed. a day that was supposed to be of dreams, liberty and beauty end up being a very cheap plonk no one uses even for cooking. tastes are tastes, opinions opinions, mister amaral has all the right in the world to write his music and be heard, no doubt. as it is.

text and photos/montage by benjamim da silva-pereira

pedro amaral conducting and musical envelope photographs (c) fundacao calouste gulbenkian

De la naissance d’un nom à la naissance d’un genre

2010-05-20T11:56:00.001+01:00

"Cette chasse nouvelle aux sexualités périphériques entraîne une incorporation des perversions et une spécification nouvelle des individus. La sodomie - celle des anciens droits, civil ou canonique - était un type d'actes interdits ; leur auteur n'en était que le sujet juridique. L’homosexuel du 19ème siècle est devenu un personnage : un passé, une histoire et une enfance, un caractère, une forme de vie ; une morphologie aussi, avec une anatomie indiscrète et peut-être une physiologie mystérieuse. Rien de ce qu’il est au total n’échappe à sa sexualité. Partout en lui, elle est présente : sous-jacente à toutes ses conduites parce qu’elle en est le principe insidieux et indéfiniment actif ; inscrite sans pudeur sur son visage et sur son corps parce qu'elle est un secret qui se trahit toujours. Elle lui est consubstantielle, moins comme un péché d’habitude que comme une nature singulière. Il ne faut pas oublier que la catégorie psychologique, psychiatrique, médicale de l’homosexualité s’est constituée du jour où on l’a caractérisée – le fameux article de Westphal en 1870, sur les "sensations sexuelles contraires", peut valoir comme date de naissance - moins par un type de relations sexuelles que par une certaine qualité de la sensibilité sexuelle, une certaine manière d’intervertir en soi-même le masculin et le féminin. L’homosexualité est apparue comme une des figures de la sexualité lorsqu’elle a été rabattue de la pratique de la sodomie sur une sorte d’androgynie intérieure, un hermaphrodisme de l'âme. Le sodomite était un relaps, l'homosexuel est maintenant une espèce." Michel Foucault (1976) Histoire de la sexualité, 1 : la volonté de savoir.

Malgré tout le respect que je porte à Michel Foucaud, et bien que je sois d’accord avec le fond de son discours, le raccourci historique attribuant à Westphal en 1870, la naissance d’une caractérisation sociale ou médicale de l’homosexualité n’est pas exact.

L’histoire des homosexualités met en interrogation les pratiques sexuelles bien sûr, les représentations et les mots mis sur ces pratiques, mais aussi sur les identités sexuelles, la manière dont les homosexuels se voient et sont perçus par la société.

Avant l’acte fondateur d’une caractérisation, l’homosexuel était un sodomite, terme juridique qui depuis des siècles servait aux tribunaux à qualifier l’acte qui était répréhensible et bien souvent fortement puni. Selon les mots que l’on emploie pour désigner l’homosexualité, celle-ci s’est vue prise en otage par la religion, par l’état, par la justice, par la médecine puis la psychanalyse, et enfin par la société.
Tant de noms les homosexuels ont subi. Tant de sobriquets, tant d’insultes. Un mot, juste un mot pour définir ce qu’ils sont. Comme si ce qu’ils sont peut se définir en un mot. Mais au moins un mot, autre que celui de sodomite, de bougre, ou de tapette ; un mot qui met l’homosexuel à égalité avec cette autre pratique qu’est l’hétérosexualité. Juste un mot pour se caractériser, se reconnaitre, s’identifier un peu, et s’accepter. Ce qui n’a pas de nom, n’a pas d’existence.

Même si le mot "homosexualité" n’est que la suite d’une longue liste qui le caractèrise,"bardache", "bougre"(de "bulgare") Terme employé pour désigner les hérétiques albigeois, cathares et bulgares ; il prendra progressivement les sens d'homosexuel jusqu'au début du XIXe siècle, "castor" au XVIe-XVIIe, "culiste", "infâme", "tante" au XVIIIe, "rivette", "corvette", "persilleuse", "sodomite" ou "pédéraste" au XIXe, il a l'avantage d'être porté par les voix des médecins. Enfin, les homosexuels deviennent un groupe à part entière.

Même si beaucoup de chemin restera à faire. C’est autour de ce mot que vont s’organiser tant de forces qui seront l’émergence de l’acceptation d’une sexualité par une société qui les a portée au bûcher pour ce qu’ils sont. La libération d’une façon d’aimer.
Concernant l’histoire de l’homosexualité, deux écoles s’affrontent. D’un côté les existentialistes, de l’autre les constructivistes. Pour les essentialistes, il s’agit d’une attirance entre des individus de même sexe qui existe toujours et partout, avec des proportions, une acceptabilité sociale et une visibilité variables. Mais pour les « constructionnistes », l’homosexualité est une catégorie très récente, qui n’a aucun sens avant le XIXe siècle. Comme le dit David Halperin, « l’homosexualité présuppose la sexualité, et la sexualité elle-même […] est une invention moderne constructionniste »

HOMODESIRIBUS:

HOMOSEXUALITE MASCULINE ET CULTURE,PEINTURE,PHOTOGRAPHIE,ART,LITTERATURE,JOURNAL PERSONNEL

http://homodesiribus.blogspot.com/2010/05/de-la-naissance-dun-nom-la-naissance.html

messieurs basho and pessoa (a brief encounter)

2010-05-11T17:29:00.001+01:00

One falls asleep in the garden’s bench, a melody of water dripping lullabying oneself, a companion to the diffuse images that slowly appear. Rains, and afterwards the heat, refreshes the body, the spirit wanders and the dream embraces one, coming from one doesn’t know.

First a grey and thick granulated oblivion, rain raining by my refreshed mind, a plan of calm and alive manner, one feels the air discoursing by the ears and neck. One dreams, but one feels the raindrops entering the closed eyes, it drips like in December. Oh, and it isn’t by chance? I can smell the scent of rosemary and cinnamon in the air.

I dream with a familiar face, too familiar for one’s business. A dream with Fernando Pessoa, boy of his mummy, that gentleman with a grave air and himself grey, a very clean white shirt and a bow tie of white and black stripes. He is very grey, but in dreams one doesn’t know how things and peoples are! Mister Pessoa is seated with his round spectacles on the table top, one of those esplanade tables, could it well be a café, but in the dream there is only Mister Pessoa and the table where the glasses shine, but all very grey. He smiles just a little childish grin, and I am surprised that he is drawing a risky smile on his lips. I do know he is not as he is on those poems of his, an anguished persona on those lines, that’s my surprise though he his not forcing a grin…after all, I notice a better deal, there is a white sheet of paper besides the spectacles, a very white paper, and on the top it is written a very corrugated calligraphy, Mister Pessoa handwriting. It says: Lisbon, the twenty-forth of December 1914. Someone giggles almost a wind whisper. I turn my head to the right, in slow motion. Oh! We have another personage!

Matsuo Basho giggles with his small hand in front of his small mouth. One must confess that I have never seen a photograph of him, or eve a drawing, it seems reasonable to dream that there aren’t any images of Basho; wrong I may be. There he is giggling in a low tone, little hands, as the ones of a child, and very tanned. His head is shaven and he has got very big ears, indeed! I can not help myself but laugh as well.

It is raining after all; dreams are not to trust. In the North they say of this rain that ‘it is raining pots’! Moreover Mister Pessoa and Mister Basho fell on the dangerous street, their arms and legs in the air, the earth is sly and the stones polished by the rain. An old woman crosses the road shouting her fish, so alive that it is jumping on her basket balanced on her head like a circus acrobat. Look at the sardine, so alive, come and buy my sardine! Rains only rain, monotonous and repetitive like a strange music that sometimes I can hear coming from nowhere. I may as well repeat that rains a wet rain and of mad men, the tiny little one that goes deep in to your bones, as they call it ‘the fool’s catcher’. Perfect rain for the lunatics, indeed, dense and strong, very grey, of that thickness that sometimes words are made of, and it impregnates the skin on a very uncomfortable way; but it tenders the heart, turning us alive and living madmen, fools alive and lunatics! The monotonous rain, helas!

Mister Pessoa straightens his bow tie, a papillon as he calls it, and Mister Basho observes very cautiously the hand written words, he is wearing now, as well, round glasses of a particular shinning, the one the poet’s specs have and no one else. Still, all is very blurred and grey as in an old and sepia daguerreotype, brilliant and thick.

Mister Basho giggled once more, and reads,

‘Dear Baby Jesus,

I do hope you are less old than last year, as far as I know, divinities do not grow old and they change the steps of time, deranging its creations and the human race.

I hope as well that you are not grumpy of with a serious face on the day before of your new birth, renaissance I must write instead. My beloved Ophelia spoke about you yesterday. She told she had bought you, very little and fats, with blushed cheeks and that you had, luck of lucks, a diaper all very modern and covering your pudenda. Very much as in the modern illustrations of the Christian news papers and magazines. Apparently you had your little arms in the air and a leg dangling up, tiny fat and heavy fingers! Could I forget that you had a halo around your curly brown hair? A bronze and very round halo. How very clumsy of my beloved to believe you of clay and all so newly born, and already with long hair on the manger, of painted straw, clay also! Beloved Ophelia, so puerile and gracious.’

In this moment Mister Basho looked through the window, the only one on the inn’s room occupied by Mister Antonio Nogueira, also called Fernando Pessoa. The rain is like a powerful heavy for, says he, no, no! The dew, he amends. Enormous, impenetrable and thick dews. Mister Pessoa agrees and tilts his head to the paper, reading it slowly. He doesn’t like the letter, he concurs that he must start it again, but he gives it up. Mister Basho, on a clean and soft voice tells him that he likes pretty much Miss Ophelia, she is, and he thinks, like a Christian angel, an androgynous being. Mister Pessoa shrinks his shoulders; they stare at each other, very still, like a grey photograph just out of the chemicals, developed and shinny. Mister Pessoa wonders his eyes through the window and exclaims: such a solitary tastes this dew. Mister Basho smiles and repeats: the solitary taste of dew! He continues, smiling beatifically: this dew is very good, imagination could get lost there. Like the peoples that never come back to the place of the blues, saudade! For a figment Basho metamorphoses itself into a pharaoh, an Egyptian sphinx, feminine and lovely. He returns to the dream again as a photograph of the dew.

‘Ophelia told me that she fell in love with you, little clay Baby Jesus, just a figure of you, among so many, so fragile and tender. I didn’t get jealous, promise! Every year she tells me of composing the crib, and this year she had to buy a new Baby Jesus, the other one got broken inside the shoebox, against Saint Joseph and Virgin Mary.

I do know is childish and a caprice of an accountant to scribble these lines, but this dew makes me feel so solitary, the day before Christmas, only the sound of rain falling on the street stones. They are singing a little sonata about you. I do feel better now, although the taste of dew, lonely and very convex, illiterate. I believe that you may exist somewhere, not on the altars and on the gospels that all interpret and none obliges.’

I can see the calligraphy, a long and calm one. This letter was written with tenderness, I guess, calmly under the vigilant eyes of Basho, a smiley face that agrees whit those words, his head slightly curved into the page. An evening when the church bells tolls and down on the street rushing footsteps echoes in the little inn room. Mister Esteves, the one on the other side of the street, shuts the kiosk, the Tobacco Shop, the hooks clinking trough the thin fog, metal on the almost empty street reminding Mister Pessoa of a trip to Liverpool and the dockyards… The people rushing are going to the church, the Cock Mass as they call it in Lisbon, thick coats bottomed and happy wet eyes. A Japanese flute can be heard by the serious contours of the room squeezing through the white Arabesque smoke of a rolled cigarette Mister Pessoa is smoking. Basho tells him: this is my Christmas present, the dew, that will come every day someone commemorates you, and this music a present it is too, and it tells the story of a day extinguishing on the song of birds.

these are the first pages (unedited, unrevised or re-written),

as they appeared long time ago on a sleepless night,

part of the unfinished 'when angels dream of poets',

a palimpsest novella

benjamim silva-pereira

that, today,

on the 11th of may 2010,

unsure,

decided to lose the shame

and present these fragments.

vanita vanitas!

fables against gravity > cata1 > first photos >

2010-05-02T09:20:00.001+01:00

fables against gravity > track list >

1. protyv > lonely mariachi > © 2010 protyv > portugal >

2. pieter hurst > erezioni (miniature no. 14, from ‘nude maschile’, opus 14, 1986) > © 2010 catalogue of wonders > germany >
3. hey exit > you could see through it for miles > © 2010 hey exit > u.s.a. >
4. b.atl > legorobot in my room > © 2010 b.atl > macedonia >
5. synopsis decay > memorised skies (1st and 2nd movement) > © 2010 synopsis decay > netherlands >
6. heinali > ave moog > © 2010 heinali > ukraine >
7. tentaculo > in praise of indecision (deny reality) > © 2010 tentaculo > brazil >
8. phirnis > who is this who is coming?> © 2010 phirnis > germany >
9. limnul > a brithdate grace for miss claire > © 2010 limnul > ireland >
10. bipolarbeats > the bubble in the bong >© 2010 bipolarbeats > ireland >
11. ainst > rave wave > © 2010 ainst > russia >
12. c.cu > the hospital ship > © 2010 c.cu > ireland >
13. damjan cvetkov-dimitrov > welcome exactly > © 2010 damjan cvetkov-dimitrov > macedonia 14. b2 > untuned piece (interlude #6) > © 2010 b2 editions / catalogue of wonders > france >

architecture and light > essay 1 >

2010-04-25T10:26:00.002+01:00

25th of april bridge, belem, lisbon