Diatribes
Echoes and Sirens
SWITZERLAND
Aussenraum AR-LP-011 LP/DL
(2018)
This duo of Laurent Peter - aka d’incise - and Cyril
Bondi break new ground in their pursuit of an amalgam of improvisation and
modern composition, or as the sleevenotes put it; “…a possible relation between dub and experimental music.” Echoes
and Sirens is their third approach to said amalgam given a release after Augustus and Great Stone/Blood Dunza. The
task Diatribes have given themselves is to dissolve a healthy enthusiasm for
dub reggae in a solution of sound production techniques before passing through
a filter of extended-technique electro-acoustic improvisation. Echoes
and Sirens is a substantial piece of work.
Where on the previous records they have worked as a duo, here they
employ more firepower; as well as adding Raphael Ortis on electric bass, they
exploit a real horn section; Pierre-Antoine Badaroux on alto saxophone,
Bertrand Denzler on tenor saxophone, Louis Lourain on trumpet and Fidel
Fourneyron on trombone to great effect.
Aussenraum choose to describe what lies within these
grooves in negative; “…It’s definitely
not dub music, nor a dub version of experimental music, it’s not remixes nor a
figurative soundscape…” More like a silhouette. There are flashes of the source subject;
reminders or reflections of the original genre.
The sleevenotes cite the “aura”
of London-based sound system operator Jah Shaka in particular as the
inspiration for these pieces. Shaka
makes his own productions, most notably his Commandments
of Dub series from which The Ragga Twins famously pulled a sample for their
pristine 18” Speaker in 1991. Diatribes may have borrowed the title of the
first piece on Echoes and Sirens from
Hugh Mundell’s Jah Fire Will Be Burning;
a track Shaka has versioned.
Furthermore, the music is described as “Highly detailed textures, repeated gestures,
soft tones, febrile pulses and acoustic hyper-sensibility”. The album is presented as “Four imaginary moments of a sound system
night” with the addition of “…found
field recordings of Shaka’s parties and interactions with the crowd…”
The first piece is “Dub Fire Will Be Burning”. Stretched perception. Long-held harmony tones from the horn
section; circa 44 hertz sine tones for a bassline, lo-fi shouts and cheers from
the recordings of the parties, reverb-spring hits reverbed in turn, live rim-shots
sporadically placed; a deliberate chord progression. This is followed by “Tell Me, What Do You
See?” The hi-hat is used as the spine of
this piece. Shaka’s trademark siren
makes its first appearance. The sound of
a vintage keyboard – possibly a Phillicorda? – is employed, and long
echoes. The horn section play a slow suave
chord progression, the bass guitar stays minimal. A flip from hi-hat to rim-shot and tambourine
changes the mood to urgent; the horns become more strident.
Flipping the record over, “Don’t Trouble I (oh no)”, - the
title possibly a reference to Johnny Clarke’s Don’t Trouble Trouble; an artist who has also worked with Jah Shaka
- has an air of Minimalism about it. Relentless
repetition. Bass and drums distilled
down deep; forget about finding the One
– this ain’t One Drop – this is No Drop.
The final piece, “Continually”, features the instantly recognisable vocal
melody by Aisha – “The First Lady of Dub” no less - on Fast Forward Into Dub by Mad Professor, which you will be familiar
with from Blue Room by The Orb. Through endless repetition, Diatribes wring
every last morsel of meaning out of it; a simulated locked groove.
All four pieces hover between 10 and 11 minutes each,
giving a nicely four-square feel to the album.
What is common with all of Diatribes’ work is the care
with which they select their sounds; often complementing percussion sounds with
electronic noises of similar timbre to great effect. They select carefully with the skill and
experience of a Michelin-starred chef choosing ingredients. The idea in use here is a good one and
produces four radically different pieces.
Could Diatribes be moving experimental music on a couple of steps
here? I like to think so. Highly recommended.
