Review

KIYOSHI MIZUTANI - HIDEAKI SHIMADA - KIYOHARU KUWAYAMA / GAMBETTA
Kiyoshi Mizutani was an early member of Merzbow, appearing on a lot of great early releases, and also has released a number of wonderful solo releases.
Hideaki Shimada released music under the name Agencement which was his dense field of sound created with violin, metal and tape.
Kiyoharu Kuwayama is a relative new comer who has recorded under the name Lethe and organized a festival under that name as well.
these three played together in one of those festivals, and then went into the studio to record this album. recorded in November 2001,
this album was languishing in the archives until Kuwayama remixed it in 2008 and it finally saw release in Russia. the 5 tracks
on this disc hover in a textural air with undefinable swirling noises, drones, hums, and electrical noises.

Dissonant Plane

KIYOSHI MIZUTANI - HIDEAKI SHIMADA - KIYOHARU KUWAYAMA / GAMBETTA

When after a longer pause I've sat to write another review, I've chosen a,rather difficult though interesting task.
I have this collaborational CD of three Japanese musicians, called Gambetta, in mind.
Album was released on Russian label Monochrome Vision. All three musicians are lost in infinite musical labirynths for more than 20 years already.
Since none of the names rang me a bell, I was rejoiced when I found short biographies of every of them on the cover.
Several facts: Kiyoshi Mizutani played with Masami Akita until 1989, Hideaki Shimada is violinist, recording his own
project Agencement to magnetic tapes since 1985 and Kiyoharu Kuwayama plays concerts without crowd with his violin in various spaces
(under bridges, in temples, warehouses etc.).
Truly interesting persons. The same words could go for this release. Gambetta is one interesting example of
abstract, antimusic, experimental music and you name it.
I don't like artsy pretentious stuff when "creativity" or "experiments" are just words to cover up lack of quality and toothless lack of ideas,
and that's called non-music etc. But this CD is not the case. In Gambetta, compositions evolves and transforms intuitively without going too far from absolute minimalism.
Light virages of sound, subtle feedbacks, more distinct and louder accents, ending in a few seconds and drowning into murmuring of field recordings.
This record is like a spider's web. Tender and almost invisible, but when you notice it, it attracts your attention.
Just at the very end of the album sound develops into several minutes of harsher noise, but it soon ends.
For the bigger part of the album you are enjoying individual sounds, their dispersion and purification in space. Without a doubt,
this release is not for die-hard fans of harsh music, but it's somewhat interesting and attractive.
I'm asking myself, while spinning this CD for yet another time, why it's that pleasant to listen to it, though that's absolutely not my cup of tea.
And still cannot find the answer. Maybe subtlety and lightness?
Interesting 50 minutes of field recordings, manipulations with contact microphones, feedbacks, violin and electronics.
And weird, schizoid atmosphere, created from aforementioned means.
I wouldn't dare to recommend this release, but I can assure that this album is interesting and peculiar.

www.terror.com (levas)