[2View] Masaya Kato :: Glass Anthimeria, SAVVAS METAXAS :: Magnetic Loops IV (Line)

Two albums, two deeply immersive worlds, where restraint, process, and patience become the most powerful instruments of all.

 

Masaya Kato :: Glass Anthimeria (Line)

“The three compositions incorporate sounds generated during the glassmaking process as well as the sounds from the works themselves and by digitally granulating (particling) the collected glass sounds. By constructing the piece to resonate with the classical technique Ogawa adopts, pâte de verre (a method by firing powdered glass in an electric furnace), it aims to connect the classical and the contemporary, imbuing the exhibition space with a sense of temporal thickness.”

 

From the opening moments, this album feels like aural feng shui. A purposeful placement of sounds that do not overwhelm, cast a shadow or change your thoughts mid stream. It feels like the Shiretoko Peninsula in light rain, watching someone prepare tea, while the world slows down around you. “Unit/01” begins and ends with a quiet, elegantly polite introduction to the process. An intimate feel of person and form, that makes each sound fall together with ease and skillful precision. Nothing jarring, nothing startling, just calm. The right place to be to make glass. “Unit/02” continues this path. A zen-like state similar to meditation. It brings you to the feel of the process, one which produces intricate designs and patterns. It allows for the precise placement of colors within the glass mold. In the end, the resulting pieces are polished and finished. Sounds sparkling within thick pads, that dance and bloom. It’s where the music is guided to the reveal. “Unit/03” feels like you’ve become one with the piece, one with the process, and begin to feel its final form. Singing glass expertly laid on warm moments bring you to their conclusion. The piece is created. It lives in your mind, feeling like you had a hand in the process.

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SAVVAS METAXAS :: Magnetic Loops IV (Line)

“This is the sound of halcyon. This is your escape from spiraling thoughts. Impossibly beautiful, at a time when we need it the most. Three new long form compositions based on the magnetic tape and the Revox A77, this time with the electric guitar as the main sound source as well as Turkish bağlama / saz that was purchased on a recent trip to Istanbul.”

 

Such a simple set of rules. Two stringed instruments and tape. Glorious analogue tape. A combination that creates heavy limitations, can also create endless freedom. A freedom that is becoming more popular in experimental music. One that I welcome. You get a true insight into the work created, when there is nothing to hide behind. “gml, pt. 1” will live rent free in my mind for a long time. I keep listening to this piece, picking apart moments with childlike enthusiasm. How the individual sounds collide and form more complex sounds, while percussive hits echo and slap perfectly. This combination gives me many mind movies. A new ground zero for me. The testament to what is possible, when you tear away impossibility, on glorious tape. “gml, pt. 2” is the definition of minimalist to me. Quiet moments that fall between clicks and the unknown are perfectly represented. It travels differently than the piece before, which a good album should. When you use limited tools, you create what you want to hear in ways you didn’t think were possible, and that opens doors. All of them. Minimalism done right. “gml, pt. 3” starts the main feature. Dramatic chords fall and spiral on a slapped stringed instrument. Silence, then drama, then the exhale. It keeps your attention on the mind films you’re creating. A masterful use of aural air and shade. The ending you needed, for an album you didn’t know would change you. Simple, can also be powerfully complex. Magnetic Loops IV is over an hour of life changing moments. Ones that will live with me. Rent free.

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Glass Anthimeria and Magnetic Loops IV are both available on Line.