A more apt and straightforward title for this album there literally could never be, the musical chemistry between Zudyervelt and Davis resulting in an incredibly natural growth and evolution across both tracks and the album as a whole.
[Shop] The scarily prolific Machinefabriek has been involved in a vast array of collaborative projects since he first burst onto the scene and this latest on Sonic Pieces is a largely improvised one that once again sees him using his subtle processes and drones to augment the tone and character of a lone musical instrument. Grower is the third release to feature material taken from the session recorded with clarinetist Gareth Davis in Amsterdam in 2010, the first of which appeared on Machinefabriek’s own label and the second, Drape on Home Normal, and each of them has a distinct, unique voice.
A more apt and straightforward title for this album there literally could never be, the musical chemistry between Zudyervelt and Davis resulting in an incredibly natural growth and evolution across both tracks and the album as a whole. “Part 1” is the subtler of the two pieces and as the press releases aptly states it is at first genuinely quite hard to hear exactly what it is that each artist is doing. Experimentation with listening volume is both intriguing and rewarding: try it at very low levels with the doors and windows open allowing it to weave its way through the surrounding ambient noise and you’ll find Zuydervelt’s hovering, blue sky drones gently drift toward you on the wind from somewhere in the far distance, snaking through space and tugging Davis’s breathy clarinet delicately out of the air to caress the ears in the process. Here, it is Machinefabriek’s drone that evolves most significantly, from felt-rather-than-heard bass drones to an edgy machine-thrum that creeps closer and closer as Davis’ improvisation creates mesmerising cloud formations.
In “Part 2” it is Davis that takes center stage, initially still virtually indistinguishable from Machinefabriek’s electronic processing, but emerging in deeply felt sweeps revealing free-form melodic phrases and figures, flitting occasionally into higher registers or deliberately distorted, breathy notes. Before you know it eight full minutes have past and an electrical grid of buzzing energy is fully audible beneath a now free-jazz shower of clarinet. As this net builds in complexity and intensity, Davis’ clarinet begins to lose its center until finally the sound of the instrument is fully audible as it flutters and bats against Zudyervelts’ prismatic prison. More than mere improvisation, there are repeated and recognizable figures right up until the closing moments as Machinefabriek’s drone becomes a final, almost deafening squall of electricity. Taken as a whole the entire piece resembles some sort of fevered dream, the brain working overtime to resolve some complex puzzle until sleep is no longer possible and a jolt leads to full consciousness.
This is an unusual release for Sonic Pieces as to date the focus has primarily been on modern classical releases, and along with the recent release of Erik K Skodvin’s Flare takes the label in new and interesting directions. At only two tracks, the grey cloth-bound book package with dark grey wrap-around band and printed gate-fold insert may seem a little expensive (the hand-made nature of Monique’s releases dictates this) but the presentation is as usual first rate, and frankly the musical experience contained within bears such fruit on repeated listens that it is absolutely worth investigation. Hopefully more releases as diverse as this will make their way to us through Sonic Pieces in the future.
Grower is out now on Sonic Pieces. [Shop]
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