UK’s MUSIQUE MACHINE, which has been very supportive of our label, just published this excellent review of HUGO COSTA & PHILIPP ERNSTING’s THE ART OF CRASHING album. Buy the album here.

“The Art Of Crashing servers up six slices of taut, tense, and often angularly seared improv for drums and alto Sax two-piece. It’s a release which sees the instruments at times swapping their formal roles, in both an intense and rewarding manner. The release appears on the always-worthy New Wave Of Jazz, which is an improv & modern composition label that is run by ambient experimental artist/improviser Dirk Serries. The CD release is presented in the labels house style min gatefold- which features on its outside grey boxes with white texts in, and inside a two page write up about the two players, and the tracks presented within. As with all of this labels releases- this CD is ltd, with it having a pressing of two hundred copies. And if you’d like to purchase it directly from the label head here Hugo Costa is an Alto Sax player from Rotterdam, and aside from another collab 2022’s Land Over Water. He is in three-piece project Albatre, who have put out five releases since 2013. And Anticlan- which is another three-piece, and has been active since 2018- releasing two releases. Philipp Ernsting is also based in Rotterdam, and handles the drums on the release- The Art Of Crashing is his first two-piece collaboration- though he’s also in the Albatre & Anticlan, as well as Ritual Habitual- a three-piece who have one release to their name 2021’s Pagan Chant. And from the beginning of this release, it’s clear both players are highly comfortable with each other. The six tracks featured have runtimes between one and sixteen minutes. And after the short intro/ warming up first track, we’re into “Twine Endangered” to begin with we find a tight and taut web of snaping ‘n’ rolling drums & rhythmic taps/ darts from the sax. As the track opens up the rhythmic darting tone of the Sax stays to an extent- but we get more honk, wailing waves and bays appearing- which is blended wonderfully with the detailed & taut drum work. As we move through the CD we come to “Nowhere Fast”, which is the longest track here. It opens with a blend of even tapping almost tribal drums, and playfully expressive Sax work. As the track moves on the Sax almost starts to twist off in more abstract and busy tangents, and around this the once fairly formal drum pattern, adds in a complex cymbal and drum patterns- all to create a wonderful urgent and brain cell-sparking track. The CD plays out with “Drink It Now” which begins with angular and waving compressed horn work- and rapidly snaking & darting drum work. As things move on the Sax starts taking on slightly more flighty at points harmonic touches in its flirting and bob flow, and this is wonderful added to by shift and detailed drum patterns. The Art Of Crashing is excellent and impactful improv album- with both parties rewardingly shifting, weaving, and darting around each other. I’ll most certainly be keeping an eye out for both player’s names in the future- as well as looking into the other two projects the pair are in together.”

VITAL WEEKLY just reviewed THE TAPE, our latest limited cassette release, featuring this outstanding concert GRAHAM DUNNING, BENEDICT TAYLOR and DANIEL THOMPSON played at the A New Wave Of Jazz festival in 2020 at Hundred Years Gallery (London, UK). This release is still available here.

“Let’s start by stating that it is a pity that the recording on the cassette is cut in two. On Bandcamp, it is presented as one piece and quite rightly so, as this is a live recording. I assume mixing (as mentioned on the cover) means creating a balance between the various instruments, but otherwise, it is presented as it was captured on February 8, 2020, during a festival the label organized in London. I assume many of the label’s musicians played in all sorts of configurations, and here we have a trio
of Graham Dunning (turntable, dubplates, spring reverb), Benedict Taylor (viola) and Daniel Thompson (acoustic guitar). All three play on earlier releases. This is exciting work, I think. Thompson and Taylor provide a more traditional part of the improvised music here, bringing in a lot of nervous and hectic sound, and their instruments sound like a viola and acoustic guitar. Both players don’t seem to extend to playing their instruments as objects. Dunning’s contribution is of an entirely different order. His records are scratchy, the spring reverb off and on leans towards feedback, and his contribution is the opposite of the other two. Electrified, at times sustaining, he delivers a tapestry of sounds in which the others find each other. Sometimes, it seems, Dunning is entirely silent, and we hear only the other two, but then Dunning drops another record and scratches his way back in. However, the music remains a conversation between the three of them. I can safely say I am no
expert in this field of music, but I think this combination of instruments is quite surprising and is quite rightly released, even when chopped in two. Sadly it is only just thirty minutes. I wouldn’t have minded this being a bit longer.” Vital Weekly – The Netherlands

Andrew and Dirk played two lovely sets, one in Gent (Cafe De Loge) and the other in Brussels (Haekem Theatre) while recording their first duo album at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio. Webzine LUMINOUS DASH was present at Cafe De Loge on Wednesday, January 25th, 2023, and wrote the following nice review. The excellent GEERT VANDEPOELE was there too and shot this beautiful photo.

Café de Loge kreeg onze landgenoot Dirk Serries (Vidna Obmana, Fear Falls Burning) en de Britse vrije improvisatie drummer Andrew Lisle op bezoek voor een gezellig setje vrije klankvorming. Lilse en Serries vormen samen met saxofonist Colin Webster het Kodian Trio, waarmee deze heren graag een ferme sneer van postpunk en free jazz tegen de trommelvliezen rammen. Het duo kwam voor hun (nog maar tweede) gezamenlijke optreden zonder machines, effecten en versterkers naar Gent.

Serries heeft een bijzondere fascinatie voor de Archtopgitaar. Deze akoestische of semi-akoestische staalsnaar gitaar die in de jaren veertig van de twintigste eeuw erg in trek was, versmolt tijdens de set volledig samen met de experimentalist. We kregen een krat uitdagend snarengeritsel dat begeleid werd door de onwaarschijnlijke percussie octopus Lisle. Het duo wentelde zich zonder moeite in een minimalistisch maalstroom van klankerupties die het café in een klankkamer omtoverden.

Geen effecten maar experimenten zorgden voor een knetterende akoestische set. Door het gebruik van vioolstrijkstokken op de gitaarsnaren en losliggende cimbalen produceerde het duo naast het snaren- en percussie gefriemel een portie akoestische drones. Dit merkwaardige geproduceerde gegons bewees nog maar eens wat het doel van vrije improvisatie betekent: grenzen verleggen en zoeken naar de bijna onmogelijke klanken die je uit een (hier akoestisch) instrument kan persen.

Allerlei drum- en satéstokjes werden inventief gebruikt tijdens het veertig minuten durende klankfestijn. Er was een duidelijke chemische verbinding merkbaar tussen de twee virtuozen. Met een minimum aan gereedschap (gitaar en één snaardrum) werd een creativiteit aan klankexperimenten getoond.

Chaos werd vermeden doordat het intieme spel en energie van de muzikanten steeds in balans bleef. Lisle en Serries genoten zichtbaar van hun interacties en spoelden hun geslaagde abstracte sessie met een streekbiertje door.

Tonight and tomorrow ANDREW LISLE & DIRK SERRIES (both are members of KODIAN TRIO with Colin Webster) are playing two Belgian shows, and recording at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio (Anderlecht, Belgium) Trimming it down to interaction on snare and archtop guitar but knowing both musicians the music will be equally free, intense and challenging as if they would do when playing with the full set-up. For those out there and in the neighboorhood, come on down.

The first review of GRAHAM DUNNING/BENEDICT TAYLOR/DANIEL THOMPSON is in, one by the renowned connaisseur of the free impro and free jazz, and vocalist, JEAN-MICHEL VAN SCHOUWBURG. In French but a really great one. Thanks JM!. This limited cassette is available from our bandcamp store.

“Crûment, the Tape. Benedict Taylor un altiste (violon alto!) classieux et son acolyte guitariste acoustique Daniel Thompson sont ici confrontés à un bruitiste affirmé , Graham Dunning , crédité turntable, dubplates, spring reverbs. Enregistré au festival A New Wave of Jazz dans l’incontournable Hundred Years Gallery d’Hoxton (London) en Février 2020 juste avant le début de la pandémie. Après un bref prélude sonore hésitant où chacun prend la mesure de l’autre, la musique décolle. Daniel Thompson suspend ses zigs-zags fragmentés en plein vol et Benedict Taylor alterne attentes crissantes et sursauts tournoyants alors que Graham Dunning intervient de différentes manières , caverneuse, sifflante, abrasive, sourde avec un de ses engins – allez savoir lequel. Une éternité de questions, de tentatives, de soubresauts, de hoquets pointillistes et de spirales de glissandi infimes et des réponses toujours reportées, tant le Dunning rétorque avec des sons hantés et insaisissables. L’imagination instantanée et l’instinct de Taylor est remarquabale. Mais voici que le lecteur JVC émet un gros CLAC abrupt qui semblerait faire partie de cette improvisation insolite. Part One ? Part Two ? Une pour chaque face de cette cassette mystère. Rien n’est indiqué sur la cassette, car peut-être sont-elles interchangeables. Donc après le CLAC de fin , une improvisation parfois plus offensive de l’altiste et du guitariste. Probant. Évaluer cette musique, en chercher les intentions ? Elle fait réfléchir et force l’écoute, sans qu’on puisse en dire que c’est une merveille. Réfléchir.” Orynx-Improv’AndSounds – Belgium