UK’s MUSIQUE MACHINE just reviewed two of our 4 new albums. TONUS’ Analog Deviation proves to be a difficult album, although one of our faves over here at the office, but luckily compensated with the 4 out of 5 stars rated review of TRANSITION UNIT’s debut album ‘Face Value’. Both albums are available here.

“4 out of 5 stars rating! Face Value is an improv album that rewardingly shifts between darting angularity, glum moodiness, and pulse-pumping manic-ness. Transition Unit is a three-piece project- bringing together two Portuguese musicians saxophonist José Lencastre and pianist Rodrigo Pinheiro, with Belgian guitarist Dirk Serries. The CD release appears on New Wave Of Jazz- a label focusing on the more difficult/ noisy/ experimental side of the improv/ modern composition/ jazz genres. The CD comes presented in a four-panel mini monochrome gatefold- on its front cover, we have a photo of a twisted & turned mosque with a dense shadow beneath, and on the back cover minimal text.  This release is Ltd to 200 physical copies and can be purchased directly from here. The album takes in six tracks in all- which have runtimes between four and ten minutes. We open with “Idea Assumption” which brings together long grating bows & jarring neck picks, tip-taping to cascading keywork, and piping-at-points- almost sassily harmonic horn work. The tracks start things off in a rewardingly off-centre tone. As we move through the record we have the tinkling key darts, manic horn honks, and jagged strum ‘n’ bay of “A Western Decorative Pattern”- a great breathtaking, and heart-pounding track- which is akin to a massive caffeine, while trying to tap-dance.  There’s the title track-  which is a mix of creaking &  atmospheric pick/ twang, moodily baying horn tones, and taunt/ fraught key cascading. With the album playing out with the nearing eleven minutes of “The Utopian Dadaist”. It opens with a tautly woven sound mat of rapidly darting keys,  busy neck picks, and this sort of semi-galloping horn piping. As the track progresses the whole thing takes off in a wonderful manic/ speeding manner, before shifting through slowing deconstruction, and moody pipes, flirts, and bounds. As far as I can gather Face Value is the first release from Transition Unit – though of course all of the members have been active within the European improv/avant-jazz movement. And I must say it’s both a wonderful engaging album, which marvellously darts, twists, and broods… Let’s hope there is more to come from Transition Unit!.” Musique Machine – UK

“Analog Deviation takes in two twenty-five-to-thirty-minute examples of wandering, sparse, at times abstract or noisy improv.  Tonus is a three-piece collective bringing together Dirk Serries- Archtop guitar, Benedict Taylor- Viola, and Martina Verhoeven- grand piano. On the front cover of this CD album, we find a monochrome picture of what looks like the stone archway/ crude flint celling of a crypt, and there most certainly is a feeling of grim tone/ mood here, though equally, we get a feeling of discord/ lo-fi noise sourness too. The two tracks featured are simply titled “Inbound” and “Outbound”. The first tack slips into awkward audio existence with a pared-back/ lose mix of angular sting fork, guitar neck grate, and inside piano pick ‘n’ knock. By the eight-half-minute mark,  we’ve certainly moved into gloomier realms- as we find bleak key hits, eerie creaks, brooding twangs, and sinister plucks.  Before later on shifting into starker/pared-back mixes of grates, sears, knocks and sudden baying fumbles/bounds/ discordant scrabs. The second track is the longest of the two at nearly half an hour mark. We open with a decidedly loose/spaced-out mix of key plucks, drags ‘n’ creaks, and brooding key strikes/slides. By the ten-and-a-half-minute mark, we find a sparse/stretched-out flow of string scrab/ bay, crude textual bang ‘n’ knock, and circling creak ‘n’ death bed twang. Before later shifting into crude key descend,  neck scuttle, and dense fiddle ‘n’ grate. Analog Deviation very much sits at the more sparse, loose, and abstract side of the improv genre. I can certainly appreciate both the player’s talents, and what they are trying to do here- but more often than not it felt just a bit too pared-back/ awkward for my tastes.” Musique Machine – UK