Jason Kahn and Jon Mueller — Phase

‘Phase’ sees highly respected percussionist, improviser, electronic musician & sonic tension maker Jason Kahn  joining percussionist Jon Mueller(Collections Of Colonies Of Bees, Hat Melter, Pele, Raccoons, Telecognac) to create a forty minute piece of thick & tense interlocking drone scape & precussive dwell.

The track utilizes elements from a series of recordings made by the pair during their 2007 joint U.S. tour. Kahn has taken and composed theses elements into one long piece of sonic tension, tightness & pressure building soundscaping. It finds the pair building-up, shifting & interlocking layers of un-harmonic & pressing drone matter, taut & shimmering percussive layers, and general constricting, airless noise matter. 

From the tracks outset the tension, edginess & tautness builds & builds in it’s pressing intent;  it reaches it’s tension peak at the half an hour mark then drops back down into a more relaxing yet haunted gong type harmonic ring & ebb which carries you out to the end of the track in a slow fade-out. It’s an ‘ok’ piece of tensioned improv & pressing drone making by the pair, though it rather lacks that magic & moorish edge that would make me want to return to it often

The piece is being offered as a download or a ltd vinyl pressing with a collection of four prints. It’s certainly  not the best or most easy introduction to Kahn’s distinctive brand of tension bound mood setting, but if you’ve enjoyed his work in the past I’m sure you'll find this a worthy enough addition to his body of work.