KG Augenstern — Circles and cycles (Tentacles in Sicily –scratchin
KG Augenstern are the German duo of Christiane Prehn and Wolfgang Meyer- they live & work on a ship, and their work sits in audio-visually/ audio-kinetic installation, performance and video side of things. They have been working together since the early 2010s, and this is the duos second release on Gruenrekorder- with their first been 2016’s Tentacles(also a CD/ book set) which featured bridge based field recordings made on rivers & canals between Berlin and North-East France. For this new release the pair have selected several abounded sites near Sicily- and in each, they make a recording of their tentacle( a thin metal pole).
The release comes in the form of a sixty-page booklet- this is glossy & around the size of a seven-inch vinyl sleeve- with the CD sits neatly at the back of the book in a card slip. The booklet features a write-up/description of the concept of the release, a good selection of location pictures- both in black & white and colour, and a description of each location.
In all the CD features eleven tracks and thirty-seven minutes of sound. As you’d might expect, there is not a huge difference with the main sounds on each track here- we get a series of scraps, drags & rattles. But within a few plays, you start to both notice the very different background ambience of each location, and the subtle different textures & patterns created by the tentacle-these move from rapid scribbles, pole like reverberation, chalky slides, busy judders, or almost improv like fidgets.
After initially feeling somewhat underwhelmed by this release, I must say that Circles and cycles very much grew on me- and now I’m rather taken by its blend of scrap & low key location ambience. And I’d say if you enjoy where light field recording and subtle textured noise meets you will find worth & enjoyment here.