Laurence English — Transit
This particular recording is edited from recordings made in Thailand, Vietnam, Tasmania, Tokyo and England. The music has a panoramic quality that grabs you on the first listen. A case in point being the opener Oceanic drift in which elements from recordings in Thailand are mixed with subtle drones and little electronic loops to create a thick atmosphere of dread and intrigue. The album opener mixes directly into That was a lucky one where disembodied voice and birdsong combine with mechanical and incidental sounds. The synthesised electronics are never over the top and augment rather than lead the environmental recordings.
More ambient and moody than Luc Ferrari but too freeform to be lumped in with Eno, Budd and the like Laurence English clearly takes the field recordings as his start point, the editing of them is minimal and they form the backbone on which he places other sonic debris.
Closing frame is more aggressive than the other tracks, processed cicadas build to a caustic cacophony that images the listener as a tiny bug, overwhelmed by the power and noise of the vast forest. The second half of the track turns the scene on it’s head with airy drone, hinted melody and distant female voice.
Shinagawa (moment on Tokaido) features urban sounds with light synth melody and what sounds like a child toy rattle. More birdsong and drones make this piece a mix of uplifting escapism and city whiteout. Unlike Dual process which is the most overtly electronic of the tracks. Pinging panned sounds that sound like they are on the inside of a bamboo tube mix with warped human sounds and unrecognisable sounds of nature. The tension and dark mood of much of these pieces recall David Toops last album Black Chamber. Fans of him and the likes of Irr.App(ext), Keith Berry and Luc Ferrari will undoubtedly find interest in this well executed and focused music.