Phill Niblock/Anna Clementi/Thomas Stern — Zound Delta 2

Zound Delta 2 is, unfortunately, one of the last things that Phill Niblock was working on before his death in January 2024, and in that regard is a fitting tribute to a sorely lost figure. Niblock was known for constructing monolithic drone works, often as installation pieces, and indeed I was lucky enough to see one - many years ago, in Ghent - and it was a visceral, compelling experience. Anna Clementi and Thomas Stern had been working with new Niblock scores in the years before his death, and these tracks came from that work. Clementi is a singer who works in the experimental sphere, whilst Stern is a musician who has worked with numerous people like: Phew, Nick Cave, Jaki Liebezeit, and Swans, and was a member of one of the Berlin incarnations of Crime & The City Solution.

 Zound Delta 2 is just short of 22 minutes in length, and is deceptively simple. It begins with breathing sounds and the splashing of water; these are joined by low, possibly vocal, tones, and everything builds until a thick drone emerges, with discernible layers of singing voices holding long harmonising notes. Here the piece lingers, formally, becoming a tangled weave of layers, balancing stasis and movement. Near the end the track starts to slur in pitch, sliding lower, and when you become aware of this it’s a really nice moment: the ground slips away beneath you. The piece culminates with the introduction of some very low notes - the entire track would sound monstrous through a large PA set-up.

Zound Delta 2 (version) is shorter, just shy of 19 minutes in length; it’s recognisably cut from the same cloth as the first track, but also noticeably different in execution. It begins with low notes and again builds with vocal sounds, but here the tone is more eerie, even bordering on creepy; indeed, as it develops it brings to mind the work of Diamanda Galas, which is high praise in this household. These strangulated notes, breaths, and voice cracks build into an imposing drone, accompanied by water sounds, before dissipating into stuttering vocalisations and mouth noises. Near the halfway mark the piece stops, rests, and starts again, with more water sounds - echoing the first version’s beginning, and one obvious difference between the two versions is that the second does feel like it is comprised of distinct sections, as opposed to the more monolithic drone of the first. The track builds again, and nice breathy gasps emerge, separate and above the drone; there are also very effective micro vocal sounds: clicks, and saliva sounds, for example. These alter the sense of depth and volume. The piece ends with a subdued vocal drone - again raising Galas, pursuing an unsettling, questioning path, with breathy gasps and sounds.

These are excellent works. I said the first version was deceptively simple - and they both are - but both pieces have a lot of detail, demanding close listening - really close listening. Like all good drones, in my opinion, they have surfaces that can be studied to reveal much deeper worlds of sound. Stern is listed as playing slide guitar and bass, but I would challenge you to identify his presence, again an indication of the effective construction of these tracks. Niblock is someone I never really got around to, so I’m pleased this was my introduction proper, and it’s a real spur to explore further. For more