Musique Machine / Multi-Genre Music Magazine

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of legendary composer and experimentalist Iannis Xenakis' birth, the X100 Festival was held in Berlin in 2023. Solely using Xenakis' UPIC computer system, the duo of Russell Haswell and Florian Hecker teamed up again to record UPIC Diffusion Session #23, performed and recorded live at the above festival. THe UPIC system creates sonic translations of visual images, so while a picture may be worth a thousand words, it's also worth a thousand sounds. The duo used hand drawn images with varied inspiration (news photos of disasters, atrocities, "food porn," molecular structures, etc) and let their thoughts and art feed UPIC and give the world its result. Mego released the 32'43" track on vinyl and digital, and the voice of UPIC is engaging, captivating, and oftentimes noisy. Pretty interesting considering the source material, no?

Sprawling and chaotic, Haswell & Hecker's one track UPIC Diffusion Session #23 takes the listener on quite a journey in its thirty-two minute runtime. With the UPIC computer being fed a variety of images to decipher and sing about, the session covers a lot of ground, be it electronic, swarming insects, crunching, rumbling distortion, or ringing oscillations like the phantom sounds of a quiet, country night. While the varying tones and textures make the piece harder to put one's finger on, it exemplifies the nature of the UPIC as well as the live, artistic integrity of Haswell & Hecker. Allowing the work to head into unknown and unexpected areas while still being able to tame the beast and keep it engaging is a really admirable talent. And given the runtime, there is no shortage of possible offshoots and runaway sounds. One thing that the album playback lacks is the visual component, as one cannot see the images being processed and the subsequent sounds produced. However, it does add a new element of visualizing what could have made the sounds emanating from the speakers. Are they linear? Realistic? Abstract? It may be an easy task for those with synaesthesia, but doubtful that any two listeners would have the same image. This is an interesting approach and a nice way to commemorate Xenakis in one's own home.

Bridging the gap between visual and aural, Iannis Xenakis' UPIC machine creates art in the broadest sense of "multimedia." In tribute, Russell Haswell and Florian Hecker performed UPIC Diffusion Session #23 for his 100th birthday, and truly embraced his thesis and aesthetic. Connecting sight with sound may not be commonplace for all, but those that feel and see sound beyond what their ears register understand this album completely. For others, it's a great introduction to letting your senses meld and creating connections in the brain. The stark cover gives no indication of what to expect on the vinyl within, but after listening to this piece, one definitely would like to hear how this cover would sound through the UPIC. For more