Z’EV and Bob Bellerue — Felt, If Not Seen

Several years back, I was lucky enough to experience an intimate, live performance by the percussionist Z’EV. Encouraging us to relax and lie down, he played in a darkened room for perhaps twenty minutes; though the passage of time was hard to gauge. I had seen the instrumentation as I entered, but I still left bewildered somewhat by the sounds Z’EV had coaxed forth. If you had told me that he’d actually been using a laptop and some synthesizers, I wouldn’t have felt it necessary to dispute it. The conjured soundscape was a dark, isolationist drone; drifting with meticulous care around the room - it sounded so convincingly electronic in origin, that it almost felt like a deliberate attempt to replicate isolationist pieces. “felt, if not seen” occupies a similar territory, with Z’EV playing alongside Bob Bellerue.

This is one of those recordings, where the listener can’t be sure who’s doing what. This fact isn’t helped by the lack of instrumentation or roles listed on the full-colour inlay; however, a photo of the duo performing, sees Bellerue surrounded by a laptop, cables and mixer, whilst apparently blowing into something. So, we could hazard a guess that he’s processing acoustic sounds. Z’EV sits in the background, nestled in an array of drums, cymbals, gongs, junk and percussion. The near hour-long track was recorded live in 2010, though it doesn’t state whether this was in front of an audience or nay. As mentioned above, this is a world of subterranean drones and isolationist drift; almost monolithic in places. However, its also a piece that foregrounds the percussive nature of Z’EV’s work, with the opening sections (and, to a degree, the closing) dominated by persistent, trance-like drumming. These booming, resonant beats shift and swell, accompanied by sub-bass throbs and snaking whines. This clears a little, after some time, to reveal a wider soundscape; the duo using space and “the” space to great effect, with clouds of ringing tones circling the recording.
 
Its not a criticism, when I say that “felt, if not seen” has a somewhat limited palette; I feel that its more a case of Z’EV and Bellerue simply being focussed and rigorous. Its certainly not to suggest that the performance is boring - far from it. The duo concoct an almost world-encompassing sound, made all the more impressive by the knowledge that the vast bulk of it (if not all of it) is acoustic in origin. The air hangs heavy with a foreboding, brooding atmosphere; its coldness tempered by the overt recognition that its being improvised in real-time, as opposed to someone sat in front of a monitor, sculpting the piece. This is a very accomplished release, equally enjoyable as an ambient “wash” or as concentrated listening.