Vinyl-on-demand – VOD166
Drone: as with anything else that rarely changes, it's necessary to latch onto subtleties. What minimal suggestion put forth by a drone is so easily applied to pretty much any impression you might have that, predictably, describing one often leads to vague subjectivities bordering on bad poetry. And as much as I'd love to go around proclaiming my love for "deeply resonant, holy abysses" (not), I wish there were an easier way to communicate the real power of the things.
England's Hafler Trio are no strangers to an elusive clarity; rather, Andrew Mackenzie isn't. Mackenzie is the only current member of the self-dubbed h\xB3o, a group that at no point was actually comprised of three people-- unless you count their "collaborators", like imaginary scientists Robert Spridgeon or Dr. Edward Moolenbeek, both of whom were fabricated by Mackenzie and founding member Chris Watson (ex-Cabaret Voltaire) for their fairly astounding 1984 debut, Bang! An Open Letter. On that album, and on many early Hafler Trio recordings, tape edits and loops, found sound and Residents-style Dadaism ruled the day. Since Watson's departure in the late 80s, Mackenzie has gravitated more towards experimental ambient and drone music.
Autechre, on the other hand, seem to have been moving in the opposite direction. 2003's Draft 7.30 might have been slightly more straightforward than 2001's extraordinary Confield, but could hardly have been further from ambient if it tried. Even the moments that might conceivably have been called "drone" (parts of "Surripere", for example) seemed skittish and nervous. Certainly a far cry from anything on the Autechre/Hafler Trio split aptly titled, ae\xB3o & h\xB3ae, a daunting exercise in ominous hum, icy space and digital resonance. In fact, I had a hard time locating anything obviously Autech'd, whereas the album has much in common with recent Hafler releases such as the Moment When We Blow Flour from Our Tongues EP.
"ae\xB3o" begins as a high-pitched, muffled scream, clearly emanating from the cold circulatory system of a computer and without the slightest notion of making you feel all warm inside. Soon, what seems like white noise fills in the space beneath, and a bass-heavy generator noise becomes dominates. It reminds me of sound-sculptor Richard Chartier's album on American experimental electronic label Crouton from last year-- Hafler Trio have also recorded for Crouton, and fans of modern dark ambient and electronic will have much to investigate on their roster. "ae\xB3o" moves through long periods of relative calm (if you consider residual static hum calm), but never comes to a point of resolution. It's bleak, in the way any lack of root is bleak. It could also be endlessly fascinating in a chemically altered state.
The second piece, "h\xB3ae", begins unassumingly with what sounds like a distant wind. Listening closer, there's also a faint sonar whistle, gradually growing louder. Then, the unison growl of jet engines overtakes the introductory ambience, eventually expanding into a massive howl. It sounds as if I'm being sucked into a giant black hole, passing through faster and faster, until nothing is really clear except that there doesn't appear to be a light on the other side. Midway through the 15-minute track, things become calmer for a short period, as the "engine" noises give way to the sound of actual flight. However, again a gradual increase in volume and depth is used as a device to reel me further into the cavernous house of mirrors that is the artists' preferred workshop. The track ends with the only rhythmically active section on the CD, as the previous noises are cut up into short, clipped propulsions before settling on a single distorted buzz-drone.
Although Autechre and Mackenzie need little excuse to dive into the abstract, ae\xB3o & h\xB3ae is, as these things go, relatively accessible. For starters, there's much variation over the course of the two lengthy pieces, and things never really approach either pure noise or pure ambience. It's not the kind of record I'd play to chill out, but since there are hundreds of small details to focus on, anyone willing to block out some quality listening time (and not in need of any unnecessary "songs") could become quickly engrossed. Musically, it's consistently interesting, if a tad cold, so I'd recommend it with the caveat that you shouldn't expect much of a helping hand from the bands.
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