Dean Roberts, Werner Dafeldecker - Aluminium

Artist:  Dean Roberts, Werner Dafeldecker
Album: Aluminium
Genre:  Abstract, Experimental, Ambient 
Labe:  Erstwhile Records
Recording Date: 2000


Roberts, who originally hails from New Zealand, began his career delving into guitar drones and feedback, both in the trio Thela and on his own, under the name White Winged Moth. He founded the label Formacentric Disk in order to document a wider range of his work, and released four projects in two years. In 1998, he began working with the influential German label Mille Plateaux, who put out his much acclaimed All Cracked Medias, and earlier this year, And the Black Moths Play the Grand Cinema, on their more experimental sublabel Ritornell.
Dafeldecker, a lifelong resident of Vienna, is probably best known for being an integral member of the improv supergroup Polwechsel, as well as for founding and running the influential label Durian. He's composed numerous pieces for various classical ensembles, and also appears on two recent notable CDs, Printer (Durian), and Martin Siewert's Komfort 2000 (Charhizma). Originally primarily a bassist, Dafeldecker has been working more with guitar and electronics recently, both of which he plays to great effect on Aluminium.
Aluminium was recorded during a marathon studio session in Vienna in April, and was brilliantly mastered by Tim Barnes. Both musicians play guitar and electronics, along with occasional percussion on a hi-hat placed between them. On the first track, Dafeldecker's sine wave electronics intersect with Roberts' rough guitar textures, priming the listener's aural palette for the marathon track which follows. This half hour long piece is a atmospheric exploration fusing the legacy of AMM with the spirit of rock and roll.
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Aluminium is the result of an extended studio session recorded in Vienna on April 13, 2000. At that time, New Zealand's Dean Roberts was a rising star in the European free improv sky. Werner Dafeldecker was already a renowned figure of the Austrian scene and one of the few influential people (with Günter Müller, Keith Rowe, Burkhard Stangl, and Martin Siewert) that defined the new aesthetics of improvisation in the third millennium. And the beautiful Aluminium embodies this fresh approach. Exit the virtuosic rates of notes per second and the over-adrenaline sweaty improvs. Roberts and Dafeldecker work on textures provided by electric guitars, simple electronics, and a high-hat placed between them during the session. Buzzes, crackles, and hums are carefully laid down in order to create strange and enticing pieces. "Rock and Roll Part 4" opens with a sine wave, accompanied by low guitar scratching (you'll never hear a chord or anything close to a note) -- a disquieting ten minutes. The half-hour "Rock and Roll Part 5" is on the contrary very atmospheric: textures develop slowly and surround the listener, catching his attention from every direction, atmospheric drones polluted by electrical discharges. A masterpiece. Of course, by now you must understand there is nothing "Rock & Roll" about Aluminium, except the prominent role played by the guitar. Well, maybe it's enough. AMG

Dean Roberts guitar, electronics and percussion
Werner Dafeldecker guitar, electronics and percussion

1 Rock And Roll Part 4 10:34
2 Rock And Roll Part 5 30:03
Recorded at Feedback Studio in Vienna on April 13th, 2000

FLAC