Australian, Berlin-based drummer-percussionist Tony Buck and Italian electric bass player Massimo Pupillo are restless musicians who are always ready to explore new sonic frontiers. These masters of all aspects of rhythm, pulse, and groove are members of now legendary and seminal trios - Buck for more than thirty years with the Australian experimental, free-improv The Necks, and Pupillo for twenty years with the Italian power-punk-jazz trio Zu. Both are busy with many other projects. Buck works with partner Magda Mayas in the Spill duo, released a solo album (Unearth, Room40, 2017), and collaborated in recent years with Fennesz, John Butcher and Frank Gratkowski. Pupillo has worked in recent years with Oren Ambarchi and Stefano Pilia, Alvin Curran and Cindytalk (aka Gordon Sharp). Time Being and Unseen are the compact vinyl and the extended, disc versions of Buck and Pupillo collaborative, haunting ambient work, recorded in Berlin on August 2017 and wrapped by the suggestive artwork by Sara d'Uva.
Time Being begins with the mysterious, atmospheric soundscape of “Strange Luminant” that slowly drifts into a deep, quiet space, but is still attuned to the subtle and delicate rhythmic patterns of the electronic noises of such journey towards new sonic frontiers. The longer “Exhale” deepens the absorbing, atmospheric vein and dives into more sparse and ethereal regions. This piece produces dark, threatening tension as the ringing vibes and processed, abstract electronic sounds float in thin air but carefully envelope the unsuspecting listener.
The pieces of Unseen are much longer, denser, and richer. The 22-minutes “Psithurism” offers an urgent and volatile atmosphere, constantly distracted by waves of cryptic noises. These noises produce in their turn a claustrophobic feeling, but one that is layered with slow, monotonous yet highly addictive groove that only gets more distorted, more sinister, and stronger. The 46-minutes “Entrainment” expands the disquieting, dramatic spirit, and is comprised of fast but delicate percussive noises and electronic treatments, which blend in a dark and impressionistic drone. Slowly this drone evolves into a sonic monolith with many nuanced and darker morphological layers of minimalist, delicate sounds and pulses. Later this drone morphs again into an intense detour into deep space of clattering, pulsating noises, adding to its dense mix of clashing pulses a new layer of distorted and mutated tough bass line, and finally drown within quiet and surprisingly peaceful, symphonic ripples.
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