EKG-200 Years of Electricals; ernstkarelbandcamp.com, 2021

 

If Disaster Amnesiac was tasked with explaining effective ways to interact with Electro-Acoustic music to a person not familiar with its dynamics, I would consider using the graphic image of EKG's 200 Years of Electricals as a kind of portal into the discussion. One sees a small patch of grass, some chaff, and not much else, yes? Not so fast. One can delve further into the grass, getting down into the roots and the dirt and the filaments of the chaff, further and further, breaking these elements down into their constituent pieces. This act would surely reveal new dimensions, new thoughts, new insights into the tableaux. Far from being a simple patch of grass, this space is transformed into a world of interaction. 

This insight can be used for listening and analysis of 200 Years as well. Comprised of four pieces, this recorded has Kyle Bruckmann and Ernst Karel delving into their two decades long collaborative world, turning over the elements with which they interact and then combining into various zones of sound wonder and manipulation. St. Paul Suburb, episode 1, for example, fuses field recordings with analog electronics for a lengthy trip that takes a listener from Mayberry to Sirius B, with many stops in between. One isn't going to get through this trip without sitting back and paying some attention, but if one allows the time and attention, many cool sounds bubble up, or slash out, or emerge from the clouds of previous movements' dynamics. Again, it's really all about the focus that you bring to it. Periodicities mit Wurlitzer shows a very clear example of how Electro-Acoustic music often has a goal of taking the timbres and methods of instruments and seeking to find unexplored or under-explored facets within them. Disaster Amnesiac has sworn that I've heard said Wurlitzer and its amp hum here, but can by no means be certain. Ditto the oboe that Bruckmann plays. Are those clicks and clacks coming from its pads, or are they emanations of some other sound making device? It's all really heady and fun if you put your attention to it. Likewise, Rondo has scratching, scraping scenes that have me wondering what physical element is being played live or manipulated for its result, after which it flirts briefly with a more Noise-based feel before fading off. St. Paul Suburb, episode 2 floats along, mostly in a pensive quiet, with what sounds like wind hitting a mic for that field recording vibe again. 

Reading the press blurb for 200 Years of Electricals, Disaster Amnesiac sees that it is the result of many years' work by Bruckmann and Karel. Clearly, they've labored over its pieces in order to make a statement of Electro-Acoustic music that pleases them. After this recording releases next month, go into their sound garden, and start digging. If you're paying attention, you'll find a lot of neat stuff to please your ears as you go 'a grubbin'.