Rent Romus-PKD Vortex Project (A Tribute to the Dark Master of Pulp Fiction); Edgetone Records, 2001

 

This CD has been in and nearby any player within mi casita for a number of weeks. Furthermore, Disaster Amnesiac would challenge any listener of outside-styled music to not have a similar response to its killer sounds. PDK Vortex Project was recorded in 1998 by five musicians that are just very damn good at what they do: Rent Romus (woodwinds), Doug Carroll (electric cello), Joel Harrison (electric guitar), Dave Mihaly (percussion), Tom Nunn (electro-acoustic inventions). The interactions that these five have with each other was justifiably dubbed "Vortex Music" by Romus, and repeated listening has proven why to this listener.  The group sound whirl and spin as such. And so many spirited interactions on these eight tracks,  and such depth of focus each one of them shows toward the overall sound matrix! Quite pleasing to these ears. I'll recommend March of the 80 Foot Phils as the prime exemplar of such. The ensemble (in the truest sense of the term) achieves a zen atmosphere of magical suspension there that is just so lovely for its delicacy. Really, though, just play the entire disc, as it is filled chock-a-block with the best sounds on offer from the Free Improvised scene of that or any other time. As Phil stated in his Exegesis papers: "[I] was so clear in my mind as to what to the exact point in this drama at which we stood". It's like that for over an hour, and that is time well spent. 

PS-very nice, luminescent cover art by CJ Borosque too.