Olivier Pé - percées
3" cdr
Available
mp3
(Olivier Pé is from Liège (Belgium). Expect five tracks of experimental drones, prepared guitars and tape loops. Sometimes noisy, sometimes quiet, Percées is a fantastic cdr for those who are into experimental, drones or field recordings.)
Review on Noisereviews: Alright, I have to admit it: this summer hasn't been so great to me noise-wise. Most (I said most, not all) of the stuff I've heard wasn't that good. But after getting this new excellent load from belgian newcomers Amorfsound - it's official to me that Amorf is the label to watch for in 2006/2007. With a past catalog that's good (Terminal Outputs) and some future releases to really look out for (Cryptic Weevil!). Olivier Pé is an experimental sound maker from Belgium. The way he crafts his sounds is completely unique. This 3" CDr, comprised of 5 tracks, contains loops, instruments, landscapes, drones, and whatever. Every track, lasting between 3 and 5 minutes each (for a total of 21 minutes), create a different atmosphere in the room. One may ask what makes this release so unique (a word that gets tossed around a lot in this experimental/noise scene). I hate to disappoint, but it's another one of those gotta hear it to understand cases - but I can try my best. Track 1 is a soft noise track - not harsh, not drone-y. Sounds like rain or a bunch of people walking - it builds up to make a delicate atmosphere. Track 2 and 3 are where the good stuff is at - I've just gotten this release today and i've already listened to both these tracks on repeat for an hour. Landscape tracks no less, the way the sounds build up and become one is mind-boggling. This whole cdr is worth getting for that 9 minutes right there. Different sources come in and go out to create one hell on an experience. Track 4 is a guitar track - but don't thing there's riff or anything like that (is it a banjo or something?). Reminiscent of certain ambient composers - very nice, and makes for an eclectic change after those 2 field recording tracks. Track 5 is also akin in the landscape track, but it sounds like being in the middle of a supercity with all the industrial noise around you - cars, construction, honks, pedestrians, etc. This release will probably be remembered as my favourite album of summer 2006. Get it while it's hot - both from the artist to watch and the label to watch.
Review on Outer Space Gamelan: Olivier Pé's disc is not at all harsh...instead it's a rather nice, at times lovely, at times humdrum 20-minute flutter through field recordings, tape loops, non-instrumentation and a lot of other stuff I can't put my finger on. Across these five untitled pieces Pé does his best to conjure up the greats of the avant-garde scene - the filth and dirt of John Lomax's field recordings on track one, a muddled Harry Partch opera style droning on track two (and a very Hermann Nitsch synth sounding one on the next cut), Reich/Glass-infected skittery string-and-keys loops on the fourth and the other-worldly buzz and hum of AMM on the last. That's not to suggest Pé is a rip-off artist in the slightest because these all come off with their own flair (often mutating into something else altogether before the track's average five minute running time is up). And if he is a rip-off artist, well he's picked some pretty good names to have a run at. I could see myself putting this one on again in quieter moments; not when I wanted to be bludgeoned to death as I was on the first couple.