Sound X Sound (7” Box Set)
Hiatus, 2016
8/10
Listen to Sound X Sound (7” Box Set)
Just when you think you've heard of every idea of a concept album, Denmark's Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard comes up with something no one has thought of.
In this 7” box series he multiplies instruments repeatedly to birth an entirely new, pristine sound. On each 7” a different instrument is run through this vision, and the results are quite unexpected. With a background in jazz, improvisation, and classical music, on the Sound X Sound project he brings science into the equation as he manipulates how the human body interprets music.
Music For Chromatic Tuners uses 30 KORG CA-1 Tuners, and succeeds in manipulating 6 tuners in an experimental fashion on the “Ensemble Piece”, while “Solo Piece” is just Lokkegaard's quivering tuner.
Music For 8 Recorders highlights both alto and soprano recorders, illuminating them in a way that sounds electronic, yet is still very much from an organic source.
Music For 9 Pianos offers the deep, intense spirit of “Descending Piece”, and the antipodal “Partial Piece”, which is a more unorthodox approach that unfolds in a trance like state.
Music For 18 Clarinets unites the sounds of all the clarinets into a surreal, almost harrowing pattern, while the the B side, “Bass Clarinet”, gives us a deep, low vibration reminiscent of a fleet of low steam boats.
For the percussion minded, Music for 10 Hi-Hats offers “The Outside”, where dark and isolated builds into an army of swift motion, and “The Inside” is a more crisp arrangement that's executed flawlessly.
Probably the most unusual of the installment is Music For 15 Shakers. “Fine Grain” is a soothing affair, where the nearly meditative sounds could almost be therapeutic, while “Coarse Grain” is a more rattling effort, like a set of snakes rustling in grass.
Music For 16 Triangles illustrates what the somewhat limited triangle can offer, from the robust, wind chimes on steroids feel of “Triangles” to the less abrasive “Muted Triangles”.
A project that was originally released as 7 individual 7” records, having them all together in one place here really adds to the listening experience. For those adventurous enough to listen, this is really an enlightening journey into an ultra-creative mind.
Travels well with: Tutankhamun- The Art Ensemble Of Chicago; Cinema Cinema- CCXMD