What Brings You In
People Places, 2024
9/10
The violin player and interdisciplinary artist Leslie Ting births quite an impressive debut, where electronics, strings and percussion are present across the 5 very atypical peices.
The radiating “Dirt Road Movements 4 & 5” opens the listen with Ting’s distinct violin amid Germaine Liu’s well timed percussion making for a mesmerizing start, and “What Is the Most Yourself You Can Be (With Another)?” follows with the strings and percussion working together in a way that nearly sounds mechanical in an abstract fashion.
At the mid point, “Sandplay” recruits Matt Smith on electronics, as Liu uses amplified sandbox for what resembles a field recording, while “Beholding For Solo Violin & Electronics” drones with fascinating manipulation that blends the cinematic violin and Rose Bolton’s cryptic electronics for the album’s best.
The final selection, “Folds In Crossings For Solo Violin & Electronics”, continues the artistic vision with Julia Mermeistein’s quivering electronics amid the glowing violin that touches on nature-esque ideas.
A listen that defies convention, there’s a therapeutic aspect to these compositions, and the blurring of electroacoustic, improvisation and orchestral stabs are all just so iconoclastic and inviting.
Travels well with: India Gailey- Problematica; Nick Joliat- Casio Music 2