Musicworks 90
The Canadian Musicworks magazine/CD continues to set the standard of documenting those soundmakers who go where few or none have gone before. Some field notes:
1. �Dreamspin� for recorded and processed voices suggests
the furies pursuing a Greek tragic figure. Highly evocative and captivating.
2. �Panagia� -electroacoustic choral work- is a vibrant, rich piece that�s defiantly modern yet has an ancient underbelly.
3. �Priestess Aria� Somewhat reminiscent of Meredith Monk, this electroacoustic vocal work attempts to evoke female archetypal energies, avoids any New Age hoo-hah it stated intent might suggest, does marvelous mythical things anyway and finally reaches a deeper human level quite beyond gender.
4.�Journey� Streams of pointillistic, microscopic bells evoke what you might feel if you slid over into a parallel universe. Subatomic sound never sounded so good.
5. �Terraincognita� Electric remaking of Balinese gamelan makes for trans-ethnic electronics that techno pop can only dream of.
Musicworks always challenges me with their high standards. They deliver the goods. They are a great argument for government-subsidized arts.
Richard Grooms