Chris Herbert is a Birmingham, UK based ambient electronic artist who also works with treated guitar, live sound installations, and field recordings. I first heard the music from "Diluted" as a podcast from the Kranky records website, and instantly fell in love. It was my first encounter with Chris Herbert, and sent me out desperately looking for his debut CD, "Mezzotint," which is similar and also quite excellent-- though it's not based around field recordings. This piece was originally broadcast on an episode of the Wire magazine-associated Resonance fm radio station during October of 2006. Now it has been released as "Diluted," a black-on-black CD-r, by Low Point records so you can add it to your physical music collection as well as your mp3 collection! (yay!)"Diluted" begins its 57 minute exploration with a resonating vibraphone theme that gives way to field-recording ambience. Subtle electronic drones mount amid shifting, irrecognizably manipulated sounds, and then the recordings of water begin to make their appearance. Beautiful ambient drone segments unfold exposing different melodies and themes, while field recordings involving water are interspersed throughout.
The field recordings and found sounds (recorded around the canals of Birmingham) seem to serve as transitions between musical passages, as well as forming a part of the music itself-- which makes for a very dynamic ambient work. There are moments where the listener is completely engulfed by ambient noises and the sonic space is saturated, and then others when things are very quiet and the sound is very up-front and immediate (rare for an ambient piece, I think). The piece gets better and better as it develops and draws you in, but around the middle there is a really brilliant moment that stands out to me, involving a droning guitar theme around minute 34. The interplay between the sounds of water and the music make for a very enjoyable and rewarding listen.
Though the idea may carry "new-age music" connotations, perhaps calling to mind records with titles like "The Magic of Spring Rain" or "Sounds of the Rainforest Waterfall", Chris Herbert's recordings are more in the vein of Tim Hecker and Stars of the Lid... abstract ambient electronica and experimental drone ambient music. It's no surprise that his debut, "Mezzotint", was released by Kranky records (also home to the latest Tim Hecker and Stars of the Lid albums).
The profits from purchases of the CD are donated to the Moseley Road pool restoration fund. The Moseley Road swimmingpool is a grade II Edwardian building in Birmingham, so get one while you can at Low Point.... Limited to 110 copies, comes in a clear half-size DVD case with nice wraparound artwork. You owe it to yourself to at least check out his podcast from Kranky!!
4 comments:
you command to comment, and so I comment.
It is difficult to comment on a bit of musical criticism though. Especially if you have not heard the piece in question.
I fear that, perhaps, from your description of both artists, they are a bit too conceptual for me. Dont get me wrong, I like noise rock and drone rock as much as the next guy, but once the music sacrifices melody for process I lose interest. It is merely an issue of taste of course. And as to where the line is drawn is hard to say, I mean, to some people Mogwai or Godspeed already cross the line from melodic progression to conceptual progression and I like them both, and yet I would be more likely to choose Caspian or Explosions in the Sky than either of the former bands. And yet, I am a fanatical follower of Shoegazer, much of which is just layered guitar feedback, looking to create a "feel" rather than a melody. Perhaps that is what it comes down to for me, the transmition of a feeling rather than a journey or progression. Or maybe it is quite the opposite... (thinking out loud). Yes, indeed. I think it is more of the opposite. I like the progression, the journey, having the music take me somewhere (melodically or emotionally (the "feel"). In this I am incredibly western. You seem to have branched out more into the Eastern view of music, where the the goal is creating intrinsic moments rather than a fluid direction.
Again, I havent heard the music, but write from the descriptions and my limited knowledge of some of the other stuff you have been getting into over the years.
(ps, we need to talk about my visit and stuff... get online you ho bag)
hm... interesting assesment:-) i would agree that it is an issue of taste, but many times a different sort of melody can emerge unlooked for out of concepts and processes... maybe even more beautiful than straightforward melody. anyway, i think that feeling and progression are maybe equally important in music. at any rate, i think you have good music taste (especially your shoegazer music) and i've enjoyed sharing many musical experiences with you over the years:-D
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