Split LP Series 3 - Mats Gustafsson / Cor Fuhler [Vinyl 1LP]

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The third installment in the Narrominded Split LP Series consists of new works by two important musicians from the world of European free improvisation. Pianist Cor Fuhler and saxophone player Mats Gustafsson have been exploring new possibilities for their instruments for the past twenty years. Not only by putting these instruments in radically different contexts, but more importantly by developing new ways of playing. Fuhler mainly works inside the grand piano, stimulating the strings with all sorts of magnets, ebows and customised handtools. Gustafsson has broadened the textural possibilities of his instrument with an extended array of tongue techniques.
While the explorations of these two musicians take them to very different musical and emotional terrain, the unrelenting sense of experiment is what connects them on this LP.

Mats Gustafsson (1964) has broadened the textural possibilities of his instrument with an extended array of tongue techniques. He has made recordings using all sorts of saxophones, even the rare contrabass saxophone and slide-saxophone. Gustafsson playts in groups all over the world, most notably his trio The Thing, Barry Guy’s New Orchestra, Peter Brötzmann’s Chicago Tentet and Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Orchestra. He is a regular collaborator with member of Zu, Sonic Youth and The Boredoms.

Cor Fuhler (1964) mainly works inside the grand piano, stimulating the strings with all sorts of magnets, ebows and customised handtools. He is also an builder and inventor of musical instruments. His most known invention is the keyolin: a violin that can be played through a keyboard. Fuhler works in a wide variety of groups such as that Music In Movement Electronic Orchestra (MIMEO), Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Orchestra and his own Corkestra.


selected reviews

duke cit presentation
april 27 2009
by byron coley & thurston moore

The final piece is a split LP with Dutch pianist Cor Fulher on Narrominded. Fulher uses some extended techniques to take his piano sounds into vast regions of new, and Gustafsson is equally adept at squeezing sounds from his sax that are beyond the ken of most of his peers. Using rolling sequences of tongue-clacks, overblowing, breath-splatter, he ends up doing things, making sounds, that seem impossible. But Mats is more than up to the task. Amazing shit.

le son du grisli
march 24 2009
by grisli

Sur un trente-trois tours qu’ils partagent, Mats Gustafsson et Cor Fulher font état de l’avancée de leurs pratiques iconoclastes, et accordent a distance leurs préoccupations du moment.

Sur l’étendue de la premiere face, le saxophoniste amasse ainsi les effets d’un langage acoustique agité (souffles et sifflements, prises de bec et défilé de notes en chute libre) avant de revoir son emportement sur le crachin sonore qui prend peu a peu possession de la piece. Haletant, conclut Sleeping Instructions.

De son côté, Fulher investit en deux chapitres le champ d’une électroacoustique ombreuse : introduction rampante de Tengam contre apposition de freles notes de piano et de cordes vibrantes sur un bourdon électrique adhérant : Repus, qui rappelle ainsi quelques grands travaux d’Alvin Lucier. Lignes brisées et lignes claires, toutes en fuite, ainsi accommodées en split.


furthernoise
september 2008
by roger mills

Narrominded’s reputation for eclectic releases is well known, and I must admit to wondering a little about their trajectory on occasions. However, with the guitars safely locked away, they have handed this new Split LP release over to the safe hands of Mats Gustafsson and Cor Fuhler. Not that Split LP #3 is necessarily an easy listen, far from it, but for those of us into our electro acoustics it is just what the doctor ordered.

Side 1
Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson kicks the first side off with a 17 minute long improvisation aptly named Sleeping Instruction. His playing teetering between breathy harmonics, diffuse textures, to layers of screeching animalistic howls. Having finessed multiple mouthpiece techniques, Gustafsson constantly blurs the boundaries between timbre and tone, whilst also manipulating the instruments percussive possibilities with frenzied key pad hits and clicks. Subtle lower end harmonics also resonate from the instruments chamber as the sax enters a world of granular processing, creating a seamless illusion between the acoustic and the digital. As the synthesis becomes ever more audible, so does the meltdown of sonic detritus, which builds in crackly post digital noise, concluding in a hiatus that would wake even the hardiest somnambulist.

Side 2
Providing a complete contrast in tone and dynamics, Cor Fuhler contributes two stunning improvisations of prepared piano to side 2. Pioneering ever new directions from where predecessors like Messrs Cowell & Cage left off, Fuhler is one of a hand full of contemporary artists who have been experimenting with the textural and tonal possibilities of the piano for some time. In fact writing this from Sydney, his performance a few years ago at The NowNow festival is even now, still fondly remembered. Generating his sound from inside a baby grand, Fuhler employs any number of devices to create vast washes of metalic drones and harmonics. Stimulating the strings with magnets, ebows and more customised tools, these tone layers compound and evolve often with the grainy reverberation of the strings themselves, clearly audible. This sets up lush velvet timbres in which he embeds micro key note melodies, articulating a sense of space that can sometimes be lost in layered drone pieces. This is as much to do with the frequencies and harmonics of the drones themselves, but it has the desired effect in leaving you wanting more.

Having penchant for this genre I could probably wax lyrical about it all day, but for those interested in electro acoustic improvisation, I can heartily recommend this new addition to Narrominded’s Split LP series. Vinyl releases in electro acoustic music are also rare these days, so I can imagine this will be quite a collectors item in years to come. More examples and images available from the Narrominded site.


mashnote
august 2008
by jim faes

The ever so charming and diverse Narrominded label, started with their ltd split lp series in 2003. And for their third edition they’ve coupled two well known artists from the improv/jazz scene: Mats Gustafsson & Cor Fuhler.
For Mats Gustafsson, playin his sax is a pure physical event. Pushing air in various ways through the mouthpiece, focussing on subtle differences and nuances. This evolves to a rougher approach later on, using the keys of the sax more as an percussionative element. He occasionally switches from the sax to the laptop, developing his organic sound to a digital whirlwind of clicks and processed sounds, without creating transitions which are too abrupt. A very interesting piece by Gustafsson, showing that the man’s solo output is as important as his collaborations with other highly acclaimed artists.
Cor Fuhler’s instrument of choice is the piano. For years now he has been experimenting with different setups, manipulating the strings in various ways, and of course let’s not forget, strike the occasional key as well from time to time. These 2 tracks are the result of such experience. And it’s plain gorgeous. “Tengam” in particular tickles my eardrums the right way. Using ebows, magnets, and other tools, he creates these droning tones, a mix of highs and lows. At some moments you can even hear the strings trembling. In the midst of that, he plays the piano in a gentle way. Improvising around a certain set of keys, and creating a very minimal and delicate composition. I totally love this. And i guess i don’t have to say that this record is highly recommended, do i ?