dafeldecker/kurzmann/drumm/eRikm/dieb13/noetinger "die gruene" charhizma 2003


reviews:
absurd
allmusic
ambientrance.org
bbc.co.uk
blowup
concerto
criticasnovas
cyclicdefrost.com
de-bug.de
dusted
experimental
fakejazz
fallt.com
hausmusik
jazzweekly.com
jazzword.com
klever.org
musicclub.it
musicextreme
nail
phosphor
repellent
taz
tomajazz
vitalweekly
wire



absurd review:

charhizma is a label which personally there are times that I fancy & others not, well mostly as some are more "electronica" for my ears and others sound fine w/ me, but that's not the point now. recently christof issued a really cool cd including live sets that werner dafeldecker & he (christof kurzmann) have done in berlin, wie n & graz in 2000-2001 with people like kevin drumm ,dieb 13, erik m & jerome noetinger. Tiled as dafeldecker/kurzmann meet drumm/erikm/dieb13/noetinger is a cd that I was pretty curious to listn to. to be honest dafeldecker & kurzmann belong to those people for whom feelings are ambiguous, not with a bad manner or whatsoever, bu t of those cases that there are people who do know their music well & can pop up w/ different kind of projects and things, I mean on one hand they can pop up w/ a st unning improvised record that will show a progress of their language, then might be in a more "electronica" mood then to a more "free jazzy" and so on. you might say "and so what?" no is not something bad w/ it on the contrary is cool to see people flirting w/ various ideas & projects though I think is always the fear of finally getting involved in different style projects here and there at times doesn't offer you much besides the good time. with this fear I was expecting the cd to come but upon first listen I was really satisfied with its result. the whole edit/mix of the live recorded material is done by dafeldecker (electronics, bass) & kurzmann (g3 , clarinet) and to be honest the way the tracks are compiled is really clever as can be heard either as 5 different tracks or as a whole. actually is their duo that encounters on stage kevin drumm (guitar, synthesizer)& erikm (electronics) on the first track the cd's most "intense" (well the 5th closing too) of the cd perhaps to get us in the cd's mood, to slowly turn to 3 pieces of more "subtle" improvised electronics pieces 2 of which are together w/ kevin drumm (synth) & dieb 13 (turntab les), the 4th with jerome noetinger (electroacoustic devices) to end w/ the quintet in an intense mood. the whole result of which sounds really great evoking some re ally joyous moments. is I believe of those records that no matter that they don't have to give something new to you, they really get you with their freshness & the w ay they are flowing/constructed. am sure that if you're for improvised electronics you'll truly enjoy it as I did! www.charhizma.com
http://anet.gr/absurd/ab_91.htm
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allmusic review:

Dafeldecker Kurzmann Drumm eRikm dieb13 Noetinger
Charhizma
020
2003
2000-2001

This is the follow-up (in green cover) to an album (in orange cover) released on {@Charhizma} in 2000 and featuring {$Werner Dafeldecker}, {$Christof Kurzmann} and {$Christian Fennesz} as the core players of a rotating cast. Fennesz is absent from these new recordings and guests include {$Kevin Drumm}, {$Erik M}, {$Dieb13} and {$Jérôme Noetinger}. This second volume presents live European performances from 2000 and 2001. Very few acoustic sounds are heard. Even Dafeldecker¹s double bass and Kurzmann¹s clarinet are rerouted through a computer. Buzzes, chirps, grinds, wooshes and crackles account for most of the action. But the sound material itself is not this album¹s prime feature -- after all, they have become widely spread among experimental artists. Dafeldecker, Kurzmann and co. sculpt and arrange these sounds in strange ways that defy notions of beauty. They simply grab you. Often large and harsh, the music is much more dynamic than on the first album. You¹d expect things to get extreme considering {$Kevin Drumm}¹s change of aesthetics with the album {^Sheer Hellish Miasma} and that¹s exactly what happens, especially since he contributes to four of the five tracks. The highlights are found in the first and last pieces. In {&³Berlin 1,²} Dafeldecker bows menacing growls while Kurzmann, Drumm and Erik M spit ravaging electronic sounds in a frenzy that is antithetical to {$Polwechsel}¹s studied restraint. Similarly, {&³Berlin 3²} presents a quick crescendo dominated by Drumm¹s deafening roar. When he shuts it off, the effect is devastating. This last track also has an extra five minutes of material after a lengthy silence.

François Couture

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ambientrance.org review:

dafeldecker / kurzmann meet drumm / erikm / dieb13 / noetinger
(Charhizma - 2003)

Improvisational microsounds are interwoven into an hour-long sheet of unpredictable (indeed indefinable) moods; with synths , turntables and assorted devices, werner dafeldecker and christof urzmann meet and mingle with kevin drumm, eRikm, dieb13 and jerome noetinger . Low-key weirdscapes result.

A sprawling panorama of deep fuzziness and mechanical activities, berlin1 (20:45) throbs and oozes, decked with intermittent outbursts, steely auroras, sparse atomic rhythms, bass flows and more... ending on a writhing plumes of scalding feedback. graz 2 hovers on mostly subdued machine thrums which ruffle quietly amid occasional zips, scrapes and flutters...

Click'n'blip'n'buzz backdrops lightly scour the otherwise droning surface of wien1 (3:23), whose deep writhing currents (and higher squealing counterparts) will tease your speakers (and eardrums). Some of the more unnerving parts of berlin 2 will also tease, perhaps annoyingly, unless you're ready for robotic cacophony...

Static-laced Berlin 3 grumbles, sheens and throbs around a recurring theme of bass pulsations and cyclic grit, spewing out a geyser of electronic craziness, then silence... Several minutes later, a closing spree of squelchy sinewaves and other occurrences are strewn along.

When played quietly, the five pieces make for sonic wallpaper of slightly scritchy contours; that's how it works best for me. The interplay between the explorers of dafeldecker / kurzmann meet drumm / erikm / dieb13 / noetinger goes for the intensely obtuse, though rarely hits an obnoxious level of noisiness. A not-enamored but respectful B.

Charhizma says "Fuck dance, let's art!"

This review posted 09.28.03

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bbc.co.uk review:

berlin1 - A variety of tools are being utilised to produce something. There are swishes and hums, rumbles and the tiny 'tsk' of metamorphosing glitch rhythms. At times the labour seems to require great concentration, at times it gains its own momentum. The stream of sound is very flexible, as though the ear is witnessing changes in perspective in realtime. Beats are frequently intimated, tangentially evoked - just enough to engage before altering or disappearing.

Imagine a virtual site of production, rendered in three dimensional digital space. The acoustic space enlarges, the activity alters. A series of stentorian noises could be of manufacture or small arms fire, theres the groaning and screeching of what might be girders lifted by massive cranes and the blinding sonic flashes of arc welding.

Later there appear to be glass jars tinkling, the soft plashing of paint molecules expelled by industrial sprayguns - perhaps the machine is being coated with a durable finish. Finally, the device itself begins to hum at different registers as though undertaking a test cycle in preparation for deployment.

graz 2 - Segues in without pause. Pointillist sound of virtual rain falling on electrical cables. Millipede movement of Geiger counters in Chernobyl aftermath, pools of calcium carbide dormant under grey, lowering skies. Modulating hums ensue like a cyborg lament.

berlin 2, berlin 3 - Pulses here are of micro-cellular movement, beats at the subatomic level, a part of the very mesh of activity. We might be inside the exclusion zone, inside the reactor itself, masked within crumpling radiation suits, seeking the point of rupture, all instincts screaming to leave immediately. And then eery silence, the sound of my breathing amplified in the headphones, the cd player states that 8 minutes remain until the cd stops spinning. Waiting. Minutes later an electrical curlew announces an urgent coda and the final moments are metered out.

These recordings represent an impressively successful melding of digital and acoustic sound sources, created by a core duo of Werner Dafeldecker on electronics and bass and Christof Kurzmann on G3 and clarinet. joined by guests Kevin Drumm (guitar, synth), eRikm (electronics), dieb13 (turntables) and Jerome Noetinger (electroacoustic devices). The aforesaid instrumentation is mostly unrecognisable. The sounds are delightfully tactile, the dynamic range extensive from the pinpoint to the low hum. A fecund space for the imagination is created. The overall impression is of a cohesive, deliberately moulded, extremely detailed and engaging exploration of the spaces where ambience, glitch, improvisation and electronica overlap.

Reviewer: Colin Buttimer

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blowup review:

"Dafeldecker/Kurzmann meet Drumm/Erik M/Dieb13/Noetinger"
(cd Charhizma) (5t-60:02)
Seconda tappa di "incontri musicali" per Werner Dafeldecker e Christof Kurzmann dopo l'album del 1999 in cui suonavano con Drumm, Siewert, Fennesz e O'Rourke. I due Austriaci, alle prese rispettivamente con electronics/basso e G3/clarinetto, si confrontano con altri quattro musicisti di area improv in questo nuovo cd che raccoglie un'ora di materiali provenienti da concerti realizzati nel corso degli ultimi tre anni. La prima parte dell'album, in cui appaiono Erik M e Kevin Drumm, promette bene con i suoi venti minuti di tensione pura: scricchiolii, ritmi riecheggianti, sferzate elettriche di chitarra su un battito che si fa sempre più presente. Il clarinetto stride inquietante tra microesplosioni improvvise, la chitarra è trattata fino a raggiungere un suono dirompente. Notevole l'intesa tra i musicisti, che si adattano ai cambiamenti proposti di volta in volta. Altrettanto significativa la parte conclusiva del lavoro, in particolare la quarta traccia con Jerome Noetinger che contribuisce a creare una texture di microblips, pulsazioni, soffi e brusii in un crescendo ritmico e poi in un pulsare cupo che si disfa gradualmente. Purtroppo non appare altrettanto soddisfacente la parte centrale dell'album, priva della vivacità di soluzioni proposta nelle tracce che la circondano e persa in esercizi troppo poco soddisfacenti dal punto di vista dell'ascolto puro. (6/7) (Daniela Cascella)

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concerto review:

Vor ziemlich wenau fünf Jahren rang der Rezensent an dieser Stelle mit den Worten, im Bemühen die elektronischen improvisationsdiskurse von Christof Kurzmann, Werner Dafeldecker, Christian Fennsz und den Gästen Jim O'Rourke, Kevin Drumm und Martin Siewert abzuhandeln (siehe Concerto 4/1999). Nun ist der CD_Nachfolger erschienen: Dafeldecker und Kurzmann bilden den personellen Kern, bei den Gästen handelt es sich diesmal neben dem Chicagoer Drumm - um den Wiener Dieb 13 alias Dieter Kovacic und die Franzosen Erik M. und Jerome Noetinger. Und da sind sie wieder, die so vielschichtigen, filigranen Schichtungen aus Drones, Frickelsounds verschiedenster Körnung und Loops, jene statisch wirkenden und sich doch ständig verändernden Klangflüsse mit der faszinieren reichhaltigen, polychromen Binnenstruktur.Die fünf Jahre indessen haben Spuren hinterlassen, das ist bei aller Kontinuität spürbar. Der Klang der Powrbooks und elektronischen Soundquellen ist nicht mehr jener Fetisch, der der Musik anno 1999 noch als gleichsam alleiniger Fokus diente und ihr so ihren modernistischen Touch gab. Haute treten Einzelstimmen mitunter stärker in den Vordergrund. wirkt die strikt horizontale Textur ansatzweise aufgebrochen, durch schnittartige Zäsuren, Sample-Einsprengsel und die phasenweise Rückkehr pulsartiger rhythmischer Konturen. Heute lässt man sich nicht mehr einfach nur mehr vom improvisatorischen Klangstrom mitreißen, man ist um klarere formale Einheiten bemüht - obwohl weiterhin gänzlich auf das essenzielle Strukturmittel der Pause verzichtet wird. Das Spiel mit Sound und Dichte mit der rhythmischen Qualität geloopter Geräuschklänge wird auch im Rahmen von Christof Kurzmanns Solo-Programmen evident...

Andreas Felber - concerto

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criticasnovas review:

DAFELDECKER / KURZMANN - CHRISTOFF KURZMANN

Christoff Kurzmann foi um dos mentores de dois projectos de curioso recorte na cena vienense das músicas criativas com utilização da electrónica: um foi o grupo de \x{201C}pós-rock\x{201D} (passe o chavão, pois tratou-se de uma moda e, como tal, acabou por ter termo de validade) Shabotinsky, o outro a \x{201C}big band\x{201D} de \x{201C}pós-jazz\x{201D} (terminologia que, esta sim, já tem uma dimensão subversiva: lembro-me da colérica reacção da crítica de jazz \x{201C}mainstream\x{201D} nacional quando utilizei pela primeira vez o termo) Orchester 33 1/3. Saíram dois discos de cada um destes grupos na Charizma e, pelos vistos, ficaram por aí. O que se lamenta, pois eram muito interessantes, sobretudo os Shabotinsky quando não procuravam ir \x{201C}na onda\x{201D} dos americanos Tortoise. Depois, Kurzmann virou-se para o techno experimental, de que «The Air Between» é um exemplo não muito conseguido. Particularmente flexível, a sua participação tem sido requisitada por alguns músicos dedicados à improvisação livre, e isso acontece num álbum sem título em que o contrabaixista (e guitarrista, e manipulador de electrónica) Werner Dafeldecker acrescenta ao duo as contribuições à vez de Kevin Drumm (guitarra preparada e com processamento), Erik M (minidisc, gira-discos, sampler), Dieb 13 (gira-discos) e Jerôme Noetinger (gravadores Revox). Álbum que não só é um dos mais interessantes desta etiqueta como conquistou já um lugar muito especial no património discográfico da electroacústica tocada em tempo real. Esta é uma música feita de sedimentos e erosões, escórias e areias, particularista, microscópica, quântica até, uma música mineral e cheia de grão.
Dafeldecker/Kurzmann c/ Drumm/Erik M/Dieb 13/Noetinger, Charizma
Christoff Kurzmann: The Air Between, Charizma

rui eduardo paes

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cyclicdefrost.com review:

Recorded in 2000 and 2001 over a series of live engagements, this collaboration brings together a variety of skilled European improvisers each of who have a strong individually defined approach to improvisation and sound treatment. Over the course of this disc though, individual actions take second place to a focus on the potential of combinations and group dynamics. On the opener, "Berlin 1" which features Kevin Drumm and eRikm in a duo format, the pair set up a temperate yet pronounced echo rhythm that shuffles through the majority of the track the two layering in a mass of high frequency filtered synthesizer textures and crunchy electronics. Further combinations (most of which are duos), such as "Wien 1" (by Drumm and turntablist Dieb13) are a touch more electro-acoustic sounding, with tones resonating throughout much of the piece. While this is an improvised collection of recordings, each of the players seems well aware of the potentials offered by restraint and release, both of which seem offered up in equal doses throughout the recordings.

Lawrence English

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de-bug.de review:

Vor Jahren veröffentlichte Charhizma eine Zusammenarbeit des Kontrabassisten Werner Dafeldecker und dem Klarinettisten/ Laptopbediener Christoph Kurzmann mit Christian Fennesz und Jim O’Rourke. Diesmal arbeiten die beiden mit Tabletop- Gitarristen und Synthispieler Kevin Drumm, Turntablist/ Elektroniker eRikm, Turntablist dieb 13 und dem Elektroakkustiker Jerome Noetinger. Dementsprechend weit gefächert ist das Spektrum der frei improvisierten akustischen und elektronischen Klänge von warmen Tönen zu harschen Störgeräuschen. Dabei lassen sich die Klangerzeuger selten den Klangereignissen zuordnen, was dem Ganzen eine gewisse klangliche Homogenität verschafft. Obwohl Manches nicht wirklich neu klingt, zeigt das Album aber oft, dass in dem Grenzbereich von akustischer und elektronischer Musik noch längst nicht alles gesagt bzw. gespielt ist.
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dusted review:

Album: Dafeldecker / Kurzmann / Drumm / eRikm / dieb13 / Noetinger

Label: Charhizma
Electronics from Werner Dafeldecker, Kevin Drumm, and Others

This mostly electronic album closely parallels aspects of traditional free jazz even they sound nothing alike. dafeldecker/kurzmann features Werner Dafeldecker of Polwechsel on electronics and bass and Christof Kurzmann on G3 and clarinet. They're joined on most of the tracks by Kevin Drumm on synthesizer and guitar, and on several by eRikm on electronics, dieb13 on turntables and Jerome Noetinger playing electroacoustic devices. The unaltered sounds of the acoustic instruments are only occasionally identifiable, though, and what's left is a collection of rather nondescript electronic sounds. The blips, bleeps and washes of static aren't paricularly warm, and they're too layered and dense to be especially creepy or machine-like.

But free jazz shows that music can be exciting even when timbre isn't much of a concern. Despite all the ink spilled in celebration of the sounds coming from the saxophones of John Coltrane and Albert Ayler, for instance, most free jazz really lives or dies on the strength of the interaction among its performers and on the surprising twists they take.

Similarly, dafeldecker/kurzmann thrives not because of its sounds, but because of the way those sounds interact. Noises are piled on top of each other to create rich textures, then peeled away to turn the spotlight on a rhythm the listener may have missed. Huge static whirs temporarily take the lead, only to reveal themselves as the accompaniment to surprisingly accessible drum loops.

I didn't like this album much the first time I heard it, and I think that's because I wanted to approach it as if it were a techno record or a free jazz LP. It isn't techno the sounds aren't interesting enough, and there are few conventional grooves. And it isn't free jazz while dafeldecker/kurzmann does depend on development and interaction to make its point, it doesn't depend on melody, and the sorts of interaction here happen more slowly than they would on a free jazz album. Still, dafeldecker/kurzmann is well-done; the layering and development featured on the album are consistently interesting. Some listeners may find that they have to play the album a few times before they figure out how to hear it, but they'll probably be glad once they do.

By Charlie Wilmoth

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experimental review:

Dafeldecker, Kurzmann etc
(Charhizma)

berlin1 - A variety of tools are being utilised to produce something. There are swishes and hums, rumbles and the tiny 'tsk' of metamorphosing glitch rhythms. At times the labour seems to require great concentration, at times it gains its own momentum. The stream of sound is very flexible, as though the ear is witnessing changes in perspective in realtime. Beats are frequently intimated, tangentially evoked - just enough to engage before altering or disappearing.

Imagine a virtual site of production, rendered in three dimensional digital space. The acoustic space enlarges, the activity alters. A series of stentorian noises could be of manufacture or small arms fire, theres the groaning and screeching of what might be girders lifted by massive cranes and the blinding sonic flashes of arc welding.

Later there appear to be glass jars tinkling, the soft plashing of paint molecules expelled by industrial sprayguns - perhaps the machine is being coated with a durable finish. Finally, the device itself begins to hum at different registers as though undertaking a test cycle in preparation for deployment.

graz 2 - Segues in without pause. Pointillist sound of virtual rain falling on electrical cables. Millipede movement of Geiger counters in Chernobyl aftermath, pools of calcium carbide dormant under grey, lowering skies. Modulating hums ensue like a cyborg lament.

berlin 2, berlin 3 - Pulses here are of micro-cellular movement, beats at the subatomic level, a part of the very mesh of activity. We might be inside the exclusion zone, inside the reactor itself, masked within crumpling radiation suits, seeking the point of rupture, all instincts screaming to leave immediately. And then eery silence, the sound of my breathing amplified in the headphones, the cd player states that 8 minutes remain until the cd stops spinning. Waiting. Minutes later an electrical curlew announces an urgent coda and the final moments are metered out.

These recordings represent an impressively successful melding of digital and acoustic sound sources, created by a core duo of Werner Dafeldecker on electronics and bass and Christof Kurzmann on G3 and clarinet. joined by guests Kevin Drumm (guitar, synth), eRikm (electronics), dieb13 (turntables) and Jerome Noetinger (electroacoustic devices). The aforesaid instrumentation is mostly unrecognisable. The sounds are delightfully tactile, the dynamic range extensive from the pinpoint to the low hum. A fecund space for the imagination is created. The overall impression is of a cohesive, deliberately moulded, extremely detailed and engaging exploration of the spaces where ambience, glitch, improvisation and electronica overlap.

Reviewer: Colin Buttimer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/experimental/reviews/dafeldecker_kurzmann.shtml

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fakejazz review:

dafeldecker/ kurzmann/ drumm/ eRikm/ dieb 13/ noetinger untitled
Charhizma
In het jaar 1999 schreef ik een review van de voorganger van dit album, nummer 2 op het Charhizma label. Dit is alweer nummer 20. Waar in 1999 de tandem Dafeldecker/Kurzmann een kwartet vormde met Fennesz en Jim O'Rourke, doen ze het hier met Kevin Drumm en Dieb 13, af en toe bijgestaan door eRikm en Jerome Noetinger. Er zijn naast de gelijke hoesjes (toen in oranje, nu in lichtgroen) veel parallellen tussen de twee albums te vinden: powerbooks, prepared guitars en natuurlijk de onmiskenbare bas van Dafeldecker die ietwat onthecht over alles heen lijkt te zweven. Laagje over laagje worden zacht aanzwellende, licht verontrustende soundscapes opgebouwd, dwarsgezeten door nerveuze glitch en de vervreemdende klarinet van Kurzmann. Dan worden langzaam de laagjes weer afgepeld om een bepaald aspect van de muziek naar voren te halen dat je anders wellicht gemist zou hebben. Deze dynamiek openbaart zich pas na meerdere luisterbeurten en zorgt ervoor dat het album blijft boeien. Live opgenomen in Berlijn, Graz en Wenen. (syb)

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fallt.com review:

best of 2003 by Joe Gilmore
* Matt Davis/Phil Durrant/Mark Wastell | Open [Erstwhile]
* Dafeldecker/Kurzmann | meet Drumm/eRikm/Dieb13/Noetinger [Charhizma]
* Stephan Mathieu/Ekkehard Ehlers | Heroin + Remixes [Orthlorng Musork]
* Viktor Vaughn | Vaudeville Villain [Sound Ink]
* Ekkehard Ehlers | Politik Braucht Keinen Feind [Staubgold]
* Kevin Drumm/Mats Gustafsson/Leif Elggren | DEG [Firework Edition Records]
* Joyce Hinterding | Spectral [Antiopic]
* Rafael Toral | Engine, Live at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris [Touch]
* Hecker | 2 Track 12" [Mego]
* Autechre | Draft 7.30 [Warp]


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hausmusik review:

... werner dafeldecker und christof kurzmann haben mit einigen gästen einen soundtrack für reisen durch wurmlöcher aufgenommen. kann man so jedenfalls interpretieren. schließlich gibt es einen text über solch schwarze löcher und musikalisch wird hier aber auch alles umfahren, was als anhaltspunkt durchgehen würde, und das wiederum passt ja auch wieder zusammen mit weltall und so. zischen, gurgeln, ächzen, brummen, fiepen, rattern und ab zu alle effekte hochdrehen die man hochdrehen kann. dabei stehen bass, klarinette und turntable im vordergrund, das weckt jetzt wiederum jazz-assoziationen und jazz ist das jetzt auch nicht. man kann das hören, aber nicht beschreiben. ich jedenfalls nicht
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jazzweekly.com review:

Charhizma

DAFELDECKER/KURZMANN/DRUMM/ERIKM/DIEB13/NOETINGER
Dafeldecker/Kurzmann/Drumm/eRikm/Dieb13/Noetinger
Charhizma
020

Perhaps the key to really satisfying improvised electro-acoustic performances is related to the number of players present. At least the group grope that populates the final track on the Charhizma CD here provides more than enough tones and textures to differentiate -- and elevate -- it above the other selections.

Self-aggrandizement plays very little part of this music, which thrives on nicknames -- dieb13 and eRikm here -- and a conception of the program as undivided tonality. For instance the six tracks were recorded in Berlin, Granz, Austria and Vienna, but run together as if they were one performance.

Yet, with everyone on board -- Austrians Christof Kurzmann on clarinet and G3 and Werner Dafeldecker on bass and electronics plus American Kevin Drumm on guitar and synthesizer and Frenchman Jerome Noetinger on electroacousti devices, not to mention eRikm on electronics and Dieb13 on turntables -- the soundfield suddenly becomes that much more expansive. Rather than the intermittent pulses and drones that characterize much of the disc, there are drum beat intimations, the sound of a jet taking off, the ricochet of a door stopper, something that could be triggered feedback, a fire drill siren, scraping noises, static rustle and an approximation of what seems to be a robot executing trampoline jumps.

Trying to ascribe individual sounds to individual instruments would be pointless. And it helps to note that the gang is made up of tricksters too. Although the final piece is timed at 5:10, after seven minutes of silence when it supposedly finishes, sounds suddenly radiate again for another four minutes or so, featuring bass chord echoes, pulsating sine waves, pedal coloration, whistles, horse whinnies and signals from outer space.

Also absorbing is the penultimate track, which features Noetinger's only other appearance on the CD. An old hand in trio situations like this -- he also recorded an exceptional disc with pianist Sophie Agnel and Lionel Marchetti on tapes and electronics -- he, Kurzmann and Dafeldecker manage to create something that at times suggests that all the technology, keyboardsandmechanics are underwater, as bubbling squeaks and whistles percolate to the surface. Other sonic adventures include intermittent squeals, what could be a real, live motor running and bird-like electronic chirps that resemble the sounds of a flock of wild fowl attacking the interface. Underneath all this is the minute aural suspicion that diminutive ants are somehow manipulating microscopic sidewalk drills.

Centrepiece of the disc, though less satisfying than some other pieces, is the abrasive "Berlin1" -- almost 21 minutes of an assembly line of scraping metal -- courtesy of the entire crew minus Noetinger. Although EuroImprov followers may be hard pressed to connect these sounds to Dafeldecker's work with Polwechsel, which makes a virtue of near silence, he had a history of playing drone-based improv with others. Perhaps too it's his bass -- or Drumm's guitar -- which delineates the occasional chord heard. Among the wavering and repetitious drones and buzzes are pulses that, probably arising from the G3 or synthesizer could emanate from vibes, percussion, bells, maracas, or even a primate's throat. Where the clarinet tones are supposed to appear is anyone's guess, though.

Before the high-pitched track dissolves from a variegated, wavering drone that seem to take up all available audio space into static, another dynamic can be heard. It's a recurrent chord pattern that, like a similar motif in the work of British experimental band AMM, creates a base on which other tones are displayed.

AMM seems to figure into the concept of the other CD, which features one slightly more than 30-minute improvisation by Australian guitarist Oren Ambarchi and Swede Johan Berthling playing harmonium. Ambarchi, who has interacted with AMM's guitarist Keith Rowe, would seem to be perfectly at home in this setting. But the setting is a bit unusual for Berthling, an exceptional Swedish bassist, who usually works in jazz/improv with countrymen like pianist Sten Sandell and drummer Raymond Strid. In fact much of this CD can be tough sledding for many listeners. It's definite that the piece would wear out its welcome if it went on any longer.

Most of the time it seems as if the two performers are extending variations on a single, dense, droning tone, which swells like a mammoth cathedral organ ejaculation. Pulsations billow up from elsewhere after a while, but the closest approximation to the sound would be bagpipe timbres. The idea -- as with some of AMM's discs -- is to so overload the organ of Corti that you begin to hear variations within the viscous noise. Somehow, in fact, here a third timbre appears, though you can't really be sure to which instrument it can be ascribed. Finally, in the last few minutes, the hint of guitar fuzztone surfaces and the solid aural mass seems to break up slightly, with the harmonium defining the bottom and static whirring on top. Just before the fade as well, the guitar line parses itself down to slightly resemble Pete Townshend's intro to "Baba O'Riley."

Improvisation always includes the danger of unevenness, and both these CDs exhibit that, as well as portions of great creativity. Those interested in change should probe these discs, but be prepared to take the less-than-stellar with the stimulating.

-- Ken Waxman

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jazzword.com review:

Dafeldecker/Kurzmann/Drumm/eRikm/Dieb13/Noetinger

Charhizma 020

Perhaps the key to really satisfying improvised electro-acoustic performances is related to the number of players present. At least the group grope that populates the final track on the Charhizma CD here provides more than enough tones and textures to differentiate — and elevate — it above the other selections.

Self-aggrandizement plays very little part of this music, which thrives on nicknames — dieb13 and eRikm here — and a conception of the program as undivided tonality. For instance the six tracks were recorded in Berlin, Granz, Austria and Vienna, but run together as if they were one performance.

Yet, with everyone on board — Austrians Christof Kurzmann on clarinet and G3 and Werner Dafeldecker on bass and electronics plus American Kevin Drumm on guitar and synthesizer and Frenchman Jerome Noetinger on electroacoustic devices, not to mention eRikm on electronics and Dieb13 on turntables — the soundfield suddenly becomes that much more expansive. Rather than the intermittent pulses and drones that characterize much of the disc, there are drum beat intimations, the sound of a jet taking off, the ricochet of a door stopper, something that could be triggered feedback, a fire drill siren, scraping noises, static rustle and an approximation of what seems to be a robot executing trampoline jumps.

Trying to ascribe individual sounds to individual instruments would be pointless. And it helps to note that the gang is made up of tricksters too. Although the final piece is timed at 5:10, after seven minutes of silence when it supposedly finishes, sounds suddenly radiate again for another four minutes or so, featuring bass chord echoes, pulsating sine waves, pedal coloration, whistles, horse whinnies and signals from outer space.

Also absorbing is the penultimate track, which features Noetinger’s only other appearance on the CD. An old hand in trio situations like this — he also recorded an exceptional disc with pianist Sophie Agnel and Lionel Marchetti on tapes and electronics — he, Kurzmann and Dafeldecker manage to create something that at times suggests that all the technology, keyboards and mechanics are underwater, as bubbling squeaks and whistles percolate to the surface. Other sonic adventures include intermittent squeals, what could be a real, live motor running and bird-like electronic chirps that resemble the sounds of a flock of wild fowl attacking the interface. Underneath all this is the minute aural suspicion that diminutive ants are somehow manipulating microscopic sidewalk drills.

Centrepiece of the disc, though less satisfying than some other pieces, is the abrasive “Berlin1” — almost 21 minutes of an assembly line of scraping metal — courtesy of the entire crew minus Noetinger. Although EuroImprov followers may be hard pressed to connect these sounds to Dafeldecker’s work with Polwechsel, which makes a virtue of near silence, he had a history of playing drone-based improv with others. Perhaps too it’s his bass — or Drumm’s guitar — which delineates the occasional chord heard. Among the wavering and repetitious drones and buzzes are pulses that, probably arising from the G3 or synthesizer could emanate from vibes, percussion, bells, maracas, or even a primate’s throat. Where the clarinet tones are supposed to appear is anyone’s guess, though.

Before the high-pitched track dissolves from a variegated, wavering drone that seem to take up all available audio space into static, another dynamic can be heard. It’s a recurrent chord pattern that, like a similar motif in the work of British experimental band AMM, creates a base on which other tones are displayed.

AMM seems to figure into the concept of the other CD, which features one slightly more than 30-minute improvisation by Australian guitarist Oren Ambarchi and Swede Johan Berthling playing harmonium. Ambarchi, who has interacted with AMM’s guitarist Keith Rowe, would seem to be perfectly at home in this setting. But the setting is a bit unusual for Berthling, an exceptional Swedish bassist, who usually works in jazz/improv with countrymen like pianist Sten Sandell and drummer Raymond Strid. In fact much of this CD can be tough sledding for many listeners. It’s definite that the piece would wear out its welcome if it went on any longer.

Most of the time it seems as if the two performers are extending variations on a single, dense, droning tone, which swells like a mammoth cathedral organ ejaculation. Pulsations billow up from elsewhere after a while, but the closest approximation to the sound would be bagpipe timbres. The idea — as with some of AMM’s discs — is to so overload the organ of Corti that you begin to hear variations within the viscous noise. Somehow, in fact, here a third timbre appears, though you can’t really be sure to which instrument it can be ascribed. Finally, in the last few minutes, the hint of guitar fuzztone surfaces and the solid aural mass seems to break up slightly, with the harmonium defining the bottom and static whirring on top. Just before the fade as well, the guitar line parses itself down to slightly resemble Pete Townshend’s intro to “Baba O’Riley”.

Improvisation always includes the danger of unevenness, and both these CDs exhibit that, as well as portions of great creativity. Those interested in change should probe these discs, but be prepared to take the less-than-stellar with the stimulating.

-- Ken Waxmann

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klever.org review:

Though I´m still sore about the "Fuck Dance, Let´s Art" on the Charhizma website (see Kurzmann review), there is no doubting the quality of this record. Werner Dafeldecker (on electronics and bass) and Christof Kurzmann (on g3 and electronics) worked with Kevin Drumm, eRikm, dieb13, and Jerome Noetinger to put together an outstanding piece of work.

It starts off strong with Kevin Drumm on guitar and eRikm on electronics, titled "Berlin 1." The piece is 20 minutes long, complex, and interesting all the way through. I can´t listen without visions of dim halls, evil shadows, sneaking footsteps, and an early peak with a violent shoot out. What follows is a gorgeous, and quite creepy, ambient piece that pulses and throbs under a beautiful continual higher pitched noise stretch. Mmmm.

I´m also pretty fond of "Wien 1," by Kevin Drumm and dieb13. It´s subtle and thoughtful and kind of coy in the best way possible. I just wish it weren´t so short, but I suppose that´s how flirts are. Scritchy scratchy clicky, not glitchy, and microtonal. Overall the mood is dark and the album as a whole has a nice range of minimal to complex, light to heavy, stark to full. I´d highly recommend that experimental electronic types pick this up.

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musicclub.it review:

DAFELDECKER/KURZMANN/DRUMM/ERIKM/DIEB13/NOETINGER S/T (Charhizma/Wide)

Già solo l'indagine superficiale dei curriculum vitae dei partecipanti al progetto potrebbe portare via l'intero spazio della recensione, ma considerando che trattasi di nomi noti (almeno a coloro i quali frequentano le lande sperimentali, avanguardiste, elettro/acustiche e quant'altro) mi limito a illustrarvi il contenuto dell'album. Trattasi di cinque pezzi registrati a Berlino, Graz e Vienna tra il 2000 e il 2001 in cui i perni centrali sono Werner Dafeldecker (basso ed elettronica) e Christof Kurzmann (g3 e clarinetto). Attorno a loro si sono alternati, a seconda delle circostanze, Kevin Drumm, Dieb 13, Jerome Noetinger e ErikM, ma occorre dire che, al di là del primo e dell'ultimo brano, non si nota assolutamente nulla di significativo. Le due tracce citate si muovono nell'insieme del noise industriale variabile per intensità rumorosa, mentre le restanti tre mettono a dura prova l'udito dell'ascoltatore, intento a cercare di captare qualche segno di micro vita minimale. Ma non è solo quello del volume il problema; il dramma è la totale immobilità strutturale delle composizioni (al di là degli intenti minimalisti...).
www.musicclub.it

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musicextreme review:

dafeldecker / kurzmann/drumm/erikm/dieb13/noetinger (charhizma recs., 2002)

produced by: christof kurzmann and werner dafeldecker

tracks: 1- berlin 1,2- graz 2, 3- wien 1, 4- berlin 2, 5- berlin 3

cover art by m. fineder

recorded live at berlin, graz and wien

here we have a collaboration between five extremely experimental musicians. here we have in five tracks elements so different as synthesizers, guitars and turntables. the goal that this guys have achieved here is to experiment with the sounds that they can extract from this instrument, creating a collage of noises, sounds and phrases that go beyond any classification. what we have here is pure experimentation of the most extreme kind. dafeldecker is amazing with his electronics and his bass while kurzmann does some interesting clarinet sounds. the tracks are recorded live and that gives even more spontaneity to the musi c. this is pure experimentationa nd you have to got a really open mind while hearing this to appreciate it. this is boundarie breaking music.

favorite tracks: "berlin 1" and "wien 1"

contact: www.charhizma.com

07 03 federico marongiu music extreme

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nail review:

W. DAFELDECKER/C. KURZMANN \x{201C}S/T\x{201D} CD (CHARIZMA) A soundtrack for travelling wormholes... hard to describe, impossible to escape.
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phosphor review:

Dafeldecker/Kurzmann meet drumm/eRikm/dieb13/noetinger CD
What began in the year 1999 with the quartet of Dafeldecker/Kurzmann/Fennesz/O'Rourke (cha002) is still alive five years later, the quartet of Dafeldecker and Kurzmann (on this CD also to be heard once as a trio, once as a quintet) shows continuity. Only the colour itself has changed like the times in electronic music have changed. Berlin1, a crashing introduction of beats, tones, clips and CD skips opens this CD with a track from Dafeldecker, Kurzmann, Drumm (guitar, synthesizer) and eRikm (electronics). A mixture of steady beating and electronic improvisations dominates the sound and develops into a mesmerizing flow of sharp sounds from prepared instruments and electronic textures. Various crashing sampled sounds appear as the tension builds and all forces rise to a chaotic climax before easing off again into random improvised ramblings. Its structure flows delicately into a quiet sweet more tonal section before building again into quite a noisy finish. The next two tracks, Graz1 and Wien2 replacing eRikm with Dieb13 on turntables and pd are a mixture of noise textures with a soft rhythmic beat and subtle tones passing through the cracks and beautiful drone like tonal passages with very subtle electronic meanderings on top. Clarinet tones appear adding to the differing timbral atmospheres being built. Delicate high pitched bursts of electronics and bowed bass lead into the second last track, Berlin2 with Jerome Noetinger on electro-acoustic devices. Stokes of bowed bass and vocal like squelches are surrounded by other electronic sounds playing subtle beats and adding an air of alien space the track. Quiet and precise musings carefully mix and develop into a deep bass bowing with camera flash-like sounds glissing in and out. Berlin3 finishes off this CD with a quintet made up of all the players above blending together the talents of all five into a strong energetic loud and chaotic improvisation which has its surprises such as a sudden quiet after the storm happening about five minutes into the piece. After this silence the piece continues hidden track style at about 10.30 with more wild and raw but also gentle improvised material. The combination of these musicians provides exciting and intriguing sound worlds, which are hard to pin down in words but provide an interesting and enticing listen.
charhizma@charhizma.com

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repellent review:

dafeldecker/kurzmann meet drumm/eRikm/dieb13/noetinger
Charhizma
www.charhizma.com
There is no doubting the quality of this record. Werner Dafeldecker (on electronics and bass) and Christof Kurzmann (on g3 and electronics) worked with Kevin Drumm, eRikm, dieb13, and Jerome Noetinger to put together an outstanding piece of work.

It starts off strong with Kevin Drumm on guitar and eRikm on electronics, titled \x{201C}Berlin 1.\x{201D} The piece is 20 minutes long, complex, and interesting all the way through. I can't listen without visions of dim halls, evil shadows, sneaking footsteps, and an early peak with a violent shoot out. What follows is a gorgeous, and quite creepy, ambient piece that pulses and throbs under a beautiful continual higher pitched noise stretch. Mmmm.

I'm also pretty fond of "Wien 1," by Kevin Drumm and dieb13. It's subtle and thoughtful and kind of coy in the best way possible. I just wish it weren't so short, but I suppose that's how flirts are - scritchy scratchy clicky, not glitchy, and microtonal.

Overall the mood is dark and the album as a whole has a nice range of minimal to complex, light to heavy, stark to full. I'd highly recommend that experimental electronic types pick this up.

-- Shel Kimen

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taz review:

Musik für Fans
Die Suche geht nach den noch freien Sounds, jedoch ohne die großen Freiheitsgesten: Das international besetzte Livequartett improvisiert heute Abend im Mudd Club in Mitte

Die Reihenfolge ist wichtig: Bei den beigelegten biografischen Notizen zu einer Platte der Extended Versions ließ Christof Kurzmann für sich vorneweg "Fan" promenieren. Dann erst folgte in der Auflistung des österreichischen Musikers, was man sonst so macht, wenn man sich in eine Musik vernarrt hat, die nicht marktgerecht verabreicht wird. So randständige Sachen wie avancierter Rock oder die Experimente der Improvisatoren werden im Geschäft meist ignoriert und sie tragen nicht einmal mehr den Hipness-Wimpel ehrenhalber. Das war einmal. Den kurzen Sommer lang, den John Zorn durchs Feuilleton tanzen durfte.

Wenn es an der Unterstützung fehlt, muss man als Fan eben alles selber machen. Der ganze Do-it-yourself-Baukasten: Die richtigen Konzerte organisieren und sie am besten gleich journalistisch begleiten. Kontakte pflegen. Nebenher spielen, so viel man kann. Mit allen anderern Fan-Musikern, die man so auf einer Bühne zu Greifen bekommt. Das alles hat Christof Kurzmann gemacht. Schiere Notwendigkeit ist es auch, dass in dieser Szene fast jeder Musiker sein eigenes Plattenlabel als Visitenkarte betreibt. Kurzmanns seines nennt sich Charhizma. In weltweiten Netzwerken wird miteinander kommuniziert. So lassen sich selbst mit Minoritätenmusik wenigstens ein paar verkaufte Einheiten zusammenkleckern.

Dass Christof Kurzmann demnächst eine Platte mit Robert Wyatt als Gast veröffentlichen kann, liegt aber daran, dass ihm Anfang der Neunziger mit den Extended Versions eine liebevolle Annäherung an die Musik des britischen Songpoeten gelang. Diese Behutsamkeit hört man auch in Kurzmanns aktuellem Projekt. Selbst wenn er bei der Zusammenarbeit mit dem dissidenten Jazzer Werner Dafeldecker, Kevin Dumm aus der Chicagoer Impro-Szene und dem französischen Musique-Concrète-Spezialisten Jerome Noetinger ein völlig anderes Terrain betritt.

Beim Livequartett sind Songstrukturen bestenfalls noch im Rundlauf der Loops zu erahnen. Nur Partikel von einer Melodie. Ins Leere gedreht. Ansonsten hört man ein Pochen und Schaben. Vorsichtig werden Klänge gegeneinander gelehnt und auf ihre Tragfähigkeit geprüft. Knusperknäuschen-Elektronik. Rauschen. Brummen. Manche Clics mag man bei bei den besseren Techno-Acts abgelauscht haben. Hier aber geschieht alles im Raum der freien Improvisation. Nicht mit der auftrumpfenden Freiheitsgeste, mit der der Free Jazz Ende der Sechziger noch die aus Harmonie, Melodie und Rhythmus gebauten Barrikaden niederrennen wollte. Sondern als eine sonische Erfahrung, wie sie der famose Impro-Zirkel AMM gleichfalls in den Sechzigern erkundete. Solche Musik kann nicht altern.

Das liegt auch an den Regeln. Oder besser: ihrer Abwesenheit. Hier wird nicht mehr Bedeutung zertrümmert. Hier werden Klänge ausprobiert, bevor sie sich mit Bedeutung angereichert haben. Gewissermaßen vormusikalische Erkundungen. Eine Soundsuche abseits aller zu Genres geronnenen musikalischen Klischees: kein Ausfallschritt des Rock, kein lässiger Swing des Jazz. Nur Klang. Da kann man nicht unbedingt mitsummen. Manchmal sollten sich die Ohren dabei sogar ein wenig anstrengen. Was keineswegs heißt, dass diese Art Musizieren nicht teuflisch unterhaltsam sein kann.

THOMAS MAUCH
www.taz.de
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tomajazz review:

Dafeldecker / Kurzmann / Drumm / eRikm / dieb13 / Noetinger - Dafeldecker /
Kurzmann meet Drumm / eRikm / dieb13 / Noetinger

Músicos: Werner Dafeldecker (electrónica y bajo) / Christof Kurzmann (G3 y clarinete). Colaboración de: Kevin Drumm (guitarra y sintetizador) / eRikm (electrónica) / dieb13 (giradiscos) / Jerome Noetinger (elementos electroacústicos) Charhizma 020. http://www.charhizma.com/ Grabado en directo entre 2000 y 2001 en Berlin, Viena y Graz.

Comentario: Resulta curioso e incluso paradójico lo aparentemente antagónicos y similares sin embargo en espíritu que resultan ciertos desarrollos de la música electrónica ante al free-jazz o la libre improvisación. Hablando de un modo muy general el espíritu del free-jazz se podría resumir por una parte en la dejación de aspectos musicales como son la melodía (a pesar de que dentro de este estilo se encuentren bellezas como "Lonely Woman" de Ornette Coleman) o la perfección técnica de la ejecución, para favorecer la búsqueda de la energía (o más bien sinergia) por medio de la interacción entre sus ejecutantes. Algo en cierto modo similar sucede en esta obra del dúo formado por Werner Dafeldecker y Christof Kurzmann, a quienes acompañan puntualmente Kevin Drumm, eRikm, dieb13 o Jerome Noetinger. Por encima de la belleza y/o pureza de los sonidos obtenidos por estos escultores del sonido está la interacción que surge entre los diferentes músicos. Tal es así, que una obra que en primeras escuchas puede resultar un tanto monótona por su aparente falta de actividad interior o simpleza, se transforma al cabo de unas pocas audiciones en una obra variada y rica en detalles.

Una interesante forma de entender la creatividad -no apta para todos los oídos- para unos... Una mentira injustificable para otros... Viejas cuestiones escuchadas muchas veces ya a lo largo de la historia del arte...

José Francisco Tapiz

http://www.tomajazz.com/discos/

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vitalweekly review:

...Kurzmann is also part of a CD where is a duo with Werner Dafeldecker (electronics, bass), who play with various artists in various combinations, but never alltogether. Involved are Kevin Drumm (guitar, synthesizer), ErikM (electronics), dieb13 (turntables) and Jerome Noetinger (electroacoustic devices). All renowned artists from the world of modern improivisation. To play these five tracks in a row brings an odd coherency. It seems like one long concert, which was in fact recorded in three different locations. There is a great sense of control over the material/instruments they play. Mostly held back, with occassional outbursts of sound, which are like volcanic eruptions: short and heavy but with a long echo afterwards. Compelling improvisational music. (FdW)
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wire review:

three years ago, laptopper and clarinettist christof kurzmann´s first outing on his charhizma label, the bright orange charhizma 002, teamed him with polwechsel´s werner dafeldeckeron double bass and electronics, and guests kevin drumm, christian fennesz and jim o´rourke. On it´s belated sequel, featuring the same art but this time in garrish fluorescent green, dafeldecker and kurzmann are joined ba the various electronic devices of drumm, erik m, dieb13 and jérome noetinger.
Once moore sourced from concert recordings made in berlin, graz and vienna in 2000 and 2001, the five tracks are mixed together to form a continuous span of music, which is sucked down a black hole after 48 minutes. Eight minutes later it rematerialises as the obligatory ghost track, that rounds off the cd duration to exactly one hour. Perhaps due to kurzmann´s affection for techno, which surfaces periodically in his gently clicking loops, ist predecessor was misguidedly described as ambient. The truth is, "ambient" listening is not good enough for appreciating this music´s many subtleties. This album is more focused, and not without ist lighter moments, notably from marseille´s erik m, who fires a volley of prepared piano samples and what sounds like a hunting party into the mix. Elsewhere, the rich reedy tones of dafeldecker´s bass and the all too human flutters of kurzmann´s disarmingly fragile clarinet fit surprisingly well with noetinger´s self-styled primitive electronics and dieb13´s grainy electronic turntable drizzle.
dan warburton

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