in brief

09.12.2021

Gid englene stadig sang for os

Hans Sydow: »Sydow Sound«

»Julen har ingen lyd« er lågen 6. december, og det tiende værk på Hans Sydows julede 25 års-jubilæumsalbum (der både kan opleves fra sofaen og i en live-udgave på Musiktorvet i København hver time helt til jul). Radiovært Ole Corneliussen læser juleevangeliet (Lukasevangeliet, kap 2 vers 8-14) op og i bedste radiostil skal jeg først lige tunes ind på hans kanal. Men han er ikke alene, hviskende stemmer omgiver ham, og giver i brudstykker teksten til »Et barn er født i Betlehem«. Spillet på »Julen har englelyd« leder selvfølgelig straks tankerne hen på de engle, der forkynder os og hyrderne, at frelseren er født. Og ligesom hyrderne mærker jeg mere frygt end tryghed ved de stemmer, der pludselig strømmer ud af højttalerne. Er det sådan det føles at høre engle? Akusmatiske stemmer er åbenbart ikke lige.

Sydow opstiller en sjov kontrast mellem den tydeligt gammeldags radiodiktion fra Corneliussen og de hviskende, insisterende og meget forvirrende englestemmer. Jeg får klart lyst til at bede englene tage formidlingstimer hos Corneliussen, men pludselig er de væk – nummerets halvandet minut er overstået og efterlader en underlige følelse af… tab.

Effektivt får Sydow mig til at længes – ikke så meget efter den nostalgiske forkyndelse af det glade budskab op til jul, men mest efter de engle jeg før var frygtsom over for, for de tvang mig til at lytte efter, hvad de sagde. Fremover vil jeg foretrække hviskende besøg af engle, der forkynder julesalmer over ethvert pænt og fromt kirkekor. I hvert fald nu, hvor Sydow har åbnet mine øre for det og bragt lidt gudfrygtighed tilbage.

playlist

11.02.2024

My name is Paul Hillier – would you like to see my playlist?

»For me music is an irregular yet life-long event that requires constant attention in the form of private preparation, rehearsals with others, and performances to audiences.«

Theater of Voices' founder and artistic director Paul Hillier is originally from England and was educated there Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. During his career, he has worked as a conductor, singer, teacher, editor and writer. In addition to being the founder of the legendary Hilliard Ensemble, he has been chief conductor for i.a. the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, is artistic director of The National Chamber Choir of Ireland, and has been chief conductor of Ars Nova Copenhagen since 2003. Paul Hillier has completed more than 200 CD/DVD releases and has won two Grammys. Honors include OBE (Order of the British Empire), The Order of the White Star from Estonia and the Knight's Cross. This week Paul Hillier turns 75.

in briefrelease

08.02.2024

Behind the Words

Alexander Tillegreen: »In Words«

Raster. 24.11

Rasmus Weirup

One of the most mysterious – and at times boundary-pushing – interviews ever captured on tape is Meatball Fulton’s 1967 interview with Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett. Filled with broken sentences, incongruous word combinations, questions and answers that seem to bear no relation to one another, and pauses that feel endless, the interview pushes the limits of what can meaningfully be called communication at all. »Your impression of me… which you must have… would you care to tell me? And be like absolutely honest… Do you have one?« the interviewer asks at one point. »In words?« Barrett replies.

In Words is also the title of multidisciplinary artist Alexander Tillegreen’s debut album, whose closing composition samples a full seven minutes of the interview. It is not difficult to understand what Tillegreen hears in this peculiar exchange. For someone who, in his artistic explorations of psychoacoustics and phantom words, has consistently probed sound’s possibilities and limitations as a carrier of meaning, the interview must appear as a rather sensational example of the illusory nature of language.

None of this would, of course, be of any interest if the music were not as strong as it is: richly atmospheric, detailed, texturally varied, emotionally potent, and filled with pleasing, warm synth tones that recall 1970s German Kosmische Musik. The fact that a large part of the compositions originate in earlier installation works often leaves me with the strange feeling that there is a dimension or context I do not fully grasp – which, of course, is entirely in keeping with Tillegreen’s spirit.

playlist

07.02.2024

My name is Phil Battiekh – would you like to see my playlist?

Phil Battiekh (Basel, Switzerland) has been a Mahraganat DJ and producer for over a decade. He is one of the first to dedicate himself to Mahraganat outside of Egypt. In addition to his most popular Mahraganat mixes on Soundcloud (over 450K streams worldwide), he released the acclaimed Cairo Concepts compilation in 2019. Featuring DJ Plead, DJ Haram, Alaa Fifty, Nustaliga and others, Cairo Concepts contextualises the impact and developments of the Mahraganat scene and examines the way certain artists have appropriated Mahraganat for club scenarios.

Mahraganat (Egyptian Arabic: مهرجانات( , which literally means »festivals«, is a mix of Egyptian Shaabi, electronic dance music, rap and trap. It is characterized by percussion-heavy rhythms, massive bass and loads of autotune. Phil Battiekh is curating the SWANA night – a joint event by pantropical, turkis, and Volume Village, which takes place at the latter in Aarhus. Next to his own set, Phil will also have a role as Wezza Montaser's DJ.

playlist

01.01.2024

My name is Bill Frisell – would you like to see my playlist?

»I like when it's impossible to tell at first if something is black or white, or country or blues, or whatever.«

Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings. From Aaron Copeland and Charles Ives to Bob Dylan and Madonna. Born in Baltimore, Bill Frisell played clarinet throughout his childhood in Denver, Colorado. His interest in guitar began with his exposure to pop music on the radio.

playlist

11.09.2023

My name is John Grant – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music has been a healing balm for me.«

John William Grant is an American singer, musician, and songwriter holding both American and Icelandic citizenship. He first came to prominence as a co-founder, lead vocalist, pianist, and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band The Czars. After releasing six albums between 1994 and 2006, the band disbanded, and Grant withdrew from music for four years before embarking on a solo career.

He returned in April 2010 with a critically acclaimed debut album recorded in collaboration with Midlake. Queen of Denmark was named Album of the Year 2010 by Mojo magazine and was also selected as one of the ten best albums of 2010 by The Guardian’s music critics and writers.