released October 4, 2024
Guitarist N, here with his 109th release, and violinist licht-ung are two major forces that make the Northwest of Germany an epicentre of drone music. This lavish double LP is not their first collaborative release, but a very extensive one. The grey-marbled vinyl records are packaged in a sturdy cardboard sleeve, each one handcrafted and individually painted. The cover photo postcard also comes as an insert inside the record. The visual beauty of the record stands in contrast to the modest album title, which translates as “an invisible point.”
An immensely active force in the experimental music underground, licht-ung appears for the first time on attenuation circuit with this release. For N, it is the second (vinyl) release on the label after the “abraxas” LP he released in collaboration with Deep based on their performance at the label's re:flexions sound-art festival.
A 20-minute record side is an ideal length for the development of N and licht-ung's collaborative performances. The title of each of the five pieces is a short poetic fragment in German, typical for the work of licht-ung, which, like a Zen koan, might invite the listener to meditate about it whilst immersing oneself in the music. Likewise, the black and white cover photo, suggesting a long-gone childhood scene, seems to set a mood of melancholy that perfectly fits the tone of the music.
N and licht-ung use the full potential of their strings and of their respective effects set-ups to create harmonic dronescapes that are full of tension, yet are not driven by the nervous pulsing of audible beating the way microtonal drones are. Instead their compositions move along in measured movements, ebbing and flowing, breathing. This clear, disciplined music is a great example of the specific beauty of drone music, both for fans and for listeners yet unfamiliar with the genre.
File under: drone, guitar, violin
-----
VITAL WEEKLY
Licht-ung is besf-known as a label, releasing limited cassettes, CDs, and lathe cut vinyl, but also operates as a concert promoter and a musical act, in the form of Johannes Garbe, violin and effects. Here, he teams up with N, who always adds a number, so we know where he’s at with his releases. N is the German musician Hellmut Neidhardt, a guitar player. The use of amplifiers and sound effects is essential for both musicians. I played this record for the second time early this morning when it was still darkish and tried to read the text on the cover, which turned out to be just the title and the label names) and what’s on the label, but failed quite extensively; too small and too dark. The music, however, was very much suited to the time of the day, the sort of dark ambient music I enjoy hearing. The guitar is not an instrument that one recognises in the music here (I was going to write ‘four pieces’, but I have no idea if this is true), as there is extensive use of bowing (thanks to the violin) and sustaining here, creating the music to go slowly back and forth, like slow sea waves. Above this sea are a lot of grey clouds and occasional rain, and it’s like a forecast of autumn to come. One could argue there isn’t much difference in these pieces, or, negatively, they play the same piece on each of the four sides, but the devil is in the details, and the coherent approach is one to enjoy a lot. To switch over the vinyl every 20 minutes is perhaps a bit of a drag, disturbing the carefully constructed mood here, but I enjoy the music all the same. It reminded me of the best of Stars Of The Lid, with a similar approach to weightless space and vistas of wide-open spaces. The two players here, the two instruments and whatever else they use to alter the guitar’s sound, blend naturally, and there’s no conversation going back and forth, but one narrative, one voice and many expansions of that.
The cover looks handmade, indicating a limited edition, and it’s on marbled vinyl, so not a lathe cut this time. I imagine this set will sell swiftly, and quite rightfully so, for such a beauty.
www.vitalweekly.net/number-1453/
-----
BAD ALCHEMY
Ein unsichtbarer Punkt (ACW 1009 / n(2) / Lichtung, 2xLP) ist ein Prachtstück, dafür geschaffen, sich in grau gewölktem Vinyl auf Plattentellern zu drehen. Mit einer suggestiven Schwarzweißfotographie auf dem Cover und poetischem Leitfaden von LICHT-UNG (Johannes Garbe alias Milan Sandbleistift alias Joi in Leverkusen): im sand / bis zu beiden schulterblaettern / blaettern und singen... von unten / von unter dem grund / und von oben / von der decke / wo die sonne haengt... ein unsichtbarer punkt... ueber allem... pass auf / mich. Mit Gitarrensound von N (109) (Hellmut Neidhardt in Dortmund) in dröhnenden Wellen und Schüben und violinistisch 'singendem' Schwebklang von lichtung. Das Wort 'sublim' findet hier seine Offenbarung. Nämlich als erhebende Kraft, die so nach oben saugt und zieht, dass es die Horizontale ins Vertikale zu drehen scheint. Als himmlisches Aaah und als 'atmende' Brandung des Klangozeans, als heliotropes De profundis. Was N da zum 109. Mal feierlich zelebriert und was licht-ung unterstreicht, sind die universalen 'Kammertöne' A und Ω.
www.badalchemy.de
