03'02

GAMMON & KHAN Stitch (EIGENTONE001) Eigentone 2001 07 Tracks. 29mins35secs.

Stitch is a twenty-two minutes incursion into a small community of South Alabama, where women used to collect fabric remnants and cotton harvest leftovers to produce colourful quilts. The film follows some of these women in their day-to-day environment as they tell their stories of communal life and stitching. To accompany this intimate documentary, Austrian musician Gammom has produced five beautiful electronic vignettes, with Khan’s Cam Oral supplying two versions of the title track. To counteract the ordinary aspect and theme of the film, Gammon presents an extremely contemporary soundtrack, in which he incorporates acoustic elements. Used to conceptual work as part of Thilges 3, with which he has worked since 1996 on diverse electro-acoustic projects and installation in Austria and abroad, Gammon’s input here consists of short atmospheric constructions, all based around similar minimalist soundcapes and beat patterns, creating an intensely cohesive piece. One An’ Other, Fly Everywhere and Songrise especially are three representations of a same idea. Built around filtered analogue sound on which an abstract melody played on an accordion-style instrument floats gently, these three modules convey the down-to-earth melancholy of the women tales of past traditions. Cover Up treads on similar grounds but displays a more introvert mood, denoted by the absence of proper beat pattern and clear melodic structure. On Speed, Gammon introduces a deep electronic groove, and develops around its evolving body an openly straightforward environment. The two versions of Khan’s Stitches break away from the conceptualised sonic landscapes of Gammon, by offering a totally different synthe-pop approach. Both are devoid of drums, Can Oral choosing to maintain the rhythmic arrangement through fat analogue sounds instead. This distinct option doesn’t however alter the general mood of the record as it brings the final human touch to this very clever soundtrack. As the film offers a touching and intimate view on the life of the small community of South Alabama, the soundtrack for Stitch is built around intimate soundscapes and meticulous beats, creating a beautiful support for an unusual project.

TRACK LISTING 01 One An' Other 05 Cover Up 02 Stitches 06 Speed 03 Fly Everywhere 07 Stitches Backbone Mix 04 Songrise

THE SURFER'S GUIDE TO STITCH FISH.AT Fish.at is an Austrian art organisation based in Vienna. They are behind a handful of film projects, and also offer a forum for film makers and media activists. EIGENTONE Viennese label which is very involved with arts and offers a series of collaborative works between diverse artists.