With
a penchant for architecture, the sound collages of Janek
Schaefer are often the outcome of a deconstructionist
methodology: essentially, Schaefer breaks apart pre-existing
reels of tape with the intention of digging through
and underneath them so as to uncover their fundamental,
hidden parts. Once isolated, such components are then
manipulated, organized and layered into elaborate blocks
of sound that are thoughtfully connected and exquisitely
detailed.
This hour-long composition - which was initially constructed
as a soundtrack for a site specific dance choreographed
by Noemie Lafrance - is largely devoid of conventional
rhythms and harmonies, and instead takes as its fulcrum
the development of minute tones and textures. That being
said, the moods explored in the ensuing compositions
lie in neither of these terms in themselves - on the
contrary, they are born of their relation. Put differently,
the granular particles of sound that are on display
here are of a finite quantity and stand in a network
of differences such that the timbre and fibre of the
sound changes depending upon the other patterns with
which it is embedded. As such, all of these percolating
details are thoroughly enmeshed much in the way the
elements in a painting are intricately interconnected.
On the first composition, plaintive birdcalls are shrouded
in a distended cacophony of Elysian bell tones, vague
liminal noises, and a low-end hum that gradually shifts
the dynamic of the piece, as it takes on a more upfront,
immediate, altogether humid aura. When Schaefer shifts
back and allows pieces to grow sparse yet again, he
demonstrates fine judgment and a high level of technical
skill in the manner in which he is careful to maintain
form and tension through subtle clusters of granular
sound and filtered organ chords looped to infinity.
Near the end, these fragments of sound gather together
and coalesce into a slightly discordant roar of paranoid
ambience. Even taken away from the artist’s intentions,
the markings of this document are elegantly arranged,
and imbued with enough substance to induce a wealth
of interpretations.
Max Schaefer
4.2/5 |
