Mira Calix doesn’t restrain herself to playing
electronic music. She feeds her machines with noises
and sounds collected here and there, determined to give
her compositions a rare earthy definition. As she once
said, ‘my music is a very personal play-thing
inspired by every little thing that is magic’.
Her first album, One
On One, released three years ago, demonstrated
a great ability at shaping sonic environments like no-one
else, and if the album proved to be rather difficult,
it paved the way for her work to follow.
Born in Durban, South Africa, Mira Calix, real name
Chantal Passamonte, arrived in the UK in 1991. After
working for Gucci for a few months, she landed a job
at the seminal Ambient Soho record shop, in the heart
of London, before becoming press officer for Warp. In
1996, she released her first EP, Ilanga, followed
almost two years later by a second, Pin Skeeling
and a track on the Wap100 compilation, celebrating
the release of the label’s hundredth EP. Followed
One On One
in 2000 and the brilliant Pickle EP a year
later. Calix has also recently been involved in a project
commissioned by Museum D’Histoire Naturelle in
Geneva, consisting of a piece of work, NuNu,
using only recordings of insect noises.
Skimskitta, Mira Calix’s second album,
is yet again a highly original production. Departing
slightly from her previous work, as she seems to affirm
herself and her music with a lot more confidence here,
Skimskitta retains however some of the characteristics
of her previous releases, as she lays some extremely
minimalist soundscapes as a basis for her fragile compositions.
If she once again occasionally ventures into singing,
her vocal contributions are a lot more discreet and
subtle than on One
On One as she works to combine textures more
than convey any message. This can at times appear to
be a perilous exercise of style (Like Spoons)
but more than often, it gives an interesting dimension
to the track (Paarl, Shadenfreude),
emphasising the human quality of her music. The most
interesting part of Mira Calix’s work remains
the constant focus on sound structures and the interaction
between the elements used. Often building precise little
constructions, devoid of any conventional beat patterns,
she seems to reject all known forms of electronic music
to develop precious organic formations, which in turn
develop almost imperceptibly into luscious, yet minimal
melodies. She also chooses to bear all on a couple of
occasions here by switching her machines off and retreat
behind sumptuous piano lines, as on Poussou,
where she offers one of the most touching sides of her
musical persona. The repetitive trend of her music is
perfectly balanced by the sheer variety of sonic sources
used, making Skimskitta an overall interesting,
if extremely challenging, experience.
Definitely not for the faint-hearted, Mira Calix music
requires a few listenings to be appreciated fully. Not
unlike its predecessor, Skimskitta is a very
introverted and textural record, only revealing its
intrinsic beauty to those who make the effort to get
involved in the music.
3.9/5 |
