Josetxo Grieta

Josetxo Grieta foram apresentados como uma banda basca que viriam tocar covers dos Velvet Underground. Começaram por colocar cadeiras alinhadas no meio da sala, pediram às pessoas para se sentarem nessas mesmas cadeiras e… tudo o que sei dizer é que os 11 minutos de concerto foram mais intensos que uma hora e um quarto dos Sunn 0))). Foi como estar no meio de um furacão, até meteu medo. Caótico.

MRB | AMM

Interesante concierto (aunque accidentado) el que bajo el nombre ??? jaialdia pudimos presenciar en el Mogambo de Trintxerpe. Aunque el cuarteto bera-eibartarra que en principio abría cartel no pudo estrenarse por problemas de última hora, los allí asistentes pudimos escuchar a ANTOINE CHESSEX y JOSETXO GRIETA en dos abrumadores sets. Y cuando digo “escuchar” y “abrumadores”, se debe de entender literalmente, hasta podría añadir “forzosamente” porque ambas actuaciones fueron de gran intensidad y volumen. Hasta demasiado, por ejemplo con Josetxo Grieta que abrieron noche en esa meca del grind llamada mogambo, que, hay que decirlo, sigue manteniendo el mismo espiritu que hace diez años, detalle que hay que agradecer a sus gestores. Volviendo al concierto, como decía, Josetxo Grieta hicieron un interesante concierto (nos tienen bien acostumbrados) equilibrado entre composición a tiempo real e improvisación, entre canción y flujo surrealista, siempre aderezado con la curiosa performatividad que los caracteriza. Un estar sobre (y debajo) de escenario que mezcla por una parte esa parte casi teatral pero siempre tan polémica como confusa (totalmente intencionada) de mattin, con la tensión de Josetxo Anitua, que muchas veces parece intentar controlarse a sí mismo para no explotar antes o más de la cuenta. Sin embargo esa intensidad contenida del escenario pasó factura a la actuación que en un alarde de frecuencias extremadamente agudas (cortesía de mattin) venció a la capacidad del equipo de sonido (tampoco es la primera vez que somos testigos de una situación similar, por desgracia…), ofreciendo como resultado un espectáculo de humo proveniente de las trompetas de agudos que obviamente supuso el repentino fin del concierto de los de bizkaia.
Xabier Erkizia

the trinity's holiday makes you change your habits and moving hours...
having as a target a nice breakfast in one of my favest places i start a
small derive around the city with the exception of some coffe shops that
also sell sandwiches and pies that didn't fancy make me go on.. at
thermopylwn st. my beloved bougatsa shop 'i nea anoixi' is closed... kinda
walk i walk to adrianoupolews st but marina as well with her beautiful
russian recipies and the lovely potato piroskas is also closed. am thinkin'
of sitting at 'nostimia' but i change my mind and leave. i end to 'nea
ellas' one of my favest pastry shops in town, unfortunately no baked rice
pudding so i fancy a lovely piece of a substantial walnut pie... some of my
beloved coffee shops are closed. stucked of whether i should sit for a
coffee in a coffe shop in the city's main square or not. i am walking down
platonos st, ali memet oglou's coffee shop is open, in the background of
the shop i can hear the voice of the muezzin coming from a radio, nearby
'new art' has a delivery of dresses for young muslim girls. i stop at
'spanidis' bookstore and watch the books that are displayed in the
showcases, i realize that 'estia' has published in greek the book of
vryonis around the events of '55 in instabul and i recall that a week ago
there was the book's presentation in thrace. i walk more enjoying my last
hours in the city, stucked in my discman is euskal semea the insane tribute
of josexto grieta to the european son of vu (the title in basque means
'european son') done on the ocasion of the 40th anniversary of the
'banana''s issue. 2 pieces, one for 20 guitrars, broken glass, etc the 2nd
a live one togehter w/ mattin (in a stellar sound/contribution) and iatigo
eguilor. rotten, dirty, sick, fuckin' amazing, torn, freepunknoiserock in
its bloodiest best moments. intense sounds that fit perfect to my last walk
in town.

JOSETXO GRIETA
Euskal Semea
CD, w.m.o/r, 2007

Josetxo Grieta – це тріо баскських музикантів Маттіна, Хосетхо Анітуа та Ініґо Еквіллора. Проект, створений народити на світ Божий чергового культурного монстра. В цьому випадку монстром виступає перекладена на баскську мову присвята Лу Ріда своєму наставнику Делмору Шварцу, викладачу університету м. Сіракузи і поету. Десь зовсім поряд блукає привид Velvet Underground: цей диск фактично замовили Маттіну як інтерпретацію їхньої пісні “European Son” (вона ж присвята Шварцу) зі славнозвісного „бананового” альбому. Звичайно, на баскську перекладено й назву пісні, але в перекладеній версії вона стала звучати як „Сини басків”.

Маттін явно захоплюється грою в культурні посилання, навертаючи павутиння змістів, які напряму виводять до проблеми, до якої він весь час повертається в інших своїх роботах, – баскської незалежності. Диск напрочуд адекватний – і як свіже явище в європейському авангарді (який досі марить строгістю форм, відкидаючи психоделію як метод), і як формальне вираження того ступеня абстракції, до якого не дотяглися свого часу Velvet Underground і Ніко, і як нове прочитання присвяти одного похмурого типа іншому – Ріда Шварцу. Справа в тім, що Шварц був важкою людиною, одержимим демонами алкоголіком, але він був справжнім поетом – його вірші переборювали його одержимість.

Музика на диску важка, вайлувата, невесела, вона рухається вперед навалом, не розбираючи дороги й щохвилини втрачаючи напрямок руху. Проте не можна сказати, що вона незграбна чи неповоротка – навпаки, вона викликає враження живого тіла, яке – попри те, що воно спотикається на кожному кроці, що від нього весь час відвалюються шматки – готове в будь-яку мить спурхнути і полетіти у нас над головами. Цей альбом – безсоромне вираження культурної свободи в самому центрі світу, в центрі, охопленому постколоніальними настроями. Він – образ Країни басків, землі, оточеної та здушеної з усіх боків агресивною європейською нав’язливістю, землі, в повітрі якої досі відчувається запах свободи.

Я нічого не знаю про Країну басків, я ніколи там не був, я ніколи не дихав її повітрям. Але Маттін та його тріо все про неї знають, і вже через це диск є цінним. Так, ніби нам дали вдихнути цього повітря, і ми самі раптом почали уболівати за долю досі незломлених басків, за долю одержимих демонами поетів і – врешті-решт – за історію вільної музики, за звільнення її від тиску культурного авторитету Старого Світу.

Josetxo Grieta is a trio of Basque musicians Mattin, Josetxo Anitua and Inigo Eguillor. It’s a project designed to give birth to another cultural monster. In this particular case, a Basque translation of Lou Reed’s homage to his teacher Delmore Schwartz, a professor in the University of Syracuse and a poet, is the monster. A ghost of the Velvet Underground is wandering somewhere around: Mattin was actually ordered to produce this disc as an interpretation of their song “European Son (To Delmore Schwarz)” from the famous “banana” album. Of course, the title is translated into Basque too, but the translation changed it to “Basque Sons.”

Mattin is obviously fascinated with playing with cultural references weaving a web of senses that directly point at the problem which he constantly adverts to in his other works – Basque independence. This disc is surprisingly to the point as a fresh phenomenon in European avant-garde (which still goes after rigidity of forms and throws away psychedelia as a method), as a formal expression of the extent of abstraction the Velvet Underground and Nico failed to achieve in their time, and as a new perusal of one gloomy guy’s homage to another, Reed to Schwartz. The fact is that Schwartz was a tough guy, an alcoholic possessed with demons but he was a true poet, his verse transcended his possession.

The music of this record is massive, heavy-footed, joyless; it recklessly goes ahead over hedge and ditch and minutely loses the direction of movement. However, one can’t say that it’s awkward or cumbersome, on the contrary it produces the impression of a lively thing which despite the fact that it tumbles over its every step, its chunks falling off all the time, is ready to take off and fly over our heads. This album is a shameless expression of cultural freedom right in the centre of the world, in the centre abuzz with post-colonial sentiments. It is an image of the Basque country, the land surrounded and suppressed by aggressive European officiousness, the land in the air of which one can still scent freedom.

I know nothing about the Basque country, I’ve never been there, and I’ve never breathed its air. But Mattin and his trio know all about it, and that’s the very reason why this disc is so valuable. It feels as if we were allowed to breathe this air, and we suddenly started to care about the destiny of the Basque people still unbroken, of the destiny of poets possessed with demons, and finally of the history of free music, started to support its liberation from oppression of the Old World’s authority.

Antoine Chessex Blog 14. 1. 2007 Berlin

Euskal Semea

Può essere considerato come un omaggio a quell'immenso album che fu (anzi, che è) Velvet Underground & Nico, questo del gruppo basco Josetxo Grieta. Euskal Semea, infatti, tradotto in lingua basca vuol dire "European Son", una delle 11 perle del primo album dei figliocci di Warhol. La cover ha ben poco in comune con l'originale, si tratta di una specie di drone, ottenuto sovrapponendo le chitarre che eseguono la canzone dei velvet, un saggio rumoristico, un tentativo apprezzabile di distruggerci le orecchie.
A dire il vero le cover sono due, la prima è in studio, la seconda è registrata dal vivo. Ed è proprio la seconda traccia la più interessante... urla, rumori assordanti, battiti, cacofonia insomma... comincia con una calma inquietante che pare preannunciare il casino che verrà. Comincia a battere sui timpani il batterista e comincia l'uragano che durerà per 25 minuti circa. La quiete dopo la tempesta ci darà la sensazione di essere rimasti sordi, dopo l'esplosione di un ordigno nelle vicinanze... un'esperienza senza dubbio interessante (e devastante).

L'album non è coperto da copyright e può essere scaricato legalmente da qui

un ringraziamento a Gigiriva di Ondarock per avermelo fatto conoscere.

1.24.2007

Josetxo Grieta - Euskal Semea (w.m.o/recordings CD)

Last of the recordings Mattin sent my way is from the Josetxo Grieta trio, which features Mattin as well as Josetxo Anitua and Inigo Eguillor. The premise for "Euskal Semea" is that the group were invited to do a reinterpretation of the Velvet Underground's "European Son" in tribute to the VU's legendary self-titled album on which the song in question can be found. The title of Grieta's version is derived by translating "European Son" into the Basque language Euskera and the literal translation then turns back into "Basque Son", thus giving the new piece a decidedly personal ramification for all musicians involved.
Presented here are two different versions of "€peear Semea", one for (supposedly) 20 guitars, three watering cans and voice and the other for drums, voice, radio and guitar. In the first version, seven different takes on the song are edited together to form a deliriously swirling din that only really resembles "European Son" in terms of anarchistic aesthetic. Apparently the original bassline is retained and worked around but even that is a challenge to dig out (although it really is there throughout all 22 minutes). I can't confirm for you if that many guitars and watering cans were actually used but with all the overdubbing taking place here, who knows for sure. What does come across is a slow-lurching blackened sun drone, akin to taking a bath in an oil can during a thunderstorm. Digital-sounding blips and whirrs are puked out every so often and quickly re-ingested like a hurricane simultaneously sucking in and tossing out everything it comes into contact with. The result is impressive, if not overly long, and maybe even something that Lou Reed himself could've come to grips with, though I doubt it. Also noteworthy is the fact that all guitars were tuned to La Monte Young's "just intonation" technique. Hmmmmm... "€peear Semea II" is described in the booklet as "a Basque [asking] another Basque if being hit and hitting back is the only way to learn in this mousetrap that is carefully prepared for us". I'm of no qualification to answer that so I'll just stick to the music (which I'm still of no qualification to talk about but hey, you've gotten this far, you might as well finish reading!). This 28-minute piece is largely percussion oriented, with Eguillor delivering thundering, hypnotic, and downright lively rhythms from the drum kit, an impressive feat of stamina in that he's able to keep the energy level up for a good 20 minutes. Other sounds accompanying him are Mattin and Anitua's treated guitars and voices, both shouting lyrics in Spanish and churning out malevolent bolts from their strings. The last nine minutes are a sort of post-apocalyptic coda to the proceedings, all three sounding down and out and letting out final gasps from their instruments and/or throats before the sounds finally collapse on themselves. I probably liked "II" better but that's also because it was better at immediately holding my attention. With more listenings I'm sure I'll be able to appreciate the intricate workings of the first version just as well.
I don't know if it bears repeating anymore but like all Mattin/w.m.o/r product, you can obtain the tracks here for free on Mattin's website, along with all pertinent liner note information. A lot of people say a lot of things about Mattin but what strikes me most is the attention to detail given to each one of the releases, despite the fact that anybody can go grab them off his website at will. They all come with (or in) thick, glossy booklets or fold-outs with text and photos and various epherma. I encourage you to at least investigate his website and send some cash his way if you like what you hear. I can think of less deserving parties!

“Reminder of a Precious Life” isn’t entirely dissimilar, though with just four tracks the music wanders a bit closer to the longer cuts from “Hermano Hostia”. Again, I get a little bit of a sense of, if not DNA specifically, the sort of climate that existed in the late 70s-early 80s when some strains of punk began to mix with free jazz and improv elements. Eguillor’s drums do tend to keep to rhythms, fragmented though they may be and Anitua’s vocals usually lie somewhere on a continuum from Lindsay to, oh, Yamatsuka Eye. It’s really Mattin’s guitar and other noises that fill out the songs, providing what grist there is to be had. That said, the more lugubrious pacing in this set wears thin after a bit, reaching a low point on “Precious life #1”, where the repeated refrain, “even when the sun goes down”, is endlessly either warbled mock-falsetto or gargled, sounding somewhat like what I’d expect from the unearthly spawn of Diamanda Galas and Tiny Tim. The final track picks things up a bit with a good, steady throb and insistent beat but a little late. Of the two reviewed here, I’ll take the freebie.

Audiobot’s website is here though I see no mention of this recording at the moment.