Bilbao resiste, resiste Bilbao is
a limited edition (75 copies) CD-R that comes in a jewel-case to which
crudely printed texts and pictures have been attached by black masking
tape. The music is derived from a live performance in Mattin's hometown
in August 2003. On this occasion, he and Prévost were joined by
Xabier Erkizia on computer and accordion. For around the first quarter
of the 44-minute session, the group presents a sometimes quite dense
texture of scrapes and clatters from Prévost and rumbles and
fairly harsh electronic tones from Mattin and Erkizia. Thereafter, the
music becomes generally quieter and more spacious, as the group gives
itself over to evolving collective constructions erected out of a
multiplicity of pulses, sustained tones, clatters, taps and rubbings,
and occasional eruptions of more violent sound from one or more
members. Although there are passages where electronics are deployed in
such a way as to leave the acoustic instruments little room to
contribute, this is nonetheless another improvisation that it is
engrossing to follow in its unwinding. There is a very real sense of
musical negotiation between the participants – albeit one that may not
always be entirely amicable – and of the music as a collective journey
and struggle that dispenses with the aid of a map and fashions its own
interesting terrain as it proceeds.—Wayne Spencer
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VITAL WEEKLY
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number 449
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week 47
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Mattin is together with percussion player Eddie Prevost the core of
improvising group Sakada. They had various releases so far, and on this
new live recording, they are helped by Xabier Erkizia on computer and
accordion. The recording was made in Bilboa, which I believe is in
Mattin's homeland. With the last Sakada release (see Vital Weekly 430) I
thought things were calmed down much more, but Sakada proofs me
different here. The first half of the concert is loud and abbrassive;
raw and untamed. After that softer moments drop in, but here too, there
are some nasty mean fragments of noisy mayhem. So far this is Sakada's
most noisy outing. Nice to hear, when the softer edges are preferred
here.
discography
w.m.o/record label
desetxea net label
www.mattin.org