ARC/Aidan Baker "Repercussion" Piehead Records 2002 Series - Volume 1 (55:53)
Transform (13:14)
Arise (9:45)
Writhe (12:19)
Slight Return/Raze (20:35)
Greg Clow and Sheryl Kirby are inaugurating their Toronto based Piehead Records with an ambitious CD-R subscription series. If Mr. Clow's name doesn't ring any bells you're either in the wrong place or haven't been online very long: DJ, event promoter, writer, discography and website guru, Brainwashed staff member, etc. Piehead is the next logical step for Clow and Kirby to bring many local electronic and experimental artists, not to mention a few other well known names, to a wider audience. Each of the 11 individual artist discs are limited to 250 for sale copies and the 12th disc will be a compilation of tracks from all of the artists. The only way to get any of these is to get them all via a subscription. I took the financial plunge and I'm already happy I did. ARC and Aidan Baker first collaborated at Toronto's The Ambient Ping weekly live event. This disc features 56 minutes worth of material recorded there this year with additional overdubbing by Aidan Baker. Richard Baker and Christopher Kukiel lay down tribal / Middle Eastern rhythms in the form of drums, percussion, kalimba, djembe, dumbec and tabla while Aidan handles guitar and various other instruments. "Transform" sets the tone as richly textured ambiance and active rhythms blend, the percussion slowly melting away by the 11th minute leaving just the dreamy background loop. At this point, comparisons to Stars of the Lid are unavoidable but warranted. On "Arise" the roles are reversed as the lazy guitar chords and frayed notes (I'd almost swear I hear whale song in there somewhere) are sparingly flecked with the gentlest plunks of percussion. "Writhe" and "Slight Return/Raze" seem to add more buried tape samples and miscellaneous other abstractions, mixing and alternating the ambient and rhythmic elements with perfect grace. Lovely, absolutely lovely. The best thing you haven't heard so far this year. The next disc is 'The Canadian Spelling Program' by Hellothisisalex. Oh, and those other better known names? A certain San Francisco based duo as Vague Terrain Recordings and V/Vm. Make some room in your budget right now ...
ARC
Aidan Baker
Piehead Records
Where did I get this cd? - Piehead Records