Ambre & Mark Spybey "Sfumato" Hushush Threesome 1 HSH 03 2000 (56:19)
Citadelle Intérieure (4:08)
Visite Au Zoo Triste (4:46)
Corrosion (4:13)
La Cantatrice Mauve (2:27)
L'horloge
de Calcutta (8:53)
J'irai Cracher Sur Vos Ombres (3:08)
Zéro Cinquante-neuf (3:42)
Le Clown Baxir Kodek (1:37)
La Loge Dorée (2:12)
Poussière D'absinthe (4:17)
Derrière Le Rideau de Verre (3:44)
À
Quoi Servent Les Morts? (3:36)
Machine D'esprits (1:07)
Le
Printemps des Abîmes (8:29)
This is the first installment of Hushush Records' "Threesome" subscription series featuring collaborations between Mark Spybey (Dead Voices On Air, Download), Mick Harris (Scorn) and Ambre (John N Sellekaers, C-drik and Olivier Moreau of Snog, Imminent Starvation, etc.), as well as the really interesting surrealist free disc "Dogme" by Moonsanto (featuring 2 members of Ambre). Ambre and Spybey collaborated via mail late last year, the latter sending the former tapes which they then used in the 2 week recording sessions. Sfumato is a painting technique of blurring or softening sharp outlines by subtle and gradual blending of one tone into another to create a vague sense of movement. A perfect title for this album. The bulk of the 14 French titled tracks are composed of deep drones, found sound samples and ambient atmospheres. The music is primarily minimal, but not tediously so, melodic with gradual introductions and shifting of sounds. A few tracks add subtle bass programming while a few others are simply brief, bizarre sample collages meant to break up the flow. Spybey's patented reverb drenched environments are clearly evident on at least half the tracks. Although the album is best listened to start to finish, the 2 lengthiest tracks are standouts. "L'horloge de Calcutta" ("The Clock of Calcutta") is a mesmerizing pulsation that slowly builds up an intense tension for what seems like an eternity but is really only 9 minutes. "Le Printemps des Abîmes" ("The Spring of the Abysses") is a masterpiece of deep drone that dissolves into a beautiful melody cloud in the final few of it's 8 and 1/2 minutes. Altogether "Sfumato" is a very pleasant surprise since I had no idea what to expect from Ambre. They did a fantastic job of using Spybey's sounds with their own. Next up is Spybey & Harris "Bad Roads, Young Drivers" in July then Ambre & Harris in late summer. As of May 31st there were 15 of the 100 subscriptions still available so if you're interested go to hushush.com immediately before they're gone ...
Threesome
at Hushush
Hushush
Dead Voices On Air
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via Hushush.