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Colin Potter & Paul Bradley, "Live"
There is now a live document of this duo that actually rivals theirstudio output. Two live recordings from October and November of 2004compose this record; both have the timeless feel that Potter andBradley's music almost always has, but now the live environment istransformative, cohesive, and wholly coherent.
ICR
Both recordings centeraround a metallic center that floats, sometimes soundlessly, throughevery shift and turn. Haphazard sounds often leap and stutter inperfectly flawed ways, unannounced, but appropriately and not without acertain dynamic effect. Listening to the November recording, I'm struckby the sound of rainfall, giant caverns, low mist hissing like a snake,and the images of monstrous architecture long forgotten populate everyhollow shuffle of electronic vibration. I'm tempted to say that Potterand Bradley went somewhat psychedelic that day, their time-laped soundphotography catching all manner paranormal phenomenon and, in a lot ofways, it is hard to escape that idea. The low rumble and sitar-likeblosoms that shapeshift on each song sound completely cosmic, betrayingtheir computer and electric origins. Most surprising, however, were thesymphonic flourishes and wooden bells that hit at the last moment onthe November piece. Bradley and Potter have found a way to take theirbest studio work and translate it into a live environment withoutsounding entirely too busy or far too worried about any one sound. Itsounds as though they went into these performances almost entirelynaked, armed only with the notion of some textures and a nice, solidtheme. The minimalistic and generally open feeling of this record setit apart from their other work, but also show that a live experiencesuch as this can be just as good, if not better, than what's done in astudio. Only 200 copies of this release were pressed, each coming in ahand finished sleeve and signed by Potter and Bradley. It's anamazingly vivid and unfortunately rare recording of this duo at theirfinest.
ICR
Both recordings centeraround a metallic center that floats, sometimes soundlessly, throughevery shift and turn. Haphazard sounds often leap and stutter inperfectly flawed ways, unannounced, but appropriately and not without acertain dynamic effect. Listening to the November recording, I'm struckby the sound of rainfall, giant caverns, low mist hissing like a snake,and the images of monstrous architecture long forgotten populate everyhollow shuffle of electronic vibration. I'm tempted to say that Potterand Bradley went somewhat psychedelic that day, their time-laped soundphotography catching all manner paranormal phenomenon and, in a lot ofways, it is hard to escape that idea. The low rumble and sitar-likeblosoms that shapeshift on each song sound completely cosmic, betrayingtheir computer and electric origins. Most surprising, however, were thesymphonic flourishes and wooden bells that hit at the last moment onthe November piece. Bradley and Potter have found a way to take theirbest studio work and translate it into a live environment withoutsounding entirely too busy or far too worried about any one sound. Itsounds as though they went into these performances almost entirelynaked, armed only with the notion of some textures and a nice, solidtheme. The minimalistic and generally open feeling of this record setit apart from their other work, but also show that a live experiencesuch as this can be just as good, if not better, than what's done in astudio. Only 200 copies of this release were pressed, each coming in ahand finished sleeve and signed by Potter and Bradley. It's anamazingly vivid and unfortunately rare recording of this duo at theirfinest.samples:
