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Oren Ambarchi & Robbie Avenaim, "Clockwork"
This live recording from 1999 features Oren Ambarchi on guitar and Robbie Avenaim on percussion. Originally released in a small quantity as a 3” disc that same year, this single track is an 18-minute improvisation that isn’t too far from a clock that winds up and then springs apart, exposing the underbelly of gears and sprockets that keep it functioning.
The song begins and ends with a gong, imposing symmetry on the structure not found elsewhere within the piece. The first half of the song belongs mostly to Ambarchi with its pulsating drones and overtones. Avenaim’s percussion, apart from the gong, consists of metallic pitches ringing from a variety of objects. The beginning is a little static, but the song gets stronger as it progresses, picking up the pace about halfway through with more rattling from Avenaim. Here the duo strikes a perfect balance, not necessarily reacting to each other’s playing so much as contributing to the same clattering, mechanical impulse. As the percussion gets tuneful, the song grows more intriguing, culminating in a climax determined to disrupt time itself. The latter half in particular makes me wish I could have seen this performance, and wondering what other blissful moments I may have missed.
