patten - Estoile Naiant - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra - Don Juan / Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche [COMPACT DISCS] date 04/20/2004

Future-facing UK duo patten return with their third LP & second for Warp, an album of deconstructed club music with multiple strains of Pop, Post Punk Industrial and hi-tech electronics. The record is named with the Greek letter (pronounced Psi - a volatile symbol perfectly linked to their tripped out tracks), on the sleeve artwork, presented in an intensive state of growth or collapse. Patten seek to evoke and explore the worlds of deep pre-linguistic emotion and experience in all they do; in audio, visuals and live performance. As with each from the group, marks a definitive shift in the patten project, expressed across many forms from the sleeve artwork to stage setup. Their mind-altering drive remains present, but retooled and sharpened in focus. sees patten transforming their freeze frame blur into high speed crystal clear emotive energy.

PATTERNS, a multi-composer compilation of contemporary chamber music, accentuates the richness, intricacy, and minimal sound that can be found in works written for small ensembles. Included on the album are works by seven composers, each offering a distinct interpretation of what defines the genre. Asymmetry, composed by James William Stamm, features rich and soaring harmonies and melodies guided by a swift tempo. Guitarist David William Ross's performance on George Raillard's Disintegration opens with a distinct melody that quickly does exactly what it's title suggests, disintegrating into dissonance. Two Lords, written and performed by Santiago Kodela, is a guitar suite based on the works of two contemporary non-classical guitarists, Allan Holdsworth (1946 - 2017) and Fredrik Thordendal (b. 1970). The piece's three movements progress from the darkly toned InchOf TexturesInch through the relaxing InchOf ColoursInch to the rhythmically rich, upbeat InchOf Mechanics.Inch David Arbury's aptly titled Four Snares, performed by the McCormick Percussion Group, is an exploration of the often-overlooked timbral possibilities of the snare drum and a celebration of the wealth of sound available to it. Daniel Adams's Road Traversed and Reversed also features the Percussion Group's leader, Robert McCormick. Following an introduction of overlapping roll textures, thematic ideas emerge in an interplay between McCormick's and Lee Hinkle's marimbas. On Bunny Beck's emotional two-movement Suite for Sarro, a string trio evocatively captures sorrow in the face of loss. PATTERNS concludes with Jan Jarvlepp's Bassoon Quartet, comprised of three movements that range in spirit from adventurous to haunting to lively. Together, each of the pieces on PATTERNS vibrantly illustrate the unlimited possibilities available within the ever-evolving world of chamber music.