(Dead Angel) Now this is a pretty mind-blowing meeting of minds: Philippe Petit, an avant-garde soundtrack artist who has previously collaborated with the likes of Lydia Lunch, Foetus, Eugene Robinson (Oxbow), Cosey Fanni Tutti, Graham Lewis (Wire), Scanner, Jarboe, and many more postmodern music legends; multi-instrumentalist Ron Anderson of The Molecules and PAK, a guy so cool (and so musically savvy) he once collaborated with epic prog-drummer Tatsuya Yoshida (YBO2, Ruins, Zeni Geva) as Ronruins; and Robert L. Pepper and David Tamura, both members of the avant-garde multimedia collective PAS. With a lineup like that, you know something interesting is going to happen… and sure enough, it does. Recorded live by Martin Bisi in November 2010, the eight untitled tracks here are a skull-frying stew of exotic sounds created with electric guitar, sax, turntables, electronics, analog synth, electric violin, and electric psalterion. As an ensemble, they sound like something you'd hear on John Zorn's Tzadik label (although they're nowhere near as frantic and demonically possessed as the sound Zorn himself favors); to say they're eclectic would be an enormous understatement. What's even more amazing than their kitchen-sink sound is how well it all works, especially for something created live and on the fly in one take. Even better, for an album made by an avant-garde collective, it's surprising just how accessible it is; this is an avant album even non-avant types can enjoy. Bonus points for all the whacked-out sci-fi noises that permeate the album. - RKF
(ITDE) Before you go any further, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of “Closed Encounters of the 4 Minds,” on Public Eyesore. I’m really quite taken with this one– some of the old-school electronic sounds just leap out at you, and it doesn’t hurt that the 4th track is ridiculously catchy. The album hasn’t left my stereo since it arrived, so you’ve been warned. Don’t sleep on it! - DaveX
(Downtown Music Gallery) Featuring Ron Anderson on electric guitar, Robert I. Pepper on Korg synth & electric violin, David Tamura on sax and Philippe Petit on turntables, electronics, electric violin and electric psalterion. Ron Anderson is one of the original Downtown musicians whose long career stretches back some thirty years playing in a number of bands on both coasts like Yellow Tang, RonRuins, the Molecules, Vacuum Tree Head and PAK. Tzadik Records released Mr. Anderson's debut disc on that label last year and it remains one of more recent gems on a label with more than 600 discs so far. I am unfamiliar with Mr. Pepper and Tamura but I do know Mr. Petit from his work with Lydia Lunch and the Vultures Quartet. This session was recorded live in Martin Bisi's studio and has impressive sound. Ron Anderson is a great guitarist who has worked with the Ruins on a few occasions. He is also a restless, intense and often demanding musician who like to push his session mates to the limits. Although improvised this music is tight and focused with little or no rambling or superfluous grandstanding. Ron injects a series of quick riffs which are central whatever else happens around him. The sax, synth and electronics are always well-balanced and all interaction is tightly wound. There are a number of moments when the quartet will morph into Residents-like warped melodies that add some fun to the proceedings. One of this week's most extraordinary and unexpected treasures. - Bruce Lee Gallanter
(Babysue) Q: Put four ultra-creative modern improvisational musicians together and what do you get...? A: A bizarre and perplexing album bursting at the seams with creative energy. Closed Encounters of the 4 Minds is an exercise in spontaneous creativity and sound manipulation. Each of these four men is already well-known in artsy underground circles around the globe...so their fans already have a good idea of what to expect here. Different elements collide for a crashing intense listening experience. Experimental electronics...elements of modern classical...free-form jazz... It's a real whirlwind of ideas with all four men probably pushing each other to the limits. Way cool obtuse sound for the chosen few. We dig everything we hear on the esoteric Public Eyesore label these days... - LMNOP
(Monsieur Délire) An unexpected and quite interesting collaboration between guitarist Ron Anderson (The Molecules, PAK, The Infusion), keyboardist Robert L. Pepper (PAS), saxophonist David Tamura, and turntablist-electronician Philippe Petit (Strings of Consciousness). A 48-minute improvisation split into eight parts and recorded in one take in November 2010 – only Petit went on to add a track of electric psalterion in two parts. Free improvisation oscillating between aerial headtrip and powerful free rock – a noisier and more intense take on Petit’s current trilogy in progress. An imperfect recording (serious oversaturation in track 8), some overlong passages, but there plenty of inspired moments. And Pepper pulls off some impressive retrofuturistic bits. - François Couture
(Felthat) Public Eysore Records has been on my mindset for years as I am always amazed by the versatility of Bryan Day as an accomplished graphic designer, instrument builder and active musician. He never ceased to make a really interesting output, even now after years of struggling with lack of time and energy. The newest release by a quartet of four musicians Ron Anderson Robert L. Pepper David Tamura Philippe Petit brings back the long lost link between instrumental free improvisation and slight touch of very densely textured electronics put into digestible wholeness of sound and tone and colour. Reeds and strings mingled with quite harmonious holarchy. There are really interesting bits which come out of merely improvised bangle but lead towards very advanced composition thanks to the art of listening and experience of musicians which use a wide array of means to utilize here. Superflexible and giving excellet flow to the scenario of this event. - Hubert Napiorski
(Improvijazzation Nation) If your mind is “closed” (in any sense of the word), you won’t find yourself enjoying pieces like the opener, “Untitled 1“… on the other hand, if your mind isn’t “open”, you probably aren’t here reading this anyway. I.N. readers are known to be looking for “different”, & this live recording from 2010 is definitely in the “out zone”. Lots of static overtones and carryovers from Ron’s electric guitar, plenty of tweet/whistle from David’s sax & Robert (Korg Ms 200/Electric Violin & Pilippe (turntables, electronics, etc.) will do a great job of wrecking your brain tunnels as they bore through your ears – this actually reminds me of some of the works Ernesto Diaz-Infante & I put together in the late ’90?s, albeit with better recording quality. For improv/experimental fanatics, this gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED… for all “average listeners” – watch out! “EQ” (energy quotient) rating is 4.97. - Rotcod Zzaj
(Disaster Amnesiac) Wrapped with a sumptuously painted cover image by Alec Dartly, these eight tracks were laid down, live in one take, in NYC about four years back. This group conjures up great Electro-Acoustic blends. They are often heavily rhythmic and strangely melodic, with Tamura especially leading the charge with his sprayed saxophone riffing. Sampled voices and bleeping bloops, worthy of those great old 1970's LPs on Nonesuch, float in and out of the field, non-treated (very clean sounding, anyway) guitars get played by Anderson, and the whole ensemble gets down in a completely psychedelic way, like the next evolutionary step from the sounds of Death Comet Crew or something. Graff for the inner ear and mind. Disaster Amnesiac has no idea whether or not these gentlemen explorers are basing their operations within East Coast musical academia or grinding out meager existences playing music in the City, but, either way, they're breaking great new ground with their improvised Free head trip. Closed Encounters is a freaky good time skull fuck of a listen. Put on headphones and jack in! - Marl Pino
(KFJC) One long improvisation, divided into 8 sections. Electric guitar, Korg MS2000, violin, saxophone, electronics, turntable, and other miscellaneous sounds. Fiery and unpredictable. On the loud side. Grabs your brain and demands your attention. Really far out and I love it. Recorded in one take at Martin Bisi’s legendary BC Studio in Brooklyn. Brought to us by the relentlessly interesting local label Public Eyesore. - Max Level
