MACHINEFABRIEK & ANDREA BELFI - BROMBRON 15: PULSES AND PLACES
Korm Plastics KP 3034
CD only
release date: SEPTEMBER 1ST 2009

Korm Plastics is proud to present the ninth release in the Brombron series. Originally a co-production between Staalplaat and Extrapool, it is now hosted by co-curator Frans de Waard. In the year 2000 Frans de Waard and Extrapool started the Brombron project. Two or more musicians become artists in residence in Extrapool, an arts initiative in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, with a fully equipped sound recording studio. These artists can work in a certain amount of time on a collaborative project; a project they always wished to do, but didn't have the time or the equipment to realize.

Andrea Belfi (born 1979) is an Italian electro-acoustic musician and composer. He began playing drums at the age of 14, and studied art in Milan, before becoming involved in experimental music in 2000. Belfi is also a member of electronic outfit Medves. In 2002 Belfi began a project titled Between Neck & Stomach, in which he attempted to turn a whole house into a musical instrument, by using sound vibrations to shake various items, such as pots, plates, and cupboards. This project resulted in a CD of the same name, released on the Häpna label in 2006.

Rutger Zuydervelt, better known as Machinefabriek, lives in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Started as Machinefabriek in 2004, he released 40+ small run home-made cdr's as well as work for Type Records, Lampse, Digitalis, Staalplaat (Mort Aux Vaches) and now 12K. A double remix cd was released in 2007, with interpetations by Alva Noto, Pita, Mitchell Akiyama, Xela, Gert-Jan Prins and many more. Collaborations (live or recording) include Steinbrüchel, Jasper TX, Wouter van Veldhoven, Simon Nabatov, Frans de Waard, Aaron Martin and Peter Broderick.

A striking collaboration took place between Belfi on drums and assorted small percussion and Zuydervelt on guitar and organ. Together they produce the 'pulses' and 'places' mentioned in the title. Organic yet partially improvised, it resembles a kind of sonic geography. The listener is taken away for a journey of mild drones, soft yet outspoken percussion. A strong release.

Design by Gerco Hiddink

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listen

This CD was presented September 4th 2009, to view a nice video of the concert:

Reviews

ANDREA BELFI & MACHINEFABRIEK - BROMBRON 15 : PULSES AND PLACES (CD by Korm Plastics)
The Brombron project itself is work a true work of art and a good reason to the fact that the Netherlands is one of the world's leading countries in field of sound art. The conceptual idea behind Brombron was originally established as a co-production between legendary Dutch label Staalplaat and the venue for experimental music, Extrapool. Two or more musicians become artists in the residence of Extrapool. Equipped with the recording studio of Extrapool, the artists can work on a collaborative project that will be released in the Brombron-series. Fourteen excellent releases from year 2000 forward is the result of the Brombron project, this present album being the fifteenth release. Behind the album titled "Pulses and places", you find the two composers Andreas Belfi and Rutger Zuydervelt alias Machinefabriek. Andrea Belfi is an electro-acoustic musician from Italy who has been involved in quite a number of sound art projects for the last decade. Rutger Zuydervelt started his Machinefabriek project five years ago, and has since then become a prolific artist of the Dutch sound art scene. To accomplish this new chapter of the Brombron series, the two artists utilize drums, small percussions, guitar and organ. The result is a real beauty. Drifting somewhere between gentle drone-based ambient and modern psychedelia/postrock, the four pieces of "Pulses and places" consists of waving organ sounds, chilling guitar drones with downbeat hand percussions. The expression of the overall album sounds like a mixture between early Pink Floyd as they sounded in their most trippy psychedelic moments and 80's rock/pop-giants Talk Talk in their more experimental postrock-based period around the "Spirit of Eden"-album (1990). As is the usual case with releases in the Brombron-series, "Pulses and places" are neatly packed in a tasteful card-slip-sleeve. Highly recommended! (NM)
Address: http://www.kormplastics.nl/ (VITAL WEEKLY)

MACHINEFABRIEK & ANDREA BELFI / Pulses and Places (Korm Plastics)

Numéro 15 dans la série Brombron. Un très beau disque de drones à base d'instruments de musique (percussion surtout pour Andrea Belfi, guitare et orgue pour Machinefabriek). Une collaboration organique, bien sentie, où l'exploration sonore se résout dans un mélodisme déconstruit, aérien. Des pièces lentes, improvisées, qui habitent l'espace sonore sans le fixer en place. Ce sont deux artistes que j'apprécie séparément; ensemble, ils ont créé quelque chose de magnifique. [Ci-dessous: a) un extrait de l'album; b) un extrait du concert-lancement de l'album - tous deux sur le site de Korm Plastics.]

Number 15 in the Brombron series. A very fine CD of drones made from musical instruments (mostly percussion from Andrea Belfi, guitar and organ from Machinefabriek). An organic, deep-running collaboration where sonic experimentation takes the form of deconstructed melodicism. Slow improvised pieces that inhabit the listening space without setting it in stone. I really appreciate these two artists on their own; together, they have created something beautiful. [Below: a) A sound clip from the album; b) footage from the release concert - both on Korm Plastics' website.]

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