Great Records of Free Improvisation

  listen on bandcamp This is a very aesthetically pure record. One could say that they choose to play by a set of guiding principles. They favour pitchless sounds, block-shaped phrases, a close relation to silence and a type of interaction which avoids “call and response”. This choice to reduce could both be seen as a drawback, because it lacks expressivity (some might say) and humour, but it could also be seen as a benefit because the accumulation of all the aesthetically clean actions create a special universe that would otherwise not be possible.  Listening to this record puts you in a special state of mind. It’s a cleansing experience. It’s almost like going through a kind of meditation, but which goes into various degrees of intensity. You become aware of the everyday life-feeling. The musicians are expressing that reality. The un-suspenseful but beautiful feeling of a silence. The beauty in different white noises. The very slow moving rhythm of things changing. Then at t...

listen on bandcamp The playing of Kalle Moberg is something very unique. He is truly an innovator of his instrument and a very original musician as well. When you put on this record you’re immediately struck by the richness of small details in the sound, little things that add complexity to a note. The sound of the keys, the sort of airy buzzing in certain sounds, breath-like things. Sometimes you wonder how it’s even possible to play these things, does he have three hands? There has been no overdubbing on this record, which might be suspected by some. The imagination of Moberg is also something very special. It’s continually surprising to listen to him. The phrases and gestures seem to be placed in a crooked angle, and they’re crooked in their nature, too. At times you hear phrases that sound like jazz, but they’re so warped by all the note-bending that it feels like something else. A kind of surrealistic jazz. The mind also makes associations from this music to the organ, saxophone a...

  listen on bandcamp This music requires patience, it’s something which demands all your attention. To listen to a small excerpt and then stop it, would give a false impression of the music. For me, this is a highly overlooked masterpiece which defies the conventions of the old school, the reductionists and perhaps every thinkable area or genre. This is truly punk, so to speak. The opening track already tells you one thing: this is a remarkable drummer. The drumming is very original, the way of playing rhythm, the temperament, the choice of sounds. He proves that he has great chops with his stick playing, and then proceeds with almost completely abandoning this virtuosic style for the bigger part of the record. It’s almost as if he can predict every listener’s expectation and says fuck you to us all. I love it!  He then proceeds to play quite a lot in areas which I would call reductionism, but the way reductionism should have been. The carefulness and uptightness that we know ...

listen on bandcamp This is a phenomenal record which deserves more recognition. It sets itself apart from the contemporary “repertoire” for several reasons. Among improvising vocalists, there are many who are virtuosic, who can impress you with rapidly shifting techniques and who have invented new sounds with the voice. Ute Wasserman is a singer who has this virtuosity, but only uses it in the necessary moments which benefit the music. She has a remarkable taste and timing, and knows how to interact with Lanz in a very complex way. Joke Lanz is also an excellent turntableist, who proves on this record that he is one of the finest, most sensitive electronics-players on the scene who can play dynamically. Together they play a music which has an enormous array of sounds, different types of reactions and shifts in direction. This is not unique, but what makes it somewhat unique is that despite all of this musical activity, they manage to not tire out the listeners ears. They have such a ti...

listen on bandcamp This is one of the strongest records to come out in the last few years. What strikes me hardest on “Breath” is Agusti Fernandez, who can really take your breath away, and proves that he’s one of the most vital, original and powerful improvisers on the scene. No discredit should go to Don Malfon though, who contributes very original sounds and is co-creating the extremely interesting interplay that is what this music is all about. This record consists of one improvised piece that’s about 29 minutes long. To play a piece that long and keep the listeners intrigued all the way, is something not all improvisers can do. This duo succeeds in that challenge. Having said that, it’s also true that 29 minutes is shorter than the average full album. To me, this is a perfect length. It takes you on an extended journey, and yet leaves you wanting more. In fact, after it was over I could hardly believe that it was as long as it was. Time really flew by. The piece starts off in high...

listen on bandcamp  This is a surprising record. We've heard too many records of solo improvisation that only explore one technique per track. People who have found a new trick and use that to make a drone, a groove, or a string of sounds with no pauses. They invent new sounds, but they don’t use these new sounds to create new stories. That's certainly not the case of “Heirloom”.  Ullén’s starting point in her improvisations seems to be in a pre-decided area, perhaps a certain setup of piano preparations, or a musical idea. There’s a flirtation with the idea of playing “etudes”, but there are departures from the suggested etude, which are, as I see it, what makes this music brilliant.  While listening in the beginning, you get cradled into a kind of universe, a very strong atmosphere. Many musicians would settle for that. But not Ullén. She enteres with a completely contrasting thing, and can let that become the center of attention instead. You go on a very strange journe...