18/05/2012
SOLO@Ausland
+ Tsembla
http://www.ausland-berlin.de/tsembla-andrea-belfi

23/05/2012
Andrea Belfi+Simon James Phillips@Naherholung Sternchen
http://www.simonjamesphillips.com/
http://www.naherholung-sternchen.de/about.php

Experiments conducted by psychologists and cognitive scientists suggest that infants as young as two months of age can discriminate between different rhythms. Indeed, rhythmic elements such as the mother’s breathing and walking can be perceived while still in the womb. There is no doubt that the ability to place temporal events within a sequence and recognise patterns emerging from them is an important evolutionary skill – memory would be impossible without it, for example. Yet this still doesn’t seem to account for the rhythm’s power to stir the emotions and elicit pleasure.

“Wege” translates as ‘path’ or ‘way’ – another concept that would be completely meaningless without the ability to distinguish between discrete spatiotemporal events and sequence them. On one level, Andrea Belfi’s third album is mostly about hitting things – tapping them, scraping them, beating them, slapping them, shaking them. To this end he has devised a unique “cyclic electro-acoustic system” using parts of his drum kit, allowing him to generate all manner of sounds using the traditional percussionists’ toolbox of sticks, mallets, brushes, and skin stretches, and by using a modular synthesizer as a filter. But just as important as the sounds themselves are the ways in which they are organised temporally, arranged one after the other to form a winding path leading the listener through the album.

Such creative use of rhythm can completely transform the effect of a track. An example is the second half of the second piece, “B” (the four tracks are named alphabetically). The languid slide guitar and strings would be almost too languid were it not for the racing, nervous energy supplied by the rapid cymbal rhythms. The juxtaposition of fast and slow, or temporal density with sparseness: sitting still and staring out of the window of a train that cannot move quickly enough, bathed in sunlight. Belfi’s rhythms are complex and diverse, focusing the attention on the razor-sharp edge of now.

It’s not all about percussion: instruments such as bass and synth, along with the aforementioned slide guitar and strings, are used to provide melody, and various non-rhythmic noises burble away in the background. It could be argued, however, that even these elements are arranged according to a logic that is more rhythmic than melodic or harmonic – even the spoken voices that appear in “A” and “C” produce a rhythmic pattern, as if triggered by a beat.

Rhythm may well be written into the DNA of every human, as fundamental as a heartbeat, yet with “Wege” Belfi demonstrates a rare understanding of its subtleties and complexities. And did I mention something about pleasure? Damn right I did. This is one of the most engaging, playful, and enjoyable albums I’ve heard for some time, and listening to it is like having your brain shifted up a couple of gears. A fantastic start to the year from the Room40 label, and a new career highpoint for Belfi – recommended!
- Nathan Thomas (@nlt_1840) for Fluid Radio

Andrea Belfi is a drummer who (hopefully) doesn’t need any introduction. He played with David Grubbs, Stefano Pilia, Machinefabriek, and Attila Faravelli. ‘Wege’ is his fourth release in which he explores the possibilities of a system he developed which allows him to play drums, synthesizer and feedback at the same time. He uses speakers to create feedback on the drums which are then filtered through the synthesizer, all to which Belfi can drum along. Belfi has a style that is very much his own, using a lot of tom sounds and handheld percussion. The more I play this, the less convinced I am that its all played at once. The cover lists a bunch of additional recordings provided by some of the people mentioned above, so somewhere along the lines, something has been added. Its of course not really important to know how it was made, it makes no claim of being recorded at once. It has a great stillness around it, the simple yet highly effective beats of beats, sparse electronics from feedback, and making this is into a fine record of improvisation meets post rock meets electro-acoustics in four delightful pieces of music. I wouldn’t have mind hearing a bit more.
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Squealer(February 2012) –english–
Milan’s Andrea Belfi – an accomplished electro-acoustic composer and percussionist – has already made a mark on the ‘indie’ world with his collaborations with David Grubbs, but with Wege, his debut LP for the solid Melbourne-based ROOM40 label, the crossover seems incontestably achieved. This is also aided by the inclusion of Machinefabrik and Greg Haines on his new record.
Wege is an astonishing album, created in part from two installation residencies in Austria and Brussels, for which Belfi developed a series of modular synth networks controlled by his percussion performances. A complex interwiring of mechanical and rhythmic devices that autonomously generated feedback and loop patterns whilst being restrained and guided by Belfi’s drumming.
For all the challenge and demand of such a difficult and dense work, there are elements of pure sonic beauty in Wege; interwoven bells and granular blips, multi-rhythmic collages and throbbing subsonics, all of which delight the ear, easing us into the more difficult paths of sparkling noise and scattered sample segments.

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incendiary magazine(February 2012) –english–
by Richard Foster

Wege is a tactile and elemental record, one that is sensual; not really looking to jump out at you but it’s incredibly charming nonetheless.
One of those really great records that still needs some explanation – outside of anything I say review – so you can make up your minds. Which we will come to in a minute. What I must say now is don’t be put off by the idea that this is a difficult piece, it’s not. Wege is a tactile and elemental record, one that is sensual; not really looking to jump out at you but it’s incredibly charming nonetheless – a sweeping and broad-backed experiment in sound that is an incredibly beautiful listen if only you allow it to engage on its own terms.

Four tracks present a mix of cut up vocals, drum patterns, acoustics and synth modulations that create a very pastoral record. It never feels rather like the accompanying music at an Indonesian street theatre or a Japanese Noh play, its mission is to present lots of sensations and musical hints rather than anything too linear. That’s not to say there isn’t a structure, there is, but one that soundtracks a journey into the unknown rather than a trek on a well-worn path. Funnily enough, Wege translates as ‘path’ and it does feel like you are mind-mapping some new musical plateau. There are elements of musique concrete too: especially in some of the later passages of A (which also nod towards the hazy abstraction conjured up by, say a beat-less DJ Krush) and the beautiful mesh of viola and electronics on B which have a feel of early T -Dream albeit a very relaxed, “Sturm und Drang”-less T- Dream. At times B becomes sparse in the extreme; driven solely by a hyperactive cymbal tap. C is a strange and ghostly amalgam of a voice and some crackly noises. The combination of drum brushes, church bells and simple taps and beats in D give the very strong feeling of walking through a frozen landscape. It’s an incredibly sensual piece.

So there you have it, a record full of sensations and one that may take a couple of listens but you really need to hear this work.

Postscript – the bit that I really can’t describe – the LP’s history so to speak.

Wege is culled from what must have been two very inspiring artist-in-residence projects in Austria (Hotel Pupik) and in Brussels (Q-O2 Werkplatz). The album is built around a cyclic electro-acoustic system, influenced in part by Steve Reich’s ‘Pendulum Music’, Wege’s four pieces revolve around spiraling interconnections of synthesizer, feedback and drums.

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a closer listen–english–
Wege originated as an installation, but thankfully has found its way to disc. The list of collaborators is impressive: Greg Haines, Machinefabriek and Valerio Tricoli, among others. But the credit goes to Andrea Belfi for composing and leading these four articulate pieces. His warm percussion and electronics glide us gently into the album, while his oversight ties together a remarkable number of disparate elements.

There’s no hurry to the proceedings; it’s as if Belfi is saying, “We’ll get there when we get there.” A clear example is the delayed entrance of warning tone and violin on “A”, as if to intimate that neither the analogue or the digital has the upper hand. A curiously recited breakdown in the track’s center offers room for interpretation: Johanna Lettmayer may be saying “artistic”, but her word sounds more like autistic, which lends the recording a degree of uncertainty. ”A” does not sound quite right, which is another way of saying that it sounds very right.

“B” may begin in the same way, with Belfi’s percussion providing the lead, but it soon heads off in a more tempered direction, with handclaps and the introduction of Stefano Pilia’s double bass. 60 b.p.m.s is not fast, but it is discernible – a bed of hay for Haines’ cello horse. As vibraphone and guitar stop by the stall, the tone takes on a dusty tinge. The percussion speeds up while the other components slow down. The more random bridge piece “C” sweeps the listener into the character-driven “D”, which features field recordings, harmonica and Machinefabriek’s guitar. On this track, Belfi’s drumming achieves a low-level funk, remaining even in pace while varying in execution.

The German word wege may refer to a road, a path, or a journey. In this case, it may refer to either the root or the route of the music. Fortunately, music is a language that has no national barrier. (Richard Allen)

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the wire–english–
by Nick Southgate

The album’s title “Wege” means ‘paths’, and Andrea Belfi’s performance feel like navigations of the spaces he finds himself in and the sonic space created by the balances, inputs, outputs and feedbacks of his set-up.
The four pieces here were completed during two artist-in-residence projects, at Hotel Pupik, a large ruralpile in the Austrian countryside devoted to such residencies, and the other at Q-O2, a space amongst the canals of Brussels again dedicated to experimental audio art. In each location Belfi assembled a complex loop of synthesizers and percussion, allowing him to manipulate the sound of two drum skin, striking the drum with sticks, mallets or brushes, or by filtering the feedback through a modular synthesizer.
Presented as recordings, Belfi’s pieces are shorn of both context and performance elements. The sympathetic listener will want to find a mental, if not physical, space that suits the sparse and immersive mood they seem to take from their original placesof creation. This is an album of two parts. “A” and “B” are longer compositions with numerous collaborators. Austere textures of single synthesizer tones, ruffled around and over by heavily manipulated percussion, slowly stutter and build a-rhythmic fragments until they coalesce into passages of organized sound that emerge at the heart of the compositions. Collaborators provide spoken, mumbled, muttered and occasionally sung elements, making these focused moments feel like songs stealing through radio static. The two short compositions “C” and “D” sowcase Belfi’s percussion manipulations, setting up brief essays in echoing, contemplative tempi.

I’m really excited to announce the release of WEGE, my new solo CD on the great australian label ROOM40. Composed, recorded and mixed between 2009 and 2011, the album is in between a live performance and an electroacoustic composition, with a strong narrative character. It features guests Valerio Tricoli, Machinefabriek, Attila Faravelli, Greg Haines, Stefano Pilia, Andrea Faccioli, Stefano Roveda, Stefano, Tedesco, Manuel Giannini (Starfuckers).

Please visit http://room40.org/store/andrea_belfi_wege
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And this is the first nice review on Vital Weekly by Frans de Waard:
“Andrea Belfi is a drummer who (hopefully) doesn’t need any introduction. He played with David Grubbs, Stefano Pilia, Machinefabriek, and Attila Faravelli. ‘Wege’ is his fourth release in which he explores the possibilities of a system he developed which allows him to play drums, synthesizer and feedback at the same time. He uses speakers to create feedback on the drums which are then filtered through the synthesizer, all to which Belfi can drum along. Belfi has a style that is very much his own, using a lot of tom sounds and handheld percussion. The more I play this, the less convinced I am that its all played at once. The cover lists a bunch of additional recordings provided by some of the people mentioned above, so somewhere along the lines, something has been added. Its of course not really important to know how it was made, it makes no claim of being recorded at once. It has a great stillness around it, the simple yet highly effective beats of beats, sparse electronics from feedback, and making this is into a fine record of improvisation meets post rock meets electro-acoustics in four delightful pieces of music. I wouldn’t have mind hearing a bit more.”

_____

Andrea Belfi might be better known to some of you through his recent work with David Grubbs (Gastr del Sol, Bastro, Red Krayola) and Stefano Pilia and their excellent Onrushing Cloud LP released in 2010, and yet some of you might have witnessed Belfi here at the very same place, NK, last time he was round these parts. Either way, this spectacular location has a knack of hosting some memorable shows and tonight has all the right ingredients. Joining Belfi are Clifford Torus (drums, synth) and Marinos Koutsomichalis (sound/visual artist).

http://www.blitzgigs.de/2012/01/21/andrea-belfi-at-nk/

PROGRAMME EPSILONIA – 12 Janvier 2012

UNE NOUVELLE SERIE RADIO
HOBOCOMBO “WITCH OF ENDOR”

Pour la 3ème année consécutive, l’équipe d’Epsilonia / Squadra Lumaca est heureuse d’offrir à ses auditeurs une dramatique radiophonique réalisée par des musiciens. Après Déficit Des Années Antérieures (“700.000 tonnes à 100 km/h dans le brouillard”), après El-G (“L’Amiral Prose”), c’est le trio Hobocombo qui officiera de Janvier à Juin 2012 au rythme de deux épisodes par mois, pour une série intitulée “WITCH OF ENDOR”. Le trio Italien (Rocco Marchi, Francesca Baccolini & Andrea Belfi) concentre son travail sur une évocation/hommage au travail du compositeur Thomas Hardin Moondog. Musicien atypique né en 1916, aveugle suite à un accident, débutant sa carrière en jouant du jazz dans la rue à New-York dans des tenues excentriques (on le surnommera “Le Viking de la 6th Avenue”) Moondog est surtout connu comme adepte et promoteur d’une écriture contrapuntique renouvelée – cette forme de composition était devenue rare au 20° siècle. Son travail très personnel, riche, varié est une influence majeure de nombreux musiciens expérimentaux contemporains. De Janvier à Juin 2012, dans le cadre de la dramatique radio “Witch Of Endor”, Hobocombo proposera des lectures, des hommages, diverses évocations musicales et biographiques ou relectures du travail de ce grand compositeur (+ info : http://www.chocolateguns.com/hobocombo/).

EPSILONIA LIVE
ANTON MOBIN

Né en 1979, Anthony Baron vit à Paris et travaille en France et à l’étranger sous le nom d’Anton Mobin. Ses activités sonores évoluent dans deux univers : la musique improvisée et l’art radiophonique. Il définit lui-même sa démarche dans la continuité de la musique concrète : son approche est orientée sur l’écoute des sons de la vie quotidienne et leur utilisation dans la composition radiophonique, vers une musique concrète “intensive”. Détournement et manipulation d’objets sonores, fragments anecdotiques et recomposition du réel sont autant de pistes explorées dans ses créations. Anton Mobin développe ses propres méthodes de composition auxquelles il expérimente de nombreuses contraintes de lieu, d’espace et de temps pour produire un art radiophonique unique et personnel. En 2007, Anton Mobin rejoint l’équipe de la webradio ARTE Radio pour laquelle il réalise des courtes créations sonores à contraintes sous l’égide de l’Ouvroir de Radiophonie Potentielle. En 2011, il compose sa première pièce pour Silence Radio, “Long Ride”. Depuis 2001, avec DMC, AxDelbor, Ayato… Anton fait vivre le label de musique expérimentale H.A.K. Lo-Fi Record et administre depuis 2009 le projet d’improvisation en ligne “IMPRONET”. Aprés trois années à Radio Campus Orléans pour la réalisation de “Livestuff”, une émission dédiée à la musique improvisée, Anton Mobin multiplie les rencontres avec de nombreux artistes internationaux lors de son émission à domicile “A Maïzing session with…” sur la webradio KKWNE. Le travail de création sonore et d’improvisation d’Anton Mobin a été édité physiquement ou en ligne par 48 labels dans 16 pays à travers le monde et est fréquemment diffusé en radio ou lors de festivals en France, Belgique, Portugal, Allemagne et aux Etats Unis. Anton Mobin a joué sur scène et/ou travaillé en studio avec : Albert Marcoeur (fr), Harold Schellinx (nl), Bryan Lewis Saunders (usa), D’Incise (ch), Bertrand Denzler (ch), Bérangère Maximin (fr), Blenno und die Wurst-Brücke (fr) parmi bien d’autres… (http://antonmobin.blogspot.com/). A Suivre, en bandes sans fin, une nuit entière dédiée au travaux d’Anton Mobin.

RADIO LIBERTAIRE – La voix de la Fédération Anarchiste – 89.4 FM

At 19h the will be a live set of COG, a trio featuring Nathaniel Fowler at Atari ST and drum machine, Christopher Williams at Bass and Andrea at drums.

http://bisar.tumblr.com/
http://www.fondation-art-oxylane.com/index.php?lang=en
http://www.bwa.wroc.pl








bios:
Nat Fowler is a musician from Baltimore, the United States. He has been the guitarist of internationally known band Oxes for 13 years and performed more than 600 concerts. He currently resides in Berlin where he explores audio and video improvisation within rigid structures, all falling under the name 7th Heaven. His current project uses an Atari ST and synthesizers under the name Novo Line.

Christopher Williams is a Berlin-based composer, bass player,
organizer and experimental music researcher. He has played with Derek
Bailey, LaMonte Young’s Theatre of Eternal Music, and in the duo
Reidemeister Move with Robin Hayward. He is very happy to be playing
electric bass in a band again

http://www.fondation-art-oxylane.com/index.php?lang=en
http://www.bwa.wroc.pl
http://www.wroclaw.pl

http://www.chocolateguns.com
http://www.myspace.com/dawidszczesny
http://www.myspace.com/mikrokolektyw

Click here to view the embedded video.

New Website!!!!
http://www.hobocombo.com

Nice review from Vital Weekly about Hobocombo’s “now that is the opposite, it’s twice upon a time” CD
At my first listening of this CD I put the cd in my player without taking much notice of the information. While listening to the sympathetic melodies and songs that passed by, I wondered as they sounded very familiar. No wonder when I inspected the cd more carefully. This is a CD with a selection of Moondog songs.  Moondog, Louis Hardin, that strange loner, who played with Charlie Parker, worked as a streetmusician, recorded  works with a complete orchestra, and recorded records for organ, or poppy songs like on ‘H’art Songs’. This reworking by the italian Hobocombo shows that this music is still very enjoyable and worthwhile.
Hobocombo is a trio of Rocco Marchi (guitar, voice), Francesca Baccolini (double bass, voice) and Andrea Belfi (drums, voice). Their Moondog-project was born in April 2010 at the Verona Risuona Festival  that  took place on the streets of  Verona,  Italy. They selected 7 compositions for this tribute. Four of them (‘ Theme’, ‘Stamping Ground’ ,’Birds Lament’ and ’Witch of Endor’) are taken from “Moondog” (1970). ‘Be a Hobo’ and ‘All is Loneliness’ ares from “Moondog 2″(1971). The closing piece, ‘Enough about human rights’ comes from “H’art Songs” (1978). They do a very inspired job and stay close to the atmosphere of the original recordings as far as I know them, which says something of their capability to rearrange these compositions for this trio format. Well done! (DM)