Banabila returns with a second LP release on Knekelhuis. The renowned Dutch producer is up there among the stars when it comes to ambient music and the so-called ‘fourth world’ legacy. On this eleven-track album, we witness soul-wrenching, kraut-tinted, and early-yet-modernist electronics.
Coming from his heart, these imaginative recordings center around otherworldly voices – fictional characters chanting in a made-up language, imbued with a captivating spirit, transcending linguistic barriers. Through remarkable complexity and technique, 'Unspeakable Visions’ is full of sonic textures, together evoking a layered, emotional arc.
While the track 'Rattles' still references the artist's first album on Knekelhuis, 'Echo Transformations', the style of most other tracks departs towards an intriguing new mix of both pop-infused songs and gloomy abstraction, balancing between a sense of anticipation and desolation. (Luke Cohlen, May 2024)
Album snippets:
Reach Sound:
Banabila seems to have tuned a radio station to the global frequency of the Earth.
The Answer Is In The Beat:
“Little Star” seems like it can only be described as an alien lullaby.
Vital Weekly:
'It’s melodic, rhythmic and delightful, but it’s also very ambient, very atmospheric, and dark at times.
Record Report:
Unspeakable Visions delves into sonics and structure more holistically for those seeking a departure from the ordinary.
Ambientblog:
His evolution has birthed a genre-defying sound that’s instantly identifiable and impossible to replicate.
Audiopile:
Banabila creates something genuinely strange and dreamlike. But it's also immediately appealing and deeply chill. Frankly, an excessive abundance of unearthly wonders.
Written and performed by Michel Banabila.
Sounds: voice (processed), Qu-Bit Nebulae granular sampler, ukelele, modified vintage cassette player, angklung, Eventide H9 harmonizer, turtle flute, text to speech, software instruments, voice cloning, hand drum, found objects, rain stick, web SDR, Roland VT3, tapes, field recordings.
Design by Steele Bonus.
Artwork by Keziah Philipps.
Mastering by Wouter Brandenburg.
Executive producer Mark van de Maat.
1. The Unreal Realm * 04:18
2. Lineage (featuring Salar Asid) * 14:57
3. The Process From Birth ** 11:36
4. Timeless Tide ** 06:28
5. Bogus Dominion (featuring Mete Erker) 02:58
6. Banabila & Machinefabriek - Inward Spiral 05:14
7. Pierre Bastien & Michel Banabila - Ambiance Subaquatique 08:15
8. Dave Liebman & Michel Banabila - Night Eyes 06:56
9. Mind Shifts * 11:42
* Excerpt from a score for Yin Yue's choreography 'Somewhere',
New York Live Arts - New York, june 20 - 22, 2024.
** Excerpt from a score for Yin Yue's choreography 'Timeless Tide', BalletMet - Columbus, march 15 - 23, 2024.
All tracks written & performed by Michel Banabila, except
06 written & performed by Michel Banabila & Rutger Zuydervelt,
07 written & performed by Pierre Bastien & Michel Banabila,
08 written & performed by Dave Liebman & Michel Banabila.
A special thanks to Maryana Golovchenko for the contributed sample (vocal snippet in Timeless Tide).
Design / artwork by Rutger Zuydervelt.
Mastering by Marlon Wolterink / White Noise Studio.
Night Eyes with Dave Liebman was previously released as a digital single (june 2023)
Music for Yin Yue commissioned by YYDC, New York, august 2023.
Dance commissioned by Northrop at The University of Minnesota, august 2023.
Album compiled & produced by Michel Banabila, 2024, Rotterdam.
REVIEWS / QUOTES:
DISCOGS
This album is not easy to describe in terms of style, but what is certain is that it far surpasses many contemporary works with similar ambitions. Listening is a tremendous experience and a treat for the ears. I noticed it a long time ago and here Mr. Michel Banabila just proves once again that he has virtually limitless creative potential. (Dove_m)
SUBJECTIVISTEN / HET SCHADUWKABINET:
Ik weet niet precies wat er achter de titel “het onwerkelijke rijk” schuil gaat, maar krijg er wel een idee bij. Er huist een bevreemdende sfeer in het album, die associaties oproept met de huidige maatschappij...
...Afwisselende kruisbestuivingen van ambient, drones, minimal music, neoklassiek, pianomuziek, tribale percussie geluiden, jazz en wereldse elementen. Banabila maakt hierbij mooi gebruik van stiltes en ruimtes, waardoor het veel aan de verbeeldingskracht van de luisteraar overlaat.
‘Een diepgravende schoonheid’. (Jan Willem Broek)
CC RYDER:
Salar Asid is een van de musici die samen met Michel Banabila te horen is op diens nieuwe album, ‘The Unreal Realm’. In het nummer ‘Lineage’ speelt Asid de kamancheh, een fretloos snaarinstrument met een lange hals dat populair is in Azerbeidzjan, Iran en Turkije. ‘Lineage’ heeft een speelduur van vijftien minuten en is afkomstig uit een partituur voor de voorstelling ‘Somewhere’ van de Chinese danseres en choreografe Yin Yue, die in juni 2024 in première gaat bij New York Live Arts.
‘Lineage’ volgt op het langzame en donkere titelnummer van het album, een pianomeditatie en de opener van ‘The Unreal Realm’. ‘Lineage’ begint lichter van toon, met een sprankelende piano die een neoklassieke stroom van muziek op gang brengt, waarin de kamancheh van Salar Asid lange gestreken lijnen weeft.
Dan, na ongeveer zes minuten, transformeert de sfeer en bouwt zich een schurende en knarsende klankwereld op, gedragen door een minimalistische getijdenbeweging, met aan het einde daarvan, even, een zacht en etherisch instrumentaal koraal.’ De kunst die hier wordt gepresenteerd is van grote klasse’.’ ‘Een klein meesterwerk’ (Corné Evers)
Two visionary maestros, Pierre Bastien and Michel Banabila, unite in their first collaborative album, Baba Soirée. The veterans of electronic music bring their unique expertise to the table, resulting in a captivating fusion of experimental styles. Bastien’s mechanical loops and fantastic instrumental setups merge seamlessly with Banabila's sound design and impeccable skills of sampling collages. It's not a dance party, nor is it an avant-garde intervention. It's a soirée: a cultivated evening of sonic alchemy hosted by these two charismatic gentlemen.
Pierre Bastien is a composer and multi-instrumentalist with a background in French literature. He has spent decades crafting an idiosyncratic world of experimental sound with his self-built mechanical orchestra Mecanium. It was most notably showcased in audiovisual releases on Aphex Twin's Rephlex label. Bastien's creations are a mesmerizing combination of traditional instruments (he has a vast collection) and mechanical automatons. The violin in the track Rotomotor, for example, is physically played by one of his machines. In Baba Soirée, Bastien also plays a prepared cornet (Slow Dance, Banbas Aura), infusing the recordings with a breathy, dreamy dimension.
Michel Banabila, a sound artist, composer and producer, possesses an eclectic musical repertoire that defies genres. His blend of minimal electronica, tribal ambient, and neo-classical influences has earned him a prominent place in the world of experimental music, and an impressive discography (Knekelhuis, Bureau B, Séance Centre, a.o.). Banabila serves as the creative sampling editor for Baba Soirée, expertly weaving together the recordings to craft an evocative sonic tapestry.
The two share a curiosity for traditional instruments from various cultures. The instruments used in the recordings are shown in the cover artwork. A mutual admiration for each other's work paved the way for this fruitful artistic partnership of the Rotterdam-based artists: Collaborating on a single as a fundraiser for Yemen in 2022 set the stage for the creation of Baba Soirée.
For Pierre Bastien, Dada, Fluxus and International Situationism have played a significant role in shaping his artistic vision. The title Baba Soirée is an homage to Kurt Schwitters and Theo van Doesburg's "Kleine Dada Soirée" collaboration which took place exactly a century ago. There's an unmistakable stoicism and an anarchic not-giving-a-f*** attitude in these recordings by Bastien & Banabila, which resonates in the light of this Dada reference.
Pierre Bastien & Michel Banabila ‘Baba Soirée’ Album Out 27th of October 2023.
REVIEWS / QUOTES:
THE WIRE
'The duo’s veteran status is important - they don’t give a flying one about fitting in with our preconceptions, let alone the orthodoxies of so much experimental sound, and Bastien’s fondness for the juxtaposed playfulness of Dada, Fluxus and Situationism is clear throughout (the title Baba Soirée is a homage to Kurt Schwitters and Theo van Doesburg’s Kleine Dada Soirée collaboration which took place a century ago). You can imagine this music accompanying a masked performance of sound poetry in a Zurich cafe at some point between the wars, but after a while you find yourself settling into something mesmeric and hypnotic, because Banabila merges aspects of sound design and collaged samples with Bastien’s Don Cherry-esque improvisations into a true fusion of the ambient and glitchy. Baba Soirée is exactly the right title - this doesn’t hit you round the head with weirdness or let you settle into a groove. rather, you find yourself bearing witness to this strangely unplaceable mix of the live and the layered.' (Neil Kulkarni)
HHV MAG
Zwei Altmeister an den Maschinen, da schnurren sie (die Maschinen) wie afro-polynesische Babykatzen. Tribal-Ambient-Soundguru Michel Banabila und der Mann mit dem mechanischen Orchester, Pierre Bastien, zusammen auf einer Platte, das alleine ist hat ja schon was. Und »Baba Soirée« ist alles andere als ein Gimmick-Album, ist nicht einfach nur die von einem Booker initiierte Ehrenrunde. Die beiden Rotterdam-Residents haben sich hierfür richtig zusammengesetzt, komponiert und hörbar harmoniert. Es ist auch ein fast schon logisches Zusammenspiel. Zum einen teilen beide Musiker seit jeher eine Faszination für strange sounds from beyond, für traditionelle Instrumente aus ganz unterschiedlichen Kulturkreisen. Zum anderen ergänzt sich ihre Herangehensweise perfekt: Die repetitive Urwerk-Musik Bastians und die vollverfriemelte Tröpfelung Banabilas fügen sich auf »Baba Soirée« zu einer lebendigen Struktur. An jedem Zipfel dieses Sounds bewegt sich etwas, Metallkugeln rollen in die endlose Nonsense-Maschine, Larven schlüpfen, Schrotthändler fliegen auf Libellenflügeln durch die Luft. Im Zusammenspiel aus Mechanischem und Amorphem entsteht die ganze Faszination, ständig wächst etwas aus dem Vorprogrammierten heraus, Cornet und Gimbri (o.ä) verleihen den kleinteiligen Stücken zusätzliche Weite. »Baba Soirée« ist durch und durch das Werk zweier Klangkünstler, die, glücklicherweise, niemandem mehr etwas beweisen müssen.
ANXIOUS Mag
„Starcia Tytanów” tak nazywam, dla własnych potrzeb wydawnictwa, tytuły, które koncentrują się na współpracy, pomiędzy minimum dwoma lub więcej artystami. Jednak warunek jest jeden: muszą to być nazwiska, pseudonimy po usłyszeniu których, odzywa się Wielki Dzwon Kanionu Muzycznego, przynajmniej dla mnie. Kilka miesięcy temu, na łamach Anxious magazine mogliście przeczytać recenzje z serii „Starcia Tytanów”: David Toop & Lawrence English – “The Shell That Speaks The Sea”.
Jak zawsze, w takich przypadkach otrzymujemy, albo cudowną perłę przyćmiewającą swoim blaskiem lub jej imitacje, którą odkładamy na półkę i zapominamy szybciej, niż ją odkryliśmy. W zamieszczonym info do przedstawianego wydawnictwa, pojawiają się informacje o nawiązaniu do Dada, Fluxus i Kurta Schwittersa i Theo van Doesburga i ich wspólnego dzieła “Kleine Dada Soirée” – robi się ciekawie. Z drugiej strony mamy zbudowaną i udoskonalaną od lat przez Basteina mechaniczną orkiestrę zwaną Mecanium oraz Banabila i jego miksturę trybalnego ambientu, procesowanej elektroniki i 4th world music – robi się jeszcze ciekawiej. Koniecznością jest dodanie, że obaj panowie są również doskonali w używaniu i kolekcjonowaniu instrumentów z różnych kultur i zakątków świata, czego wszystkiego powyższego możemy doświadczać na wielu płytach wydanych przez obu artystów przez ostatnie lata świetlne – ciekawość mnie pożera.
Zaskakujące, że “Baba Soirée” do tej pory jest ich pierwszym, wspólnym dokonaniem. Faktycznie, już po odpaleniu pierwszego kawałka duch Dada okrywa i jak opary gęstego opium spowalnia wszystko. Mała scena, na której dziwaczny Mini-Band odgrywa Dada protest song w swoim ślimaczym tempie, pojedyncze uderzenia kontrabasu i nisko strojonej perkusji, zapewne to silnikowo napędzany jeden z „członków” Mecanium orkiestry, w towarzystwie Basteina mini trąbki, która brzmi, pamiętam za dziecięcych lat, jak dmuchanie w grzebień owinięty złotkiem. Nostalgiczny klimat, połamany, zagubiony rytm cymbał czy gamelanów? To jakby bezperkusyjne Volcano The Bear grało w pomiędzy wojennej Europie. Wsiąkam w atmosferę, jednak nie na długo, ponieważ ta podróż dopiero się rozpoczyna i cut up’wy głos zaprasza nas w dalszą podróż z „wściekłą” solówką trąboidalnego instrumentu w tle. Dziwne samplo dźwięki i niskie basy wplatują swoje trzy grosze, tutaj Michel ukazuje nam swoje mistrzostwo w samplinu, korzystając z materiału / pierwowzoru Pierre. Warto wsłuchać się w powstające w ten sposób struktury utworów, które co rusz zmieniają swoją budowę i klimat. Na tym właśnie polega geniusz, pozwalający w granicy jednego dzieła eksplorować szerokie spektrum dźwiękowe, jednocześnie nie gubiąc przewodniego wątku. Dalej jedziemy, więcej zobaczymy / usłyszymy – pojawienie się stabilniejszej rytmiki utworów, to nie są jeszcze te magiczne trybale, udowadnia nam jak egzotyka i odczucie dalekich krajów może zmienić nasze ego. Dlaczego nie odskoczyć czy podskoczyć jeszcze wyżej? “Slow dance” zabiera nas na spacer po kraterowych dolinach księżycowych, organowo-swingujące pasaże zamieniają się w ala Hassellowe trąbkowe podmuchy z oddalającym się przytupem. Geniusz pokazuje nam jak w zaledwie 3:15 zrobić dziurę w głowie, sprawdźcie “Ban Bash Up” – dwa umysły w symbiozie.
Tykanie, cykanie, Mecanium orkiesta w całej okazałości, otwiera kluczowy utwór na płycie “Ancestors Mix”, rozpoczynamy rytuał przodków lub raczej odsłuchujemy go, przeniesionego w nasze realia przez obu guślarzy. Już nie po raz pierwszy Michel udowadnia nam majstersztyk w tworzeniu pierwotnych pasaży łączących egzotykę / alchemię dźwięku z dalekich regionów naszego globu z przeszłością – wsłuchując się, odniosłem wrażenie wyłapywania tego co SPK zrobiło na “Zamia Lehmanni: Songs of Byzantine Flowers”. Nie odpływajmy jednak za daleko, barwna, zmutowana trąbka zarówno w “Ban Bas Aura 1” jaki i drugiej części tego utworu prowadzi nas na akustyczny spacer w nieznane, z tą różnicą, że w drugiej części całość podlega cięższemu procesowaniu co powoduje fantastyczne zgięcia i odskoki dźwięku. Kiedy podróż powoli dobiega końca, żegnamy się galopującym “Roto motor” w towarzystwie skrzypka, którym de facto jest jednym z mechanicznych członków Mecanium. Hipnotyczne, czasami senne, a jednak podążające solidną, mocną drogą wyobraźni. Genialne.
GROOVE.DE
Eine gewisse Kargheit des Sounds und eine Spielweise außerhalb des (neo-)klassisch Erlaubten und Gewohnten zeichnet ebenfalls die Baba Soirée (Pingipung, 27. Oktober) der französischen und niederländischen Experimental-Veteranen Pierre Bastien & Michel Banabila aus. Bastien als Bastler mechanischer Loop-Maschinen und Trompeter, Banabila als Sample-Virtuose und digitaler Collagen-Schnitzler, sie wissen beide sehr gut, wie sich aus dem Abwegigen etwas durchaus Eingängiges konstruieren lässt, ohne allzu große Kompromisse einzugehen, was die gemeinsam entwickelte Soundästhetik angeht.
ONDAROCK
Assecondando la comune attitudine alla sperimentazione libera, i due costruiscono un caleidoscopio che a partire dai loop del Mecanium e da un coagulo di risonanze e glitch genera un itinerario elettroacustico impervio il cui comune denominatore è la ricerca di incastri efficaci quanto stranianti. I collage sonori risultanti, diretti con perizia da Banabila, lasciano prevalere di volta in volta le scie strumentali atmosferiche interpretate da Bastien (“Stray Carrier Pigeon”, Slow dance”) o la loro declinazione più ludica (“At The Party”, “Rotor Motor”). Questa dualità è perfettamente cristallizzata nelle due parti di “Banbas Aura”, dove alla melodia scanzonata della cornetta su un ipnotico andamento meccanico della prima metà si contrappone una compassata armonia sghemba interpolata da frequenze ruvide.
Nell’album troviamo condensata tutta l’arte affinata dai due autori nel corso degli anni, riversata in un microcosmo vibrante di anti musica, apparentemente caotica, votata ad edificare architetture sonore improbabili eppure profondamente suggestive. (Peppe Trotta)
SPECTRUM CULTURE
This collaboration between veteran experimental musicians consistently delivers on a sense of play, to the point where a few of these tracks should make you laugh out loud.
The LP begins with mild amusement, or maybe more, depending on what you think of the title, “Stray Carrier Pigeon.” It’s taken at the pace of a dirge, and the watery percussion conveys the passage of time with a somber tone. But the “lead” instrument, though something of a blues-inflected performance, has the buzz of a kazoo, or even the beloved British children’s television character Sweep. At any rate, the image is both humorous and tragic, on a small scale, and that buzzing lead melody reads as a sad clown in avian form. The track isn’t quite three and a half minutes, but it tells a rich story in that time, and feels even shorter than it is.
Think of these tracks as vignettes. “Senseless” ups the distortion and introduces a vaguely human onomatopoeia, and if it lives up to its title and does not suggest a narrative, the electronic bombast has hints of a crime drama theme song. It’s part of a sequence that plays like an evening of prime time television, leading into the hilarious “At the Party,” a bossa nova number with a melody played deliberately flat on prepared cornet. The tune would work just as well without the distortion, but that sonic tweak adds drunken personality. You can practically visualize the lampshade on its head.
The title Baba Soirée is a play on the artists’ names and on the Kleine Dada Soirée (Small Dada Evening) that artists Theo van Doesburg and Kurt Schwitters developed in 1922 as a touring event that brought Dada to audiences across the Netherlands. Like the Dadaists, Bastien and Banabila are happy to make art out of whatever is at hand, from more conventional electronics and traditional instruments to machines of their own invention. The cover art shows you what they played on the album, and one of their axes looks suspiciously like a coffee grinder.
Bastien is a Frenchman with a history of musical invention; his Mecanium is a 60-piece orchestral automaton that plays loops of his devising. Banabila is a Dutch composer with a penchant for using found objects and field recordings. Remarkably, given their common interests, this is the first time they’ve collaborated, and you can hear their musical chemistry on every track. You don’t know where Pierre ends and Michel begins.
But music isn’t all laffs, and on the album’s longest track, the nine-and-a-half minute “Ancestors Mix,” is a dizzying layered drone that sounds something like what Terry Riley’s “A Rainbow in Curved Air” might have been if it were constructed from birdsong and babies — and were funnier.
The motorik closer “Roto Motor” is played in part by one of Bastien’s automatons, taking a violin line that would fit right in on a Penguin Café Orchestra album. It’s a fitting up-tempo end to a delightful anarchy. While press notes characterize these recordings with “an unmistakable stoicism,” that does a disservice to the joy of discovery you can hear on every cut. One can easily imagine Bastien and Banabila touring Baba Soirée in some European country, and leaving audiences cheering at every stop. Don’t let the Dada reputation for nihilism color your perception of this mischievous duo. In fact, the two came together for a shared humanitarian cause, collaborating on a single in 2022 in order to raise funds for the crisis in Yemen. As meaningless as the music may seem, it means a lot to create something positive in this thoroughly broken world. (Pat Padua)
YELLOW GREEN RED
Been seeing a few of these dream-team experimental pairings lately – Anla Courtis and Vomir, for example – and now this one featuring French junk-drawer electronicist Pierre Bastien and Dutch new-age experimentalist Michel Banabila. Both of these guys have LPs on my shelves already, and while the playfully unhinged manner of Bastien’s work might not immediately seem compatible with Banabila’s soothing fourth-world atmospheres, the sonic consensus they’ve reached here is lush, sensual and strange. As expected, there’s really no telling who is doing what… a rickety rhythm box might be Bastien’s, and a looped didgeridoo might’ve been pulled from Banabila’s closet, but their cohesion is surprisingly consistent throughout, and never bogged down by too many ingredients at the same time. Samplers, synths, loops, horns, flutes, percussive instruments and at least one guitar (“Roto Motor (Erbil Mix)”), there’s just a cornucopia of instrumentation here, most of which is performed in exploratory or non-traditional ways. Even their unlikeliest of instrumental combinations work well here, a testament to the keen ears these guys have developed over their many decades in the game. Much of Baba Soirée can call to mind the self-guided wonder of Ghédalia Tazartès and the alternate realms of Jon Hassell, but Bastien and Banabila were peers of those guys, traversing similar sonic territories of unknown origin at roughly the same time. Nice to see that they’re still out there in the thick of it, teaming up, and at the top of their respective games, no less. (Matt Korvette)
Michel Banabila is an indispensable part of the Dutch experimental music scene, where he has acquired a special place with many, in the 40 years that he has been releasing music. Michel is also just as active as a composer for the theater and ballet world, as well as for TV productions, to considerable fame. The threat of drowning in the sea of his oeuvre is real in view of the unprecedented amount of output, but once sailing unmissable monolithic rock formations loom up rapidly.
Echo Transformations' is one of them. It's a magical album, where everything falls into place in a rich domain inspired by the Fourth World dimension. A world of sound arises from our imagination, stimulating the senses. A concept album where every sigh has its place and where no superfluous tone can be heard. What remains is to embrace the inevitable surrender that accompanies unstoppable change. This is Banabila at his best (knekelhuis, 2021)
AMBIENTBLOG:
Ever since he released his music in the early ’80s (1983, to be exact), Michel Banabila has been hard topinpoint to a specific genre or style. His musical output includes jazz, experimental cut-up electronics, worldmusic (especially influenced by the Fourth World music as developed by Jon Hassell), New Age, eclectic poptunes, music for dance or other stage projects, and soundtracks for TV productions. Some listeners may havefound it somewhat difficult throughout the years to find their way in this versatile output that includes verydifferent genres. Because of this versatility Banabila has grown into one of the most fascinating musicians in Europe and wasalways highly acclaimed by critics, which was well deserved. Nevertheless – for possibly that very samereason his work never came across the radar of most people, and that is something he does not deserve.When diving deeper into his output, one gets familiar with the trademark Banabila sound: his personal waysof using samples, the way he incorporates vocal fragments, the fact that there is always an emotional layeryou can relate to, even in his most abstract works.Over the years, Banabila’s work has progressed and evolved in different directions. It must be weird for anycreative artist when the interest of new audiences (and labels) focuses on your earlier work - work that youhave long left behind while exploring new directions. On the other hand: Whoever gets interested in yourolder work may also want to explore the newer stuff (which means they have almost forty years to explore,just imagine!).For this particular release, Bureau B chose a different approach. Instead of archiving early works from the1980s, Wah-Wah Whispers focuses on Banabila’s more recent output. It is a collection of works showcasingmany facets of his music: a journey visiting the minimal and cinematic sample scape in the opener Take MeThere, a robotic reggae-like rhythm (Tic Tac), contemplative ambient / fourth world scenes evolving into adownright funky beat (Hidden Story), the synth version of Secunde, and more. The album ends with akaleidoscope of atmospheres gradually building up to a noise climax in Narita (the only collaboration track onthe album, with Rutger Zuydervelt / Machinefabriek).No single compilation album could really do justice to the massive scope of Banabila’s output since 1983, butwith Wah-Wah Whispers, Bureau B did a wonderful job to facilitate a view into his more recent work (2013-2020, with the exception of Tic Tac, which is from 2001).This album is an invitation that may lead to explore Banabila’s back catalogue and dive deeper into the workof one of Holland’s most creative independent artists.- Peter van Cooten
JUNO DAILY:
The best new albums this week: Wah-Wah Whispers (April 2021)
There are certain artists whose oeuvre is so monolithic it can be tricky knowing where to begin – the kind of auteurs who exist outside trends and scenes and simply spend their lives forming mountains of published material for hapless listeners to scale. Dutch tinkerer Michel Banabila is certainly one of those, who since 1983 has steadily issued all kinds of material spanning different approaches and styles with an overall inquisitive, leftfield slant whether dealing in rhythms or ambience, field recordings or synthesis. Bureau B here provide a snapshot into (relatively) more recent Banabila output, which focuses on work from the past 10 years. Admittedly, the one exception is also one of the album highlights – the surprisingly groove-oriented tickover of 2001 piece ‘Tic Tac’ replete with owl noises and a crime jazz bent. But if Wah-Wah Whispers functions as a compilation of sorts, it doesn’t feel like one. The varying shades, from pastoral composition ‘Branches’ to the widescreen electronica of ‘Secunde Reprise’, keep the listening ear engaged and guessing. The humid fug and treated turtle flute on the title track certainly calls to mind a noted influence, Jon Hassell, but Banabila brings his own vivid production sensibilities to bear on his interpretation of the Fourth World aesthetic. With depth and diversity at every turn, at the very least this concise collection hints at the many styles of Banabila that lie in wait of intrepid explorers. (OW)
HHV MAG:
Manche Musik ist auf so idiosynkratische Weise eigen, dass man Gefahr läuft, ihre Besonderheit zu überhören – oder sie gleich komplett zu überhören. Der Holländer Michel Banabila passt, wenn überhaupt, dann in diese Kategorie. Seit den 1980er Jahren veröffentlicht der Klangkünstler seine Aufnahmen, die abstrakte Ethno-Collagen, sehr entspannte elektronische Groove-Nummern in gemäßigtem Tempo oder auch Field Recordings gern schon mal in ein und demselben Stück kombinieren. Mittlerweile sind von ihm ziemlich viele Alben erschienen, seit einigen Jahren veröffentlicht er bevorzugt auf seinem Label Tapu Records. Das Hamburger Label Bureau B hatte 2016 mit der Compilation »Early Works / Things Popping Up from the Past« einen ersten kleinen Einblick in seine Anfangsjahre gegeben. Mit Wah-Wah Whispers sind jetzt seine jüngeren Veröffentlichungen zwischen 2013 und 2020 dran. Auch hier bildet die für Banabila typische Mischung, die schon in seinen frühen Aufnahmen entwickelt ist, die Klammer der acht etwas ausgedehnteren Nummern. Im Titelstück dieser Compilation verneigt er sich dabei recht vernehmlich vor einem seiner Einflüsse: Sowohl der verfremdete Trompeten (?)-Klang als auch die digitale diskrete Perkussion lassen als Vorbild die Fourth World Music von Jon Hassell erkennen. Eine ebenfalls sehr eigene Inspiration, was für Michel Banabilas Kosmos als Referenz allemal in Ordnung geht. Ein Klangforscher, der unaufdringlich für sich einnimmt. (Tim Caspar Boehme)
BABYBLAUE SEITEN:
Der Niederländer Michel Banabila scheint ein ewiger Geheimtipp zu sein, weil er stilistisch in keine Schublade passt. Seit 1983 veröffentlich er seine Musik, auf seine Popularität scheint es jedoch keinen großen Einfluss gehabt zu haben. Andererseits seien ihm viele positive Kritiken schon immer sicher gewesen, heißt es. Unter seinen Arbeiten befinden sich die Filmmusiken, Videokunst und die Musiken für Theater und Choreographien.
„Wah-Wah Whispers“ nennt sich die Zusammenstellung seiner Arbeiten, die sich allerdings der jüngeren Zeit im Schaffen von Banabila widmet. Das älteste Stück stammt aus dem Jahr 2001.
Schon bei dem eröffnenden „Take Me There“ fällt mir die ungewöhnliche Kombination aus kreativ eingesetzten Samples sowie akustischen und elektronischen Klängen auf, die insgesamt eine melancholisch-geheimnisvolle Stimmung erzeugt. In „Tic Tac“ ähnelt der Rhythmus zwar Reggae, hat gleichzeitig jedoch etwas Mechanisches und Hypnotisches an sich. Zudem sorgen die Arrangements für eine bedrohlich wirkende Atmosphäre. Die cineastischen Klangbilder von „Branches“ halte ich für sehr phantasieanregend. Wie eine morgens aufwachende Natur in einem grenzenlosen Wald.
Eine Verschmelzung von futuristischen, ambient-artigen und ethnischen Klängen wurde einst von Jon Hassell als Fourth World Music beschrieben. Vergleichbares bietet auch „Hidden Story“, das zudem noch gesampelte Stimmen, sphärische Gitarren, afrikanisch anmutende Rhythmen und einiges mehr bereithält. In die gleiche Kerbe schlägt auch „Wah-Wah Whispers“, wobei die Rolle der Trompete möglicherweise von einer stark verfremdeten Stimme übernommen wird.
Die episch-melancholischen Stimmungen lassen mich bei „Out of Sync“ sofort an Postrock denken. Es ist die ambientartig-elektronische, mit Field Recordings und Samples versehene Version von Postrock, die uns in eine magische Landschaft entführen kann. Ohne Rhythmussektion, dafür mit mehrstimmigen lyrischen Gitarren. „Secunde Reprise“ halte ich für eine Verschmelzung von Elektronik, Modern Prog und Postrock. Die knackigen Rhythmen, die dissonanten Gitarreneinwürfe, die Sequenzer und die verstreuten Pianoakkorde erzeugen ein ungewöhnliches Gesamtbild. „Narita“ ist eine Zusammenarbeit mit Rutger „Machinenfabriek“ Zuydervelt“. In dem Stück kontrastieren noisig übersteuerte Instrumente mit ausgleichend meditativen Schleifen, die Flöten- und Dudelsack-Klänge zu verarbeiten scheinen.
Eine interessante Zusammenstellung, die wie gesagt einiges an Vielfalt bietet, und zwar zwischen Elektronik, Fourth World Music, Ambient, Postrock und einigen Arrangements, für die es wahrscheinlich noch keine stilistischen Schubladen gibt. (Siggy Zielinski)
SCHADUWKABINET/SUBJECTIVISTEN:
Ambient, experimentele muziek, avant-garde tot jazz, wereldmuziek, filmmuziek, neoklassiek, new age en kabaal, ja de Rotterdamse muzikant, producent en componist Michel Banabila heeft het allemaal. Maar zonder gekkigheid, sinds Banabila in 1983 is begonnen met muziek uit te brengen, heeft hij ook echt van alles uitgebracht. Dat gaat van prijswinnende en innovatieve solowerken tot invloedrijke wereldmuziek met East Meets West, meditatieve ambient met Chi en meer experimentele ambient met Cloud Ensemble. Daarnaast werkt hij veelvuldig met andere artiesten samen, waaronder Yasar Saka, Hannes Vennik, Scanner, Radboud Mens, Philippe Petit, Mete Erker, Oene van Geel, Maarten Vos, Eric Vloeimans en last but not least Machinefabiek. Hoewel de muziek behoorlijk varieert, weet Banabila altijd wel een voor hem kenmerkende stempel te drukken en maakt hij muziek die dikwijls toonaangevend is. Het is muziek ingegeven door nieuwsgierigheid en een hang naar avontuur. Wat dat betreft is hij net zo breed en bijzonder als Hector Zazou was. Toch zit deze eigengereide variatie hem qua bekendheid ook wel eens in de weg. Hij verdient een veel groter podium dan hij nu soms krijgt.
Dat moeten ze bij het prestigieuze label Bureau B ook gedacht hebben, want ze brengen er nu de compilatie Wah-Wah Whispers van Michel Banabila uit. En geen gewone “best of”, maar een uitgekiend overzicht van tracks die van 2013 tot 2020 zijn verschenen plus één van het album Spherics uit 2001. De overige 7 tracks zijn afkomstig van de albums Travelog (2013, samen met Machinefabriek) en Tapu Sampler (2016) en de digitale releases Just Above The Surface (2018), tweemaal Everything Else Is Just Right Here (2018), Spherics III en Always There (2020). Dat laatste is voor mensen zoals ik, die niets met digitale releases hebben, al helemaal goed nieuws. Het zijn overigens de wat meer toegankelijke en subtiele tracks, maar die geven toch heel goed de avontuurlijkheid, speelsheid en biologerende bijzonderheid van zijn muziek weer. Je belandt in een parallel universum, een wondere wereld vol bezinnende, biologerende en verstrooiende pracht, die ergens zit tussen de “fourth world music” van Jon Hassell en de wereldse avant-garde van Hector Zazou. Dit nieuwe album vormt tevens de perfecte instapplaat voor degene die Banabila nog niet zo goed kennen, maar ook voor de fans is dit een originele schakering van muziekstukken, die van toegevoegde waarde is. Banabila is en blijft een schitterend unicum. (JanWillem Broek)
VITAL WEEKLY 1276:
Usually, when an artist is around for some time, there are a few compilations with the 'best-of' of early material, but on 'Wah-Wah Whispers' by Michel Banabila this is not the case. This is a 'best of' recent work, as all pieces are from 2013 to 2020 with one from 2001. It is a selection made by Bureau B from Michel Banabila's vast catalogue from his Tapu Records, found online. Stuff that so far reached a small audience, but which, so Bureau B thinks, should be heard by more people. Quite rightly so, of course. A bigger label equals a bigger budget for promotion and (hopefully, of course) a wider audience and with the kind of music Banabila creates, I can easily see a bigger audience available; if only they knew it was out there. In the past, I, all to easily/hastily, said something about fourth world music in connection with Banabila, but that is only a small portion of the man's vast output. His electronic music covers much more than just sampled ethnic percussion and exotic mood scapes. You can find them here as well, but there are minimalism and maximalism to be found here too. Found voices, percussion, soundtrack-like soundscapes, dubby music (the 2001 track 'Tic Tac'), field recordings in 'Out of sync' and in 'Hidden Story' reminded me of Jorge Reyes and O Yuki Conjugate in quite the same exotic style of music, while 'Secunde Reprise' is almost a straight forward piece of ambient house with a strong motorik sequencer. A bit of noise (controlled as it is!) we find at the end in 'Narita', which is the only collaborative piece around here, with Machinefabriek, which is a descent and ascent in the world of drones with a civilized amount of distortion in the middle. It is, altogether, the perfect introduction to this fantastic composer's recent output. If you are looking for something great and not all too strange to play when you have visitors who don't like your outer limits music collection, you should not look further. (FdW)
All tracks recorded, performed, composed & produced by Michel Banabila, except ‘Narita’ performed, composed & produced by Michel Banabila & Rutger Zuydervelt.
Voice samples on ‘Narita’ by All N4tural & Yuko Parris.
Guitar on ‘Hidden Story’ by Cok van Vuuren.
'Tic Tac' was previously published by Tone Casualties / Boudisque Recording / Steamin’Songs.
Track 1 & 2 originally mastered by Michel Banabila,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 originally mastered by Marlon Wolterink.
Artwork by Anh Thu Vu.
Compiled by Daniel Jahn.
Remastered by Detlef Funder.
Executive Producer: Daniel Jahn & Gunther Buskies.
Licensed from Tapu Records for Bureau B, published by Tapete Songs.
1. Take Me There (from: Tapu Sampler / 2016)
2. Tic Tac (from: Spherics / 2001)
3. Branches (from: Always There / 2020)
4. Hidden Story (from: Everywhere Else Is Just Right Here / 2018)
5. Out Of Sync (from: Just Above The Surface / 2018)
6. Secunde - Reprise (from: Spherics III / 2020)
7. Wah-Wah Whispers (from: Everywhere Else Is Just Right Here / 2018)
8. Narita (by Banabila & Machinefabriek, from: Travelog / 2013)
Cat No: BB363.
UPC/EAN: 4015698104844.
BUREAU B
www.bureau-b.com
TAPETE RECORDS
www.tapeterecords.de
LIBERO BLOG:
Electronica sperimentale pervade l'aria della stanza chiusa. Wah - Wah Whispers esplode di enorme originalità e creatività. Nubi polverose si addensano all'orizzonte, ed i battiti di queste composizioni martellano il loro sapere. In questa opera si esercitano poteri distanti. Nessuna manipolazione, solo esercizio di stile e classe. Classe innata per un suono che invade l'etere. Note complicate e mirabili che nascondono l'amarezza di fondo. Tutto è preciso in queste canzoni. Loop che sognano territori impervi per ricordarsi di potere dimenticare... (Claudio Baroni)
SUBJECTIVISTEN NNM:
Ambient, experimentele muziek, avant-garde tot jazz, wereldmuziek, filmmuziek, neoklassiek, new age en kabaal, ja de Rotterdamse muzikant, producent en componist Michel Banabila heeft het allemaal. Maar zonder gekkigheid, sinds Banabila in 1983 is begonnen met muziek uit te brengen, heeft hij ook echt van alles uitgebracht. Dat gaat van prijswinnende en innovatieve solowerken tot invloedrijke wereldmuziek met East Meets West, meditatieve ambient met Chi en meer experimentele ambient met Cloud Ensemble. Daarnaast werkt hij veelvuldig met andere artiesten samen, waaronder Yasar Saka, Hannes Vennik, Scanner, Radboud Mens, Philippe Petit, Mete Erker, Oene van Geel, Maarten Vos, Eric Vloeimans en last but not least Machinefabiek. Hoewel de muziek behoorlijk varieert, weet Banabila altijd wel een voor hem kenmerkende stempel te drukken en maakt hij muziek die dikwijls toonaangevend is. Het is muziek ingegeven door nieuwsgierigheid en een hang naar avontuur. Wat dat betreft is hij net zo breed en bijzonder als Hector Zazou was. Toch zit deze eigengereide variatie hem qua bekendheid ook wel eens in de weg. Hij verdient een veel groter podium dan hij nu soms krijgt.
Dat moeten ze bij het prestigieuze label Bureau B ook gedacht hebben, want ze brengen er nu de compilatie Wah-Wah Whispers van Michel Banabila uit. En geen gewone “best of”, maar een uitgekiend overzicht van tracks die van 2013 tot 2020 zijn verschenen plus één van het album Spherics uit 2001. De overige 7 tracks zijn afkomstig van de albums Travelog (2013, samen met Machinefabriek) en Tapu Sampler (2016) en de digitale releases Just Above The Surface (2018), tweemaal Everything Else Is Just Right Here (2018), Spherics III en Always There (2020). Dat laatste is voor mensen zoals ik, die niets met digitale releases hebben, al helemaal goed nieuws. Het zijn overigens de wat meer toegankelijke en subtiele tracks, maar die geven toch heel goed de avontuurlijkheid, speelsheid en biologerende bijzonderheid van zijn muziek weer. Je belandt in een parallel universum, een wondere wereld vol bezinnende, biologerende en verstrooiende pracht, die ergens zit tussen de “fourth world music” van Jon Hassell en de wereldse avant-garde van Hector Zazou. Dit nieuwe album vormt tevens de perfecte instapplaat voor degene die Banabila nog niet zo goed kennen, maar ook voor de fans is dit een originele schakering van muziekstukken, die van toegevoegde waarde is. Banabila is en blijft een schitterend unicum. (Jan Willem Broek)
The first time Stijn Huwels and Cok van Vuuren collaborated with Michel Banabila was in April 2020. They made an extremely peaceful 12-minute track in reaction to all the stress in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to soothe some of the stress and calm you down. The track was picked up by Apple Music and added to one of their playlists, resulting in over 600.000 streams in just a few months, still increasing to this day. banabila.bandcamp.com/track/one-moment-in-time
'Across The Sky' is their second collaboration, maintaining a positive vibe, this time with a little more emphasis on rhythm. Droney synths and imaginative electronics are mixed with space guitars, all infused with analog elusive layers of tape echo and reverb. Complemented with artwork by Rutger Zuydervelt and beautifully mastered by Marlon Wolterink.
The third track is 'Massive', released in July 2022. All three tracks are available as download and on cassette.
Michel Banabila: keys & sampler.
Stijn Hüwels: el. guitar & field rec.
Cok van Vuuren: el. guitar.
Produced by Michel Banabila.
Mastering by Marlon Wolterink / White Noise Studio.
I bought this little handmade clay flute in 1982, which means this must be the single oldest instrument that I own. It cost 5 Dutch guilders at the time (roughly 2,50 euro, I suppose). It’s certainly the only item from 1982 that I have in my entire house. I made one of my first recordings with this flute, and I still use it every now and then in combination with electronic treatments.
On one occasion the flute slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor, but surprisingly it didn’t break. Another time I had this admittedly stupid plan, which was to change the color, and an even more stupid plan, which was to use fire to do so. I figured the fire would remove the original color. It didn’t work, but it didn’t hurt it, either, fortunately. The flute still has its original color, and it is still working fine. These days I am very careful with it, and I appreciate that this little instrument is still with me.
This material originated as something I made for a project that didn’t work out. At first I wasn’t sure what, if anything, to do with it, but then I realized I like it just as it is. I decided to not add anything, and to instead simply mix these six tracks (two for each part, as this piece is basically in three parts) together into one file. That file then became this EP.
It was back in February 2012 that Michel contacted me to say he had sent me an mp3 "with a funny melody". "I am just wondering if you can play that. Exactly with the same tuning", he said. I had a listen and thought "You must be joking", as what I was presented with appeared to have no fixed notes nor conventional tuning, and sounded almost impossible to play. (I learnt later that the synthesized tune he had sent me was a melodic tracking - via software - of the musical pitches inherent in the voice of a man talking, recorded in Ghana by his friend Mark Dingemanse from the Radboud University). I put the strange sounding melody on repeat so that I could listen to it again and again, and by playing along continuously with it I eventually found the required notes on the trombone. After a week I could play the whole thing. And that was 2012. More recently, I found myself thinking, "Whatever happened to that tune". I had done a lot of work on it, and it seemed to have disappeared with no resulting composition appearing. So, I searched through my archives, found mine and Michel's original recordings, and played around with them until I had the beginnings of something coherent. At this point I contacted Michel, and he performed his usual magic, and eight years later we have our composition! Over the years Michel and I have occasionally swapped musical ideas, and our 'B-side' is the result of another such exchange, from a recording a year earlier. (Robert Jarvis, Faversham, December, 2020)
This single is a download only.
Robert Jarvis: trombone.
Michel Banabila: synth & sampler.
Recorded in Faversham & Rotterdam via file sharing.
Written & performed by Robert Jarvis & Michel Banabila.
Cat. nr. TR121220.
2020 ℗ Tapu Records.
UPC 195497778669.
Cover art by Michel Banabila.
'Cassina', (Banabila & Machinefabriek) is out now, as part of 'Ambient Layers', a new compilation by 7K! Records. Other artists on the compilation include Adam Wiltzie, Herdis Stefánsdóttir, Robert Lippok, Rutger Hoedemaekers, Lisa Morgenstern, and many more
Backseatmafia:
Banabila & Machinefabriek thankfully ease back on the intensity a little while also creating an entirely alien, evocative clickscape with whirring propulsion and the leavening of lonely, dispossessed acoustic instruments.
Four extremely beautiful piano arrangements by Jeroen van Vliet (2020) led me to the idea of starting a small collection of different versions of some of my compositions, which became this compilation album 'Translations', also including 3 originals for reference. I am happy to know such great musicians and feel most grateful for all those amazing contributions over the years. (Michel Banabila, November 12, 2020)
Composed by Michel Banabila.
1, 2, 4, 5 recorded & arranged by Jeroen van Vliet.
3 recorded & arranged by Jasper Soffers & Michel Banabila.
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 recorded by Michel Banabila.
6 arranged by Maarten Vos & Michel Banabila.
7, 8, 9, 10 arranged by Michel Banabila.
6 & 7 mastered by Marlon Wolterink.
1, 2, 4, 5 produced by Jeroen van Vliet.
3, 6, 7,8, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 produced by Michel Banabila.
Cover photo by Gerco de Ruijter.
Typography by Rutger Zuydervelt.
A special thanks to Stephan Matthieu.
Cat. nr. P9112020TR.
2020 ℗ Tapu Records.
UPC 195497583812.
This EP collects the last part in this series.
Part one (2001): banabila.bandcamp.com/album/spherics
Part two (2003): banabila.bandcamp.com/album/spherics-ii
Cover art redesign by Rutger Zuydervelt.
Mastering by Marlon Wolterink / White Noise Studio.
Composed, performed & produced by Michel Banabila.
Notes:
Secunde (track 2) is a synth version of: banabila.bandcamp.com/album/secunde
There are no guitars on this album, everything has been done with keys. Instruments used: Logic EVP88 with distortion, Omnisphere, Novation V Station, EastWest SD2, Qu-Bit Nebulae.
A1 - DRAGONFLY II
Original soundtrack for the choreography 'A Trace of Inevitability'
by Yin Yue with Pennsylvania Ballet, in accordance with Yin Yue Dance Company & Pennsylvania Ballet.
This music was commissioned by Pennsylvania Ballet and premiered at 'World Premieres 2019' in the Merriam Theater, Philadelphia, USA, November 7th, 2019.
Musicians on Dragonfly II:
Peter Hollo: cello
Gareth Davis: bass clarinet
Oene van Geel: viola & stroh violin
Gulli Gudmundsson: el. bass, double bass & e-bow
Michel Banabila: midi instruments, sampling, electronics
PATRICK O’ BRIEN for CUNY DANCE INITIATIVE:
B1 - ILLICIT ACQUIREMENT
Composed for the choreography 'Enough' by Patrick O’Brien with Patrick O’Brien Dance Collective.
This music was commissioned by Patrick O’Brien with support from CUNY Dance Initiative and premiered in LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, New York, USA, November 14th, 2019.
CONNY JANSSEN for CONNY JANSSEN DANST:
C1 - CROWDS (Big Data Poetry Mix)
Was originally created for Big Data Poetry, an audio visual live performance by Geert Mul & Michel Banabila and was used in the choreography 'Home' by Conny Janssen for Conny Janssen Danst with Michel Banabila & Maarten Vos, and premiered in the Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Rotterdam, NL, January 20th, 2017.
C2 - I WON’T PLAY YOUR GAME
C3 - GUERRILLA TACTICS
C4 - NEW ENERGY FORMS
Were commissioned by Conny Janssen Danst for the choreography 'Zout' by Conny Janssen with Conny Janssen Danst & Anne Soldaat and premiered in the Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Rotterdam, NL, February 13th, 2011.
ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA for SAN FRANCISCO BALLET and BJM DANSE MONTREAL
D1 - JUMP CUTS II
Was created for 'Guernica' in accordance with Annabelle Lopez Ochoa Company & San Francisco Ballet and premiered in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, USA, April 24th, 2018.
D2 - A STRONG SENSE OF URGENCY
Was used in the choreography 'Zip Zap Zoom' by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, in accordance with Annabelle Lopez Ochoa Company & BJM Danse. Zip Zap Zoom premiered in San Diego CA, USA, October 18th, 2009.
NORMAN RECORDS:
These eight tracks represent a decade of Banabila’s career - ‘Dragonfly II’ and ‘Illicit Acquirement’ premiered barely a month before 'Movements (Music For Dance)' came out while closing number ‘A Strong Sense of Urgency’ dates from 2009. When heard in this light it becomes fascinating to chart the development of Banabila’s practice across these ten years. The earlier pieces are concerned more purely with rhythm, channelling a cinematic sense of foreboding through driving drumlines that verge on techno at times. Vatican Shadow is not a million miles away, though the dance context inevitably gives tracks like ‘Crowds (Big Data Poetry Mix)’ a bit more of a high-art feel.
While this sound remains in the recent work, Banabila’s touch has become more deft of hand. This is apparent from before you even put ‘Dragonfly II’ and ‘Illicit Acquirement’ on - both tracks are afforded a whole side of wax here, their length a testament to Banabila’s widened scope. While they do eventually blossom into driving groove-based music - ‘Illicit Acquirement’ has a cool Venetian Snares-type thing going on - their opening passages are characterised by a hitherto-unheard lack of drums. There’s both Penguin Cafe and Steve Reich to ‘Dragonfly II’s nimble-fingered string work, and ‘Illicit Acquirement’ begins with some of the most abstracted sounds on 'Movements (Music For Dance)'. Banabila executes both moves expertly, successfully broadening his sonic palette without sacrificing the emotion and muscularity of those earlier compositions. (Fred MG)
Released December 25, 2019
All tracks composed, performed & produced by Michel Banabila.
Design: Yasar Saka / YAY Music & Media.
Front cover photo: Deberían Permitir (Buenos Aires, 2012)
by Mista Stagga Lee under CC 2.0 license
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Back photo Yin Yue: Arian Molina Soca.
This is a new collaboration: coming soon online to all portals, 'The Woods' (Sonicontinuum / 2019). An 11 minute single by Alex Haas & Michel Banabila, featuring the amazing Bill Laswell.
The Woods is a single from the upcoming album Ruins by Alex Haas. Alex Haas (born 1963, NYC, USA,) label owner of Sonicontinuum, has been working with many renowned artists including U2, Brian Eno, Eric Clapton, Kronos Quartet, Pat Metheny and Bill Laswell. His first collaboration with Dutch composer Michel Banabila started in April on Collector, a track from Banabila's album Uprooted (Tapu Records / 2019). They then decided to renew their collaboration on The Woods, and Alex invited his long time collaborator, Bill Laswell to join this recording. The Woods became an atmospheric organic blend of experimental ambient, 4th world exotica and lush electronics. Synths and treated guitars by Alex Haas are mixed with Banabila's electronically processed voices, keys and field recordings, together with deep bass sounds by Laswell. Mixed and produced by Alex Haas. mastered by Marlon Wolterink. The Orchard release date: November 22, 2019.
Alex Haas: synths & treated guitars.
Michel Banabila: voices, keys & field recording.
Bill Laswell: bass and pedals.
Photo and design: Alex Haas.
Mixed and produced by Alex Haas.
Composed by Alex Haas & Michel Banabila.
Mastering by Marlon Wolterink / White Noise Studio.
1. Amazonas - Naná Vasconcelos
2. Roulette - Lolina
3. /End - Terrapin
4. Armenian Song - Gurdjieff
5. From Here - Molly Berg & Stephen Vitiello
6. Got Away - Sussan Deyhim & Richard Horowitz
7. Yalli Hawak - Asmahan
8. Anthem Of The Trinity - Terry Riley
9. Song Of The Highwire Shrimper - Tim Hecker
10. Urub - Masayoshi Fujita & Jan Jelinek
11. Chapter M (Karenina) - Thomas Fehlmann
12. So Ney - Cluster
13. Swisid Mekanize Reijman - HHY & The Macumbas
1. Field Rec intro
2. Feldman & Brown - Durations IV.1
3. Jan Jelinek - What You Should Know About Me
4. Oren Ambarchi and Martin Ng - Surfacing Edit
5. New Composers from St. Petersburg - Astra
6. New Composers from St. Petersburg - Something Is Happening With Me
7. Erik Honoré - Procession
8. Central African Pygmies - Bow-Harp & Vocal
9. Michel Banabila - Melodica & Bells (Red Light Radio Remix)
10. Michel Banabila - The Lost Drone Tape 3
11. Fennesz & Sparklehorse - Music Box Of Snakes
12. Alva Noto - Xerox Spiegel
13. Thurayya Qaddura - Fatakatu Lahziki (Time Wept) - mixed -
14. Jon Hassell - Last Night The Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes In The Street
