Assemblance(s)
James Andean
A strong and varied set with a lot of great compositional ideas, backed up by life experience and insightful observations. — The Sound Projector, UK
7/8 — Blow Up, Italy
- Composer(s): James Andean
- Cover image: François Xavier Saint-Pierre
- Canada Council for the Arts
CD (IMED 19157)
- 1Déchirure (2013), 7:32fixed medium
- 2Hyvät matkustajat [The Good Travellers] (2012, 14), 9:03fixed medium
- 3Valdrada (2018), 15:26fixed medium
- 4Psygeío (2013-14), 9:56fixed medium
- 5Spores (2014), 7:00fixed medium
- 6Maledetta (2011), 6:08fixed medium
- 7Medusan Torso (2010-11), 9:09fixed medium
- 8Between the Leaves (2012), 5:14fixed medium
- Label: empreintes DIGITALes
- IMED 19157
- 2019
- UCC 771028215720
- Total duration: 69:46
- OGpak
- 125 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm
- 50 g
Download (IMED 19157_NUM)
- 1Déchirure (2013), 7:32fixed medium
- 2Hyvät matkustajat [The Good Travellers] (2012, 14), 9:04fixed medium
- 3Valdrada (2018), 15:28fixed medium
- 4Psygeío (2013-14), 10:00fixed medium
- 5Spores (2014), 7:00fixed medium
- 6Maledetta (2011), 6:11fixed medium
- 7Medusan Torso (2010-11), 9:13fixed medium
- 8Between the Leaves (2012), 5:14fixed medium
- Label: empreintes DIGITALes
- IMED 19157_NUM
- 2019
- UCC 771028215782
- Total duration: 69:46
Notices
Thanks…
Thanks to: Tuija Ainonen, David Andean, Margot Andean, Andrew Bentley, Marianne Decoster-Taivalkoski, Jean-François Denis, Patrick Kosk, Visa Kuoppala, Leigh Landy, Kai Lassfolk, Juhani Liimatainen, Robert Normandeau, François Xavier Saint-Pierre, Kalev Tiits, and John Young.
[iv-19]
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In the press
Review
James Andean is a composer, but also does free improvisation and music performance in groups such as Rank Ensemble, The Tuesday Group, and Plucié/DesAndes. His Assemblance(s) is both maximal and lively. At any rate, he’s good with creating strong dynamics and jarring shifts in timbre through his editing, particularly on pieces like Déchirure, whose very title indicates it’s all about “ripping up” the sound. He uses field recordings, but very precise ones — and can tell you an interesting travelogue story about each one (e.g. the old Jesuit monastery in Greece where the wind gave him many moments of epiphany). He also uses piano and percussion in his work, and samples of famed opera singer Maria Callas on Maledetta, his unsettling sound portrait of the terrifying Medea character. I’m also warming gradually to Valdrada, which is not only a fascinating sonic enigma, but is prefaced with an Italo Calvino quote; anyone who reads Calvino is OK in my book. A strong and varied set with a lot of great compositional ideas, backed up by life experience and insightful observations.
Recensione

Kritik

Critique
James Andean navigue sur les eaux d’une électroacoustique nourrie de field recordings, puisés dans notre environnement direct et assemblés de manière à transformer cette matière première en narrations émotionnelles passées par un prisme déformant.
Assemblance(s) enchevêtre les éléments pour créer des atmosphères chancelantes aux allures de sketches étranges, où tout prend des allures grossissantes ou rapetissantes, selon que l’on soit grand ou petit, doté d’une ouïe fine ou équipé d’un sonotone.
James Andean déplace les bribes sonores sur d’autres espaces, leur offrant le loisir de devenir quelque chose de différent, d’endosser un habit de lumière sur un plateau de cinéma, de jouer la comédie sur une scène de théâtre, se rapprochant sans équivoque de l’esprit d’un Bernard Parmegiani. On est happé par ces histoires à l’approche cosmologique, projection dans un espace bousculé par les incertitudes et les faux-semblants. Très fortement recommandé.