The recordings on this CD were made at Radio Canada, under the guidance of Hélène Prevost who curates the Labo MTL program. Two of the three musicians may be well-known: turntablist Martin Tétreault and Kaffe Matthews (electronics) are both renowned players in the world of improvisation. Léon Lo is the unknown one. He plays violin and effects here. As you can imagine this is music from the department of ‘careful crackling’: the stylus of Tétreault hitting the surface, Matthews static sounds and gliding tones and the electronical treatments of Lo’s violin, it fits perfectly the traditions of new improvisation, where electronica and acoustica meet up. In that respect this is nothing new under the sun, but this trio of excellent, skilled improvisers perform their work with great care. The only objection I have, is that it’s all a bit too long for my taste. It requires some intense listening here and sometimes my concentration failed. A little bit shorter and a little more precise editing would have enhanced the CD even further.

In case you forgot: the Mariana Trench is located in the Pacific Ocean, near Japan and it’s the deepest location on Earth, created by plate tectonics (i.e. the crashing of earth plates against each-other). It’s also the title of a new work by David Kristian, the Canadian musician who always takes me by surprise. Many of his works play around with rhythm, but on this new CD, rhythm is entirely absent. Kristian recorded two lengthy improvisations during a snow storm, using a toy synthesizer and classic guitar effects, which were later on edited and processed further until the seven parts of this CD came together. A deep listening experience, but with a somewhat more raw touch than a standard ambient work, and that’s what I like about it. The rawness of the material, the sheer minimalist approach, the subtle variations. It is work to listen to in a darkened room, or at night with the curtains open, so you can watch some stars. The seven parts form a unity and this is a particular strong album. Maybe it will not appeal to Kristian’s rhythm posse, but it surely appealed to me.

Arturo Parra présentera son nouveau répertoire solo pour guitare et expressions vocales en concert le vendredi 20 mai 2005 à la salle Marie-Stéphane de l’école de musique Vincent-d’Indy (Montréal).

L’opéra de Barry Truax vient de paraître sur l’étiquette Cambridge Street Records. Le disque double Powers of Two, An Electroacoustic Opera est un opéra électroacoustique pour six voix, danseurs, vidéo et son multipiste.

L’étiquette No Type sera bien représentée à la prochaine édition du festival Suoni Per Il Popolo (Sons pour le peuple) présenté à Montréal en juin 2005. Le 8 juin 2005, morceaux_de_machines et Esther B joueront aux côtés de Howard Stelzer et Bernhard Gal de l’étiquette de Cambridge (ÉU) Intransitive Recordings. Ensuite, deux «superstars» de l’électronique, Magali Babin et Jon Vaughn, présenteront une collaboration exclusive le 18 juin 2005 dans le cadre de la soirée Libératrices: créatrices, dédiée à l’improvisation au féminin.

Deux nouvelles parutions de l’étiquette Alien8 Recordings sont maintenant disponbiles: [alien_50], un projet de Michel F Côté et son ensemble Mecha Fixes Clocks, ainsi que Par noussss touss les trous de vos crânes!, du groupe de pop-psychédélique «trash» Et Sans.