CREMASTER "32,41 n/m2"
Absurd | #32 | CD-R | 2003

32 minutes that drag on like an hour... It's not a really good conclusion after the initial session with the final product from the package we got form Absurd, sure there are others, but these impression has changed little. Cremaster (not an original name - I know of one, or two groups named after Matthew Barney's movie series) is a Spanish duo Alfredo Costa Monteiro & Ferran Fages who work with electric guitars, a feedback mixing board and a laptop exclusively on this release. Initially, this CD-R, wrapped up in a sand paper (another cliché - sorry guys!), promised some hopes for an interesting trip into the lands of improv/free noise music. Alfredo & Ferra presented a wide enough range of ear-piercing feedbacks, distortions, scratching, clatterings, sonic junk and impurities juxtaposing all these goodies with harsh, abrasive, or white noises. A good and interesting neck-breaking juggling lasting over 12 minutes! But what happens when we add another 4 minutes of disturbing noises to the noise cream? The third track slows down with tempo changes - streams of more ordered sounds flow in in wide currents - ionizing sounds, some background noises, feedbacks and high pitched tones. The final piece has a less or more linear structure too, with a domination of abrasive parts combined with some 'calm' moments in the middle part. One could place Cremaster somewhere at the cross point between Voice Crack and Crank Sturgeon, which means you must be in a right mood to enjoy it truly. Perhaps, I haven't been in one recently, as '32,41 n/m2' bores me a little...

[krzysztof sadza]