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| 320 kbps MP3 |
$8.99 |
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| FLAC |
$8.99 |
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| includes digital only bonus track & graphic score by Eli Keszler |
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| LP |
$19.99 |
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| 180 gram high-quality vinyl |
| Limited edition of 300 |
| Hand silk-screened poster with original artwork by Eli Keszler |
| included download link to both MP3 & FLAC with digital only bonus track as well as graphic score |
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| Recommended |
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Oxtirn is a truly unique and powerful blend of free energy, modern composition and mechanical music that defies genre.
With two proper full lengths and an array of self-releases under his belt, Eli Keszler has turned to ESP-Disk for the release of Oxtirn, his third, most composed and large scale effort to date. Capturing Keszler and crew at their most frenetic, Oxtirn abruptly spills out into a cacophony of tuned brass, squeaking rust, and electrically shorting contact mics, taking the detritus of post-industrial existence (sheet metal, spring boards and motors wrenched from their initial hearths) and transforming that refuse into a twenty-first century musique-concrete orchestra.
On the album’s initial track, motors tumble across prepared sheets of metal as expertly placed squalls of bowed string and what could only be described as the sounds of a phantom brass band (courtesy of multiple horn player Andrew Fenlon and Keszler’s longstanding partner Ashley Paul on clarinet) mesh transcendentally with Keszler’s precise percussion and bursts of controlled chaos. Side B sees Eli and sonic artist Sakiko Mori on both prepared and installed pianos; as the two furiously scrape and agitate strings with a mix of switch-operated motors, contact mics and suspended preparations, slowly undulating resonant clusters float on top of the underlying din, creating a striking contrast. Here, the eerie timbre of Keszler’s bowed crotales recall Italian futurist Luigi Russolo’s Intonarumori and the string quartets of Dumitrescu.
Accompanying each digital release is an eye popping and dizzying visual score that proves Oxtirn, despite sounding wholly improvised, is a meticulously micromanaged piece of sound sculpture. In addition to the score, each digital release boasts an extra track with Keszler on “metal configurations”. The vinyl is limited to 300 copies and comes packaged with a beautiful, hand-screened poster featuring original artwork by Eli Keszler.
Personnel
Side A
Eli Keszler : drums, bowed metal, crotales, guitar, prepared/riveted 4 x 10 foot sheet metal, contact microphone, spring harp, bass board, motor, prepared piano
Ashley Paul : clarinet
Andrew Fenlon : trumpet, tuba, french horn, trombone
Side B
Eli Keszler : piano, motors, cymbal, crotales, snare drum, microphones
Sakiko Mori : prepared piano
Digital Only Bonus Track
Eli Keszler : crotales, snare drum, configurations
Ashley Paul : clarinet
Track Listing
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| 1. |
Oxtirn 1 |
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| 2. |
Oxtirn 2 |
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| 3. |
Oxtirn 3 (digital only bonus track) |
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Press Quotes
"...fantastic solo percussion and dark matrixes of
strings from this past collaborator with Jandek, with aspects of
Scelsi and Dumitrescu, , Keiji Haino and Biota..... straddles 20th century avant garde thought, sound sculpture,
free jazz and contemporary drone and is one of the most lovingly
assembled packages to have passed through VT of late"
- David Keenan (Volcanic Tongue, Wire Magazine)
"It's hard to envisage that this music has been made by just one
person...the music slowly
builds..the slower more textural sections are particularly striking:
bowed cymbals, bells and fender rhodes give track 2 a chamber music
intimacy."
- Mike Barnes, Wire Magazine August 2007
Upcoming Live Dates
| Aug 17, 2010 |
Oxtirn Record Release at the Bowery Poetry Club |
New York, NY |
| Sep 3, 2010 |
ON LAND Festival |
San Francisco, CA |
| Sep 19, 2010 |
Sonic Circuits |
Washington DC |
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Bio
Eli Keszler is a composer/multi-instrumentalist based in Providence, Rhode Island. He primarily uses percussion, bowed crotales, guitar as well as invented instruments (his harps which use strings and motors) to create his sound that balances droning harmonics with shaterring acoustic sustain and fast, free rhythm, all working in balance with his integrated installations.
In addition to his solo releases, installations, visual art and performances, Eli has performed, recorded or collaborated with artists such as Phill Niblock (performing on a new work of his for Crotales and soprano saxophone with Ashley Paul), Aki Onda, Loren Connors, Jandek (I.C.A Boston and at NYU), Roscoe Mitchell (Art Ensemble of Chicago), Anthony Coleman (recording Lapidation released by New World Records), Joe Morris, Greg Kelley (Nmperign), T Model Ford, Ran Blake, Bryan Eubanks, Ashley Paul and Steve Pyne (Redhorse).
He performed in the United States premiere of Mauricio Kagel’s Der Schall at Merkin Hall in 2008 led by Anthony Coleman. He has toured internationally finishing a 6-week European tour in December of 2009, performing at Colour Out Of Space Festival in Brighton England as well as Sound-Body-Movement in Ostrave in the Czech Republic. In addition to performing over 25 other gigs in England, France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Serbia. He has recently completed his second CD and his 7th release titled Tilt, which received a feature in Wire Magazine along with his duo 'Aster' LP with Ashley Paul (saxophone/clarinet/strings).
His compositions have been performed at Jordan Hall, the 1st and 2nd Church of Boston, and Boston Conservatory. He also runs the label rel records, which releases hand-made art edition LP’s, CD’s and Cassette designs. Rel has received features in Wire Magazine, Arthur Magazine, The Boston Phoenix, Spex (Germany), The Sound Projector and Blow Up Magazine (Italy). It is distributed internationally by Metamkine, Art-Into-Life, and Volcanic Tongue and in the USA by Forced Exposure and Mimaroglu Music Sales.
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