Cudù(Paolo Lotti and Luca Mazzantini) were a duo from Italy during the 1980s and 1990s who worked mainly in improvisation. The first time I came across their music was when they were recording for the now-legendary Materiali Sonori record label out of Milan, and their work stood out. A touch of jazz, progressive, and even a bit of a nod to Frippertronics. It’s really a shame they didn’t become more famous in the world of improv, but this, and several other links, catch their playing for posterity’s sake.
[Poem] Paul Celan – La Rose de Personne
Avec toutes les pensées je suis sorti
hors du monde : tu étais là,
toi, ma silencieuse, mon ouverte, et —
tu nous reçus.
Qui dit que tout est mort pour nous
quand notre œil s’éteignit ?
Tout s’éveilla, tout commença.
Grand, un soleil est venu à la nage, claires,
âme et âme lui ont fait face, nettes,
impératives, elles lui ont tu
son orbe.
Sans peine,
ton sein s’est ouvert, paisible,
un souffle est monté dans l’éther,
et ce qui s’est nué, n’était-ce pas,
n’était-ce pas forme, et sortie de nous,
n’était-ce pas
pour ainsi dire un nom ?
[Video] When – Death In The Blue Lake
Lars Pedersen (When) is a Norwegian post-Industrial/Avant-Progressive/Proto-Black Ambient composer whose work never really got its fair due. I actually came across his work in several progressive rock magazines, as well as the seminal experimental publication ‘Music From The Empty Quarter’ (RIP), who didn’t quite know what to make of his work. If he is still active and making music, I’m sure he’s taking advantage of the upgrades in technology. The raw material he had to work with was bleak, unnerving, and quite amazing.
[Podcast] Mixcloud: Iranian Psychedelic
Iranian Psychedelic by Adam Kvasnica on Mixcloud
Many thanks to Adam Kvasnica, who always puts up a unique and amazing show!
[Video] Nurse With Wound – (I Don’t Want To Have) Easy Listening Nightmares
Who would? Nurse With Wound in fine form, showcasing a cut from the legendary ‘Alice The Goon’ EP.
A slice of heaven for me.
Many thanks to mirrior, who posted this photo today. I love libraries. My best memory comes from them, spending time with my parents or grandparents, learning about the world, letting my imagination run wild, while also keeping it grounded with history, philosophy and religion. It was a kindred soul, Jorge Luis Borges, who once quipped, “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” Perhaps he’s right.
[Photo] Oxford Union Library
[Video] Valentina Ambrosanio – Notturno n° 1 op. 9 (F. Chopin)
There is much good in Italy in terms of music, especially in the South, which tends to hide its prizes a bit better than in the better-publicized North of the country. Some years ago, I had the joy of traveling to Naples, where I made the acquaintance of pianist Valentina Ambrosanio. In a city which breathes romance, a wild beauty, music and poetry of every shade imaginable, Valentina’s ability, warmth and charm stood out above the crowd.
She is quite comfortable interpreting masters such as Frydryk Chopin (as you can see in the video below) and Johannes Brahms, but has no fear of exploring modern compositions.
Ambrosanio will be working on recording an album sometime this year. She will be worth looking out for in the future.
[Poetry] ‘Letter to Marianna Kijanowska’ by Volodymyr Bilyk
I don’t get to run into much that would, at least where I live, be termed ‘hipster poetry’, but thanks to my Facebook colleague, Ukrainian poet and musician Volodymyr Bilyk, I have a chance to sample a taste:
Not sure if it really means something
But i have to write this:
you are in some way almost shriekingly anti-strange
and it dissappoints me so much that it makes me curious in a scientific way
and i think i’m having not-so-over-the-top insulting stroke of faux faith in complexity
all because of youAsk me “why” before you’ll ask me “what”
Well…
I have no clue how to explain it
i know nothing about that
so let it be the poem
at least on that terms it seems to be coherentshriekingly as screamingly but with the double entendre and ox breath on the corner after a fight
anti-strange as friction but in terms of knowing
curiosity as brave attempt and scientific just to kill-off rampart interest of instinctand please dont laugh at it
not-so-over-the-top insulting stroke is the stroke as usual but only when you get used to them –
althrough it remains the same in every form it gets.
faux faith is like old-age faith, it even fools you in the same manner as encyclopedic explanation of faith fools its natural understandingmy faith in complexity happened
because i dont believe that it cant be so simple. You cant be like an early records of Einstuerzende Neubauten. You can’t be just like you are and nothing more. You can’t not hide something in the very deep of you. you cant have no second bottom. It’s impossibly ridiculous
and even if you laugh and answer me so clever i will say you “cool” i just think that it happens like that all the way through.and still it makes me wonder insultingly
but what exactly?
but i have written what already
maybe the second of one which is second oneBut i think i just had written it to be misunderstood
in a world-weary way of courseSo let it be the letter
And let it be my pay-off for the mad ununderstandung
And still i havent quoted Cohen’s song.So long…
and be THRAKATTAK
Anyone who references King Crimson in poetry is okay in my book.
[Art] ‘A Culture of Fake Originality’ by Roger Scruton
Thanks to a regular poster over at Tumblr, I’ve been given the pleasure of being introduced to the writing of Roger Scruton over at Aeon Magazine, who pens an essay deconstructing the phoniness of today’s art. Both artist and buyer are complicit in allowing this contagion to spread.
I expect to link more to Scruton’s long-form essays in the future.
[Film] Bosnian Cinema: Out of Bosnia Film Retrospective
Though this post is quite old, Andrew Horton’s post for Kinoeye is quite informative if you have an interest in learning more about Bosnian cinema.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 