The two improv duos Duthoit/Hautzinger and Drake/Zerang have been known for years for their open and creative approach to music and joined forces in March 2020 for a live performance including recording as part of Artacts in the Old Tannery in St. Johann together. The result of this evening is an album that runs counter to Western ideas of sound, since the musical focus is on meditative sounds of percussion and frame drums as well as on the creative use of the voice.
WILD NOISES
There is moaning, groaning, sighing and of course singing. The vocal performance truly stands out here, transporting the listener into a fantastical world of spiritual expression. The voice is sometimes used in such an alienated way that you always have the feeling of listening to the sounds of a jungle landscape. But the other instruments that can be heard also surprise with their creative use and make a significant contribution to this unconventional listening experience.
The four tracks on the current album (“Âme”, “Enkidu”, “Gilgamesh”, “Inanna/Ishtar”) are thematically inspired by the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic. The epic deals with, among other things, primal themes of art – such as love, power, death and the question of the meaning of life – and is placed in an interesting musical context by the participants through their very intuitive approach. The quartet manages in an exciting way to span a wonderful arc between tradition and modernity, between contemporary music and ancient rites, and last but not least between western and eastern cultures.
Conclusion: Really successful, and definitely horizon-broadening!
In cooperation with mica – music austria
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Links:
Franz Hautzinger
Franz Hautzinger (bandcamp)
Trost Records