Keith Fullerton Whitman Playthroughs
Kranky Krank055 October 21st 2002
By Russell Garwood
Keith Fullerton Whitman (of Hrvatski fame) is an intriguing artist, whose work is composed and performed in its entirety on the guitar. Not that it is possible to tell from listening, however, as the music is minimalistic ambient with subtle noise elements, similar to those of Ulver circa. the Silence EPs. The improvised blips and soundwaves were initially created via ring modulators, granular shuffling algorithms and delays, and spectral effects and then amassed into borderless, relatively unstructured but highly atmospheric compositions. The gradual crescendos, although performed in a completely disparate manner, bring to mind label mates GY!BE, and the ebbing-and-flowing textures and dynamics show more similarities.
The five largely drone based songs on Playthroughs mark a very different sound from the hectic, complex break-beat of Hrvatski, but what they lack in structure and complexity they make up for in ambiance. Standout track has to be the final song, Modena, for its less drone-orientated approach and ever-changing time signatures. My only complaint about this album is that the music lacks variety, largely due to the drone based structure, which (for me) can lead to monotony. This very fact, however, makes it excellent relaxing music for early morning and late evenings, and for all fans of minimalistic ambient and Ulvers later efforts this hypnotic release is likely to go down well. Those who like more structured, powerful music, however, may well not be so receptive..
Kranky Krank055 October 21st 2002
By Russell Garwood
Keith Fullerton Whitman (of Hrvatski fame) is an intriguing artist, whose work is composed and performed in its entirety on the guitar. Not that it is possible to tell from listening, however, as the music is minimalistic ambient with subtle noise elements, similar to those of Ulver circa. the Silence EPs. The improvised blips and soundwaves were initially created via ring modulators, granular shuffling algorithms and delays, and spectral effects and then amassed into borderless, relatively unstructured but highly atmospheric compositions. The gradual crescendos, although performed in a completely disparate manner, bring to mind label mates GY!BE, and the ebbing-and-flowing textures and dynamics show more similarities.
The five largely drone based songs on Playthroughs mark a very different sound from the hectic, complex break-beat of Hrvatski, but what they lack in structure and complexity they make up for in ambiance. Standout track has to be the final song, Modena, for its less drone-orientated approach and ever-changing time signatures. My only complaint about this album is that the music lacks variety, largely due to the drone based structure, which (for me) can lead to monotony. This very fact, however, makes it excellent relaxing music for early morning and late evenings, and for all fans of minimalistic ambient and Ulvers later efforts this hypnotic release is likely to go down well. Those who like more structured, powerful music, however, may well not be so receptive..
