MATHIEU, STEPHAN

The debut CD from this German electro-acoustic composer on the avant-garde label Ritonell finds the composer on the piano stool -- a place few avant-gardists frequent. Having worked as a percussionist in Butch Morris' conducted free jazz ensembles, his interest in the experimental process are refined on this album, which by its scientific nature cannot help but reference Brian Eno. His more primitive sound art from the '70s, which explored the relationship between piano and technology, set a standard and is an overbearing influence of post-techno, experimental, and ambient music. Stephan Mathieu takes chance, indeterminacy, and the interaction of technology and instruments into challenging territories and comes up with a singular and unique sound. After performing a single 11-minute solo piano piece, the computer takes the authoritative role and through five variations abstracts the theme and the texture of the piece into a compelling and diverse suite of evolving sonic transformations. Such system-based music has its roots in the pioneering '60s work of Alvin Lucier, though the younger composer has the advantage of sophisticated technology, not to mention having developed a unique vocabulary within it. ~ Martin Walters, AMG

Estimated despatch 14-20 days after ordering.