(Minimal, Noise) [CD] Zbigniew Karkowski / Antimatter - KHZ - 2005, FLAC (tracks), lossless

The second collaboration by Karkowski and Xopher Davidson (Antimatter) is a masterful work that rewards any patient listener with slowly unfolding layers of analog hum and buzz. The CD consists of one 45 minute piece, and this format suits the work well, as this kind of piece needs to develop slowly over a long period of time. The first 13 minutes are calm, and consist of low end rumbling and quiet high-pitched tones. Auscultare Research/Ground Fault
This sort of restraint has often been a prelude to a blizzard of harsh noise in Karkowski's past work. KHZ is successful because it develops in a gradual manner, rather than simply being an exercise in quiet/loud interplay. This calm atmosphere eventually gives way to rapid clicking, analog patterns which hover at a moderate volume, and help the piece achieve a sense of movement. By 24 minutes these hums and buzzes have become a much louder chorus of shifting electronic pulses that are a massive payoff. The next four minutes are an excellent study of the interplay between this all-enveloping drone and some subtle, high-pitched staccato rhythms. The arrival of a brief noisy section towards the end is barely noticeable due to the gradual accumulation of intensity that characterizes the flow of the piece. Karkowski benefits greatly from this collaboration, as it seems to encourage his (relatively) subdued side. It is to their credit that the pair have restricted the length of this piece to 45 minutes, resisting the temptation to fill the CD to its capacity. While too many abstract sound artists explore only one end of the sonic spectrum, Karkowski and Davidson have succeeded in producing a work that focuses on the way these elements can work together. It is uncertain what relevance the only sleevenote, "rebounding=junk of life" -R. Selavy, has to the sounds contained within, but any alliance with Marcel Duchamp's feminine alter-ego is a gesture to be applauded.

Antimatter is California's Xopher Davidson and this 45 minute piece, released by San Francisco's Auscultare Research is Davidson's second collaboration with Swedish/Polish composer Zbigniew Karkowski. On their previous CD ("Function Generator" on Portugal's Sirr label) they set themselves a limit of 100 Hz frequencies for a very clinical work full of super-low bass vibrations. This time the title "KHZ" leads you to believe they've expanded the frequency range quite a bit. The opening minutes feature a slow pulsing bass tone loop EQ'ed down mercilessly. The sound is clean, thick and heavy, with just a slight suggestion of a trebly scratch around the edges. The pristine sounds of undistorted bass tones can be a bit difficult on the ears but this bass noise is pleasurable. The bass gets into your head in a way that can only be described as a physical effect more than an auditory sensation, as real or imagined additional tones ring through your head endlessly. A rhythmic beating builds up as the suffocating tones seem to multiply. Drawn-out purring drones flow through the mix, as do a few higher pitched morse-code bleeps but the bass dominates the first ten minutes before the frequency range opens up. Midrange sonorities appear suddenly around the 13 minute mark- I jumped at their intrusion, actually. Click-loops emerge, bass levels are brought down and the piece reaches a high-end chirping peak around the 27 minute mark. The click-loops bring to mind Ryoji Ikeda or Carsten Nicolai, or the more desolate moments of Pansonic but the feel here is a bit more intense- and you never lose the sense that something really dangerous is about to assault your ears at any moment. But the austere feel remains throughout- and the piece slowly winds down over the course of a slow-moving 45 minutes. There are no liner notes on this release- except for a cryptic quote: "rebounding = junk of live" credited to R. Selavy (Duchamp's readymade alter-ego) though the connection between this music and the quote is not easily found- no surprise there I suppose. The CD is graced by beautifully understated graphic design (by Randy Yau, presumably), with the letters KHZ cut into the black cardstock cover so that the silver CD disc surface peeks through. Even the barcode is tastefully inserted along the spine, the silver and black lines becoming the most active graphic piece in a delicate composition.