MACHINEFABRIEK 'Dubbeltjes' // ZOHAR 063-2

12 tracks from Rutger Zuydervelt whom I knew from different collaborations among many others with Steinbrüchel, Jaap Blonk, Aaron Martin, Peter Broderick, Frans de Waard, Simon Nabatov, Mats Gustafsson, Steve Roden, Gareth Davis, Stephen Vitiello, Michel Banabila and Tim Catlin and with filmmakers such as Makino Takashi, Mike Hoolboom, John Price, Paul Clipson and Chris Teerink, Edward Burtynsky. Composer of dance scores for Alix Eynaudi and Kris Verdonck's EXIT , Ivan Pérez' Hide And Seek (Ballet Moscow) and Alexander Whitley's The Measures Taken (for the Royal Opera in London).
Strinkingly as it is Rutger's music from the years between 2008 and 2013 doesn't seem to follow any clichees of typical post-industrial of improvisational key of the stuff that comes first to my mind when you think of collaborative artist of such genres. First and second tracks has a lot of inter-textual guitar work using feedback and loopey effects - gives plenty of space and disquiet without overburdening it with drones. Third track is an echo of symphonical music in an ethnic context with clear reference to soundtracks and scores he made - the main theme bursts out of reed wall of sound and has a transparent structure. Reeds dominate also the fourth track which has a grieving, melancholical feel to it and it heavily reminds me of works of Grisey. Fifth track is a counter balance to the previous ones - there's a great deal of preparations and field recorded stuff heavy treated with a slight touch of electronics - minimalistic yet meaningful - it evokes the best stuff that Joe Colley a.k.a. Crawl Unit recorded to give just a hint. Sixth track is a complete surprise - a choiry evocative track minimalistic as well which gives good structure to the track that might step off into a pompous realm of neo-symphonical ambient. Track number 7 is a good breather of post industrialistic preparations and ambiency of solid field recorded treatise. Track that follows - number 8 - is a nice a bit sonorous melancholical meditation on reeds. Really nice clarinet. Which is also a case of track 9 plus slightly distorted harmonies in the background. Track 10 brings subtle guitar improvisations again with a field recorded background a bit modified by electronics. Track 11 is a smooth turntablistic etude on scratch derivacy and again very subtle background stuff. The final blends all the elements nicely - a treated distant choir, field recorded background noises, squelches of turntable and a very high sense of composition.
I really loved this album. It has a great sense of responsibility - a mature artist who knows how to keep his stead and organise his vision into a wholeness which even here - on an album who is just a compilation - reads and listens as an musical entity not just odd elements thrown together into a melting cauldron.
Thank you Maciej from Zoharum for this excellent release!