The Pels organ and Hemony carillon of St. Catherine’s Church in Hoogstraten. Recording of the unveiling of an artwork by Joris Martens by Miaux, Lieven Martens

 

Edições CN based in Antwerp, Belgium and run by Lieven Martens never ceases to amaze by presenting releases that defy any typical modal of an independent label and take you directly towards understanding art life through a series of complex choices that musicians and artists make.

This release which is a triple deal of cd/cassette/DL is somewhat regal way of creative process and a double deal of tracks. 

One part of the recordings is Mia Prce on church organ, another is Lieven Martens and Luc Dockx together playing the alternative side of this whole score.

Mia and her compositions are not closed within the form and the tool she had at her disposal. Yes, it is the church organ and yes, it helps to achieve certain sound but at the same time it doesn't really define this set as ''religious'' or ''spiritual''- on the contrary. Instead it makes the listener aware of something that co-exists today in modern culture that is a direct translation of certain artistic mindset. Within this frame you can hear lots of things that don't qualify as a listening experience that is dependent on the digital frame of mind. It takes you deeper on the outskirts of the culture. There are questions to be asked that you cannot really answer using modern idioms but they still belong to human experience as such. Maybe that is the way you can approach it.

The other part of this set is Lieven and Luc using a field recorded space and church chimes. The effect is both surprising and satisfying. The live hiss and hum of the background together with the diversity of the sounds that they create using chimes transports you back to the places that you didn't know that exist. Beyond the obvious, beyond the popular but also beyond the usual working environment of both gentleman. It is excellent to see people in art take up the challenge to set a new sphere, a new domain, where they approach themes they haven't before. an excellent soundscape where you can feel something old is being redefined into something new. A rare opportunity, an imprint in time ... 

Music: Mia Prce, Lieven Martens, Luc Dockx

Recording, mastering: Christophe Albertijn

Edits: Lieven Martens

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