AirSculpture - Quark Soup (Disc 1)

Title........:Quark Soup
Artist........:AirSculpture
Label........:Neu Harmony
Style........: Berlin School
Released.......:2001
Quality......: 256 kbit/44 KHz Stereo
Total Time: 63.45 mins
Notes: Disc 1 recorded live at the E-Live festival, Nijmegen, Netherlands, October 1999

The first CD of this double was taken from their E-Live festival performance in October 1999. As usual the music is improvised and is therefore unique. All AirSculpture's music is effectively live. Some is live in the studio where as in this case it is in front of an audience.

We begin with cosmic drones, twitters and effects blended perfectly to create one of their best atmospheric passages ever. A faintly melodic lead line is then introduced. A few minutes later a rapid high register sequence starts up- and what a corker it is too! It develops and becomes increasingly complex but also more powerful all the time and yet they keep it tightly under control making it mutate to fit their every whim. Its all so tight that its incredible that it is improvised. The second track begins with soft swirling pads. A lonesome melancholy lead strikes up floating in the middle of the mix. This is AirSculpture showing a rare tender, even serious, side to their nature. Metallic crashes punctuate some 'tron sounds and things get moodier and moodier. Its music for post apocalyptic landscapes. The mood then lightens as a delicate sequence starts up, its as if a gentle rain has started to fall. Another beefier sequence is added but initially stays in the background. Its only when the lead lines start to flash over the top that it really cranks up and we start to motor.

Next we have a mammoth twenty seven minuter. From a tranquil beginning a slow melodic sequence starts. Initially it enhances the relaxed mood set up by the initial section but it gains pace and additional sequencer lines are added. At the eleven minute mark the sequences depart and we are immersed in ghostly cosmic effects. This is another superb atmospheric section. Its the sort of thing that early 70's TD or any of the pioneers might have come up with if they had had the technology available. Its full of twitters, vast metallic drones and vaguely vocal sounding noises (both human and animal) very low in the mix so that you can't make up your mind if you are imagining them or not but adding an effective sinister element. With eight minutes to go we enter another structured section and a no nonsense sequence enters. A lead line playfully bounces over the top. More sequences are added and the band work themselves up to a blistering finale. The audience demand more and AirSculpture get straight into a dynamic five minute sequencer romp. Subtlety is thrown out of the window and they just let rip- superb!

1-01 Bock (14:37)
1-02 Dubbel (16:19)
1-03 Tripel (27:30)
1-04 Shoarma (5:19)