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¥708 xingu hill. alterity. cd. november 99
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¥708 xingu hill. alterity. cd. november 99
tracklist:
| core illness | |
| worms | |
| bandwidth barons | |
| one of us | |
| ziggurat seven | |
| identities are fluid | |
| the conquistador closes his eyes | |
| texas prayer machines |
'alterity' is the fourth xingu hill album and the latest output of john n. sellekaers, well-known as creative collaborator with projects like torsion, black lung/xingu hill, snog, urawa, ambre, & nternal and chief of the audiomastering-studio metarc in brussels.
this album is free from stylistic limitations, it travels through groovy ambient tunes with surrealistic atmospheres to chaotic soundscapes towards slower, more experimental pieces which however form an intimate coexistence. the complex melting of these different styles emphasises 'alterity' with a special, unique character, which may first appear with a strange affection but gets familiar the more attentive you listen. deeply fractured sonic mutations build up their own morphogenic aesthetics. it's unalterable giving a mindfully listening to enjoy a more experimental side of electronic music and assimilate the full potential with access to an exceptional sound experience! it exists in its own space and with its own rules!
produced by john n. sellekaers. programmed and recorded at metarc (brussels), 1998/1999. vocals on texas prayer machines by xd
seven
this is fourth cd of this band and the first one to be released on
hymen. i have been anxiously awaiting this release after listening to
numerous impressive remixes done by xingu hill. after listening to this
cd several times, i was quite disappointed by the sound expecting
something more along the lines of beefcake or architect. but the first
time i used the headphones, i was blown away by complexity and beauty
of "alterity". this is truly the cd that requires attentive listener
that has time it takes to discover its richness. the first impression
you get from the cd is laid-back, mellow ambient electronics. but
listen more closely and you will discover the whole word of subtle
noises, pops, clicks and micro sound manipulations that weave a careful
and amazingly delicate, almost transparent web of sound. beautiful
strings and melodic parts are overlaid with little swirling noises and
distorted unexpected flowing sounds that mixing together produce unique
and unforgettable patterns. the music leaves the feeling of fragile and
complex, dynamic structure where empty spaces are surrounded with
myriads of incredibly complex, constantly mutating formations. dark
ambient elements are replaced with mellow rhythmic structures. make
sure you have the good set of headphones and several hours to spend to
get the best out of this cd - an unforgettable journey to the
intelligent and beautiful world of xingu hill.
popcontrol
arguement can go back and forth on who had more impact on the other,
john sellekaers or david thrussel. what everyone can agree on, however,
is that both gained immensly by knowing and working with each other.
this duo has been at work earlier this year with the excellent xingu
hill/black lung collab 'the andronechron incident' released on ant-zen
in the form of a limited 10" and the newest snog release, the equally
excellent 'third mall from the sun.' while the earth will have to wait
for new black lung material, xingu hill is available now and does not
disappoint. 'alterity' picks up where sellelaers last xingu hill cd,
'relay,' left off. clicks, whirrs and glitches abound enough to make
the most finicky idm fan happy. the album actually sounds like a
continuation of the style from 'the andronechron incident' with a laid
back style that belies the underlying complexities of the melody and
rythym. the listener is awash with wave of drums and sounds from all
directions, sounds which are at one time familar but at another are
completely unknown. every now and then an album comes along that not
only meets but completely shatters all expectations put upon it.
'alterity' is certianly one of those albums. style: idm. review by
ryan:
sideline. spring 2000
after some 3 albums on nova zembla/kk records and various collaboration
projects like urawa, ambre, torsion or yet [in]ternal, the
belgo-canadian artist john n. sellekaers returns to his
mother-(solo)-project xingu hill for a new chapter entitled "alterity"
on hy-men. so meticulously created, this cd is the type of album i
highly recommend to experience with headphones. only the care taken in
the placement of each sound justifies the purchase of "alterity"... for
those who do find themselves drawn towards this type of high-tech
atmospheric music, this cd will blast all their expectations! xingu
hill has much more to offer that the average "experimental ambient"
project who only contents himself of producing a whole thing that just
rolls along neither exciting you or wanting to make you turn it off...
no, john is a class electronic sound producer and manipulator who
certainly favours the experimental fraternity while being able to
provide more complex moments and elaborated "song" structures. and that
ghostly marriage of innovative rhythm arrangements with various noises
samples triggers a terrific perplexity that pushes you back, again and
again, into the realms of xingu hill's abyss: unique mind-warping
excursions that reach their acme on this new album with the depth of a
track like "identities are fluid" for instance. consume without
moderation (tsf:8/9)
newsgroups: de.soc.subkultur.gothic
göttlich. schlicht und einfach göttlich. wunderbare,
"kühle" und rhythmusorientierte elektronik. irgendwie eine
mischung aus dem letzten nightmares-on-wax-album, aphex twin und
biosphere. kaufen, kaufen, kaufen!
recycle your ears. www.recycleyourears.com
fourth album for xingu hill, this time on the ant-zen techno
side-label, hymen. on "alterity", this belgian artist delivers us 7
tracks ("worms" is only 29 seconds long...) 7 very fine dark pieces of
light techno and sampling. xingu hill's music lay somewhere between
techno and dark wave. the songs are laid on beats and rhythms, just
like techno, but it also features some melodies and soundscapes that
breaks the flow and brings ambiances more typical of dark industrial.
the result are very easily very flowing tracks, all instrumental, who
combine variating slow rhythms and backgrounds sound layers. one of the
main aspect of xingu hill's music is its addictive side, maybe a
remnants of its trance's side projects. the tracks are very catchy and
efficient. that's the kind of music you keep on listening louder and
louder, till you're stereo is dead. the production is perfect, with an
excellent sound. the samples used are very accurate, with quite a black
lung/snog touch. by the way, one could find some black lung element in
xingu hill's music, except that it doesn't feature this annoying/mind
nerving aspect that black lung cultivates. instead of that, xingu hill
possesses a really dark and beautiful side. those compositions are not
only beats put together, this is work of beauty. in this sense, my
favorite moment of the cd are the two songs "identities are fluid" and
the magnificent "the conquistador closes his eyes", with its moody
background. "alterity" is an excellent surprise, and one of the most
beautiful albums i've heard in this genre. almost every song is a
pearl. the music and the production are mastered, just like the
artwork, of course done by stefan alt, head of ant-zen and hymen.
reminding a little beat of black lung and quite a lot of phylr, this cd
should really appeal to everybody who listen to good music.
re:mote induction. www.remoteinduction.com
with the repeating structures of fluttering, insectile wire sculpture,
fuzzy blue/gray on white card we have alterity. an intense imagery
suited to this new release by xingu hill on hymen. after a number of
releases, which most recently include the collaboration with black
lung; the andronechron incident from hymen parent ant zen. john
sellekers offers us an 8 track cd of what can safely be called
electronic music. i've suggested before that hymen are blurring the
boundaries of techno/electronic music, and alterity fits in with that
theory. the downside of this is the way in which words like "techno"
become redundant - besides which, someone will always try and tell you
that you are wrong. alterity starts with the mellow vibe of core
illness - an easy melody, slow beats. machine noises shift through in
crackles and bleeps while the core remains a constant. electronic
transmissions of bleep signals are the first signs of worms and their
brief life. from there we have sounds of brass samples, jazz hints,
clicking beats and reminders of a snog influence - or the start of
bandwidth barons. this track keeps a certain level of coherence, the
minimal beat core. while its tendrils explore elements of sound the
bandwidth offers. the coherence being a successful guise for covert
experimentation. to me there almost seems to be a sci-fi subtext to the
track titles here - core illness being hardware/systems, worms being
viral software, and bandwidth barons feels gibsonian in its cyberness.
then we have one of us, also a title of a book by michael marshall
smith dealing with technology able to read, store and transfer dreams.
the track is a haze of bass, dream drifts, while the rapid eye movement
is percussion, and the streaks of sound are electron transfer from eye
nerves to the brain. one of us goes through stages of clicks and motion
levels, the bass sighs a constant. ziggurat seven is as sounds from a
vacuum in a sf movie, the spaceship ziggurat seven floats crewless, in
a bass darkness. piano keys a flicker of lights, rattles as detritus
rolls across the floor. then it opens up, the bass deepens and we have
heavy deposits of beat structures. dark in tone, upbeat in pacing. this
fits in well with the current hymen sounds. mournful, melodic pools
wash away the night and we discover that identities are fluid; one of
my favourite titles and what sounds like could be another michael
marshall smith novel. identities are fluid changes the vibe of the
album, shifting source on drum material to give a deep bass drum stroke
and a real clatter beat. this gives a chaka effect and the music has a
machine minimalistic effect. these forms mutate with progression and
identities are fluid stands out well in its own right. with the
additional possibility that this would be suited to a club environment.
though at 11 minutes long its probably too much for that, but that
really is a secondary concern. the conquistador closes his eyes starts
with a sudden rushed sound, closure pushing air from a space. bass
entry and we are in, mature structures, confident in their ability,
guide us through displays and racks of prepared beats and programmatic
output. while less upbeat than identities are fluid, the conquistador
comes across as deeper and sturdier. the last track on alterity is
another interesting title, perhaps serving as a description of those
structures on the package - texas prayer machines. another long track,
the mechanism boots up slowly - whirr through the bass of component
chip boards. beat, singular... hum, two-tone -engaged, an awakening.
shimmers and whirrs offer data entry, eliciting a bass groan of vocal
response. data transfer continuum generates a click beat and electric
signaling - forming a level of regularity as we shift into moments of
imitations of electronic music
xipharg. www.centreimage.ch/blue/xipharg/
pour ceux qui ne le savent pas encore, xingu hill est le projet solo de
john sellekaers, connu des amateurs pour sa participation aux
formations ambre et torsion. enfin seul maître à bord, il
nous livre ici un bel album drum'n'bass/ambient plutôt intimiste
et onirique, un rêve blanc et duvetteux où subsiste
néanmoins comme un vague soupçon d'inquiétude, un
relent d'étrangeté qui s'épanche comme une
gouttelette d'encre sur la trame d'un papier buvard. musicalement
parlant, xingu hill pourrait être comparé à un
scorn au meilleur de sa forme (période evanescence), voire
à un photek auquel on aurait fait ingurgiter un tube de
sédatifs périmé. bref, même si je l'aurais
souhaité un peu plus revêche et biscornu, cet album
constitue une belle addition à la collection hymen, et permettra
aux fans d'industriel de se dégourdir les oreilles après
s'être farci les uvres complètes de brighter death now.
ajoutons que, selon les dires de son condisciple olivier moreau, john
sellekaers serait également un inconditionnel de serge brussolo,
détail qui le rend tout de suite encore plus sympathique... a
écouter en lisant la dernière bd de bilal (regardez la
couverture d'alterity et vous ferez le lien).
chronic art. www.chronicart.com/home.htm
les aspirations de ce label qui vient d'éditer le dernier album
de scorn (mike harris) sont claires : "technoid noise for collapsing
people", et, derrière ce manifeste rapidement posé, de
nombreux concepts musicaux peut-être plus intrigants... tout
d'abord, xingu hill, formation atypique d'un électroniciste
esseulé, arrive à se dégager du paysage
electronica avec quelque brio. sans jamais tomber dans les gimmicks
ambient, pas plus que dans les lieux communs de la noise, xingu hill
fait cohabiter une aptitude certaine à la création de
papiers peints musicaux, ainsi qu'à l'irruption brutale de plans
gentiment bruitistes. ne délaissant donc pas la mélodie,
sans la privilégier outre mesure, ce projet s'inscrit
aisément dans la lignée de one-shot bands tels que
pasarani (même label), pan american version harshtronics ou
même tortoise période tnt, les idées en plus.
evidemment, rien de révolutionnaire ici si ce n'est tout de
même une vision très personnelle et pas si commune que
ça de l'electronica. on reste assez éloigné des
meilleurs créateurs du genre (scanner, le third eye des
premières heures, to roccoco) mais c'est plus un gage de
qualité et de non-grégarité. au milieu de la
surproduction de telles productions, on se demande toutefois si
l'îlot créé par xingu hill parviendra à se
dégager de l'anonymat. sa musique pourtant, virus
mélodique parmi les virus, cherche les multiplicités et
les fuites, et se propage rapidement dans l'espace-son, sous-tendue par
des nappes synthétiques peu abondantes. insectoïde,
à l'image de l'artwork élégant et
épuré, elle conserve sa silhouette fine et racée,
minimale et efficace. et, si ça suffit à faire succomber
les hommes comme hymen le proclame haut et fort, pourquoi ne pas se
laisser transpercer un temps ? en attendant d'autres lendemains, encore
plus originaux, par les drones fugitifs d'une musique en constante
évolution. jérôme schmidt
equinoxe ausgabe 11
man könnte diese cd als typisches produkt der 90er betrachten. rhythmen und minimalelektronik paaren sich mit seichten melodien und schwebenden sounds. gewürzt wird dieser cocktail mit breakbeats und fiependen hochtönen, die für ‚alterity' nicht gerade eine bereicherung darstellen. während ich die einzelnen tracks durchgehe, kommen mir spontan szenarien von wartezimmern und schlangen von einkaufswagen in den sinn, da die wirkung von 08/15-ware eine mehr als ernüchternde sein kann. auch der letzte song, der sich martialisch anhört und eine dumpfe atmosphäre verbreitet, kann das steuer nicht mehr herumreißen. ‚alterity' kann man getrost ignorieren und sich wichtigeren alben zuwenden. (alexander götzke)
@resistant media
pour ceux qui ne le savent pas encore, xingu hill est le projet solo de john sellekaers, connu des amateurs pour sa participation aux formations ambre et torsion. enfin seul maître a bord, il nous livre ici un bel album drum'n'bass/ambient plutôt intimiste et onirique, un reve blanc et duvetteux ou subsiste néanmoins comme un vague soupçon d'inquiétude, un relent d'étrangeté qui s'épanche comme une gouttelette d'encre sur la trame d'un papier buvard. musicalement parlant, xingu hill pourrait etre comparé a un scorn au meilleur de sa forme (période evanescence), voire a un photek auquel on aurait fait ingurgiter un tube de sédatifs périmé. bref, meme si je l'aurais souhaité un peu plus reveche et biscornu, cet album constitue une belle addition a la collection hymen, et permettra aux fans d'industriel de se dégourdir les oreilles apres s'etre farci les oeuvres completes de brighter death now. ajoutons que, selon les dires de son condisciple olivier moreau, john sellekaers serait également un inconditionnel de serge brussolo, détail qui le rend tout de suite encore plus sympathique... a écouter en lisant la derniere bd de bilal (regardez la couverture d'alterity et vous ferez le lien). (syntax error)
xingu hill macht etwas andere weltmusik. anstelle von "authentischen gesängen von urbevölkerungen und traditionellen balztrommeln, nimmt er wirkliche weltgeräusche mit auf seine alben. meeresrauschen, metallstangenumfallgedöns, echo, stanzmaschinenarbeitsrhythmus, computertastaturgeklackere, arm-an-einarmigen-banditen-runterzieh-eingeraste, etc. das haben andere auch schon gemacht, aber kaum jemand baut das alles in abstrakte und gebrochene beats ein und macht so sinistren, strangen electro drum'n'ambient wie er. zersetzte atmosphäre und zerpflückter soundkontext wuseln sich durch beatschleifen mit unterbrechungen und elektrostatischen querschlägern. irgendwo dazwischen findet man auch noch ruhige momente und rudimentären groove, und gar von soundtrackmomenten kann gesprochen werden. von album zu album wird es bei ihm abstrakter und reduzierter, und auf dem jetzigen stand hat er das beste aus rephlex und staalplaat zu einem ganzen gefügt. die kollaborative nähe zu david thrussel hat auch bei ihm die verstärkte hinwendung zu frickelsounds und dark drones gebracht, und so erbaut er ein eklektisches sounduniversum, das in brüchigkeit sein heil sucht, statt pseudomeditativer müllambient sein zu wollen. die intelligente entscheidung. (till schröder)
zone51 www.zone51.com
alterity est le 4e album du projet belge xingu hill de john sellekaers, cette fois sur la sous-étiquette technoïde hymen d'ant-zen. il est parsemé d'ambiances obscures, de légers échantillonnages et d'originalité. alterity est un peu trop rythmé pour être simplement ambiant ou dambient. il s'insère dans le crénau large et vaste intitulé technoïde. même s'il n'est pas ambiant, les 7 chansons, car worms ne dure que 29 secondes, travaillent surtout l'atmosphère. une aura de peur et de noirceur les entoure toutes. des petits sons rehaussent efficacement le minimalisme. les chansons sont remplies de courants sonores, froids pour la plupart, qui contribuent à l'atmosphère générale de l'album. l'album débute sur un tempo presque lounge dans la chanson core illness. des petits sons, qui sonnent comme un insecte, viennent perturber le calme de la séquence principale, qui semble être faite d'instruments acoustiques, notamment de percussions. bandwith barons commence avec du saxophone. il est possible de trouver aux pièces une qualité similaire à celles de snog/black lung, si nous excluons les séquences vocales et le côté chaotique des échantillonnages. le son d'insecte revient dans one of us. lentement, les chansons de l'album alterity commencent à former un tout. ziggurat seven est une pièce plutôt fluide, ressemblant à un océan sonore, ou voguent des instruments acoustiques. xingu hill nous propose aussi 2 chansons de plus de 10 minutes, identites are fluid et texas prayer machines. des belles chansons où flottent plusieurs ambiances sonores. des percussions tribales et des échantillonnages légers nous donnent une impression d'aube. à un moment donné, on pense même entendre une cafétière. un des éléments qui fait adorer cette musique est la façon efficace avec laquelle xingu hill travaille les échantillons. la réalisation est excellente. xingu hill possède un côté obscur et une beauté impressionnante. cet album risque de plaire surtout aux fans d'idm et de dambient. tous ceux qui apprécient la beauté et la netteté de la musique électronique peuvent aussi aimer alterity de xingu hill.
surface www.surfacemagazin.de
auf dem mittlerweile 4. album von john n. sellekears' xingu hill führt er uns auf einen groovigen trip, auf experimentellen ambient/industrialpfaden. dabei lässt sich der komponist auf keine stilrichtung festnageln, sondern experimentiert munter drauf los. mal etwas chaotischer (wie bei "the conquistador closes his eyes " oder "worms"), mal recht gelassen (siehe "core illness" oder "one of us"). ambientherzen schlagen höher und in sachen experimentalismus bleiben keine wünsche offen und wer diese tugenden schätzt, der wird hier gut bedient. übrigens hat mastermind john auch schon für snog, front 242 und hexedene, sowie mlada fronta remixt. und auf zoth ommog schon bei dem projekt "internal" mitgearbeitet.
infratunes