Thu May 10, 2001
23:59
Charhizma presents

Fenn O’Berg

Christian Fennesz, Jim O’Rourke, Peter Rehberg: electronics

Sorry this part has no English translation

The Magic Sound Of Fenn O'Berg documents the live collaboration of Peter Rehberg, Christian Fennesz, and US ally Jim O'Rourke. Each armed with a powerbook and mixing desk, and usually little prior knowledge of one another´s material or intentions, the results are a stunning flood-and-fold adventure in sound. Of course, the very nature of improv necessitates periods of boredom, false-starts and wrong turns. Yet these excerpts generally witness a trio in staggering form. Whilst all three have delivered superb solo efforts, you get the feeling that it's perhaps the process itself, rather than finalised form that inspires them – twisting and pulling, re-working their sonics, getting off on the “heat“ of live collaboration. Fizzing and flickering, bursting with gritty chatter, all manner of sonic detritus is pushed through the mangler: twinking glockenspiels, bursts of piano, overloading bass drones and frequency-fogs, crumbling traces of pop. Not so much a series of new maps, as a doing away with them altogether, immersing yourself in the freeform thrill of (live) sounds / events unfolding around you. Fucking hardcore. (Dave Howell, The Wire)