PROMO: Otomo Yoshihide/Voice Crack-Bits, Bots and Signs

[JonAbbey2@xxxxxxx]

sorry for the promotional intrusion, and further apologies if you receive 
more than one copy of this:

I'm proud to announce the release of the latest CD on my label:

Otomo Yoshihide/Voice Crack-Bits, Bots and Signs (Erstwhile 011)

Otomo Yoshihide has explored the nature of sound in many different ways 
during his career. A student of the brilliant guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi, 
Otomo formed the hugely influential group Ground Zero in 1990, leading the 
project through numerous incarnations until its conclusion in 1998, as 
documented on the epic Last Concert (Amoebic).  Over the last few years, 
Otomo has become increasingly interested in  minimal wave-based electronics, 
as heard in his Filament and I.S.O projects. Other projects which he is 
currently involved in include his New Jazz Quintet, who play standards from 
composers such as Ornette Coleman, Gerry Mulligan and Eric Dolphy, as well as 
original tunes by Otomo, all refracted through his unique sensibilities. 
Otomo has also composed numerous soundtracks for movies, and has written 
numerous articles and essays for Japanese music publications.

Swiss duo Voice Crack (Norbert Möslang and Andy Guhl) have been playing 
together since 1972. In 1977, they released the then underappreciated Deep 
Voices LP (FMP, reissued on CD by Urthona), which they created largely with 
acoustic instruments. Since 1983, they've been exclusively working with 
"cracked everyday-electronics", modifying and/or abusing numerous small 
household machines in order to produce extreme, unique noises. Voice Crack's 
current projects include their longstanding collaborative partnership with 
Borbetomagus, poire_z with Günter Müller and Erik M.,  as well as their solo 
work, well documented with such superb recent releases as Below Beyond Above 
(Urthona) and Shock_Late (Entenpfuhl). They also have a collaborarative disc 
in the works with Jérôme Noetinger and Lionel Marchetti, which will be 
released on Grob in 2001.

Bits, Bots and Signs documents the long overdue first meeting of these 
pioneers, recorded in March 2000 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, although as 
Möslang says, "from the beginning, it was as if we had played together for a 
long time."  The three musicians generate gently pulsing rumbles, piercing 
whistles and lingering whines, fusing these varied sounds into a series of 
expansive panoramas. The striking cover drawing was created by Swiss artist 
Alex Hanniman.

"Otomo Yoshihide and Voice Crack expertly weave a brittle fabric of sound, 
unifying notions of instant composition with the radiating randomness of live 
electronics. Useful sonic "flaws" fold in upon themselves giving these works 
a vocabulary of fresh electronic elements that come across equally as well 
placed, spontaneous, and compelling. Electro-acoustic improvisation at its 
most fragile and leveling extremes."-I-Sound

personnel:

Otomo Yoshihide-electronics
Norbert Möslang-cracked everyday-electronics
Andy Guhl-cracked everyday-electronics

track listing:

@@@ 1 (16:53)
@@@ 2 (6:35)
@@@ 3 (14:03)
@@@ 4 (8:51)
@@@ 5 (11:44)

more info available at the following web sites, or contact Erstwhile Records 
at ErstRecs@xxxxxxx:

http://www.erstwhilerecords.com
http://www.japanimprov.com/yotomo/index.html
http://www.voicecrack.ch

all Erstwhile CDs can be purchased from numerous worldwide distributors, all 
of which are listed on my web site. also, all Erstwhile releases can be 
purchased via direct mail order, details of which are also on my web site. 

-------------------------------------------------

future releases from Erstwhile will include:

013: Axel Dörner/Kevin Drumm
014: Stilluppsteypa/TV Pow
015: Phil Durrant/Thomas Lehn/Radu Malfatti
016: Toshimaru Nakamura/Sachiko M.