Implosions

On this CD:

1. The Flight of Icarus for flute
Composed by Haflidi Hallgrimsson
Performed by Kolbeinn Bjarnason

2. Cho for flute
Composed by Thorsteinn Hauksson
Performed by Kolbeinn Bjarnason

3. Riding the Wind II-IV for flute & chamber ensemble
Composed by Harvey Sollberger
Performed by Kolbeinn Bjarnason

4. Ein Hauch von Unzeit III, for flute, clarinet, violin, & piano
Composed by Klaus Huber
Performed by Kolbeinn Bjarnason

5. Mnemosyne for bass flute & 8-track tape
Composed by Brian Ferneyhough
Performed by Kolbeinn Bjarnason

6. Lamento for flute
Composed by Mario Lavista
Performed by Kolbeinn Bjarnason

Tracks:

BTLS
Power
O'Hell
2net
Anon
Vane
Mother
Z
Angle
Way
Sfield
Ebb
Madmod
Brazillianaires Theme
Bday
Philosophy
Cuss
Explo
Sonic Euthanasia
Cyfer
Pretender
Don't
White
Black
Brown
Dab
Case of Death
Fabulous

Tracks:

Case of Death, Pt. 2, Chapter 1-6
Andy [Dang Fishy Rift]
X24
Net
Birth1
Mist
Barely
Birth2
Prelude
Mach
Barelys
Barelys
Barelys
Barelys
Birth3
Rose
Ten4gv
Debizet
Pocket
Tune
Fold
Mirror
Dwig
7th
Lune
Aria
Spring
Discorite
Lovedrops
Vand
Preliu
Para D
Rainbow
1001

Customer Reviews:

Many tiny explosions between your ears.......2004-11-28

Go ahead, life is short, buy it. Also buy "Grayfolded", which I have never gotten tired of after dozens (okay, maybe not a lot of dozens) of listens.

Absolutely essential.......2004-06-28

69/96 is perhaps the definitive set of John Oswald's experimental Plunderphonics, a two-disc retrospective covering most of his most famous and often brilliant work, from the entireity of the ultra rare Electrax (or Rubiyat, as Electra renamed it) EP to selections from Plexure, Grayfolded, the original (and highly illegal) Plunderphonics CD, and Discosphere.

For the uninformed, Plunderphonics is sampling taken to the next level, songs manipulated, sometimes beyond recognition and often to completely alter their meaning. Just to briefly list some of the tracks on this album would be difficult. There's Chuck Berry songs compressed down to 10 seconds or less (the Barely tracks), Dolly Parton singing a duet with a slowed-down version of herself (Pretender), the Kronos Quartet compared and contrasted with a generic heavy metal band (Mach), a mashup of the Carly Simon and Faster Pussycat renditions of "Vain" (Vane), a marathon of different singers and their renditions of the Phil Spector song "Ebb Tide" (Ebb), and many many more. It's extremely hard to describe half of these songs without making them sound like less than they are. It's popular music completely mutated into something completely above and beyond most anything pop music has to offer, and some of the tracks showcased were even ahead of their time (such as "Power," a combination of Led Zeppelin riffs and televangical ranting that could almost count as one of the first rap songs).

Augmenting the 62 tracks found in this collection is a comprehensive interview with John Oswald that gives key insight into most of the tracks on the discs: how they were made, what they were made for, the history of Plunderphonics, and much much more. Almost no stone is unturned, and some of the songs he mentions in passing that didn't make the cut for this set also serve to pique one's interest. Maybe another Plunderphonics box set will eventually see the light of day if we're lucky.

All told, this is an extremely well done and exceptionally brilliant package, and should be essential for fans of experimental music or to those who would like to know exactly what sort of possibilities sampling can hold as a medium in and of itself. I'd recommend getting this as soon as you can. While the copyright lawyers haven't made a fuss over this album yet, who knows when they might.

diverging opinions.......2004-06-21

I've found that, every time I find something that I personally find to be absolutely wonderful, some other people will agree with me, but there are quite likely just as many people who have exactly the opposite opinion. When Smooth Earl (whose opinion you will find immediately below) says "I was doing stuff like that on my tape recorder back in '83 when I was in 4th grade, and I did a better job than this guy", it reminds me all those people who say their dog could make a better painting than Jackson Pollock (or Pablo Picasso).
In some cases these people really can't see the difference between a smudge and a Pollock. That's OK. Perhaps to Smooth Earl the entire oeuvre of John Oswald really does sound like something he did in the 4th grade (when are you going to release your album Earl, so we can compare?).
Poor hearing-deprived man, but still, everyone is entitled to have their opinion.
What I object to is Earl saying, "You will be severely disappointed just like me." What a stupid, narrow-minded statement. I obviously don't share your opinion Earl, and there others who don't think like you do - please check out the reviews at the bottom of the page.
I wish that there were listening samples for each of the 60 tracks in this box set, because, like it or not, there is undeniably more variety in this package than in any other musical offering I can think of. Sure there probably is something here for everyone to dislike, but for anyone with open ears, and a desire for surprises, this is a cornucopia of all kinds of music; each kind presented in a new way, sometimes subtly and sometimes brutally.
I suspect that neither Smooth Earl or "a music fan" listened any further than the first couple of tracks, because when they make their analogies to changing radio stations every two seconds they obviously haven't listened to Rainbow, which is an elegiac, glistening shifting of perfectly consonant chords played by the 101 String Orchestra like one big wave; or PreLieu where a live string quartet plays a sinuous, sensual variation of one of Beethoven's prettiest tunes; or Anon which is a chorus of the beautiful voice of Tim Buckley.
And then there is the fast-paced stuff. Perhaps Smooth Earl could edit in the 4th grade as well as Oswald, but I've never heard anyone who can dice and splice as intricately and precisely as can be found in any number of the cuts on Plunderphonic.
In addition to getting a lot of music in this box set, one will also discover a treasure chest of detailed notes (in the 40,000 word interview Oswald sometimes speaks as acrobatically as he composes) and a lot of often very funny visuals which are another way to get an idea of what the music is like. For example, look at the cover collage above: a group photo of U2 has been transformed into a band of Frankensteins, in which David Bowie and Barbra Streisand, or Boy George and Billy Gibbons get grafted into one person.
Oswald suggests that Power (composed in 1975) is perhaps the first Rap song. It was created independent of the concurrent experiments of Afrika Bambaataa and crew, predates Byrne and Eno's similar experiments by 5 years, and in its use of Led Zepplin riffs it predates the Beastie Boys by a decade. One of the reasons some of this music sounds so unusual is that it was created so much ahead of its time. It's kind of like the case of Trout Mask Replica (which also gets transformed by Oswald).
Unlike other commentators I won't presume to say whether you should get this set or not. But I think that any listener whose range of listening interests can go from Stravinsky to Metallica to Public Enemy might be intrigued. Or any one who wants to hear an Agatha Christie story as if it was transformed by James Joyce... or Dolly Parton slowly turn into a man... or Bill Frisell playing with Elvis Presley... Debussy sung by a bird... an almost brand new Doors song ... Anton Webern and the Beach Boys ... Fine Young Cannibals with Annie Lennox (ten years before mash-ups)... a cubist Count Basie... Madonna granulated... it's all here.

Even one star is too much -- DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE.......2002-04-19

Yeah, I heard about this "Plunderphonics" thing in SPIN and ROlling Stone, and they went on and on about how "essential" and "awesome" it was. Then I thought this guy in the review right before mine was just being a "hater" or whatever, but DANG if he wasn't right!

I'm a fan of remixes and samples of sorts, so this compilation piqued my curiosity, but ... I should've saved my money. Yeah, sure, you'll recognize a snippet here and there of a song or a popular artist's voice, but it's so choppy ... and there's no "flow" to it ... it is not music of any kind, just irritating noise. Just like the other guy said, it's like some lil' kid won't quit playing with the radio so it skips to every other station every 2 seconds. Heck, I was doing stuff like that on my tape recorder back in '83 when I was in 4th grade, and I did a better job than this guy.

If you have been wanting to buy this compilation, do yourself a favor: close your eyes, take a deep breath, open your eyes, and LET IT GO. You will be severely disappointed just like me.

Radiostaticstoponastationalready.......2002-03-10

This is probably one of the most annoying compilations I have acquired. While intriguing as a concept, this "music of the last fifty years in a blender" approach comes off as rather grating. A bit like someone constantly changing the radio station without stopping.

Average customer rating:

Jazzvisions: Implosions
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000008BBY
Release Date: 1990-10-05

Average customer rating:

Implosions
Stanley Clarke
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000562I4

Average customer rating:

MUSIC FROM THE COLLECTIVE HUMAN SOUL
Wonderfull, brightens up your day

Implosions
Stephan Micus
Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

ECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Desert Poems
East of the Night
Ocean
The Garden of Mirrors
To the Evening Child

ASIN: B00002615U
Release Date: 2000-07-18

Tracks:

As I Crossed A Bridge Of Dreams
Borkenkind
Amarchaj
For The 'Beautiful Changing Child'
For M'schr And Djingis Khan

Customer Reviews:

MUSIC FROM THE COLLECTIVE HUMAN SOUL.......2002-04-06

...and, actually, FOR the collective human soul, as well. The music created over the years by Stephan Micus speaks both 'of' and 'to' all of humanity -- and he does so with such an obvious love and respect of all cultures that his music truly tanscends boundaries like no other I've ever experienced.

IMPLOSIONS, his second album, recorded in 1977, was his first work for JAPO/ECM Records -- and the start of a long, continuing, fruitful relationship. Manfred Eicher has a long-standing reputation for allowing the artists he produces to enjoy complete freedom of expression and creativity, as well as recording quality that is crystalline and matchless -- I can think of no other organization with whom Micus' art would be more at home.

The instruments used on this recording are varied, coming from areas of Europe and Asia. On the lengthy opening track, 'As I crossed a bridge of dreams', Micus employs 3 sitars, an acoustic guitar, and his incredible voice. This piece was the first recording he made using his voice -- he sings in no language, but so expressively, so in-tune with the spirit of the music, that the listener can easily imagine that the words have deep meaning and carry strong emotion. The piece moves through several mood changes -- but never becomes 'noisy' or discordant. There is a pervasive sense of peace in his music -- even in the more rhythmically rapid pieces.

The next piece, 'Borkenkind', uses 3 Bavarian zithers, as well as Stephan's voice. The instruments swirl and meld behind the voice, creating another beautiful mood. The third track, 'Amarchaj', is more meditative, created on 4 shakuhachi (the Japanese bamboo flute used by Zen monks for meditation) -- and it's incredibly beautiful. The fourth track, 'For the "Beautiful changing child"', uses a little-known instrument from Japan, the sho (actually, 3 of them). The sho is a type of mouth organ with 17 reed pipes -- the wind from the player enters through a mouthpiece on the wooden base in which the pipes are mounted. Micus states in his notes that because of the materials used in this instrument, dampness in any amount can disturb the sound, therefore making it probably the only instrument in the world which has to be heated before playing. He combines the 3 sho on this piece with a single Thai flute. The final track on the recording is 'For M'schr and Djingin Khan' -- played on a single rabab (a type of lute from Afghanistan) and accompanied, again, by Micus' voice. The effect of this piece is stunning -- I can close my eyes when listening to it and easily imagine myself sitting on a windy steppe, under a full moon, hearing tales spun from the music.

The music of Stephan Micus is one of the greatest treasures I have discovered in the 40+ years I've been seriously exploring the musical world. He has released 16 recordings since his first in 1974 -- not the most prolific artist out there, but, with the quality that he has come to exemplify, one of the most productive. If you have never experienced the work of this amazing artist, you should try one of his cds -- this one, IMPLOSIONS, would be a great place to start...and I say 'start' with the confidence that many of those who give him a listen will want to keep exploring his work. It's a thing of rare and precious beauty -- and something that can bind different cultures together, rather than push them apart. We could use that now, more than ever...

Wonderfull, brightens up your day.......1999-11-26

A wonderfull record. I actually got it on a sell out for very little money and didn't expect much, but it's one of the highlights of my CD collection.

Average customer rating:

Implosions

Manufacturer: A.C. Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00003GNYK
Release Date: 1999-12-07

Average customer rating:

MUSIC FROM THE COLLECTIVE HUMAN SOUL
Wonderfull, brightens up your day

Implosions
Stephan Micus
Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

ECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Desert Poems
East of the Night
Ocean
The Garden of Mirrors
To the Evening Child

ASIN: B00000321E
Release Date: 1994-10-25

Tracks:

As I Crossed A Bridge Of Dreams
Borkenkind
Amarchaj
For The 'Beautiful Changing Child'
For M'schr And Djingis Khan

Customer Reviews:

MUSIC FROM THE COLLECTIVE HUMAN SOUL.......2002-04-06

Wonderfull, brightens up your day.......1999-11-26

A wonderfull record. I actually got it on a sell out for very little money and didn't expect much, but it's one of the highlights of my CD collection.

Music Track:

Music Track

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Dedicated To You

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