WAL

WAL combines three of the most extreme Swiss improvisers in one group: Turntable artist Joke Lanz, well known by the international noise community under his long time project Sudden Infant and member of Schimpfluch-Gruppe, double-bass player Christian Weber and vocal madman Bruno Amstad. With their radical approach to the instruments, Lanz, Weber and Amstad create autonomous sound-cells using playful combination that melt into a language free of any function. The obvious antagonistic nature of their instruments tempted them to begin a new chapter of electro-acoustic music. Heavy empirical research soon brought up a deep congeniality between them. Massive scratches, walls of sound, grooves, riffs, loops, noises and voice modulations lead you on a journey into a world of unknown sound holes and deep abstract rhythm constructions. ************************************************************ ** "WAL as a group are masters of creating moods and feelings inside the listener. This ability is a gift and yet not always a pleasant journey. For instance, as much as I hate listening to all four minutes of the opening track I must admit that even sitting alone in the middle of the day it is capable of scaring you, and rightfully so, the title of the track is 'Good Morning Nightmare'. WAL employs droning bass lines, shouts and chants, and a minimalist electronic presence to create grooves often using only one simple line to hold it down while the other members bring contrasting ideas that weave in and out of the music. This is an album similar to that of Picasso's most childish paintings. At first listen it would easy to dismiss the music as contrived, simplistic, and even as simply a noisy collection of sometimes disturbing sounds, yet with each listen it becomes apparent that there is a wealth of intention and emotion within the music. The standout track is without question the thirteen minute 'Pequod'. Ambitious and symphonic in its scope building early to low chanting that sounds like a morning Muslim call to worship and slowly morphing into a thick dance beat reminiscent of DJ battles. Recommended to those interested in the boundaries creative minds can push music towards." by Brian Hull / Jazz Now / February 2004 ************************************************************ ** MyGen Profile Generator