VIOLET - Let The Sunshine In

VIOLET - Let The Sunshine In
(Zeromoon, 2003)

Jeff Surak (Violet) es un veterano experimentalista procedente de Washington. Desde principios de los 80 ha explorado el espacio existente entre improvisación y composición para crear algo a medio camino entre las dos esferas auditivas de la música experimental.

Desde sus tempranas grabaciones bajo el pseudónimo -1348-, Surak se estableció en esa escena underground internacional de cintas caseras, editando casetes en su propio sello Watergate Tapes, junto a otros artistas como Controlled Bleeding, F/i o Kapotte Muziek, y colaborando con otras figuras como Zan Hoffman, Crawling With Tarts o John Hudak. Al mismo tiempo, Surak comenzó a actuar con el célebre grupo industrial New Carrollton, bastante notorios entonces en la zona de Washington DC.

La década de los 90 llevó a Surak a mudarse a Rusia y hacer actuaciones allí. Es entonces cuando forma el grupo Sovmestnoye Predpriyatiye, cuyos componentes creaban trabajos muy específicos, partiendo de los materiales y sonidos encontrados in situ en donde tenía lugar la actuación.

Con la entrada del nuevo milenio, Surak crea un nuevo duo: V., formación que rápidamente se deshace del armazón inicial de improvisación libre para convertirse en un conjunto que desafiará por completo los límites compositivos, reinventándose continuamente a sí mismo con cada grabación o actuación. Tras once albumes en tan sólo dos años, el duo se disolvió, permitiendo a Surak continuar más allá sus exploraciones con su proyecto en solitario Violet. Objetos variados, microcasetes, cedés dañados, instrumentos acústicos preparados y viejas grabadoras equipadas con láminas de metal son las herramientas elegidas por Surak para construir su sonido. Violet ha colaborado con Alexei Borisov, Frans de Waard, Bertrand Denzler, Michael Gendreau, Andrey Kiritchenko, Kotra, Francisco López, Andreas Tilliander y muchos otros. Desde 2002 Violet ha editado numerosas grabaciones en gran variedad de formatos y ha actuado a lo largo de Estados Unidos y Europa.

Un par de reseñas de 'Let the Sunshine In':

"Violet is Surak's solo project whose catalogue, apart from this mini-album lists two other items. Somewhat idyllic image on the cover fits the mood of the contents that seems to be approaching the modern electronica in terms of the final result rather than the tools employed, for neither of '(...) record player, guitar, autoharp, tape' could be called hi-tech ones. In a sense, it proves my home-bred belief that at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether you use a Powerbook or your panties' elastic – it's the final product that counts. Surak again employs looped themes to build his compositions, ironing out the seams so that they flow relatively smoothly. If some works of the contemporary electronica remind you of a sterile laboratory and precise incision of a lancet, we could say that he build his own one. However, since he used simple tools and materials only, there are some leaks and organic life from without gets inside. These are mostly old vinyls' hisses, and in 'Ufer des Botong', actual samples from old records. Speaking of the track titles, they bring to mind 'Zembla, a distant northern land' – those in the know will know... A very nice one, it is." Eld Rich Palmer.

"Music for record player, guitar, autoharp and tape make up 'Let The Sunshine In' with a long track and three shorter subsequent ones. ''Kwangmjonghoehle' seems to be a compilation of various pieces – pulsing tones with machine cycling and additional mechanical loops and clicks, cycling wash; a brief run off groove and musical snatch; the first part returns simpler with a high ringing cycle in, easing to a pulse and crickle click and pingling music, changing foregrounds and easing back; a very crackling vinyl fanfare with resonant gong notes, more details emerging from the crackling vinyl, a buzzing, snatches of voices and gulls, and then a rolling noise which could be an LP rotating, a chugging, out. The vinyl is even more obvious in 'Songdowon' as a big extended orchestral chord with a click in it loops on and on, slightly changing – at one stage you can hear three notes in it and a higher tone, but goes back to the dense single note. 'Ufer des botong' starts as bubbly soft percussion and synth loops with buzz and pulses, building speed and threatening to jump out at you; then a clattering like a fan and a motorbike buzzing; before backt o a fuzzier version of the first part with varying tones and pulses. Finally 'Wonsan' another very scratchy sample with an orchestral soundtrack piece that has a slightly tinny distortion. A light hearted romp, reflected by the images on the cover that seem to have a 50s optimism about them. Enjoyable." Ampersand Electra.

1. Kwangmjonghoehle (13:28)
2. Songdowon (2:47)
3. Ufer des Botong (3:35)
4. Wonson (1:19)

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