Unidentifield Musical Subject (CD/LP, 2010)
With his album "Unidentified Musical Subject" Bernhard Loibner fuses the world of experimental electronic music with the human kindness/directness of acoustic instruments. Strongly connected to the event-like aestethics of nowadays experimental electronic music, Loibner manages to enrich the acoustic spectrum through the use of carefully treated instrumental elements. No sequencers or drummachines were used during the production process in order to reach a balanced sound impression - similar to human dynamics - shifting between ease and motion. The instrumental recordings were retreated with self-built digital synthesis processes which gives the album a certain glitchy flavour as well.
Loibner suceeds in creating his own magic vision of organic electro-acoustic compositions and manages to balance moments of great intensity and power against subtler movements, without ever becoming superficially harsh. His pieces are vital statements of a musician and sound artists universe which is characterised/earmarked by an audible need for harmony and a warm sound-picture.
Most of the pieces developed from improvised themes and elements of live concerts which were then refined in the studio trying to a maintain/nourish a certain spontaneity. As discrete sonorous events are in the foreground, the listener is tend to a deep listening process in which to carry on sound patterns which were just experienced before. An (relatively) open and harmonic structure ensures a constant movement of sounds in the listener's brain.
From the more darker realms of "delta-6", where modulated bass pulses provide the solid grounding, to the kraut-like piece "accum", "Unidentified Musical Subject" contains unsolved sonical mysteries as well as concrete song structures.
"poem" (as well as "follow") features the voice of Melita Jurisic - singer of the austrian experimental noise-rock band metalycee - and confronts us with Loibner's blueprint of experimental pop music. Based on a traditional latin lovesong from the 11th century "poem" sees Bernhard Loibner, who became a proud father during the production of this album, reaching new emotional territories and incorporating these in his musical oeuvre.
The album was released on CD and Vinyl by the Vienna-based label moozak.
Credits
1 delta-6, 2 poem, 3 scratch, 4 delta-2, 5 degauss, 6 b2b, 7 accum, 8 follow
All pieces composed, performed & recorded by Bernhard Loibner
except - "poem" vocals by Melita Jurisic, lyrics are the original
latin text "Iam dulcis amica", a love song of the 11th century
"follow" - vocals, lyrics by Melta Jurisic
"scratch" - quartertone trumpet by Franz Hautzinger
"b2b" guitar by Bernhard Hammer
Mastered by Martin Siewert
Artwork by Clemens Hausch
Cover subject: Michael Gumhold, untitled (into the void), 2009
courtesy Georg Kargl Fine Arts, Vienna
Thanks to Karin & Franz, João Castro Pinto, Tom Sherman, Peter Szely
This CD was supported by SKE.
Reviews
Rumore 07/10Il nuovo album del veterano Bernhard Loibner per la viennese Moozak pare davvero un inclassificabile "soggetto musicale non identificato". Ad un'apertura di astratte sollecitazioni digitali fa seguire difatti una sorta di "canzone" sperimentale, con antica poesia in latino scandita da Melita Jurisic del gruppo naise Metalycee su pulsante tappeto ritmico-rumoristico, frutto di frammentazioni free form di strumenti tradizionali ed elettronica. Tagli elettroacustici di sapore glitch anche in Scratch, dove l'autore si confronta con la tromba di Franz Hautzinger, mentre in b2b è ospite il chitarrista Berni Hammer. Oscillando tra avantpop, collagismo espressionista e tentazioni kraut-drone, un album vario e imperscrutabile, accuratamente congegnato eppure fluido e spontaneo.
(Vittore Baroni) His Voice 04/10 Pro mě dosud neznámý vídeňský label Moozak vydal v květnu vpravdě vídeňské album. Nejen že si skladatel a hudebník Bernhard loibner pozval na album lokální hosty, ale pod výsledkem je podepsán i mistr zvuku Martin Siewert, další Vídeňák. Loibnerovy kompozice se vyznačuji užívánim live elektroniky a vlastního softwaru, na tomto albu mají však velký prostor i "klasické" instrumenty, mimo jiné i hostujicí čtvrttónová trubka Franze Hautzingera či kytara Berni Hammera. Třetím hostem je vokalistka z Metalycée, Melita Jurisic, jež recituje ve skladbě poem milostnou píseň z 11. století lam dulcis amica. Posledně zmiňovaná, spolu se scratch (tam hostuje Hautzinger), podle mě patří k tomu nejlepšímu na této desce. Experimentální elektronika umně skloubená s postrockem, doporučeno.
(Petr Vrba) GO MAG 07/10
Pop abstracto. No es nada casual que Bernhard loibner se gane la vida como consultor informatico para musicos (para musicos serios, de los de pajarita y orquesta) alla en su Viena natal: su segundo disco demuestra un impresionante dominio de las herramientas que permiten manipular un sonido por ordenador; es como un gran muestrario de perversiones aurales, la última frontera del destroce digital. Pero al mismo tiempo, tambien impresiona por su capacidad para conjurar generos y estilos, para manejar recursos de la musica concreta, el jazz y (sobre todo) el pop, y despues mezclarlos en un potaje en el que cuesta reconocer los sabores, no digamos ya las influencias. Asi que definir "Unidentified musical subject" como 'pop abstracto' tiene sus riesgos. Muchos de ustedes me tirarían este disco a la cabeza antes de que hubieran llegado a sonar dos canciones (insisto, canciones) protestando por la falta de movimiento, pero tambien su lógica. Y es que, si alguna grandeza tiene loibner es precisamente esa, que ha realizado un ejercicio de abstracción, de reducción a elementos básicos y borrado de huellas, en el que la musica popular actua como centro de gravedad. las cuidadas Iíneas melódicas, los floridos arreglos rítmicos, la manera en la que se introducen las voces ("Follow" es algo muy hermoso), todo en este disco suena a pop; a pop enfermizo y ralentizado hasta la insania, a pop deshuesado y opaco. Claro que la belleza, algunas veces, adquiere formas insospechadas, o no identificadas.
(Vidal Romero) BLOW UP 07/10
Metodiche compositive ed esiti simili per l'album del viennese Bernhard Loibner. Qui il riferimento più prossimo è l'elettronica degli albori, ovvero gli esperimenti condotti in vari studi di fonologia nei primi decenni del '900. Anche in questo caso l'ambientazione generale può risultare a tratti un po' claustrofobica, allo stesso modo temperata da slanci di partecipazione emotiva, incarnati nella tromba di Franz Hautzinger e nella chitarra di Berni Hammer e, in particolar modo, nella voce di Melila Jurisic (Melalycée). (7/8)
(Nicola Catalano) BAD ALCHEMY 07/10
Das Roswell dieser unidentifizierten Phänomene heißt Sankt Veit an der Glan. Zumindest begann Loibner, der mit Jahrgang 1965 zu den Reiferen unter den österreichischen Elektronik-Musikern und Medienkünstlern gehört, dort seine irdische Laufbahn. Seine dunklen Soundgebilde werden gleich bei ,poem' vom Phänomen zum Faszinosum, wenn Melita Jurisic, die Stimme von Metalycee, die Zeilen von ,Iam dulcis amica' raunt, einem Liebesgedicht aus dem 11. Jhdt. Gleich danach bei ,scratch' gibt die Vierteltontrompete von Franz Hautzinger berstenden Bassdetonationen und harschen Brüchen die besondere Note. Loibners Spezialität sind kaskadierende Klangflüsse und -gletscher, in denen Klangreste von Rock- oder akustischen Instrumenten wie Kiesel mitrollen - E-Bass, Perkussion, Dulcimer, Geflatter von Strings, zu kurz und zu uneindeutig, um Definitives zu sagen. Auch .degauss' wird von Bassschlägen durch knurrt und scheint In seinem Flow ständig auf Hindernisse zu stoßen. ,b2b' joggt und verstreut dabei wieder Klangpartikel, krumme Gitarrenkürzel, einzelne perkussive Schläge und Maultrommelschnarren. Repetitionen und Geflatter bestimmen ,accum', mit diesmal akustischer Gitarre, Beckenklingklang, aber auch elektronischem Zwitschern und Knurpsen. Zuletzt singt Jurisic in ihrer ungeheuer intensiven Art zum knorrigen Puls und den elektronischen Säurespritzern von ,follow' vom Acid Rain in den apokalyptischen Tagen der Wolfszeit, wie sie zuletzt Michael Haneke schilderte.
(RIGOBERT DITTMANN) ROCKERILLA 5/10
Un esperimento ardito ma non completamente riuscito. Bernhard Loibner cerca una nuova strada tra il mondo dell'Accademia e quello della popular music. Su "Poem", la seconda traccia del suo nuovo album appena pubblicato dalla Unidentified Musical Subject, Loibner fa cantare alla voce del rock band australiana Metalycce, Melita Jurisc, una canzone d'amore dell'undicesimo secolo. Altrove sono le sonorità della tromba alla Jon Hassell a colorare le atmosfere di nebbie marine. Su "Scratch" un basso elettrico scandisce il tempo mentre intorno prende vita un prato di lucciole sotto un tappeto di tromba jazz che sembra provenire da un'altra galassia. Quelli di Loibner sono eventi sonori più che discorsi articolati. Solo per iniziati.
(Roberto Mandolini) De:Bug 06/10
Bernhard Loibner aus Kärnten verbindet Elemente aus freier Improvisation, Elektro-Akustik und Elektronik zu einer teilweise abstrakten, gleichzeitig angenehm warm und organisch klingenden, manchmal fast ambienten Komposition. Mit Beteiligung der Metalycée-Sängerin Melita Jurisic bekommen einzelne Passagen sogar Songcharakter und einen gewissen Pop-Appeal. Weitere Elemente sind Franz Hautzingers Vierteltontrompete und Berni Hammers Gitarre, die mittels digitaler Synthese-Prozesse in die Klangästhetik eingepasst wurden und die Live Improvisations-Athmosphäre des Experiments verstärken.
(ASB)
THE GAP #106
Elektroakustische Experimente mit dem Ziel, die musikalische Basis - nämlich akustische Instrumente - spürbar zu machen. eine seltene Einigkeit. 7/10.
(MARTIN MÜHL)
A strange record that blends experimental electronica with electroacoustics and alternative rock. Some tracks get very close to the song format ("Follow"), while others are very abstract electronic constructions and others are collage-like. Bernhard Loibner is mostly on his own, except for two tracks featuring Melita Jurisic (the disquieting vocalist from Métalycée), one with trumpeter Franz Hautzinger (very good) and one with guitarist Berni Hammer. A dark soundworld, slightly post-industrial, obviously very through-designed, although some layers are improvised. Esthetically cold, but not clinical-sounding. Hard to sum up. And less futile than the bass drum pedal without a bass drum pictured on the cover. VITAL WEEKLY #729
The press text doesn't say much about the background of Bernard Loibner, but a little search reveals we already a work from him as early as Vital Weekly 338, 'Trans/mute' on All Quiet. He was the co founder of the band All Quiet On The Western Front and works as a composer and computer musician in Vienna. Yet his work is far away from the computernoise of the Mego posse. Loibner takes a few sounds, or perhaps even a single sound and starts playing around with it, using all sorts of computer treatments. To a certain degree his work is pretty abstract, but it stays rather playful. Popmusic isn't the word I'm looking for, but he keeps his compositions relatively short and to the point. Musique concrete might be the right word too, but his work sounds different. Sampling the hell out of his material, its above highly vibrating stuff. Ranging from quiet to loud, his music is all over the dynamic spectrum. At times it seems like all of this is made through improvisation, but then it certainly has been edited with great care. Included are the playing of the quarter-tone trumpet of Franz Hautzinger, the guitar of Berni Hammer and the voice of Melita Jurisic. Quite an exciting release of... well for the lack of better word electronic, experimental popmusic. Just that long silence in 'Follow' is a bit tedious.
(FdW)