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[007] UN CADDIE RENVERSÉ DANS L'HERBE "LIKE A PACKED CUPBOARD BUT QUITE..." LP/CD
THE CURIOUSLY TITLED „LIKE A PACKED CUPBOARD BUT QUITE...“ IS THE 2ND RELEASE FOR THE DEKORDER LABEL BY UN CADDIE RENVERSÉ DANS L’HERBE A.K.A. DÍDAC P. LAGARRIGA FROM BARCELONA, SPAIN AFTER HIS BEAUTIFUL 3“CD „NOW THERE’S A WEIRD TASTE IN MY MOUTH“.
NOT UNLIKE HIS PREVIOUS WORKS WHICH HAVE BEEN COMPARED TO THE LIKES OF PASCAL COMELADE, ASA CHANG & JUNRAY, PENGUIN CAFÉ ORCHESTRA AND STEVE BERESFORD, THE ALBUM’S USING REPETITION AND SIMPLICITY, MELODY AND WARMTH, CHARM AND A POSITIVE NAIVITY TO CREATE AN ADDICTIVE, OFTEN HYPNOTIC MUZAK; NEVER OVERLOADED, FULL OF SPACE FOR TINY SURPRISING IDEAS/SOUNDS AND LITTLE ELEMENTS AND INFLUENCES TO UNFOLD THEIR INNER BEAUTY. THIS IS CONTEMPORARY AND TIMELESS MUSIC WITHOUT THE URGE TO BE (POST-) MODERN JUST FOR THE SAKE OF BEING SO.
STILL FEATURING THE UNUSUAL BUT FASCINATING COMBINATION OF AFRICAN INSTRUMENTS SUCH AS THE BALAPHON, MBIRA, KALIMBA, BERIMBAU WITH MODERN SOFTWARE, PIANO, CELLO, GUITAR, BASS, MELODICA, CHIMES, THE OVERALL THEME OF THE ALBUM IS A DIRECT REACTION TO THE WIDELY USED (AND MISLEADING) TERM OF „EXOTICA“ OFTEN FOUND IN THE WRITINGS ABOUT LAGARRIGA’S MUSIC AND OTHER SO-CALLED „WORLD MUSIC“. OFTEN USED BY OUR BELOVED „1ST WORLD“ TO CREATE A PSEUDO-ROMANTIC MARKETING NICHE THESE TERMS HAVE BECOME EMPTY LABELS FOR CULTURES WE DON’T KNOW TOO WELL OR ARE TOO LAZY TO LEARN ABOUT WITHOUT ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE IS (OR, AT LEAST, CAN BE) INFLUENCED BY ANYTHING ELSE. WE ARE NOT LIVING IN A HERMETIC CAPITALIZED SURROUNDING BUT TOO OFTEN ACT AS IF WE ARE...
LAGARRIGA’S MUSIC IS NEITHER „WORLD MUSIC“ NOR „EXOTICA“ BUT SIMPLY A MUSIC THAT IS TRYING TO BE INCLUSIVE, EMBRACING EVERYTHING HAPPENING AROUND HIM (BE IT MUSIC, ART, WRITING AND/OR SIMPLY, AND MOST IMPORTANT, EVERYDAY LIFE) IN CONTRAST TO THE OFTEN ENCASED EXPONENTS OF „OUR“ WESTERN CULTURE, WITHOUT DENYING THE FACT THAT ALL OF US (INCLUDING LAGARRIGA AND, WELL, MYSELF) ARE PERSONALLY THINKING AND ACTING WITHIN THOSE STEREOTYPES WAY TOO OFTEN (UNFORTUNATELY).
THE CUMBERSOME MONIKER AND WHIMSICAL TITLE ARE EQUALLY MISLEADING. IN ITS SPACIOUS, LEISURELY AND UNASSUMING WAY, LIKE A PACKED CUPBOARD BUT QUITE... IS EXEMPLARY. IT’S THE WORK OF BARCELONA BASED BRAZILIAN DIDAC P. LAGARRIGA, A MAN CAPABLE OF ATOMISING AND BLENDING A GLOBAL ARRAY OF INFLUENCES WITHOUT SUCCUMBING TO THE CLOYING BLANDISHMENTS OF "WORLD MUSIC" OR "FUSION". INSTEAD, LIKE A PACKED CUPBOARD BUT QUITE... IS SLEEKLY MODERN, ENFOLDING DANCING FRAGMENTS OF MULTIETHNIC SOUND IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF DIGITAL CLARITY AND DECEPTIVE CALM. AMONG THE PHALANX OF INSTRUMENTS PRESSED INTO SERVICE ARE GUITAR, DOUBLE BASS, MELODICA, BALAPHON, BERIMBAU AND KALIMBA. HOWEVER, THERE’S NO SENSE OF TEXTURAL OVERLOAD, JUST A SERIES OF STEADILY HYPNOTIC, SUBTLE AND DEEPLY SATISFYING REVOLUTIONS. THERE’S A BRACINGLY DIDACTIC DIMENSION TOO – LAGARRIGA ASSIGNS EACH TRACK AN ETHNOMUSICOLOGICAL URL RATHER THAN A CONVENTIONAL TITLE, ESCHEWING SLEEVENOTES IN FAVOUR OF A LENGTHY QUOTATION FROM JOHN HUTNYK’S CRITIQUE OF EXOTICA. |
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APPERENTELY UN CADDIE RENVERSE DANS L'HERBE FOUND HIS HOME IN THE DEKORDER LABEL, BECAUSE THIS IS ALREADY THE SECOND RELEASE HE'S DOING THERE. BEHIND UN CADDIE IS DIDAC P. LAGARRIGA, FORMERLY FROM BRAZIL NOW IN SPAIN AND THIS NEW ALBUM IS A DELIGHT. LAGARRIGA USES 'EXOTIC' INSTRUMENTS SUCH AS THE BALAPHON, MBIRA, KALIMBA, BERIMBAU, BUT ALSO PIANO, CELLO, GUITAR, BASS AND OF COURSE AT THE END OF THIS CHAIN WE FIND THE COMPUTER. THAT LAST THING IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE SINCE THERE ARE TRACES HERE OF LAPTOPMUSIC, BUT UN CADDIE OPTS FOR A FAR MORE NATURAL SOUNDING MUSIC. BUILDING LOOPS FROM THE SOURCE MATERIAL, BUT NOT EXTENSIVELY PROCESSING THEM, THERE IS STILL AN ELEMENT OF 'EXOTIC' MUSIC TO THESE PIECES. MORE CLOSELY TO THE INTIMATE HOME MADE MUSIC OF PASCAL COMELADE OR SACK & BLUMM THAN TO OVAL OR FENNESZ. IT MAKES THIS INTO QUITE A STRONG ALBUM OF ITS OWN, RATHER THAN A COPY OF SOMETHING ELSE, BUT ALSO AVOIDING THE TRAP OF A COMPUTER GENERATED FOURTH WORLD MUSIC. THIS ALBUM IS DIGITAL BUT WARM, INTIMATE BUT WITH A WIDE VIEW ON THE REST OF WORLD AND A TRUE JOY FOR THE EAR. A FRESH WIND IN THE LAND OF LAPTOP. |
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AFTER LAST YEAR'S 3" CD NOW THERE'S A WEIRD TASTE IN MY MOUTH HERE'S A FULL-LENGTH OUTING FROM DIDAC LAGARRIDA (WHO HAILS FROM SAO PAULO BUT IS CURRENTLY BASED IN BARCELONA). THE USE OF THE BALAPHONE, KALIMBA, MBIRA AND MELODICA (THERE'S ADDITIONAL DOUBLE BASS AND BERIMBAU ON A COUPLE OF TRACKS TOO), DISCREETLY BUT DEFTLY ENHANCED BY SOFTWARE, IMBUES THE ALBUM WITH A MILDLY EXOTIC FLAVOUR, WHICH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXTREME SIMPLICITY OF THE BASIC MATERIAL AND SOME SURPRISING ACCOMPANYING SAMPLES, IS STRIKING, ESPECIALLY IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE WHERE LAPTOPPERS ARE ALL TOO OFTEN TEMPTED TO GO FOR ALL OUT SENSORY OVERLOAD. "HOMEPAGES.GOLD.AC.UK/HUTNYK" (ALL ELEVEN TRACK TITLES ARE INTERNET URLS - THE LISTENER IS PRESUMABLY CORDIALLY INVITED TO VISIT THE SITES LISTED) ENGAGES IN SIMPLE BLOCK ADDITIVE AND BLOCK SUBTRACTIVE PROCESS, IN TIME-HONOURED STEVE REICH FASHION (THOUGH ONE COULD ALSO CITE GILBERTO GIL'S "BATE MACUMBA", TO CHOOSE AN EXAMPLE CLOSER TO HOME BASE FOR LAGARRIDA..). ONE MIGHT BE TEMPTED SNOBBISHLY TO DISMISS IT ALL OUT OF HAND, BUT THESE DECEPTIVE LITTLE TRACKS - ONLY FIVE OUT OF THIRTEEN GO BEYOND THE THREE MINUTE MARK, THE LONGEST CLOCKING IN AT 5'00" - CAN'T BE BRUSHED ASIDE THAT EASILY. IF LAGARRIDA HAD BEEN ACTIVE IN THE 1970S YOU CAN BET YOUR ROLEX HIS MUSIC WOULD HAVE APPEARED ON THE NURSE WITH WOUND LIST. THERE'S SOMETHING UNDENIABLY KOOKY ABOUT IT ALL, BUT, LIKE SEVERAL OF THE YOUNGER ACTS THAT HAVE GROWN UP WITH ONE EAR COCKED TO STEVEN STAPLETON'S ALT.UNIVERSE (VOLCANO THE BEAR COMES TO MIND OFTEN HERE), THERE'S A SENSE OF SELF-ASSUREDNESS AND COMMITMENT TO THE MATERIAL THAT WON'T BE DENIED. CHECK IT OUT. |
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DIE HYBRIDISIERUNG EUROPÄISCHER UND AFROAMERIKANISCHER MUSIKKULTUREN IST WOHLDOKUMENTIERT UND WEITGEHEND KANONISIERT. UMSO ERSTAUNLICHER ERSCHEINT ES, DASS EIN AUSTAUSCH ODER AUCH NUR EIN SCHLICHTES WECHSELSEITIG INTERESSIERTES "ZUR KENNTNIS NEHMEN" EUROPÄISCHER ELEKTRONISCHER MUSIK UND ZEITGENÖSSISCHER AFRIKANISCHER MUSIK BISHER KAUM STATTGEFUNDEN HAT, SIEHT MAN VON DEN HOCHSELEKTIVEN KANÄLEN AB, DURCH DIE EINE (POST-)KOLONIALE "WELTMUSIK" DEN WEG ZU UNS FINDET. FÜR EINE ECHTE KOMMUNIKATION DIESER MUSIKALISCHEN WELTEN, JENSEITS VON ROMANTISIERENDEM EXOTISMUS UND ÖKONOMISCHER AUSBEUTUNG, BRAUCHT ES WOHL EINEN WELTENBUMMLER WIE DEN IN BARCELONA LEBENDEN BRASILIANER DÍDAC LAGARRIGA. SEIN WUNDERBARES ZWEITES ALBUM ZEIGT MIT EINER LÄSSIGEN SELBSTVERSTÄNDLICHKEIT, WIE NAHE SICH PERKUSSIVE AFROBRASILIANISCHE ODER WESTAFRIKANISCHE POPMUSIK UND HIESIGE SERIELLE ELEKTRONIK KOMMEN KÖNNEN, OHNE DIE EIGENHEITEN UND DIE GESCHICHTE IHRER JEWEILIGEN KULTUR ZU VERLEUGNEN. |
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EIN ALBUM VOLLER TRACKS VON UN CADDIE... UND AUCH HIER GEHT ES UM DIESE EIGENWILLIG SEMIAKUSTISCHE WELT AUS KLEINSTGERÄUSCHEN UND INSTRUMENTEN ZWISCHEN KAMMERMUSIK, SPIELZIMMER UND PUREM GERÄUSCH, DAS KLINGT ALS WÜRDE ES HINTER DEN POSTERN DER WAND HERVORKRIECHEN UND DEN RAUM MIT EINER MAGIE FÜLLEN, DIE NUR SCHWER ZU VERSTEHEN IST, DIE ABER WILLKOMMEN IST WIE NUR EIN IMAGINÄRER FREUND ES SEIN KANN. EINE PLATTE MIT DER MAN SICH ZUHAUSE FÜHLT, IN DEM BESTEN WISSEN, DASS ES KEIN ZUHAUSE GEBEN KANN, WEIL ES IMMER SCHON DURCHZOGEN IST VON EINER ÖFFNUNG NICHT NUR HIN ZU DEN HEREINQUELLENDEN GERÄUSCHEN UND MEDIEN, SONDERN AUCH EINER ÖFFNUNG IN DER DAS ZUHAUSE SELBER LÄNGST ENTSCHWIRRT IST, NOCH BEVOR MAN ES ZU FASSEN BEKOMMT. EXTREM SCHÖNE PLATTE. |