Makaya McCraven with his band in sensational first concert in Athens.
Scenius Series are grateful!
Ceramic Dog dynamic start, with the first words being “by the river of Babylon” and “songs of freedom”.
“Ecstasy”, one of the songs that exude intensity and freedom, with guitar riffs that flirt with paranoia and a rhythm that plunged the audience into a state of mystical ecstasy. “Connection”, where the interactions between the musicians were both synchronized and unpredictable, with Smith’s drums adding depth and intensity. “Subsidiarity” offered a darker sound, with heavy bass and intermittent melodic lines that echoed a sense of alienation and searching, certainly as a commentary on contemporary social structures.
It was admirable how the guitar strummed along with the rhythm. It was rising. It was only going up. Elsewhere you felt like you were being pushed into glam rock forms, at points by the mysterious Shahzad’s experiments you could tell you were listening to a minimalist disco, and all together it was so avant-garde improvisational, offering a potent, eclectic mix of many styles and moods. At one point the improvisation and experimentation hit red hot. They taught noise lessons. Lessons in performance and intensity. Lessons in distortion and musical expressionism. They went from hard rock and metal to noise, jazz and blues and everything else you can imagine. Blown away by three guys who really knew exactly what they wanted to play and deliver.
Based on original review from Theodosis Genitsaridis at Rocking.Gr
https://www.rocking.gr/live/ceramic-dog-gazarte-131124/43999
INSPIRATION
The Necks Experiment with Long-Form Minimalism
Disquiet is a genuinely absorbing series of luxuriously paced improvisations from the Necks, who have been doing this kind of thing for decades.
Fred Frith’s Improvised Structures
English guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser, one of the most long-lived and vital characters in a field of action that ranges from pure improvisation to rock, from composition to daring New York and Japanese creative forms.
Erdfisch = Soil Fish
On their self-titled epic, the duo, whose name neologizes the German words for “soil” and “fish”, gifts us with avant and convincingly blended 9 tracks that promise to attract music fans from Post-Kraut and Contemporary Jazz to Experimental Electronic and Sound Art alike.
MATMOS: Metallic Life Review
A “life review” is a phrase used to describe the psychological phenomena reported by people who have survived near death experiences: the sense captured in the phrase “my life flashed before my eyes.”
Ches Smith’s Clone Row
Clone Row is the long-form improvising ensemble led by drummer and composer Ches Smith, featuring Mary Halvorson and an exceptional quartet of New York-based improvisers.
Scientists of Groove, Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin
The series „Scientists of Groove“ offers a transformative cinematic experience, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the spellbinding world of one of contemporary music’s most visionary talents, Nik Bärtsch.
Makaya McCraven’s four-EP project review by Quietus
The drummer-producer’s four-EP project blends live performance and post-production tricknology into a new kind of superstrong musical compound
Tortoise on the changing face of Chicago, Steve Albini and their new-gen fans
Informed by everything from jungle to Krautrock and musique concrète, Tortoise broke new ground 30 years ago. Returning after nine years away, ‘it’s a different world’, they say.
