Mutable Depths
Label: Ferns Recordings
Catalog#: rhizome_06
Format: CD, mini
Country: France
Released: March, 2008
Limited Edition 500 Copies
Tracklisting:
1. Mutable Depths (20:01)
If Aquarius Records wasn't located in the temperate climate of San Francisco, would we be so enamored with the sounds of ice? If we had to deal with burst water pipes or having to shovel through several feet of snow just to get to the front door or trying to stay warm in bone chilling temperatures, the romance of ice would probably be lost on us. But as it stands, we love the sounds of a frosty winter. Give us the sounds of the windswept Nordic tundra, the subaqueous squawks of Antarctic penguins, the clank of Finnish oddballs building instruments out of ice, and these frigid recordings from one of our favorite sound artists. Ice, the source material for Matt Shoemaker's contribution to the Ferns series of 3" cds, which seems to be on the way to rivalling Metamkine's Cinema Pour L'Oreille series of electro-acoustics through their set of expressive drones and molded field recordings. This all-too brief composition begins with a stoic set of raw field recordings from drippings of cold water, the crack of ice breaking under temperature fluctuations and pressure, and unsettled squigglings of water being forced through tiny fissures. After several minutes of this squishy introduction, Shoemaker sets forth a parabolic arc of dense gray drones whose frosty demeanor matches the source material. Eerie blasts of pierced electric tones mark the track's crescendo, after which Shoemaker authors a steady retreat in density back towards the dripping and crackle. Fans of William Basinski, Chris Watson, and BJ Nilsen should definitely take note of this excellent recording!
This mini CD graced my presence recently and I had a feeling that it may be something special.
"Mutable Depths" is one twenty minute piece of abstract electronics that somehow do seem vaguely aquatic. It begins in near silence with only a few scrapings and squeaks of what seem like rocks and sea creatures, or possibly electronic devices dying a horriblly near inperceptible death. Both the atmosphere and recording quality are wonderfully lofi with the feel of being generated by hand rather than computer. The scrapings and sea beings continue with their noises for the first few minutes before quickly scurrying away at the approach of an immense cloud of indeterminate hissing that continues to build as further layers of droning noise approach behind it; each one more dense than the last. It is not long before the hissing cloud has completely engulfed the listening experience. It is here that his processing skills are evident; the wall of sound is mixed as if a sonic pressure builds inside your skull.
Shoemaker's drones have an aural shapeshifting ability in that they are difficult to pin down, and seem more like natural gas bursts, spewing fourth from within unseen depths of the planet, rather than something electronically generated. It is this quality that sets "Mutable Depths" apart and instills the work with more realism as if being being documented rather than created. 7/10
-- Zac Keiller (10 September, 2008)
On a year already full of outstanding releases, Mutable depths emerges as one of the very best. Mutable depths is both label and artist's sixth release, and consists of one self-titled piece of 20:02 minutes. After repeatedly listening to this release for over 3 days trying to review it I honestly give up. This release is simply fantastic: the careful level of detail and the use of vertical space (depth) is far beyond remarkable The first half is more textured and needly, more eerie and mutating. The second half is even, sooth, built with micro sounds and textures that work as a surface with a series of enormous drones and pads built from field recordings, working in the background. I barely remember a piece where the layers of sound where so carefully set, and where the textures had such an organic and living nature. Hands down one of the best releases of 2008, as Matt Shoemaker stands out as one of the best sound artists today.
RATED: 10 / 10
reviewed by David Velez 9/30/2008