Keith Fullerton Whitman & Fennesz

2016-02-26

Australia - Sydney
Carraigeworks
Open Frame Festival

Version: iPhone 4S / Rode iXY Stereo mic

Keith Fullerton Whitman:
01 Open Frame (Quadraphonic).flac 33:36

Fennesz:
02 Open Frame I.flac 08:12
03 Open Frame II.flac 08:14
04 Open Frame III.flac 17:55
05 Open Frame IV.flac 06:45
06 Open Frame V.flac 07:06

Length: 82:00 min
Source: FLAC
Recording Type: Audience
File Size: 808mb

Taper: seasob

Here is an excellent recording of a rare event.

Keith Fullerton Whitman opens the show with a quadraphonic work performed in the round with audience members arrayed inside a large circle, hemmed on four sides by speaker stacks, with Whitman in the center. (this recording was from the outer edges of the circle, between two of the speakers, so the other two ‘corners’ of audio can only be heard as spacial echoes). Performed on his analog electronic creations, it begins in standard ‘musique concrete’ fashion, until around the 13 minute mark, when it opens and expands into a fluttering drone of arpeggiated electronics. It was mesmerizing, enveloping and arguably the highlight of the evening. If you don’t know this man’s electronic works, here’s a great taste of his skills as a composer/improviser.

Fennesz began after the break with an expansive set, one that seemed to my ears to be louder and more chaotic than his usual work. The visuals by Lillevan were live-mixed to work with the sounds, and the combination was symbiotic and hypnotizing to experience.

Note - I have named the pieces myself, and split the Fennesz track into five segments, corresponding to my feeling of ‘movements’ within the work. I eliminated applause until the very end to maintain the atmosphere of the music.