Organum Electronics 'Noughwhere' CD
ORGANUM ELECTRONICS ‘Noughwhere’ is the third OE album for
Die Stadt, and could almost be seen as a culmination of all previous OE
albums in terms of denseness and intensity. Like with all these works it’s
a return to the electronic sounds David Jackman already created at the
very beginning of his ORGANUM project about 40 years ago. Similar
sets of particular sound sources, arranged in a variety of permutations
and combinations, and a variety of structures, to create a range of
variations. They “offer an experience of instant immersion and sustained
immediacy” as one reviewer observed listening to OE ‘Quietude’
(DS128) and OE ‘Darcknes’ (DS130) which were released end of 2023.
Recorded in 2023 and edited by Alan Jones at RMS Studios in South
London, the CD comes in a 4-panel Digisleeve with graphic artwork by
Jonathan Coleclough.
UK-based composer and visual artist David Jackman began his career in
the late 1960s in the experimental group Scratch Orchestra, co-founded
by Cornelius Cardew. He started recording solo work in the late 1970s,
mostly on self-released cassettes in very small numbers. In the early
1980s he established his main project, Organum, which eventually
evolved into a new version under the name ORGANUM ELECTRONICS
in 2019. Since 2019 five albums were released by Japanese imprint
Siren Records, followed by (so far) three albums on Die Stadt.
This is the third of seven albums which are scheduled for release on
Die Stadt until the end of 2024. Apart from several albums under the
ORGANUM ELECTRONICS moniker these will also include works
under David Jackman’s own name. A subscription to the complete series
including an exclusive Bonus album is available directly from Die Stadt.
REVIEW by Frans DE Waard from Vital Weekly : And then there is 'Noughware', as Organum Electronics, a sidestep of his more common Organum moniker. This is his eighth release, and it sees a significant change in approach. As before, electronics play a substantial part in this work and indeed can be regarded as 'noise', like the previous ones, but Jackman leans stronger on using drones. Loud, noisy ones but not as chaotic, nor changing very much, which is one of the significant differences. The one is he uses that bang on the piano, just heard in 'A Cloud Of Light' as part of the work, which is the first time, as far as I know, he allows other instruments to be part of what is Organum
Electronics, which I believed to be purely electronics. I realise these are minor changes, and if you are a superficial listener or occasional fan, you may not hear this, and you might say 'more of the same'; effectively, the same sort of thing one could say about 'A Cloud Of Light', even when that one is more of the same than 'Noughware'. However, I am a dedicated fan, which either makes me the expert or the blind follower, accepting all that he gets handed. You decide.
REVIEW by Massimo Ricci on Touching Exremes : Projecting a multilayered endlessness with impressive intensity, Noughwhere is informed by a convergence of stifling frequencies and discernible shifts under the droning terrain. The efficient use of electronics causes the whole to appear permeated with a great deal of metallic constituents, bringing the atmosphere closer to the post-industrial aura that has defined some of Jackman’s older artistic endeavors, although perhaps not accurately. Despite the dominant force of harsh dissonance, which this reviewer’s memory connects to past masterpieces like 1999’s Birds’ Wings Were Glued To Their Bodies And Their Feet Froze To The Ground (same label), there are occasional instances where recognizable elements surface, reminiscent of Jackman’s output from the last two decades. Notably, this fleeting familiarity is swiftly engulfed and overpowered by the commanding sonic mass. The slightly contradictory nature of this experience remains a distinctive Organum hallmark, as the initial impression of aggression and impenetrability gives way to a paradoxical sense of surrender, all barriers dissolving inside the listening subject. Mavens will find themselves irresistibly drawn into the music, and completely enveloped by its addictive presence. A sensation corresponding to the shift from awe at a static object – say, a huge slab of marble – to the inherent satisfaction of being capable of distinguishing the complexity of its nuances.
