Reviews
[Dead Angel] [Exclaim]
[Hi-Fi News] [History of Rock
Music] [Improvijazzation Nation] [LMNOP]
[Outburn] [Prem] [Signum]
[Vital Weekly]
- Issue #48
This Seattle orchestra, formerly known as The Young Composer's
Collective, is sort of like a Kronos Quartet for the Coffee
Generation (only with way more players -- ten on this release,
to be exact). Which is not to say that they're amped up or
anything, but that they have a more "modern" approach
to classical musical and traditional sounds. Under their earlier
name released a soundtrack to Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS [un-labeled
records]; on this one they worked with Scott Colburn, who has
also worked with The Climax Golden Twins and The Black Cat
Orchestra. So obviously they have a good pedigree.... Their
sound is that of an orchestra (albeit a most unconventional
one), and they coax some unusual rhythms and sounds from their
instruments on this release, the music based on a butoh dance
and concept by Haruko Nishimura. I'm not familiar enough with
butoh to know how this fares by comparison to other butoh-styled
music, but it's certainly engaging enough in its own right.
Occasionally unsettling, too -- just as you've been lulled
into submission by the low-key "The Woman Awakes," the
giant percussion of "The Hunt" will make you literally
jump out of your seat. The opening piece "Hibernation" is
a perfect example of their sense of dynamics, with the instruments
slowly swelling in volume then receding, over time growing
louder and more "awake."
The danger and uneasiness of traditional butoh comes through
in "The Target,"
which is almost all wildly unpredictable percussion (percussionist
Robert Walker is particularly spectacular all across the disc,
actually). I find
"Interlude" especially interesting, given its echoes
of Tony Conrad in the dissonant intervals and drones that build
to a frenzied full band climax before fading away and coming
back in a more chromatic fashion. The thundering rhythms in
in "Confrontation" are closer to tribal psychosis
than anything i normally associate with the orchestra -- maybe
i've been listening to the wrong stuff all the time, eh? The
crickets (or mimicry of such) at the end are a nice touch...
Their initial assault of sonic violence at the beginning of
the final track,
"Chase," is worthy of early Neubaten, only in the
context of an orchestra as opposed to maniacs playing shopping
carts and bandsaws. In fact, the whole tone of the the piece
is pretty strident, and much heavier than you'd expect, plus
laced with plenty of dissonance for my taste. Drop in unexpected
bursts of percussion heaviess and riffs that gradually fade
out and slow down in perfect time and you have moments of pure
heaviness in a most unexpected context. Recommended, and not
just for the classical or butoh enthusiasts, either. - Exclaim
- October 2001
- This ten-piece unit from Seattle have put together a suspenseful,
thought provoking disc that combines jazz and classical. Rinko
is a suite to accompany a Japanese Butoh dance performance.
Most of this disc moves at a glacial pace, heightening the
suspense with drawn out, sinister chords and strange instrumental
groupings. This disc would definitely work well as a dance
performance, or better yet, a film noir soundtrack - in an
earlier incarnation, the Degenerates wrote a score for Fritz
Lang's Metropolis. The recording is superb, highlighting the
incredible detail in the writing and ensemble playing. The
ensemble doesn't rely on a rhythm section, each member of the
group reinforces the meter, whether brass, string or reed.
This is not a jazz ensemble - not once does it fall into a
bop-driven groove or collective improvisation. Nevertheless,
there are horn riffs and chord changes that recall Mingus's
more thematic pieces. The level of playing among each individual
is very high, and almost everyone gets a little moment in the
spotlight in little solo sections within the composition. Rinko
is a highly accomplished surprise that would appeal to a wide
variety of people who like their music dark and stormy. David
Dacks - October 19th 2001
- Hi-Fi News - February, 2002
- A nonet with a name like the Degenerate Art Ensemble promises
Brecht\Weill-style cabaret, but the music steers clear of Weimar
cliché. Composer Joshua Kohl doesn't play an instrument,
but conducts, and one suspects that he's also directing the
improvisors in real time. The music has some of the quest,
melancholy, Mahlerish quality of Butch Morris's Current
Trends in American Racism Today. Lowering and nostalgic
sequences make use of some highly-individualized violin (Kendal
Seager), trumpet (Josh Stewart) and electric guitar (Ben McAllister).
The title track was performed with Butoh dancers, and the hilariously
abrupt drums and shouts capture the dada impudence of Frank
Zappa's Weasels Ripped My Flesh. It's rare to find a
sizeable improvising ensemble that can evoke determinate moods
without suppressing the personality of the individual players,
but DAE manage it. Engravings of bullets, guns and other torn-up
Victoriana decorate the sleeve, underlining the macabre vibe: jazz
noir, deft and dark. - Ben Watson
- History
of Rock Music
The Degenerate Art Ensemble (formerly Young Composers Collective),
led by composer Joshua Kohl, is a Seattle-based ensemble, formed
in 1993, that stradles the line between jazz, classical and
rock. Their instrumentation includes electronics, violin, sax,
clarinet, trumpet, guitar, percussion, bass. It is also a theatre,
dance and performance-art group, conceiving and performing
multi-media operas.
Rinko (Unit Circle Rekkids, 2001) is the soundtrack to a butoh
dance piece by Shohei Nishimura (Kohl's wife). The music here
is more mature and sophisticated, exploiting the pauses as
well as the counterpoint, calculating the mix of timbres and
focusing on the dramatic tension. The ten brief tracks are
basically micro-concertos that don't continue. - Improvijazzation Nation - Issue
#49
- This Seattle-based group used to be called the "Young
Composer's Collective". While we didn't have the good
fortune of reviewing their music while they were in that incarnation
- we are happy to hear them now; 'specially with a name like
this! Take some (very solid) classically-trained players (about
7 of 'em, looks like) who maintain a real sense of being composers
(in an improvised sense), & their skill(s) will either
shine through or make them sound startlingly amateur... & there's
not ONE "amateur" lick here. They've been together
for around 4 years, & I've no doubt that has a lot to do
with the levels of (group) maturity & sensitivity they
display - in SPADES, mon'.... while there is clear unbounded
ENERGY evident, there is no rush to judgement. Their comfort
level in the explorations comes through on each cut! Heavy
oriental influences, as you might expect if you'd spent any
time on the western side of the state... but in a sorta' "shocking" way.
There ARE no dull moments,
& the spontaneous state of (musical) events will keep you
(literally) on the edge! This is some of the most enjoyable
classical improv composition I've heard in the last couple
of years. Funk-based-classical-improv with a taste o' funny!
Gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from us, for any listener who
wants some adventure for their ears! - Rotcod Zzaj
- LMNOP - August 2001
- If it's on the Unit Circle Rekkids label...you can BET it
has no commercial value whatsoever. That is certainly the case
with this disc. Degenerate Art Ensemble is a group of Seattle
artists who were originally known as The Young Composers Collective.
Possibly their most well-known achievement thus far is the
soundtrack they recorded for Fritz Lang's film Metropolis.
Rinko the album is the audio portion of one of the group's
first full-scale performances. What does it sound like? Actually
many different things...and yet nothing at all. The music is
abstract modern classical with lots and lots of experimentation
going on. At times the sound is like an awkward, nervous orchestra...and
at other times things get creepy and almost stagnant. Some
of the pieces are similar to Frank Zappa's classical compositions.
This is not for everyone...but for folks into the odd, the
bizarre, and the peculiar...Rinko will be a welcome treat.
Our favorites here are "Hibernation," "The Target," and "Circle." The
folks at Unit Circle always release intriguing stuff... (Rating:
4+++)
- Outburn -
Issue #16
- (4 out of 5 stars) Experimental Musical Theatre: It's
difficult to critically approach music that is meant to stand
as a deconstruction of one's idea of music. Degenerate Art
Ensemble is just as they sound, a full band of musical drifters
masterminded by Joshua Kohl, who tweak, trumpet, and slam their
way through a 10 song set based on the butoh dance choreography
of Haruko Nishimura. If nothing else, the album Rinko will
leave you wanting to see the Nishimura performance from which
it drew it's inspiration. Rinko's soundscape is frustrating
at times - like going to the symphony and only being able to
listen to the orchestra tune up - but is also theatrically
provocative and, if you give it a chance, will have you playing
the part of filmaker/playwright as the surreal narrative progresses.
Narrative song titles like "The Hunt" and "Confrontation" give
you an idea of what may be going on in the choreography, just
in case you hadn't picked up the clues from the ever bleating
trumpets and distinctly sinister stringwork. You get the feeling
that something bad, something really, really bad, is always
about to happen. But the climax is delayed, and delayed, and
suspense remains. The album closes with a breathless adrenaline
rush, aptly dubbed "Chase,"
that sucks you right into the twisted plot. If nothing else,
you'll have your neighbors wondering what unspeakable horrors
are happening behind your door. - Adam McKibbin
- Prem's
Favorites of 2001 - KUSF DJ
- music composed based upon a butoh dance choreography which
could just as well serve as the soundtrack for a creepshow;
a plethora of instruments (violin, flute, clarinets, toy piano,
bass, electric guitar, saxophones, more) accompanied at times
by a whacko Japanese female vocalist (and led by a conductor!)
produce dissonant, fricative music which alternates between
pensive and frenetic, succinct and exaggerated, amusing and
disturbing
- Signum
- Dig straight into the mother lode of melodic instrumental
weirdness and embrace conductor/composer Joshua Kohl’s explorations
with The Degenerate Art Ensemble. They and vocalist Haruko
Nishimura knocked my socks into next week when they played
Portland’s Medicine Hat, a show trembling with horns, guitars,
and drums, building sensationally from easily-comprehended
grooves to wild rhythms and feverish wails. I am pleased to
report that their Unit Circle Rekkids release Rinko lives up
to that live promise. A soundtrack to the performance piece
of the same name (involving Butoh, I’d guess from the liner
art), Rinko is not for the faint of heart. It’s better suited
to the open mind and the active ear.
- Vital Weekly - Issue
294
- First cd by an ensemble from Seattle. They made quite a name
for themselves as The Young Composer's Collective. Their most
well_known achievement under that name is the soundtrack they
recorded for Fritz Lang's film Metropolis. The Degenerate Art
Ensemble is made up of 9 musicians playing violin, bass, electric
guitar, trumpets, sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, persucussion,
toy piano, roto toms and vocal. The music is composed by Joshua
Kohl who also conducts the ensemble. Scott Colburn, who has
also worked with The Climax Golden Twins and The Black Cat
Orchestra, engineered the album. The group is not just a music
ensemble but they incorporate also dance, theatre and performance
in their productions. 'Rinko' was one of their first full-scale
performances. The music is based on 'Rinko' a butoh dance choreography
and concept by Haruko Nishimura who also does the vocals. I'm
not familiar with butoh dance and music so I cannot judge on
the possible interplay between the two. The music moves between
slowly swelling parts growing louder and louder and percussive
outbursts, making together a very dynamic whole that lasts
only 33 minutes. The band is a sort garage avant rock ensemble
that reminded me of the Bang on a Can formula (Michael Gordon)
, also bands like The Ordinaires came to my mind and John Zorn
of course. For those interested in these kinds of electric
orchestras, that play violently their version of New Music
the Degenerate Art Ensemble will fascinate for sure as they
are a bunch of fine musicians - Dolf Mulder
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