The thing about minimalist music is that there is rather a lot of it. There are many people out there making ambient drone compositions – but I found myself thinking during an excellent recent Stephan Mathieu performance in this same venue that there are few who do it terribly well live. It is one thing to do it in the studio, but to get this sort of thing right in a live performance, and to make something that is actually interesting to listen, requires a high level of precision, finely-tuned reactions, and a really good ear. This setting actually seems to suit the Brooklyn-based duo Mountains particularly well – it is in their semi-improvised live performances that they work up ideas, sounds and textures that will eventually turn up on albums – albums, which, until recently, have been recorded live. I had high hopes for their first appearance at Cafe Oto, where they were joined by Simon Scott and John Chantler. Read the rest of this post over at The Liminal.
Recent Comments