Eric Calilan on his mobile electronic sound factory. Photo by Andi Baldonado.
All of music comes from sound. Music has no place without it.
Chi’s brainchild is a stark illumination of noise and sound. With the exhibition of “Golden Noises” last Saturday, sound was marvelously deconstructed by several electronic gadgets and makeshift instruments.
Eric Calilan fuses electronic vibrations and crude midi to give his sound set some serious teeth. He severs conventional music bars and devices new time signatures. It’s remarkable what a few twists and buttons can create and express. His renderings are neither crude nor delicate. It is purely alien.
The set was followed by Chuck Fournier’s more melodious but playful sonic renderings. It is truly a sound trip that blows the mind when one follows its unpredictable current and abrupt punctuations. The beat he utilizes toward the end was misleading. There is no rhythm but your heartbeat. Sound has no rhythmic base only fluidity.
Lastly, Toshiyuki Seido has a very direct message. His is an upfront barbaric display. He strikes me as a very sadistic artist, forcing his audiences to painful noise. The volume explodes and reverberates beyond one’s noise threshold. It escalates the body to a shock so great it is only escapable with silence. My interpretation is that he uses his instrument as a torture device, piercing you in strategic points while you are threatened with the knowledge that you can no longer escape. If you stayed and listened, you are secretly a masochist. To some, masochism is a legitimate form of pleasure. And that is probably why I walked out.
Truly, every bit of sound is striking and exhilarating. The concert was both an artistic and emotional exploration.
www.kim.southisms.com
#1 by Jad Montenegro - August 17th, 2009 at 04:54
AY. you could have told me it was a walk out. Boo.
#2 by Jad Montenegro - August 17th, 2009 at 04:57
Also, I think I stayed because I saw it as a whole performance. Seido’s stylings emulating someone “getting off” were quite direct to the point, but I did not see it as barbaric, only terrifyingly cathartic. Filipino ears are not ready for such extremes, but in my opinion it was a good in-your-face “Hey, this is what the rest of the world is doing”. Good show.
#3 by Kaye - August 18th, 2009 at 04:35
To be fair, I enjoyed Seido’s theatrics
But the noise was relatively bad, it only affirms my perception of Japanese men (sadistic and rude) haha
Good show nonetheless
#4 by Kim - August 19th, 2009 at 22:50
Honestly, I think there are some sensibilities that are not strictly cultural, such as our reception of noise. What is fascinating about Seido’s performance is that all these pre-conceptions collapse and you are elevated to the world of sensations, not really of implied meanings.
#5 by chuck/chroma - August 20th, 2009 at 01:01
thanks for the kind words!
as for seido, it was interesting how you perceived his performance that way. interesting because seido has performed with japanoise icon merzbow who himself has explored bondage/s&m themes in his work. i think such themes are more “acceptable” in japanese culture. coincidentally, i just saw “in the realm of the senses” (japanese film where bondage plays a central theme)
i also thought that reactions to the performance would be slightly different here compared to manila given the unique davao-japanese dynamic
in any case, i didnt get the impression of being attacked as much as being immersed in a sheer wall of sound, much like standing under a waterfall. for me it was a purely visceral celebration/exploration of noise nothing more…maybe im just dense
im hoping this leads to more sonic experimentation here in davao, whether by way of noise/electronic/experimental specific events or as a new influence to the local music aesthetic