MICROTUB - CHRONIC SHIFT (LP)

"Microtub is the world's first and only microtonal tuba trio, exploring Just Intonation and the rich harmonic potential of the tuba. This album features material from Robin Hayward's pieces "Sonic Drift" and "Star System", recorded in the stunning acoustics of the large water reservoir in Berlin-Pankow, reworked and mixed with analogue synthesizers by Peder Simonsen. Recorded in "Kunstkopf" stereophony, this unlikely combination of tubas and simple synth pitches provides a meditative and immersive experience, and an auditory glimpse into a truly unique acoustic space. The title track "Chronic Shift" is a rework based on the piece "Sonic Drift", a Robin Hayward composition written specifically for Microtub. Originally premiered in the "Speicher II" festival, recordings were made during rehearsals, and these were transformed by Peder Simonsen into the piece that became "Chronic Shift". The rework zones in on three moments from Hayward's original composition, most prominently a dyad sustained by two tubas in the huge water tower looped over and over, with Simonsen adding his Modular and Prophet 5 synths. The synths augment and create interferences with the room harmonics resulting from the looped tubas, reminiscent of both Eliane Radigues work with the Arp 2500 synth, and Alvin Lucier's use of simple waveforms in his electroacoustic compositions. The dyad is sometimes broken by powerful chords played by the full three tubas of Microtub. In "System Reboot", based on a composition originally made with a sculptural score from the Hayward Tuning Vine, Simonsen takes another approach in treating the recorded material. Here we hear the full original piece played by the three tubas from beginning to end, and the added synths mainly shadow the harmonics in the giant room, both as sustained pitches and as spaced out droplets lending movement to the track." (label info) 180gr vinyl, with download code