WILLITS
+ SAKAMOTO "OCEAN FIRE" (12K1046)
to translate languages, paste text
here: http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr
AVUI
(FR)
Ryuichi Sakamoto torna als discos de collaboracio amb un artista
del cap electronic. Després de les excellents experiencies
amb Alva Noto i Christian Fennesz, ara ha treballat amb Christopher
Willits per orquestrar aquest emocionant album d'ambient a piano
i guitarra.
BIG
SHOT (US)
This disc is an ocean fire alright; and on an oil spill at that.
No, it's not a disaster, but it's hard to see the edges, and
before you knot it, the flames have been absorbed by the water,
leaving some residual ash on the crest of a few waves.
We imagine working with Ryuichi Sakamoto involves moments that
are like telling your grandmother you don't want to eat her
cooking. While Christopher Willits tries to infuse his beachy
guitar ambience into the chill out legend's defigeur orchestration,
the young one yields a bit too much to his elder. The results
are plain tepid, living up to neither Sakamoto's best work nor
Willits' fantastic 2006 Ghostly debut, Surf Boundaries. Some
tracks are lovely, notably the opener "Toward Water,"
and the duo's common interest in not just computers but water
is evident. Willits sounds more like executive producer than
actual co-producer with Sakamoto; and we can't imagine that
was his original intention. Ultimately, the ambition here was
simply the collaboration. Surely the experience of working together
was fortifying for each in different ways, but Ocean Fire is
an example of when someone who doesn't compete for the spotlight
really should
BLACK
(DE)
Normalerweise dominieren die süßlichen Klaviermelodien
von Sakamoto jede Zusammenarbeit wie in den letzten Kollaborationen
mit Fennesz und Alva Noto. Er liefert das Gerüst, und die
anderen füllen die Klänge zwischen den Tastenanschlägen.
Im falle Christopher Willits tritt er unvermutet in den Hintergrund.
WIllits, bekannt für seine digital zurückgefalteten
Flächen von Gitarren - und Streichertexturen, bändigt
den Klavierschwelger Sakamoto in ambientös-verwaschenen,
wie hinter Milchglas sich entfaltenden Klangfeldern, die durch
Sakamoto's Klavierspiel die nötige Dosis Wehmut erhalten,
aber auch dunkel dröhnend darüber hinausweisen. Bin
positiv überrascht, dass Sakamoto das Klavier auch mal
anders spielen kann.
BLOW
UP (IT)
Concpito durante una registrazioine live a NYC nell'aprile del
2006, affinato durante alcune sedute di editing di poco posteriori
tenutesi a San Francisco e definiativement forgiato da Bo Kondren
nelle officine Calyx a Berlino, "Ocean Fire" e il
risultato di una collaborazione ulteriore da parte di Ryuichi
Sakamoto con un compositore afferente ai territori della sperimentazione
digitale, nella fattispecie il chitarrista Christopher Willits,
rigoroso manipolatore di fonti sonore in collisione tra acustico
ed elettronico. Nato attorno al proposito di realizzare "a
sublime soundtrack of the ocean", il lavoro in oggetto
presenta gia "per construzione" una serie di difficolta
e rischi connaturati al (complesso? abusato?) carattere concettuale
dell'operazione ed alle relative risultanze semantiche: ambient/mare,
musica/acqua, suoni/onde, etc. Ed in effetti, alla prova dei
fatti, il tono generale non riesce ad elevarsi quanto basta
per librarsi dalle sabbie mobili di un manierismo di facciata
che permea l'intera trama. Pochi sono gli scatti emotivi, mentre
tutto sembra sempre gia ampiamente ascoltato, ritrito anche
se indubbiamente ben levigato. Un suono confezionato con scaltrezza,
ma appiattito e senza vigore. Certo, l'apparato strutturale
avant-glich messo in atto dai due rivela le potenzialita di
quella che potrebbe rivelarsi una collaborazione assai feconda
se alimentata da una tensione sperimentale diversa, laddove
si rimane interdetti nel prendere atto invece che l'incontro
tra il piano processato di Sakamoto e la chitarra assistita
di Willits si appiattisce in un multistrato compresso che offre
solo pochi barlumi di classe. Il pericolo e che "Ocean
Fire" resti un lavoro confinato all ristretta cerchia di
appassionati del suono 12k. In attesa di ulteriori sviluppi,
sospendiamo il giudizio in maniera pilatesca. - Leandro Pisano
BPM
(US)
Sounds Like: a futuristic serenade to the sea
Bottom Line: Christopher Willits teams up with musical legend
Ryuichi Sakamoto to create an absolutely stunning audio story.
The patient ear will be rewarded greatly with this one!
CNET (.COM)
Mellow is not the word for the production resulting from Wilits
and Sakamoto's collaboration. A soundtrack for the ocean, the
tracks on Ocean Fire are lulling drones with little sense of melody
or purpose but in every way soothing and beautiful. The title
is right in that the songs sound as the ocean moves.
COLUMBUSALIVE
(.COM)
A subtle duet between expert guitar programmer Christopher Willits
and Grammy-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ocean Fire mimics
the sea or, perhaps more appropriately, a beautiful life adrift
on the face of an endless shimmering ocean. This is a concept
album at its best -- informed by and replicating the experience
of the subject matter. This song could be used by the Surfrider
Foundation as a really good reason to keep our waterways as
stunning and peaceful as those immortalized by two living geniuses.
DE:BUG
(DE)
Gewaltig und doch leise: Sakamoto &
WIllits widmen ihre neue Platte den Meeren, da aber, so scheint
es, vor allem den Gesteinsschichten am Grund. Sehr verwaschen
präsentieren die beiden ihre de-meinsamen Tracks, die weniger
auf klar identifizierbare Elemente setzen, als vielmehr auf
das große Ganze, die Summer aller kleinen Teile, die es
im Ozean der Musik eben so gibt. Das ist nicht so greifbar,
wie die letzten Kollaborationen, die man von Sakamoto kennt.
Auch sein Trade-mark-Klavier ist kaum wahrzunehmen. Es ist viel
mehr eine Art unsichtbarer Elnfluss, mit dem er Willits' Musik
bearbeitet. Gleichzeitig wirkt alles stark bearbeitet, verfremdet
und faszinierend distanziert. Nicht die klassische Zusammenarbeit,
die man mittlerweile von jeder CD erwartet, auf der Sakamotos
Name steht. Ein respektvolles Aufeinandertreffen zweier großer
Musiker, die sich tief unter der Oberflache gegenseitig beschnuppern
und schließlich nähern.
DOWNLOAD.COM
(.COM)
Christopher Willits and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s new release,
Ocean Fire, is a sublime soundtrack for the ocean. It is an
intense and stirring wash of cascading tones and textured harmony.
Willits + Sakamoto surprise with rare form in this collaboration,
creating a sound world unlike anything they have produced previously.
Each artist has gently pulled the other into new sonic territory.
Sakamoto’s gorgeous processed piano sound reflects Willits’
beautiful shimmering clusters of notes, a new aspect of Willits’
pioneering guitar/computer approach. Together, their sounds
merge effortlessly, creating deep and seamless swells of gigantic
melodic waves.
Sakamoto is a living legend in music. His numerous releases
in Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), and his Grammy Award-winning
solo work has inspired two generations of fans and artists.
Christopher Willits is a young talented artist who has shown
he can do just about anything. In the late-nineties Willits
began integrating his guitar playing with unique custom digital
processing, and has since been instrumental in redefining the
sound palette of the guitar. Overlapping all forms of music,
sound, and visual art, Willits’ work defies genre and
retains a presence of its own.
Ocean Fire was recorded live at Sakamoto’s New York City
studio. The improvisations found their final form through some
further editing in the months to come, and final mastering by
Clayx in Berlin.
DUSTED
MAGAZINE (USA)
Over the course of his career, Ryuichi Sakamoto has collaborated
with a pretty celebrated list of musicians and artists, from
Iggy Pop to Youssou N'Dour, Naim June Paik to David Sylvian.
On Ocean Fire, Sakamoto is paired with processed-guitar whiz
Christopher Willits on an ambient venture "dedicated to
the healing and restoration of our fragile oceans." The
album's inspiration is rendered clearly; one can hear the ocean
in much of the music, with placid undulations rippled by subtle
undercurrents and gentle waves.
Perhaps in response to Willits' usual instrumentation (computer-processed
guitar), Sakamoto makes use of processed piano, with little
evidence of either instrument's traditional sound surviving
the wash. Tones mingle in a multi-layered melange of active
sound; the foreground, middleground and background of the music
are compressed, creating a palette of near-constant movement
in which individual sounds writhe and slither amongst one another
like a swarm of eels, with singular entities distinguishable,
but largely obscured. Happenstance harmonic instances appear
fleetingly, and the ribbons of sound sizzle with clicks, pops
and buzzes. The music's digital nature is consistently a force,
with telltale stutters, glitches and gurgles marking the album's
ethereal streams with welcome idiosyncrasies and imperfections.
Like the seismic shifts that alter the ocean floor, deep tones
shudder forth, ominous monoliths underneath the music's layered
filament. Ocean Fire retains its dreamy quality, however, amidst
any minor turbulence or low end rumble.
Ocean Fire's reflection of the world's largest habitat takes
an almost impressionistic tone, with Willits and Sakamoto avoiding
starkly realistic sounds or ill-placed (and ill-conceived) oceanic
samples. One can imagine the album as a soundtrack to the ocean,
though not with the viewer standing barefoot on the beach. Instead,Ocean
Fire is the sound of the ocean as it surrounds a diver: the
sun glinting through the surface and refracted into colorful
shards, currents gently determining a lazy course, and below,
a deep, dark void. The cynic can question just what this disc
will do to further an environmental cause, but a listener can't
deny its intoxicating beauty. - By Adam Strohm
FAIL
(.NET)
With two artists working in such neighbourly
fields, it's difficult to tell who contributes what. Tokyo's
Sakamoto is reknowned for pairing up with numerous artists from
the electronic field. Whilst San Francisco's Willits has made
some impression with his regular link-ups with 12k boss Taylor
Deupree. Sure, it's dark, brooding and filmic like you'd expect,
but it's nothing more. There are no suprising twists or turns
to elevate this from what I was expecting. The better tracks
appear near the end of the album, when elements of drone creep
in and shift the mood away from glitchy activity. As an album
of ambient music though, it works fine; background / wallpaper
/ music to compliment furniture....just don't expect anything
challenging.
FURTHER
NOISE (.COM)
Ocean Fire expends more energy than it recycles, and it seeks
an evolution rather than a transfusion of the respective backgrounds
of composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and musician and multimedia artist
Christopher Willits. Sakamoto is the elder of the two - a founding
member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, he has provided scores for
over twenty films, and has more recently undertaken a fruitful
collaboration with Christian Nicolai. Markedly younger, Willits
himself already has the beginnings of an accomplished career,
his custom-made signal processing of his versatile guitar playing
has amounted to a distinctive style that has surfaced on several
solo works, as well as notable collaborations with Taylor Deupree
and video artist Scott Pagano, amongst others.
A clear homage to the power and mystery of the ocean, much of
this work hums with an itch for revelation and transport. The
album consists of seven tracks, each of which features an inspired
array of sustained, purring multiphonics, plosive popping, breathy
fluttering phantom notes and contorted melodic fragments. As
with the ocean, even when these works reach their stillest moments,
the sounds remain mobile, and the creativity and attentiveness
with which the pair shift the speed of these sounds is often
invigorating. "Toward Water" begins in a deeply lyrical
state, with a gorgeous breath-in-breath-out motion that is both
calming and brimming with life.
The album then plunges down towards darker, more abrasive depths,
where tactile whorls and eddies jostle with fragments of rusted
texture and knawed melody, hidden in trailing clouds of echo
and reverb. These works are all but relentless in their complexity
and unfurling energies. Willits and Sakamoto negotiate with
them skillfully, however, working in a new pulse of textures
and tones before any one arrangement solidifies, and thus rearranging
the sense of space, tempo, and structure. Along the way, a number
of avenues open up which are not wholly explored. But even so,
in a short life-span, Willits and Sakamoto mark out a detailed
and immersive underwater environment. - Max Schaefer
GONZO
(BE)
Na een carriere met Yellow Magic Orchestra,
die van Ryuichi Sakamoto in Japan een grote ster maakte, is
hij het op muzikaal gebied steeds vaker in het Westen gaan zoeken.
De afgelopen jaredn lijkt hij zih met veel genoegen onder te
domplelen in de avontuurlijke wereld van de abstracte en experimentele
elektronica en dat heeft geleid tot opmerkelijke projecten met
Christian Fennesz en Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto). Op Ocean
Fire, in essentie een abstracte, multigelaagde
ambientplaat met de weidsheid van de oceanen als tematisch ijkpunt,
maken Sakamoto's door de computer gehaalde (en daadoor nauwelijks
herkenbare) pianomotieven connectie met de ditaar en computer
van de jonge(re) Amerikaanse geluidskunstenaar Christopher Willits.
Zijn naam mag dan nog niet zo bekend zijn, toch prijkt hij tussen
de discografie van Ghostly International en werkte nih samen
met onder meer Matmos, Kid 606, en Taylor Deupree. Willits is
dus verre van een beginner. Het resultaat van de interactie
tussen Sakamoto en Willits snijdt best wel hout. Het tegendeel
zou pas echt verbazen. Het kan moeiteloos elke vergelijking
aan met het beste van bijvoorbeeld Stars of the Lid, vidnaObmana
of Aidan Baker. Parochianen van die kerk hoeven bijgevolg niet
te worden overtuigd. Zij kunnen zich relaxed laten meedeinen
op de ijle golven van Ocean Fire. Toch mist het album
de spanning en echte diepgang die doorgaans wel te vinden is
in het oeuvre van Troum. Bovendien kunnen beide muzikanten -
zelfs zij niet - vermijden dat de harkenbaarheid het alweer
haalt van het onverwachte. Goed, maar niet uitmuntend. Interessant,
maar niet onderscheidend genoeg. (swat)
GOON
(DE)
Hier trifft Ryuichi Sakamoto, 56 Jahre alt, Begründer des
Yellow Magic Orchestras in den 1970er Jahren, Oscar-Preisträger
für die Filmmusik zu Bernardo Bertoluccis »The Last
Emperor« (1987) und einer der inspirierendsten Musiker
dieses Planeten überhaupt, auf den 26jährigen Christopher
Willits, elektronischer Musiker aus San Francisco, bisher aufgefallen
durch seine Zusammenarbeit mit Taylor Deupree und einigen interessanten
Platten auf Labels wie Ghostly International, Fällt oder
Room 40. Eine Zusammenkunft von Generationen einerseits von
Kulturen, Einflüssen, verschiedenen Erfahrungen andererseits.
Gegensätze, die sich unter den meisten Umständen ausschließen,
wie sie in der Kunst immer wieder gewinnbringend möglich
sind. Der Albumtitel »Ocean Fire« verweist auch
auf diesen Gegenstücke. Der Ozean bildet zudem die Klammer
dieses Werks, das mit einer riesigen stürzenden Welle beginnt
(»Toward Water«) und schließlich in einem
Himmel endet, der sich im Weltmeer spiegelt (»Ocean Sky
Remains«). Willits und Sakamoto greifen bei ihrem Soundarrangement
zur cinemaskopischen Breite und ziehen dabei sämtliche
Register: Ehrfürchtig verharrt man zugleich vor und in
und hinter dem Klang, ist Beobachter, Zuhörer und auch
Teil davon. Darunter werden durch den Einsatz von Elektronik
und Glitch-Effekten wirkungsvoll winzige Texturen in die Komposition
gelegt, wodurch diese sich jeglicher Statik entzieht. Bleibt
am Ende nur die Frage, ob man Alben wie dieses überhaupt
rezensieren, oder ob es nicht nur als Referenz für andere,
spätere Werke herangezogen werden sollte.
GROOVE
(DE)
Wenn ein unger und ein Alter sich gemeinsam an die Synthesizer
stezen, fällt das Reden über deepness leicht. Christopher
Willits und Ryuichi Sakamoto trafen sich im Frühjahr 2006
in Sakamotos Studio in New York, editierten das dabei aufgenommene
Material in den Folgemonaten und ließen es von Caylx in
Berlin mastern. Weiterbearbeitete Klaviere, tief hängende,
schwere Wolken aus Sound wälzen konstant die Klanglandschaft
um. Die matten Klangfarben sind so bearbeitet worden, dass der
Session-Charakter noch erkennbar bleibt. Soweit trifft Ocean
Fire noch die gängigen Vorstellungen von Deepness bei Elecronica.
Die Grenze zum Kitsche taucht da auf, wo sich das Konzept unvermittelt
vorstellt: "This release is dedicated to the healing and
restoration of our fragile oceans." Den Ozeanen mit ozeanisch-majestätischen
Drones helfen zu wollen, ist eine rührend naive Vorstellung.
Hier wird Deepness im Sinne eines Auslotens der suggestiven
Möglichkeiten von Klang eher zur Deepness, wie sie manchmal
im gerade wiedererstarkten, wiedergeliebten House auftritt:
von vornherein Camp. "Can you feel it?", fragen Willits
und Sakamoto eigentlich, da sie wissen, das sie sowieso zu den
Konvertierten in Sachen Sound predigen. Das "It" ist
die Größe der Deepness überhaupt: gleichzeitig
Variable und Konstante. Das geht nur in der Kunst!
GROOVE
(SE)
Hur låter det när solen sätter
havet i brand? Amerikanska Christian Willits och japanske veteranen
Ryuichi Sakamoto har skapat varma drone-aktiga strukturer, vågor
av brusiga klanger som sköljer över lyssnaren. Willits
spelar gitarr, Sakamoto spelar piano - vilket det inte hörs
ett spår av på skivan, alla ljud är filtrerade
och pluginnade tills endast långsamma klanger och lite
knaster återstår. Ocean fire är en vackert
majestätisk skiva, men också lite intetsägande.
Den har till exempel inte samma emotionella kraft som Sakamotos
samarbeten med Alva Noto. Dock, men de cerebrala tonerna i Chi-yu
förför absolut. - Henrik Strömberg
HIPPO
PRESS (.COM)
In this, Grammy award-winning piano soloist Ryuichi Sakamoto
hooked up with newcomer guitar experimentalist Christopher Willits
in one-take improvisations bent on soundtracking the ocean world.
A mainframe’s worth of processing later, it’s emerged
as a man-made Songs of the Humpback Whale, gently menacing jaunts
into unknown, alien environs, notes held forever whilst being
modulated at unhurried leviathan paces. More than anything it’s
a headphone experience and thus not unhesitatingly recommended
for an intro meditation class, as it’s cumbered just a
bit too often with nerve-rattling glitch-static from Willits’
guitar. Those sounds, however, can be gotten used to; I can’t
say for certain, but the duo must have stumbled upon a few theta-wave-inducing
combinations as they tried to stare each other down. “Sentience”
would appear to have been inspired by the alien-encounter scene
in The Abyss, a downward-spiraling set of notes that eventually
bursts into a slo-mo revelation both eerie and soothing. B-
IGLOO
MAG (.COM)
"...The outcome swims in a multiphonic motion pool that
bundles in with the usual pop-ambient crackle-tackle of microsonic
orthodoxy a writhing array of sputters and flutters, sparks
and flickers, ghost drones and abraded harmonies that's fresh
and febrile enough to keep the most discerning of experimental-ambienteer
happily headphonically engulfed..."
US nouveau pop-microsound surfer, Christopher Willits, and Japanese
pioneer of proto-ambient cinematics, Ryuichi Sakamoto, bring
something elemental to bear on Ocean Fire's ivory-stretching
and string-wringing electronica. In terms of couplings, these
two have previous form, but this time it's (more) (inter-)personal.
In the last few years, Sakamoto has shared files with maven
of minimal and micro, Alva Noto (Vrioon and Insen), and, more
recently, with Fennesz (Cendre), perhaps the most notorious
of the laptop-mediated guitar-shredders. The latter would seem
to lead 'naturally' to relative new kid on the digi-chopping
block, Willits, who, in turn, has worked with the likes of Taylor
Deupree and fellow axe-morpher, Oren Ambarchi, so... what's
new with these two?
What immediately sets this communion apart from previous Sakamoto
collaborations is the renunciation of the piano's natural sound
colours. Here he's credited with "piano", but it's
mutated into such radically altered sonic states as to parallel
Willits' similarly encrypted "guitar." On Ocean Fire,
both piano and guitar alike are subject to the all-powerful
third instrument, wielded by both - "computer", by
which they are squeezed and stretched out of shape and into
scape, taking on a new life of vibrant forms - hyper-timbral
streams streaked with unwonted errata. In compositional methodology,
half live-improvisation and half post-jam bricolage, W+S's inspiration
is the ocean itself, this recording standing both as protest
and paean. Gratifyingly, W+S eschew all trace of any hackneyed
nature-sample approach associated with old school ambient cliché,
investing instead in a form of sonic aquakinesis through digital
simulacra of the sea's swells and serpentine tricklings and
ripplings.
Beginning with the lyrical arcs and shudders of "Toward
Water," easily the prettiest piece (though even here the
always questing W+S can't resist some post-Oval glitch-tronics
of stop-start stutter), the set gradually takes the plunge,
by way of the transitional "Umi," down into "Sea
Plains," whose massive vortices of abrasive clangour are
alive with a detritus of wracked once-melodies, obscured by
clouds of reverberant fuzz. The opening strains of a track such
as "Sentience" or the closing "Ocean Sky Remains"
have to be the most ominous and downright racket-eering that
Sakamoto has put his name to. The latter piece is as malevolently
bristling with edge-teetering circuit wrangling and post-digital
interstellar overdrive as any Mego-wrought hard drive pile-ups.
Despite this it somehow never quite slips the tenuous tethers,
however fraying, of mainstream musical moorings in too craven
embrace of cacophanism.
Ocean Fire is stuffed with unquiet ambivalent pieces that shift
constantly away from the almost serene into the seething. Nautical
miles away from the restrained Budd-ism or Fripp-eries of Eno's
70s/80s collaborations, the tenor is as much dissonant as consonant,
the template, for quick-and-dirty reference purposes, roughly
two parts Fennesz's Endless Summer/Venice to one part Tim Hecker's
Radio Amor/Harmony in Ultraviolet. The outcome swims in a multiphonic
motion pool that bundles in with the usual pop-ambient crackle-tackle
of microsonic orthodoxy a writhing array of sputters and flutters,
sparks and flickers, ghost drones and abraded harmonies that's
fresh and febrile enough to keep the most discerning of experimental-ambienteer
happily headphonically engulfed. Ultimately, Ocean Fire stands
as a triumph of postmodern neo-expressionism, and, what's more,
a bold return to form for 12k.
INTRO
(DE)
Zeitlose Schwere, scheinbar endloses Gleiten. Eine weitere feine
Kollaboration des mit “Meister der Filmmusik" nur
unzureichend beschriebenen Ryuichi Sakamoto, diesmal mit dem
kalifornischen Gitarristen Christopher Willits. Auf dem Cover
reflektiert das Licht des Sonnenuntergangs auf ruhiger See,
entsprechend flächig geht es zu - zunächst nicht ohne
prozessierte Brüche - mit faszinierendem Wechselspiel von
bewegten und beruhigteren, mal eher flirrenden, mal flächigeren
Phasen.
Im Verlauf des Albums gewinnen Letztere immer mehr die Oberhand,
bei “Chi-Yu" erstaunt die plötzlich auftauchende
Kohärenz weit ausladender Harmoniebögen, die sich
alsbald in fast streicherähnlicher Elegie verlieren, beim
wunderbaren “Cold Heart" wiederum plumpst das Gefüge
gleich noch mal eine Ebene tiefer.
Erstaunlich die klangliche Dichte in Anbetracht des erforschten
Frequenzspektrums. Unterwasser-Soul mit Echoloten. Wären
damals anstelle von Grönemeyer und Prochnow Kyle MacLachlan
und Oh Young-Su gecastet worden, der Soundtrack hätte sich
in etwa so anhören können.
KEYS
(DE)
Während sowohl Christopher Willits als auch Ryuichi Sakamoto
auf ihren vorherigen Veröffentlichungen eher das Pointilistische
ihrer Instrumente herausgearbeitet haben - Sakamoto am Klavier
und Willits mit der Gitarre - findet sich auf Ocean Fire jede
Menge Flächiges. Unterschwellig brodeln Klangmassive, Sound-Wellen
branded aus den Membranen. Verbogen hinter den verhaltenen Lärmwänden
der SSP_Fluten Knüpfen die beide Künstler dichte harmonische
Strukturen. Nicht von ungefähr erinnern nicht nur der Plattentitel
an Debussy's La
Mer. Auch konzeptionell schließen sie an dieses Meisterwerk
der klassischen Modern an.
Ocean Fire ist ein aufregendes Wechselspiel zwischen klassisch
erzeugten Klängen und digitalem Processing. Die sowohl
vordergründig als auch streckenweise nur unterschwellig
wahrnehmbaren harmonischen und melodischen Strukturen verleihen
diesem Release eine Tiefe, der man sich nur schwer entziehen
kann. Wie beinahe jede Veröffentlichung des 12k-labels
von Taylor Deupree ein unbedingte Empfehlung.
LA
MAGIC BOX (FR)
En 1981, sortait As Falls Wichita, so Falls Wichita Falls qui
marquait la rencontre entre le guitariste Pat Metheny et le
claviériste Lyle Mays. L'album devenu culte (à
telle enseigne que Dior l'utilise comme musique de son parfum
Fahrenheit depuis plus de 20 ans) était un véritable
hymne à la nature et mélangeait les univers des
deux musiciens, interpénétrant leurs instruments
jusqu'à ne plus savoir ce qui était guitare et
ce qui était électronique. Ocean Fire se rattache
à ce genre de travail, de recherches sonores et de sentiments
dans une version encore plus épurée et plus ambiant.
Là aussi, un guitariste et un pianiste collaborent ensemble
faisant tomber leurs instruments dans le creuset d'un ordinateur
et fondant le tout dans une seule entité sonore de liquide
en fusion.. On retrouve ici le Sakamoto le plus minéral,
non pas celui emphatique de la BO du "Dernier Empereur"
mais celui plus expérimental qui a collaboré avec
Fennesz. Willits, moins connu du grand public, n'en est pas
moins l'auteur d'une quinzaine d'oeuvres musicales : c'est un
artiste d'avant-garde à la pointe du travail sur la guitare
traitée par ordinateur. Qu'un tel CV ne vous inquiète
outre-mesure, Ocean Fire au rythme aussi lent qu''une onde se
brisant sur le rivage, est moins inaccessible qu'il n'y parait.
Musique de relaxation possible pour certains, de siestes apaisantes
pour d'autres, l'album évolue par des nuances subtiles
où chaque bruissement, chaque craquement devient un scorie
sonore apparaissant à la surface d'une matière
fluide. Le disque est donc aussi changeant et multiple que la
surface de la mer elle-même. On ressort donc de cette
écoute calmé mais pas vidé. Plutôt
rempli d'une énergie de vie renouvelée.
- Denis Z.
LOST
AT SEA (UK)
Ryuichi Sakamoto is a legend in the more ambient school of music,
and amongst film makers as well; the founding member of the
renowned Yellow Magic Orchestra has scored some two-dozen films,
picking up both Oscars and Grammys along the way. Sometimes
making his sound hard and cold, yet always staying true to the
warm and earthy feel that is the essence of properly executed
atmospherics, Sakamoto\'s music has always pushed the boundaries
of ambience in electronica. But having long since established
himself as a master of experimentation within his genre, Sakamoto
elected to branch out yet again, teaming up with Christopher
Willits, most known for his guitar-based minimalist sound, to
create "a sublime soundtrack for the ocean."
Ocean Fire has tons of layers hidden within its seven tracks;
every now and then sampled sounds of crashing surf (possibly
the most over-used sound ever) transform into glitchy minimalist
techno, only to seconds later be swept away by the waves again.
Willits\' soft, warm guitar - more sympathetic to the emotionally-tinged
and similarly-titled Surf Boundaries and in sharp contrast with
the experimental drone of last year\'s Plants and Hearts - punctuates
Ocean Fire here and there, interjected as a reminder that human
warmth lies hidden in the folds of even the most chill of Sakamoto\'s
very textured music. The synthesis is relaxing, and it can also
be rather boring.
Unfortunately, Ocean Fire sounds too much like the throngs of
new wavy/ambient mass-produced crap released by Garage Band-
and Pro Tools-wielding shut-ins each year to distinguish itself
or even capture the attention of the average listener. This
collabo might be a wet dream for audiophiles already in tune
with the 12k roster, but its great orations will fall on deaf
ears outside the choir of the converted. Ocean Fire rests too
comfortably on its aquatic laurels - the small pockets of experimentation
are just not enough to make it interesting, and after giving
it time to run its course anyone with an itch for outsider sounds
can\'t help but be disappointed that Sakamoto and Willits didn\'t
push themselves a little more. There is certainly potential
in the music (Sakamoto deftly knows how to contemporize his
sound and Willits is more than in tune with the project\'s blueprint),
but the finished work offers only tiny samplers of what could
have been a delicious buffet. Afterwards we\'re left feeling
hungry for the full meal.
It would be nice if Ryuichi Sakamoto was just some sort of evil
genius, fully intending to leave the listener craving something
new and revolutionizing, only to throw it at them with his next
release. But unfortunately I don\'t think such was Sakamoto\'s
intention, and although his next release might very well be
as solid as his soundtrack to The Last Emperor, but I don\'t
think he\'d release something lackluster just to wow people
with something good the next time out. Actually, come to think
of it, that wouldn\'t be an evil genius plan at all, as it\'s
neither evil, nor genius, but rather just plain stupid... and
Sakamoto\'s integrity is far too great for a plan that lame.
Considering that integrity, I anxiously await any number of
releases full of the excellent ideas he has in him, just waiting
to come out. In the meantime I\'ll sit patiently, Ocean Fire
occasionally playing unfocused in the background, while I make
up stupid scenarios for evil schemes. Eventually Sakamoto\'s
genius will happen our way again.
MAINSTREAM
ISN'T SO BAD (BLOG)
Although their names might not instantly ring any bells, Christopher
Willits and Ryuchi Sakamoto are two talented individuals who
have come together to produce Ocean Fire, a sublime soundtrack
for the ocean.
Sakamoto has been producing ground breaking music for decades,
including his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra, the Japanese
pioneers who along with Kraftwerk led the development of electronic
music. He's also composed numerous film scores, mostfamoulsy
for The Last Emperor. Willits, a youngster in comparison to
Sakamoto, doesn't have quite as lengthy resume, but his computer
work with guitars has gained him renown in the avant-garde electronic
world and he's been involved with numerous collaborations.
The pair have stretched each other's limits with this album.
At times sonically fuzzy and turbulent, other times velvety
smooth and rippleless, the music very much mirrors the surface
of the oceans which the pair claim as their inspiration for
the album. It's an electronic ambient album that has a sonic
immenseness to it that at times seems too large to comprehend,
while at other times inhaling to a couple of solid notes that
resonate solidly. It's out February 12th here in the States,
but if you can't wait it's available as an import.
MUSICLANDET
(SE)
Oceanernas klagosång
"När Sakamoto dronar, lyssnar man." (Nytt svenskt
ordspråk av undertecknad)
Ännu ett samarbete som ger rysningar längs med ryggraden.
San Fransisco-boende Christopher Willits har här tagit
över Fennesz tidigare roll som Sakamotos högra hand,
men det är fortfarande gitarren och laptopen som står
i centrum. Åhöraren får dock finna sig i att
han med "Ocean fire" har att göra med en dystopi.
Långt ifrån "Cendre"s vaggvisor.
Den här gången handlar det om havet. Ryuichi Sakamoto
har för stunden lämnat Satie och Debussy för
musik med ett undervattenperspektiv. Eller som pressreleasen
säger: "Ocean Fire is a sublime soundtrack for the
ocean" och det är inte de varma trygga Medelhavet
vid franska rivieran som vi besöker. Det är tvärtom
de mörka, djupa och oupptäckta oceanerna som omringar
lyssnaren.
Det är sedan tidigare känt att Sakamoto känner
för miljön. Han medverkade bland annat med sitt förra
band Yellow Magic Orchestra under Al Gore's Live Earth-festival,
2007. Man skulle kunna spekulera i att "Ocean fire"
fungerar som hans personliga statement angående ett hav
som har fått nog. Att Sakamoto, med god hjälp av
Willits, är den språkliga länken mellan människan
och havet. Långt nere i djupet chockas man i långsamt
tempo av havets mäktiga klagosång, som tar upp människans
utfiske och utsläpp. Det brölas men hos oss har djupets
tryck redan slagit lock för våra öron. Och vi
blundar - utan att finna ro. - Daniel Magnusson
OCTOPUS
(FR)
Quand on aborde un disque de Ryuichi Sakamoto,
à fortiori sur le passionnant label 12K (Giuseppe Ielasi,
Taylor Dupree), à fortiori en compagnie du guitariste
et artiste multimédia de San Francisco Christopher Willits,
on est en droit d'attendre une collaboration du plus haut niveau,
de celle dont furent capables récemment les Japonais
Chihei Hatakeyama et Tomoyoshi Date sous le pseudonyme de Opitope
(album de la semaine en ces pages début mars). Hélas
pour tous les contemplateurs d'une musique ambient symbolisée
au plus haut niveau par Svarte Greiner ou Jefre Cantu-Ledesma,
sans même parler de Belong et Ikue Mori, le feu océanique
de Willits et Sakamoto erre dans le brouillard des notes de
guitare noyées par l'électronique, pour un disque
qu'on aimerait ne pas avoir entendu bien des fois ailleurs.
En mieux. - Fabrice Vanoverberg
OC
WEEKLY (US)
Ambient records are many things—adult contemporary for
aging ravers, electronica's power ballads, soundtracks for nonexistent
films—but they're usually more Ambien than ambient, and
they're rarely political. At their best, like Global Communication's
76:14, ambient records are Dark Side of the Moon done with samples
and computers; at their most important, they're Brian Eno's
Music for Airports, wryly commenting on Ocean Fire is more the
latter, an uneasy-listening lament for the dying oceans recorded
in a single sitting by San Francisco guitar shape-shifter Christopher
Willits and Yellow Magic Orchestra/soundtrack legend Ryuichi
Sakamoto. Willits is the Pat Metheny of the IDM set, while Sakamoto
is more the classicist, turning keyboard tones into ominous,
lumbering sine waves that build, billow and burn at a tidal
pace.
No predictable whale-call/lapping-waves shite here. Instead,
rumbling sub-bass, foggy synths, and subtle doses of IDM hiss
'n' pop bump up against and reinvent one another. "Sea
Plains" is as agitated as it is agile, closer to Lou Reed's
Metal Machine Music or the slo-mo engine-that-won't-quite-turn-over
churn of the first two Earth records than most of what we consider
ambient, but that's the point. The waterlogged feel of the tracks,
most of which sprawl for seven or eight minutes, take on a bluesy
uneasiness as they struggle to unfurl, like the sad majesty
of a barnacle-crusted shipwreck as the remote camera floats
by. Only, in Ocean Fire's case, we're not just the camera, but
we're also the ship and, most of all, the dying body of water
itself. Tracks such as "Sentience" have a sunnier
shimmer to start, as if Willits + Sakamoto were coming up for
air. But "Ocean Sky Remains" takes Willits' guitar
howl and drowns it like a cat in a bag.
ORKUS
(DE)
Große Namen sind das. Ryuichi Sakamoto - er hat bereits
einige bekannte Filmmusiken geschrieben, für Der Letzte
Kaiser oder auch den
Score zum erotisch-verstörenden Tokio Dekadenz.
Christopher Willits, Gitarrist und Klangerzeuger mit einer beachtlichen
Discoraphie und vielen Kollaborationen. Sie beide erkunden in
Ocean Fire as endlose Meer, die Tiefen der Gewässer.
Die merkwürdigen Formen und Gestalten in den dunklen Abründen
der Ozean, wo kein Lichtsrahl durchringt, die ruhige glatte
Oberfläche oder auch nur verlaufende Wellen am Strand -
das alles ist ein Teil desselben Gebildes, aus welchem alles
Leben stammt. Disruptive Musik, zwischen Electronica und Avantgarde,
die nicht immer sonderlich innovativ oder gar tiefgründig
klingt, mit ihrer forschended Geste aber den Hörer mitnimmt.
es braucht etwas Geduld und vor allem Lust auf Klangformationen,
um Ocean Fire zu genießen. Wer wissen will, wie
der Ozean in den Ohren von Willits und Sakamoto klingt, kann
die Geräuschkulisse hier nachhören. (7) - Martin Kreischer
OTHER
MUSIC (US)
This CD arrived the day of our deadline for update reviews and
I was the one who was "drafted" to write it up; but
I've got to admit, it's nice to be forcefed something as pleasant
as Ocean Fire. "Dedicated to the preservation of our fragile
oceans...", the album has the sound palette of many processed
guitar/instrument records. But where most releases of this type
just tend to move "up" and then "out", Willits
and Sakamoto do a fine job of mimicking the cross-currents of
the water with schools of fish suddenly changing direction in
unison. In other words, the sound moves in multiple directions,
but quite naturally and in a way that is pleasantly calming.
Familiarity is expressed while mystery is maintained. We reach
a more peaceful, buoyant moment, perhaps above water judging
from the very distant foghorn in "Sea Plains." Track
two, "umi," sounds great, but it ends abruptly, giving
me the suspicion that someone might have stepped on the power
strip while they were recording. Ocean Fire is definitely for
fans of Fennesz, but the distinction is that while its movement
is still dynamic, there's a slightly less "physical"
quality to the sound in order to bring a more placid feeling.
Each track expresses both the grandness of the ocean and some
intimate space within it. Ever wish you could breathe under
water? [SM]
RAVES
(.COM)
If you're looking for anything resembling traditional song structure,
stop now. If your idea of chillout is ethereal grooves and such
- new age music with enchanting vocals and Enya-esque melodies
- cease and desist in your reading. But if you want some truly
ambient stuff, some get-in-and-be-absorbed music that really
fits the album title, then you've come to the right place. Willits
+ Sakamoto have really managed to capture the flavor of senses-surrounding
ambience while still maintaining a kind of primordial musical
quality. And the feeling really is one of eternal bliss under
water. At times the music borders on the nirvana of white noise
experimental, but never with abrasion - always keeping the transcendent
pure ambience in command. Sublime soundscaping not to be missed.
Five stars.
RESIDENT
ADVISOR (.NET)
At first blush, a collection of ambient pieces dedicated to
the “healing and restoration of our fragile oceans”
may seem a bit trite, harking back to the sort of sepia-tinted
new age meditation records that clog the used record bins. Thankfully,
‘Ocean Fire’ manages to break the stereotype by
eschewing the strictly representational—i.e, samples of
breaking waves or ocean rumbles—and exploring decidedly
darker territory. The record is also darker territory for Christopher
Willits and Ryuichi Sakamoto, too, moving beyond their usual
guitar-and-laptop ambience and sparse piano meditations into
striking, although sometimes less than satisfying, waters.
Though neither artist is a stranger to collaboration –
Sakamoto has paired with everyone from Alva Noto to Christian
Fennesz, while Willits has worked with a host of producers ranging
from shoegaze heavyweight Brad Laner to IDM iconoclasts Matmos
– their individual styles have always managed to shine
through. Ocean Fire is the exception to the rule. I had anticipated
the album to fall somewhere between the restrained piano haikus
of Sakamoto’s ‘Comica’ and the melodic tea
garden ambient of Willits’ ‘Folding And The Tea,’
a combination that would’ve made for the perfect bedtime
record. Instead, ‘Ocean Fire’ is dedicated to tension
and drama, all but abandoning chiming keys and micro-samples
in favor of thick slabs of resonant drone and widescreen soundscapes
that overwhelm more often then they becalm.
The brief passage ‘Umi’ stands out as the only real
fault on the album, cutting off in mid-note before it hits its
stride. The other six tracks are perfectly realized sonic portraits
of the ocean floor, evoking the smooth, endless abyssal plain
via enveloping drifts of physical sound with nary a beat in
site. It’s definitely heady stuff, but as the disc spins
to a stop, you could be left wanting. While Ocean Fire
may be an expert and artistic record, something more overtly
pretty rather than strictly challenging might have been more
satisfying.
ROCKDELUX
(ES)
Quien fuera que subio la informacion
de Ocean Fire a la CDDB (la base de datos internacional
que proprciona metadatos sobre CDs para lectores de MP3 tipo
iTunes o Winamp) decidio archivar el album como
new age. Una etiqueta un tanto dura -rozando lo despectivo para
muchos - pero que, visto con cierta perspectiva, tampoco le
queda tan lejana a esta primera colaboracion de Christopher
Willits y Ryuichi Sakamoto. Tanto en la forma (casi una hora
de cascadas sonoras tejidas a base de piano y guitarra extremadamente
manipulados) como en su transfondo conceputal (el disco se presenta
como un canto a la conservacion de los acoeanos, siguiendo la
trayectoria filantropica reciente de Sakamoto), Ocean Fire
se acerca efectivamente a la tradicion de la nueva era, solo
que con un sonido y unos acabados infinitamente mas cuidados
y con la pizca justa de hippismo. Un recital de texturas en
ebullicion acordes magicamente difuminados y puestas de sol
marinas (de ahi el titulo) que facilmente podrian musicar una
secuenzia de la proxima cinta de Michael Mann. (Roc Jimenez)
SF
WEEKLY (US)
It's risky, making an ambient record about the sea. One false
move, and you're in the quagmire of New Age. Luckily, Bay Area
tinkerer Christopher Willits and Japanese legend Ryuichi Sakamoto
have unparalleled experience with subtle instrumental music,
and their collaboration, Ocean Fire, is more fire than ocean.
Just as crashing waves can be gentle or deadly, their eerie
compositions tug between the calming and disturbing. As lush
and inviting as opening track "Toward Water" is, the
11-minute closer "Ocean Sky Remains" packs enough
churning dissonance below the surface to turn you away from
the tides forever. Recorded live in a series of inspired improvisations
in New York City, the pieces coalesced in the computer-aided
editing process. You can hear each musician's strengths shine
through, from Sakamoto's cinematic mastery of transformed piano
notes to Willits' crackling pulses and elastic tones. "Chi-Yu"
is a yawning chasm of uncertain atmosphere, while the shorter
"Umi" twitches and sizzles. On first listen, there
are shades of Robert Fripp and Brian Eno's Evening Star and
various Cluster albums here, but dwell longer in the submerged
grotto of Ocean Fire, and its more engaging subtleties spell
out an entirely new musical direction.
SILENT
BALLET (.COM)
Anyone vaguely familiar with the works of Ryuichi Sakamoto and
Christopher Willits won't need much convincing that this project
is a necessary addition to his record collection. Some things
in nature are just meant to be together, and these two must
have been separated at birth.
Cut from an improvised session between Sakamoto and Willits
in 2006, the tracks have mutated under some heavy editing and
mastering before reaching their full potential on Ocean Fire.
It's no surprise that the inspiration behind the recording is
the ocean itself, specifically the healing and restorative powers
it contains. Musically, this couldn't be mirrored any better.
Even Tim Hecker's recent oceanic experiment pales in comparison
to the dense network of sounds created by this potent duo. In
several ways, Ocean Fire is a darker portrait of sea life than
Norberg; although many common themes pervade throughout both
efforts, Ocean Fire reaches into deeper regions and pulls up
some surprising results.
Collaborations are nothing new for either artist -- Sakamoto
has crossed paths with world renown experimentalists Alva Noto
and Christian Fennesz, and Willits has worked with the likes
of Taylor Deupree and Oren Ambarchi, among others. The stage
is then set for a knockout performance, and virtually nothing
stands in their way over the course of the near hour long experience.
What sets this apart from previous Sakamoto collaborations is
his concession on the piano. Previously Sakamoto's instrument
was a vehicle to carry his voice through the piece and to claim
some individuality within a collaborative work. I'm not one
to say that these past releases weren't of value in their own
merit, but this starkly contrasts with the selflessness which
Sakamoto shows while playing with Willits. On Ocean Fire, the
piano is processed beyond recognition and becomes another shimmering
texture in the mutli-layered soundscape. In fact, through most
of the release, it's difficult to pick out one sound from the
next and make a confident guess of who/what is responsible for
its existence. If this cohesion is not the exact idealization
of a collaboration, I'm not sure what is.
The unity of the recording cannot be overstated, for it is this
quality which will ultimately win over the audience. The album
glides effortless from track to track, subtly changing tones,
mood, and ambient textures without drawing much attention to
the process behind the scenes. The listener is thus liberated
to sit back and enjoy the ever evolving spectrum of sounds completely
carefree. Picking a favorite track is akin to choosing which
denomination of currency is most suitable for that five million
dollar lottery prize you've just won -- any option is a winner.
I'd personally have to choose "Towards Water" or "Chi-Yu,"
which are a bit less dense than the surrounding tracks, but
it may very well be the case that I'm an astronaut who's uncomfortable
so far under water.
U.S. fans may wish to wait for the January U.S. release on 12k
(only appropriate considering Deupree is responsible for the
album's artwork), which will make this spicy import a bit more
affordable. Everyone else should be a good Samaritan and purchase
two copies in the holiday spirit -- one to keep and one for
the best stocking stuffer a friend could ask for.
SPIKE
MAGAZINE (.COM)
In this, Grammy award-winning piano soloist
Ryuichi Sakamoto hooked up with newcomer guitar experimentalist
Christopher Willits in one-take improvisations bent on soundtracking
the ocean world. A mainframe’s worth of processing later,
it’s emerged as a man-made Songs of the Humpback Whale,
gently menacing jaunts into unknown, alien environs, notes held
forever whilst being modulated at unhurried leviathan paces.
More than anything it’s a headphone experience and thus
not unhesitatingly recommended for an intro meditation class,
as it’s cumbered just a bit too often with nerve-rattling
glitch-static from Willits’ guitar. Those sounds, however,
can be gotten used to; I can’t say for certain, but the
duo certainly must have stumbled upon a few theta-wave-inducing
combinations as they tried to stare each other down. “Sentience”
would appear to have been inspired by the alien-encounter scene
in The Abyss, a downward-spiraling set of notes that eventually
bursts into a slo-mo revelation both eerie and soothing.
SQUID'S
EAR (US)
Talk about bringing all your cred to the table; here is a summit
meeting of talents comprising arguably the most high-profile
release in the 12k catalog. Of the two, Christopher Willits
is the "youngster," having released but a mere handful
of full-length recordings since the early 2000s (many of which
are collaborative efforts) spread out over diverse labels such
as Plop, Fallt, Audiosphere, 12k of course, and more recently
Ghostly International, where his star's on the rise thanks to
the avant-glitchpop appeal of last year's Surf Boundaries. And
unless you've been in a coma since the late 70s, Ryuichi Sakamoto
is a name that belies its electro-pop origins in the seminal
Yellow Magic Orchestra, his artistic evolution sweeping across
a multi-generational arc of musicians and stylistic cross-pollenations,
taking in everything from symphony orchestras and piano-based
experimentation to stretching all manners of acoustic and electronic
composition across various popular idioms.
Willits doesn't seem to be the least intimidated by Sakamoto's
prowess — the two complement, challenge and push each
other so perfectly throughout Ocean Fire that one might assume
they'd been kindred spirits in a previous life. In many ways,
this record nestles within and spectates outside the usual 12k
purview. Though steeped in the sumptuous ambience and meticulous
sound design that is the label's hallmark, both Willits and
Sakamoto shake up the template fairly considerably. Unafraid
to trade in noisier climes as the various pieces progress, this
ain't just your stereotypical microsound - contrasts abound,
hues are blended, submerged and transmogrified, varying emotional
states are charted. If anything, it is patently refreshing to
hear Sakamoto in this milieu (though he's dabbled in similar
realms thanks to earlier recordings with Raster-Noton's Carsten
Nicolai), shucking off the cloying classicism that's rendered
many of his past recordings somewhat disingenuous. Here, not
only is he energized by Willits's guitar excoriations, he deftly
applies his own polychromatic élan within his partner's
provocative laptop feints.
Ocean Fire both literally and figuratively courts its metaphors,
yet what the duo create sonically is an aural bed of tangible
contradictions. From the digipak cover's burning sunset waves
to the track titles, Willits and Sakamoto aren't interested
in easy listening. Dualities abound, as on "Toward Water",
which beckons you in slowly, Willits using his customary folding
guitar technique to dance limpid pools around the shimmery software
tableaux; what starts out languid becomes haunting, almost abrasive,
an anti-ambience of battery hum and electrostatic crackle. "Cold
Heat" realizes its own innate duality thanks to tonal fuzz
that occasionally erupts through the metallic drones resonating
across the liquid surface. Who does what is unclear —
the synergy that develops between the pair borders on the uncanny
— but in converging their talents, Willits and Sakamoto
have produced a galvanizing experience that, singularly and
collectively, might be their finest work to date.
- Darren Bergstein
SKOPE
MAGAZINE (.COM)
In this, Grammy award-winning piano soloist Ryuichi Sakamoto
hooked up with newcomer guitar experimentalist Christopher Willits
in one-take improvisations bent on soundtracking the ocean world.
A mainframe’s worth of processing later, it’s emerged
as a man-made Songs of the Humpback Whale, gently menacing jaunts
into unknown, alien environs, notes held forever whilst being
modulated at unhurried leviathan paces. More than anything it’s
a headphone experience and thus not unhesitatingly recommended
for an intro meditation class, as it’s cumbered just a
bit too often with nerve-rattling glitch-static from Willits’
guitar. Those sounds, however, can be gotten used to; I can’t
say for certain, but the duo certainly must have stumbled upon
a few theta-wave-inducing combinations as they tried to stare
each other down. “Sentience” would appear to have
been inspired by the alien-encounter scene in The Abyss, a downward-spiraling
set of notes that eventually bursts into a slo-mo revelation
both eerie and soothing.
SOUND
OF MUSIC (NU)
Den som hoppats på stora pianoklanger när Ryuichi
Sakamoto slår sig i lag med electronicaminimalisten Christopher
Willits får vässa öronen. Efter tidigare duosamarbeten
med Alva Noto och Fennesz har Sakamoto denna gång parkerat
flygeln så djupt inne i datorns kretsar att det är
nästan omöjligt att höra instrumentets traditionella
ljud.
"Ocean Fire" är digital musik med vatten som
bärande element. Det låter blött, blåsigt,
storslaget, djupt. Världens hav är hotade och på
något sätt verkar denna ytterst diskreta musik vilja
uttrycka om inte förändringen så kanske vad
som står på spel. Willits, som tidigare släppt
finskruvad mikroelectronica på bolag som 12k och Fällt,
lämnar här gradvis glitch och rytmer för alltmer
svepande, böljande drones. Han krediteras förutom
dator för gitarr, men det framträder lika vagt som
Sakamotos piano. Vad som försiggår i detta samspel
- det är svårt att uppfatta vad endera gör -
ligger helt i den tjockbottnade ljudväven med lager på
lager av ambienta filtar och mattor.
Av Sakamotos serie med duetter är det hans utan tvivel
mest drömska skiva. Den är närmast mystisk. Här
finns inslag av stor skönhet, men fullt så vackert
håller de inte musiken vid liv. Ljuden filtreras och processas
med ypperlig detaljrikedom, men det känns lite slumpartat.
Om något behöver drone ett starkt fokus, det saknar
jag emellanåt här.
Inledande "Toward Water" öppnar med ljud som
dova dyningar och upphackade revor av något vasst, det
svider som korall. Svepningar swoschar och syntetiska vågor
och samplat mikropill virvlar långsamt upp i högstämdhet.
Många låtar utvecklas så, på längden,
rika på atmosfär och dynamik. "Sea Plains"
är annorlunda, mindre dykarklocka och mer biltvätt.
Willits/Sakamoto arbetar elegant med knastret, det är som
små bubblor som förflyttas från förgrund
till bakgrund, rör sig, blockeras, komprimeras och exploderar
som en dykartub under vattnet.
"Ocean Fire" ska inte jämföras med Sakamotos/Alva
Notos "Insen", en samarbete jag fortfarande håller
högt. Närmare ligger skivor av Taylor Deupree, Lawrence
English, Xela, Julian Neto. Datormusik med stort allvar.
TERZ
(DE)
An die Klasse dieses Stör-Ambients kann das nicht rankommen:
Diesen Soundtrack für das Meer improvisierte dieses Instant-Duo
live im Frühling 2006 in Sakamotos Studio. Sakamotos prozessiertes
Piano und Willis originelle Gitarrenprozessierung führen
zu einem einzigartig tiefen und bewegten Klangerlebnis, das
ebenso betörend wie verstörend ist. Sakamoto, der
immer wieder soziales Bewusstsein mit seinen Projekten vermittelt,
weiß auch hier den richtigen Unterton zu treffen: nicht
puren Ästhetizismus bieten diese 7 Spitzentracks, sondern
auch Bewusstsein, dass der Ozean brennt und ein Großteil
der Weltmeere unwiderruflich kontaminiert ist. Einmal mehr profiliert
sich 12k als eines der wichtigsten Labels für neue Digitalmusik
mit "human touch".
TEXTURA
(.ORG)
Ryuichi Sakamoto, the one-time Yellow Magic Orchestra member
celebrated for recent recordings with Alva Noto (Insen) and
Fennesz (Cendre), adds another strong addition to his CV with
this beautiful collaboration with innovative guitarist-sound
sculptor Christopher Willits. A seven-track suite dedicated
to the healing and restoration of our fragile oceans recorded
live at Sakamoto's NYC studio in spring 2006, Ocean Fire may
be earthbound in its thematic focus but, sonically, verges on
celestial; geographical details aside, the material itself is
typically immense in character. Sheets of sound dotted with
pointillistic speckles of guitar swell into oceanic masses that
glacially roll forth, with digital processing blending the guitar
and piano into shimmering (“Toward Water”) and sometimes
turbulent (“Sea Plains”) drones. Processing treatments
downplay the conventionally recognizable character of the piano
and guitar as the musicians' playing merges into reverberant,
textural streams. With one exception, all of the pieces are
eight minutes or longer, with the stirring “Ocean Sky
Remains” more than eleven (the album's sole jarring moment
comes with the abrupt end of the brief “Umi”). One
more in a long line of superb 12k releases, Ocean Fire is a
must-listen for devotees of deeply-textured ambient dronescaping.
TOKAFI
(.COM)
Not served by superficial mythology: Water as music and sounds
as waves.
It's not hard for me to relate to "Ocean Fire". To
anyone who has lived almost ten years of his life within walking
distance of the sea, it is easy to see why an artist would want
to draw attention to the "healing and restauration of our
fragile oceans." Then again, when two established and "serious"
sound artists like Ryuichi Sakamoto and Christopher Willits
stake that claim, different standards are usually applied. So
let's make it clear from the very beginning: This neither a
“Beach Boys" nor a New Age album.
In fact, it is almost confoundingly not so. Both Sakamoto and
Willits have displayed a genuine openness to harmony and sweetness
in their oeuvre and never cared for whatever label the press
might apply to their work. They have also managed to take this
mindset into various collaborational efforts, often juxtaposing
synthetical brilliance with their unique brand of emotionality
- think of Sakamoto's cooly shimmering delicacy on top of Alva
Noto's ephemeral digital beats on Raster Noton's “Insen",
for example.
The natural impulse would therefore be to expect something of
the sort for their first mutual encounter as well. Like many
others, I did not take the trouble to wait for the promo copy
to arrive before dreaming up a news story about Sakamoto's "piano
drops" lingering on Willits' "warm guitar drones".
Better be careful about that next time - neither "Ocean
Fire" nor its protagonists are served by superficial mythology.
Especially considering the minute attention that has gone into
the album in order to turn it into something incomparable and
out of the ordinary.
The simple and honest truth is that "Ocean Fire" is
an experimental album which requires several listens until it
unfolds its magic completely. It includes short tracks, which
abruptly end at their acme ("Umi"), mixtures between
swept-away and stripped-down feedback echoes and epic tales
of reverb ("Ocean Sky Remains") as well as static
organ tones with superseded rhythmic hiss and cuts (Cold Heat").
Every moment of mesmerising beauty has its counterpart in broken
textures and drastic dynamics, which almost shatter the passages
of near-silence.
Naturally, the process of the work's creation, half live-improvisation
and half detailed brickolage, played an important role in this
respect. After an inpromptu session in Sakamoto's New York studio,
Willits returned to work on the tracks in the seclusion of his
home. Months of conceptualising, editing, rewriting and discarding
ensued, in which whatever traces of the original timbres of
their instruments might have been there, disappeared all but
completely. To Willits, however, this process was entirely “effortless":
“There was so much detail in the recordings", he
now says, “All i really did was guide what was there to
a final form."
What survived, therefore, is a raw and spontaneous recording,
even though the graceful majesty of the album's flow no longer
reveals its origin. Instead of cooking up the old cliches, Willits
and Sakamoto go beyond the imagery and the sound world of water:
"Ocean Fire" can be seen as an effort of creating
all the different characteristics of the sea through sound:
Its smoothness, rippled textures, wild agitations and soothing
tranquility.
It is an approach in which there is no place for traditional
chord progressions and only seldomly for long melodic arches.
Instead, samples of water are turning into musical elements
and musical motives are coming in waves.
Tracks like "Toward Water", "Sea Plains"
or "Sentience" create a sound that is all surface
in the most essential sense of the word - the surface of the
oceans they are singing about. It's like a day at the beach
really: The less one searches for the meaning behind their patterns,
the more enjoyment one will get out of it. If you go back to
the memories of such a day instead of revelling in what you
might have expected of this encounter, you will find it easy
to relate to "Ocean Fire", too. - By Tobias Fischer
TRUST
(DE)
Antipoden beinahe, könnte man denken,
aber Ryuichi Sakamoto wohnt längst in New York, wo er ein
Studio hat, in dem er mit Christopher Willits dieses Album auftenommen
hat. Willits, immerhin von der andersen Küste, genauer
aus San Francisco, kam hier im Heft immerhin mal mit seiner
Band Flössin vor, in der er mit dem irren Hella-Schlagzeuger
Zach Hill und Kid606 grandio komplizierten Krach fabriziert.
Sowas gibt es hier gar nicht zu hören. Sakamoto, Altmeister
der japanischen Elektronikszene, gibt sich mit ihm meditativen
Klängen hin, nicht im Sinner von New Age. Das Thema is
das Meer, das bekanntlich groß und allein is und auch
seine dunklen Seiten hat. So dräut es ab und an beträchtlich,
ist unter der ruhigen Oberläche manch bedrohliche Strömung
zu spüren. Und die Ozeane sind bekanntlich bedroht, oder
sagen wire besser: flächendeckend verseucht, weshalb es
Sakamotos Anliegen it diesem Album ist, etwas zu ihrer Rettung
zu tun. Das wird kaum funktionieren. Eine schöne Platte
ist Ocean Fire aber allemal. (stone)
TSUGI
(FR)
C'est Quoi? Le bruit des vagues reconstitué par Christopher
Willits et Ryuichi Sakamoto. Cet album est construit a partir
d'improvisations effectuées au studio de Sakamoto a New
York au printemps 2006.
Morceaux Cles? "Toward Water", la brise harmonique
est légère, la musique mentale; "Sea Plains"
gribouille les bords de pages, flagelle la surface de l'ocean
d'une pluie tenace; "Chi-yu", laid-back classique
et électronica dansent dans la lumiere.
Verdict? Des resonances classiques invitent à la reverie,
puis nous plongent pour de bon dans la penombre volontaire des
fonds marins. Ocean Fire s'ecoute sous la ligne de flottaison,
entre deux eaux. Nous devinons les profondeurs noires et silenciuses,
sans pourtant perdre de vue les scintillements des premieres
lueurs du soleil dans l'abandon final de la vague sur le bord
de plage. On s'accorde ici un moment intemporel. On marche sur
la pointe des pieds pour ne pas laisser de trace sur le sable.
Souffler, se souvenir, et disparaitre le temps d'une marée.
WESTZEIT
(DE)
Im experimental-elektronischen Feld begenen wir zwei Leuten,
von denen zumindest einer schon sehr lange durch selbiges wander.
Willits + Sakamoto haben fur "Ocean Fire" sieben Wasser-afine
Stücke produziert und zu "a sublime soundtrack for
the ocean" zusammengefasst. GeräuschSchichtüngen
und SphährenSounds, die man jeweiles auch schon interessanter
vernahm, die aber im genannten Kontext durchaus Anlaß
für sinen Tauchgang in's Unbewußte geben.
THE
WIRE (UK)
Ryuichi Sakamoto has covered plenty of
ground since he co-founded the pioneering Yellow Magic Orchestral
back int he late 1970's. His career has moved from naively infectious
electro-pop through plengently orchestrated soundtracks to a
multiplicity of niche projects, fleeting experiments and politically
engaged statements. Recently, he has been keen to collaborate
with a newer generation of sound sculptors. This joint outing
follows hard on the heels of questing recordings with Carsten
Nicolai/alva noto and Christian Fennesz; here, as elsewhere,
the austerity of the digital sonic treatments are offset by
a profoundly human grounding in improvisation.
Christopher Willits is no stranger to this previous balance
between the organic and the schematic - he's spent much of the
last decade feeding his guitar through custom-built software
to create finely nuanced and constantly regenerative textures.
He's another compulsive collaborator, too - the sense of easy,
consensual exploration that characterises Ocean Fire
underlines how both participants have a comfortable history
of opening their music up to outside influence.
The album mimics the seas of its title, garlanding
deep, looming tidal movements with lighter, more localised ripples
and countercurrents. At times, the music has the dark, irresistible
thrust of a mid-Atlantic swell; at others, the transient flutter
and glitter of an inshore breeze. For the most park, things
are serene enough; but this is not an exercise in amniotic vapidity
- in fact, compared to the steady, oceanic pulse of Gas or Markus
Guentner, the mood is strikingly restless, shot through with
agitated, microscopic detail, and as prone to capricious changes
of mood as the high seas themselves. The lush exhaltation of
"Sentience", for example, is disrupted by distant,
metallic shudders, while the radiant chimes and languorous swoops
of "Chi-Yu" are rendered astringent by twitching clusters
of processed detritus. - Chris Sharp
