Pronounced, fittingly, “variation,” Jeremy Bible and Jason Henry’s Vryashn first appeared courtesy of Gears of Sand Recordings in 2008. Bible is the founder and owner of the Experimedia label, which carries recent, excellent releases by Charles-Eric Charrier, Shinobu Nemoto, and Black Swan. Henry collaborates frequently with Bible, and records his solo material under the pseudonym Half Adder. During this first run, Vryashn was only available in CDR format, and in limited quantities. The album’s 54-minute weight was divided into two similar movements, “Vryashn 1″ and “Vryashn 2,” each clocking in at well over 20 minutes.

The literature and past reviews surrounding Vryashn tell of a piano-heavy composition, although the listener can hardly tell. Indeed, in a 2008 interview, co-creator Bible listed “piano, recordings of water line pipes, wine glasses, rain on a window, and a garage lamp” as sound sources, all of which sound about right. The installation is mostly abstract, largely subdued, and leans toward the middle of the piano range. It is devoid of vocals, and the only traces of percussion are implied. There are no time signatures, few modules, and even fewer hooks: all positive omens, so far.

“Vryashn 1″ begins slowly, almost delicately. Sparse piano notes are processed to the point that the hammer strike against the strings is mislaid, and the sound character of the instrument is luxuriously stretched beyond any familiarity. The effect is that of a solo cellist with an effects board, resembling in these first minutes one of Adam Hurst’s more ambient-sounding works. Previous listeners have described this effect as “a drowned world”, and “subaquatic”, and indeed, the muted music heard during our fleeting occasions spent underwater are as good a first comparison as any. The instrumentation here comes in waves, not in measures, while fine threads of what we’ll loosely define as “field recordings” run concurrently with the acoustic material. These samples are unrecognizable and employed with restraint.

The volume and tension build until the six-minute mark, where the piece introduces a percussive effect by striking the piano strings directly (with dulcimer hammers, most likely, although it is fun to speculate that this is where Bible and Henry put the wine glasses to good use). The level of clarity of this motif is exquisite: those interested can all but count the number of ridges along the coiled string simply by listening. It is here that the composition truly begins to resonate, both figuratively and otherwise. The canyon of echoes behind this more literal mallet work is exhilarating, and continues after the percussion work stops. The waves return for the third act, far more urgent now, until silence begins to envelope the piece over a five-minute conclusion.

“Vryashn 2″ is much longer: 30 minutes, compared to the 23-minute span of the first movement. At first glance it is significantly noisier than — and wholly unrelated — to “Vryashn 1,” yet the oceanic feel is just as inescapable here as before. If the first track painted images of waves and underwater stillness, the second more resembles ancient underwater shipwrecks, shifting around uncomfortably in the tides, and the not-distant horns of barges jeopardized by fog. Creepy field recordings and glitchy electronica establish a somewhat menacing mood. Older listeners would be forgiven for offering up “industrial” as a quick description. In time Bible and Henry revisit the string-mallet feature of first track, and this shared DNA reminds us again of the album title. It is interesting to note that the reverberations which back-light the percussion work seem more subdued in what is otherwise a more chaotic piece, although it might be an illusion for exactly that reason. Similar to “Vryashn 1,” the second movement offers an extended coda, fading to silence over the course of over seven minutes.

Three years after the initial Gears of Sand release , Infraction Records is set to issue a limited vinyl edition: 500 thus, each with a download coupon for a digital copy. It is an intriguing offer, as this one seems written for the vinyl medium in specific. Vryashn may be a bit of a challenge, but it is easily worth the effort. Take this much-needed swim on April 5.

- Review by Fred Nolan for Fluid Radio

Pre order through Stashed Goods

www.infractionrecords.com
www.jeremybible.com
www.jbjh.experimedia.net

So impressed were we with our advance copy of Experimedia’s “Silver” by Charles-Eric Charrier that we immediately asked to be able to speak to him about the album. Charles and co-producer/engineer/musician Cyril Secq were good enough to take some time out and answer some questions about the recording and their plans for the release.

Charles is a consummate creator – artist, musician, collaborator, painter; he was also good enough to provide us with some copies of his paintings to run alongside the discussion. There are also more you can view on his Myspace page.

Charles, you’re credited in the liner notes with “directions in music”. Does this mean you’re the coordinator of the players, or the driving force behind the compositions?

Charles: It’s two things – it’s « my » spirituality driving the project, in the first time, one idea comes to the “surface” and I’m falling in love with it, second time I try to explain or talk with the guys about what I feel and after, I leave them free to play what they feel. I’m a sort of “guardian” to the first way…
And the second thing is a wink of an eye to Miles Davis.

Was the material improvised in the studio, or was it rehearsed beforehand?

Charles: Alone at home, I played and just after I shared that with the guys, not in a finished way but like possible directions, during the recording, we leave the things that happened, it’s more a question of own opening.

Cyril: Maybe, to be more precise, Charles had bass lines and they were recorded live with drums; the idea was to leave space for other instruments. That was the first session. Then we did “overdubs”, mainly guitars and keyboards. It was to respect the pieces as skeletons but also to lead them elsewhere, keeping immediacy. It was to keep in mind the urgency and not to spend too much time on each instrument track (it is mostly a one shot recording session).

Yourself and Cyril are listed as the producers, and Cyril is listed as the recorder and mixer. Does this mean the project was entirely recorded by yourselves?

Charles: Yes, true… I don’t like professional’s studios, I don’t like to leave money by the window for nothing… but the first reason and principal reason is the fact I like how Cyril recorded the materials and the sharing between us.

Cyril: I have been recording bands, mainly mine (astrïd) for about ten years and I like that, and Charles knew it.
Sound is a personal thing and approach, hard to leave in another’s hands…
In that way we can spend time on it, having distance from the record and go back whenever we want to.

Where was the project recorded, and how long did it take? Did it take time, or did it happen quickly?

Charles: We recorded in my house, live drum and bass, a second time in Cyril’s house for the rest…for the second part of your question it’s not really easy to answer with precision, the sessions weren’t longer (something like 3 days) but spread out one year.

How did Taylor Deupree become involved in the mastering? Were there specific aspects of the recording you wanted highlighted, or was his brief to approach it with fresh ears?

Charles: This is a story between Jeremy Bible, (Experimedia) and Taylor, and it was a good idea because Taylor understood well “Silver” and his mastering went in the same way, a good sharing between us. It was a choice to leave him free when Jeremy proposed to me Taylor’s work.

Are there plans to tour the release in 2011, or are you planning to record again?

Charles: Not tour, but some gigs. Yes, another recording called “Petite Soeur” with the same guys and a percussionist… and a project articulate in 3 parts. First, tapes and voices. Second, viole de gambe, 2 metalophones and tapes. The last : percussions, bass, electric piano, prepared guitar and electroacoustique with toys.

I’d say that if those shows came anywhere near your vicinity, they’d be worth going out of your way to see.

Thanks to Jeremy@Experimedia for putting us onto Charles and Cyril, and thanks to both of them for their work in overcoming the language barrier – any mistakes in translation are mine and mine alone.

“Silver” is released in January 2011, on vinyl and CD.

- Interview by Alex Gibson for Fluid Radio

cec.experimedia.net
www.experimedia.net
www.myspace.com/charlesoldman

Jeremy is most definitely on a roll at the moment with another superb mix selection focusing on new material that can be obtained from the Experimedia store…

Track List:

00:00 – max richter – infra 1 (out now on fatcat)
03:50 – anonymous (forthcoming on experimedia)
09:20 – lawrence english – countless voices (forthcoming on experimedia)
13:50 – nicholas szczepanik – years compressed into minutes without any concept of self (forthcoming on experimedia)
19:00 – evan caminiti – thunder breaks the dawn (forthcoming on three lobed)
23:30 – svarte greiner – sister leaf (from untitled tour cdr self released)
27:30 – shonobu nemoto – melting loops trip 2 (demo)
32:50 – concert silence – for leaves (out now on infraction)
37:45 – radio people – believe (out now on digitalis)
39:15 – aaron martin – limb study (forthcoming on sonic meditations)
41:50 – ondelette – trying to draw the perfect star (demo)
48:20 – kf – he noticed im alive… and other hopeful signs (demo)
50:30 – chris abrahams – the same time (out now on room40)

www.experimedia.net

As mentioned a few weeks back Jeremy over at Experimedia was kind enough to compile four mixes exclsuively for Fluid Radio. ‘Around Your Neck’ is the last in the series presenting tracks from artists such as Bretschneider, Szczepanik and Santos…

Track List:

00:00 – Jamie Lidell – Big Drift – Compass – Warp
04:29 – Oval – Oh! – Oh – Thrill Jockey
07:01 – Ken Ikeda – Marebito | Marebito – Kosame – Spekk
14:10 – Frank Bretschneider – Mass – Exp – Raster-Noton
15:01 – Michael Santos – Hollowing Out – Memory Maker – Home Normal
19:30 – Nicholas Szczepanik – Part 1: When I’M No Longer Afraid Of You – Dear Dad – Basses Frequences / Goat Eater
30:26 – Ben Frost – Killshot – By The Throat – Bedroom Community
37:16 – Ben Frost – …Coda – Theory Of Machines – Bedroom Community
38:40 – Autechre – Qplay – Oversteps – Warp
42:45 – Actress – The Kettle Men – Splazsh – Honest Jons
47:35 – Rene Hell – L. Minx – Porcelain Opera – T

www.jeremybible.com
www.experimedia.net

Jeremy Bible - Of Teeth And Lips by Fluid Radio on Mixcloud

Jeremy Bible returns with his third mix instalment for Fluid Radio entitled ‘Of Teeth and Lips’…

The scope of Experimedia covers a broad stylistic palette of exploratory music including ambient, electro-acoustic, experimental, sound-art, microsound, electronic, avant-garde, abstract, minimalist, noise, folk, americana, shoegaze, generative, conceptual, contemporary classical, phonography, and more. Further interests lie in design, photography, and other forms of visual art.

Track List:

00:00 – Duane Pitre – Mvmt V. Sun Pm – Origin – Root Strata
04:24 – Alps – Telepathe – Le Voyage – Type
09:13 – Emeralds – Genetic – Does It Look Like I’M Here? – Editions Mego
21:17 – Barn Owl – Into The Red Horizon – The Conjurer – Root Strata
26:14 – Fns – Wooden Leg – Fns – Miasmah
24:35 – Mark Mcguire – The Passing Of The Road Chief – Tidings/Amethyst Waves – Weird Forest
46:13 – Rene Hell – Gas – Porcelain Opera – Type
48:37 – Roll The Dice – Undertow – Roll The Dice – Digitalis
57:49 – Roedelius – Ausgeredet – Selbstportrait VI – Bureau B

www.experimedia.net
www.jeremybible.com

Jeremy Bible - Taste Of Skin by Fluid Radio on Mixcloud

The second in a series of four mix instalments entitled ‘Taste Of Skin’ from Ohio based sound artist and Experimedia front man Jeremy Bible…

The scope of Experimedia covers a broad stylistic palette of exploratory music including ambient, electro-acoustic, experimental, sound-art, microsound, electronic, avant-garde, abstract, minimalist, noise, folk, americana, shoegaze, generative, conceptual, contemporary classical, phonography, and more. Further interests lie in design, photography, and other forms of visual art.

Track List:

00:00 – Pawn – Fallen (Remix By The Green Kingdom) – Above The Winter Oaks – The Land Of
04:23 – Olafur Arnalds – Lofti Verur Skyndilega Kalt – And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness – Erased Tapes
09:45 – F.S.Blumm & Nils Frahm – Heber – Music For Lovers Music Vs Time – Sonicpieces
14:05 – Danny Paul Grody – Four Years – Fountain – Root Strata
18:21 – Concert Silence – Untitled Ii – 9.22.07 – Infraction
27:51 – Early Songs – Long Distrance Learning – Wind Wound – Preservation
30:51 – Saddleback – Singing Scribbles – Night Maps – Preservation
34:12 – Helios – South Tree – Unleft – Unseen
40:51 – Vieo Abiungo – Gaunt Wolves With Buzzard Beaks – Blood Memory – Lost Tribe Sound
43:56 – Talvihorros – And Then They Walked Into The Sea – Music In Four Movements – Hibernate
48:22 – Saddleback – Polaroid Fade – Everything’S A Love Letter – Preservation
52:43 – Wreaths – Untitled – Like Sparks From Throats Falling – Under The Spire

www.experimedia.net
www.myspace.com/experimedia
www.jeremybible.com

Jeremy Bible - Breath On Shoulder by Fluid Radio on Mixcloud

Our good friend Jeremy over at Experimedia has crafted a set of four exclusive mixes that will be posted to the Fluid web site over the coming week or so. This first entitled ‘Breath on Shoulder’ sets things in motion and is the perfect introduction to this gorgeous collection of bespoke mix instalments…

Breath on Shoulder – 12am

00:00 – Papercutz – Broken Treasure (Jasper Tx Remix) – Do Outro Lado Do Espelho – Lylac Ambient Reworks – Audiobulb
05:22 – Concert Silence – Untitled I – 9.22.07 – Infraction
11:17 – Simon Scott – Lamina – Traba – Immune Recordings
19:08 – The Caretaker – False Memory Syndrome – Persistent Repetition Of Phrases – History Always Favours the Winners
22:25 – Asuna + Opitope – Photon – Sunroom – Student of Decay
26:10 – Christopher Hipgrave – Heavy And Pulling You – Slow With Pages Of Fluttering Interference – Low Point
27:50 – Taylor Deupree – Shoals – Shoals – 12k
39:46 – Pawn – Above The Winter Oaks – Above The Winter Oaks – The Land Of
41:55 – Rameses III – For JosÈ MarÌa – For JosÈ MarÌa – Under The Spire
48:50 – Seasons (Pre-din) – Untitled 3 – Stars and lights : Together We Fall – Thy Rec

The scope of Experimedia covers a broad stylistic palette of exploratory music including ambient, electro-acoustic, experimental, sound-art, microsound, electronic, avant-garde, abstract, minimalist, noise, folk, americana, shoegaze, generative, conceptual, contemporary classical, phonography, and more. Further interests lie in design, photography, and other forms of visual art.

www.experimedia.net
www.myspace.com/experimedia
www.jeremybible.com

The fabulous Home Normal label return with another fantastic evening of experimental music. The line up is second to none and includes Ian Hawgood, Konntinent, Rameses III, Isnaj Dui, Michael Santos, Jeremy Bible and Relmic Statute…

Now that is one hell of a line up and should be an easy motivator to get yourself down to The Flea Pit on Saturday 27th March. Doors open at 5pm and music will be performed from the above artists right up until 11pm. Tickets for this great night are a measly £4 and can be obtained from here

For more information on The Flea Pit venue visit here

Artists on the night:

Ian Hawgood:

Ian Hawgood creates music with an effortless flow and intelligent, minimalist programming aesthetic that lends itself to the art of the movie soundtrack.With each piece contained in Soundtrack To A Film In My Head Which Will Never Get Made Ian constructs a visual picture in the mind, making use of everything from moaning violins to ethereal, synthesized drones.

www.myspace.com/iandhawgood

Konntinent:

Konntinent is the work of London’s Antony J Harrison. As well as co-curating Phantom Channel (an esteemed Net/CD-R Label) including its special Events wing, Harrison’s recorded output can be found on revered labels including Symbolic Interaction, Dynamophone, Serein and Sonic Pieces. His music is unique, utilising an arsenal of broken electronics, silky organic instrumentation, found sounds and drone-based soundscapes, Konntinent ensures he avoids well-trodden paths to establish the fact that his compositions are very much his own.

www.myspace.com/konntinent

Rameses III:

Rameses III want to take time hostage, slow it down and put it on ice. Combining acoustic guitar, lap steel, samples, voice, keyboards and field recordings they atomize isolated notes, before stretching them into lush oceans of somnambulant sound. These ambient explorations have scored them gigs with such genre luminaries as Stars Of The Lid, Fursaxa, James Blackshaw, Yellow Swans, Astral Social Club and Rothko. It’s also seen them put out albums on such notable labels as Type, Important, Digitalis and Celebrate Psi Phenomenon.

www.myspace.com/ramesesiii

Isnaj Dui:

Standing somewhere between modern classical and electronica, Isnaj Dui (real name Katie English) has spent the past four years provoking much interest from fellow electroacoustic artists for her unique blend of acoustic instruments and electronically manipulated effects. With numerous appearances at various events including Arctic Circle, disco_r.dance and Fear of Jazz alongside many sessions on Resonance 104.4fm, Isnaj Dui has built up a strong following. English’s recorded work has also received much critical acclaim from various reviewers including Wire magazine and White Line.

www.myspace.com/isnajdui

Michael Santos: Michael Santos makes ambient music with a guitar and a laptop. His fourth album, Memory Maker, is due to be released in March 2010 on Home Normal.

www.myspace.com/listentomichaelsantos

Jeremy Bible:

Jeremy Bible is a sound and visual artist based in North Canton, OH, and is also the front man of the fabulous Experimedia store and label.

www.jeremybible.com www.experimedia.net

Relmic Statute:

Relmic Statute is from Leeds England. The music is composed around various musical ‘systems’ such as alphabetic junction,rain melody,tapelooping,tape manipulation,pitch axis theory,finding melody’s in natural sound. Also recently using the pel thraine system for melody construction. Most of the sounds and sources that are used to make up the tracks are from cassette’s and old 1/4inch tape.

www.myspace.com/relmicstatute

About the label:

Home Normal was founded in December 2008. Home Normal is a label based between Tokyo and London. Home Normal seeks to release unique works of a loosely minimal, organic, folk and/or electronic nature.

www.homenormal.com

www.finallywearehome.blogspot.com

Experimedia front man Jeremy Bible joins the Fluid mix roster focusing on a delicate selection of modern classical and experimental compositions…

Track List:

Billie Holiday    – Gloomy Sunday
Alexandre Desplat – The Rendez-Vous
Alarm Will Sound – Gwely Mernans
Aaron Martin / Part Timer – Breath Of Embers (Asthmatic)
Christoph Berg – Quiet Times At The Library
Jonny Greenwood – Prospectors Arrive
Jeremy Bible – Near You (Sketch)
F.S.Blumm & Nils Frahm – Track 06
Clem Leek – 51°03.773′
Tiago Sousa & Joao Correia – Folha Caduca
Richard Skelton – Heys
Aaron Martin – Open Knife
Paul Baran – Pin-Snipers
Paul Fiocco – Fingernails
Nest – Far From Land
Jacaszek – Lament
Ian Hawgood – A Film By Danny Norbury
Jonny Greenwood – Prospectors Quartet
Drafted By Minotaurs – Blueprints For Sunbuilding
Dustin O’Halloran – Opus 37
Max Richter – Autumn Music 1
Nils Frahm – Dauw (Machinefabriek)
A Broken Consort – A Mercy Kill
Jonny Greenwood – Proven Lands
DaníEl Bjarnason – Bow To String I. “Sorrow Conquers Happiness”
Nils Frahm – Said And Done
Peter Broderick & Machinefabriek – Homecoming
Ólafur Arnalds – Lokaðu Augunum (Dyad 1909 Version)
Jeremy Bible – In December (Sketch)
Rafael Anton Irisarri – A Thousand-Yard Stare

Experimedia is currently operated by one person, me, Jeremy Bible, aside from my regular day job as a designer/programmer in the print industry. My family helps me package orders sometimes. I make trips to the post office M-F during my lunch breaks. I nearly always get orders shipped out within a day or two. I started this mailorder store to support the music community I love. The very small amount of money I make from this goes directly back into the label. I believe in keeping money in the music/arts community so anything I make from this I put back into the community. I have been working passionately in various capacities for the independent music community since I was 14 in 1994. – Jeremy

……………………………………

Experimedia (est.2000) is a record label, mailorder record shop, distribution, and arts/design organization based in Ohio, United States which is involved in the digital and physical publication, promotion, design, and distribution of exploratory audio and visual arts. The scope of Experimedia covers a broad stylistic palette of exploratory music including ambient, electro-acoustic, experimental, sound-art, microsound, electronic, avant-garde, abstract, minimalist, noise, folk, americana, shoegaze, generative, conceptual, contemporary classical, phonography, and more. Further interests lie in design, photography, and other forms of visual art.

www.experimedia.net
www.jeremybible.com