nightshift

"nightshift" (CD) January 2005 Antifrost |afro2032| - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

TOUCHING EXTREMES (IT)The split personality of this Greek duo, formed by As11 and ThodorisZioutos, is rather evident all over the duration of their debut CD, an
alternance of rarefied landscapes and extremely harsh distortions. Lunar silences and small noises from an abysmal hollow forest contain enough electric movement to charge a giant battery alimenting complex machineries. Although we can observe - often from a distance - high furnace flames lighting up a fragmented sky, the almost intimate, carefully detailed microsonic life characterizing the quietest sections are Nightshift's signature stamp; they look for a way to recycle what could sound like discarded junk into geometries of nothingness and underground boiling liquids, bringing relief to the sense of coldness our body experiencesduring listening. It's just like finding a frozen corpse and seeing fresh blood coming out of a knife cut.

JADE (FR) Le label hell?no-hispanique ANTIFROST et ses intervenants , ont toujours communique et diffuse leur discours et production sous couvert d'un esprit
spartiate et depouille. Pas ou peu d'information, ligne graphique sobre, volonte de austerite, economie de la necessite... Nightshift est en realite la contribution croisee du duo grec extremement prolifique As11, specialiste de la compression numerique de haute voltige et de l'improvisateur electronique Thodoris Zioutos. Le tribut sonore delivre par chacune des 2 entites artistiques, n'est pas facile ? envisager, chacun ayant eu ? c¦ur de superposer de fine strates d'effets dans un methodique processus d'accumulation. Pour autant, la patine sonore d'AS11 ressurgit ? l'occasion, laissant apparaitre leur agencement, ? la maniere d'un plissement anticlinal ?rod? par le temps, Comme dans toute production du label Antifrost, le compromis est absent, laissant la seine exp?rimentation borner son
territoire sur les cendres de De fa?on Pragmatique, cette collaboration, dans ses conclusions, est proche des perspectives de John Duncan (meme si il ne pousse jamais aux crimes de l'infra?bass) ou des artistes de chez 90% wasser. Un ?pais magma compact, dense, une sourde montee de drone, agremente de petit blip , scintillement cristallins ; La lente plongee d'un vaisseau en territoire inconnu Pour tout habituer de Wave qui se respecte.

CHAIN DLK (IT) Greek soundmakers as11 (field recordings and audio edits) and Thodoris Zioutos (sound generation and live electronics) have chosen a beautiful and suggestive name for their duo, here debuting on Antifrost, which had also released as11's solo disc some time ago. Divided into 3 tracks, but easily enjoyable as a long shifting work, their eponymous cd features a constant rumble of low-ends (treated field recordings?), above which the live electronics crackle, swirl and eventually roar, in the maximalist distortion of the third movement. As in many Antifrost releases, I definitely enjoyed the ride, but at the sime time I feel something is lacking. This one is a nice example of Lspez-ian droning minimalism, but here and there - unlike for example Ilios' recent "Vento Elektra", to stay in the Antifrost roster -electronics are used in a quite crude and unrefined way. As it is,"Nightshift" could be a well-achieved live performance, but as a homelistening it turns out a bit unbalanced and with some weak moments.Eugenio Maggi

VITAL WEEKLY (NL) 'Nightshift' by Nighshift is the debut album by a new duo of AS11 (who have a couple of solo releases on Antifrost) and Thodoris Zioutos, an electronic improvisation musician from Athens. They use a bunch of field recordings and electronic processing thereof in a strict minimal and droney way. They put one stroke of sound in the machine and start transforming it. Sometimes the paint is thin (softer moments) and sometimes the paint is thick (loud). Although it was an alright release, I must also say that I thought it was rather a bit too normal, too standard sort of sound processing going on, the shift from loud to soft and back, it all sounded a bit 'tired', a well-walked path. (FdW)