|
Biography:
Jerome Faria (b. 1983), also known as NNY, his usual recording and performing alias, is a sound and visual artist based in Madeira Island, Portugal. His music is described as “a complex experiment in sound dissection, as Jerome pursues pure forms of sound composition, some being harsh and brute while others are harmonious and contemplating.” As NNY, he has been published under a variety of formats including book, CD, DVD, live performance and installation across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Releases:
- “-0º”, MP3, Broqn, BRQ000, 2009
- “Hyphema”, DVD, Pixelnerve, PXN001, 2008
- ”NNY++”, CD, Almasud, CDRASUD015, 2007
- “COIL”, MP3, MiMi, MI056, 2006
- “ECT”, MP3, Test Tube, TUBE026, 2005
- “(READ.ERROR)”, MP3, MiMi, MI031, 2005
- “OFFEAR.EP”, MP3, Enough, ENR040, 2004
Releases in compilations and collaborations:
- “Sand Dune” in “Baconism”, CD/MP3, NIkO, NIKO005, 2008
- “Crystal Space” in “Thisagree & Shadow”, CD, Thisco, THISK.43, 2008
- “090407001” and “090407003” in “Datacross.1”, MP3, Enough, ENRCMP07, 2007
- “Cybernetics” with Structura in “SOUNDResearch”, CD/MP3, Enough, ENRCMP05, 2007
- “13” in “Falésia”, CD/MP3, Enough, ENRCMP06, 2007
- “Perpetual” and “Crowded Desert” in “One On Twoism”, MP3, Twoism, OOT001, 2007
- “332 Variation (NNY mix)” in “Friends Reinterpretations Of Unreleased 332 Variations Volume 4”,
MP3, MiMi, MI065, 2006
- “Crystal Space” in “Saudade: V/A from the Atlantic Coast”, MP3, MiMi, MI050, 2006
- “Valid Specimen” in “Dark Vault”, MP3, Enough, ENRCMP03, 2004
Reviews:
“-0º” review by Textura 05.2009
Recorded between late 2008 and early 2009, -0º presents four untitled tracks by NNY, the recording alias of Jerome Faria, a media artist from Madeira, Portugal who's currently based in Switzerland. Characterizing his sound as “experimental, minimal, ambient, and electronic,” Faria usually performs audio-visual concerts featuring sound-reactive visuals, and, after listening to the thirty-eight minutes of material on -0º, the listener may find it easy to picture the kind of amorphous and abstract patterns Faria might generate to accompany the audio content.
Out of a micro-textured haze of crackle, the first piece quietly asserts itself, its warm, glistening tones melting into one another as they coalesce into a state of peaceful drift. Expanding the sonic scope of the recording, faint voices and radio noise, originating from samples or field recordings, surface within the mix in track two. Faria shapes the material into a dense yet calming field of granular textures, industrial noise, and soft, organ-like melodies, after which track three slowly strips the sound back to its minimal essence. The volume and activity naturally increases in the final setting, with gamelan-like patterns fluttering over a gently glimmering base, though it too eventually fades into silence. Think of NNY as a vehicle for 12k-styled micro-sound dissection and of the recording as a solid document of Faria's approach. Perhaps the optimal way to experience -0º is to hear it as an in-concert set sans visuals.
“-0º” review by Vital Weekly 03.2009
NNY, being one Jerome Faria, does music that is actually quite nice. NNY's music is full on micro- sound: crackles, high end peeps, hiss and some low end bass sound. This might be from processed field recordings or acoustic instruments - I assume however the first. They are built in repeating loops which form fine woven patterns. This the musical territory of Taylor Deupree, Lawrence English and Stephan Mathieu. Delicate stuff. Ambient glitch in its most pure form. Very nice.
“ECT” review by Pedro Leitão, Test Tube 10.2005
Swiss born Jerome Faria - now residing in his parents birthplace, Madeira Island - delivers a long player of 70 minutes, signed as NNY. 'ECT' is a complex experiment in sound dissection, as Jerome pursues pure forms of sound composition, some being harsh and brute while others are harmonious and contemplating. 'Ngen', for instance, is a ten minute edgy and slightly violent piece, with machinal loops and glitchy granular elements; 'Spctiv' is a completely different approach, where Jerome uses looping piano strings with a rotating noise on top; 'Artria', on the other hand, is an old school IDM ambient, BoC style short piece. Last track is a remix of '1noise' by ps, a fellow Netlabel artist from Enough Records (thanks ps!). Every track features its new sounds and approaches, and Jerome has used all his talent to surprise us.
Although 'ECT' can be sharp sometimes, it depends where you'll be looking for the sounds that trigger emotions. It has short and long pieces, all with their own palette of styles, ranging from click'n'cuts to dark ambient aesthetics. An ambitious step for Jerome, 'though easily resolved.
“ECT” review by La Fresto 10.2005
Ce n'est peut-être qu'une question de sensations, mais l'écoute de ECT, du Suisse NNY, m'a étrangement fait penser à l'architecture musicale. Mais, qu'est-ce donc que l'architecture musi- cale ? Je ne saurais trop dire, sauf que les musiques proposées par ce talentueux sounddesigner sont construites un peu comme différents immeubles, plus ou moins haut, avec des façades plus ou moins propres, avec des halls d'entrée plus ou moins accueillants. Toujours est il que je suis rentré dans chaque bâtiment et que je ne me suis pas perdu dans certains longs couloirs. Des portes entrouvertes m'ont directement conduit au seuil de l'excellent label allemand Raster- Noton, d'autres à un labo d'expérimentations sur une espèce en voie de disparition... Les machines sont heureuses chez NNY. Certes, on croise quelques humeurs organiques (un piano en boucle, quelques cordes de guitare), mais il s'agit là plus d'un panorama intelligent de musique électronique que d'essais en tout genre de pompage en règle. Appréciable!
“COIL” review by Tomé Silva, Morfina.org 06.2006
Although I don't know Jerome in person, I totally respect his aural alter-ego NNY for helping to push the boundaries of sound composition in the context of portuguese musical culture. His slowly-evolving amorphous compositions filled with sculpted textures and disembodied droning resonances demonstrate a great care for detail and an aesthetic that, while digitally inspired, still maintains a sense of tonality and balance.
|
