The collaborative duo of John Wiese and C. Spencer Yeh began in the fall of 2006 with little planning. On a tour stop in Columbus OH, Wiese (on the road with contemporary noise icons Wolf Eyes) invited Yeh to join him as a duo. The satisfaction from the performance led to random pillowtalk discussions of plans for the future.
An impromptu working weekend early 2007 in Wiese's homeland of Los Angeles CA and the experience of the CMN Free Noise tour (of whom both Wiese and Yeh were participants, alongside Evan Parker, John Edwards, Yellow Swans, etc.) demonstrated the relationship as a viable unit.
Their mutual love of extensive post-production / composition serves as a common ground, however, in the live setting the pairing attempts to weave together the impulsive electro-acoustic improvisations of Yeh with the surgical on-the-fly processing and vibrations of Wiese.
Future activites include an east coast/southern tour with Carlos Giffoni in fall 2007 and new recorded works.
OUT NOW:
Tiny Red Tables b/w Big American Hole 7" (Helicopter)
New York / Atlanta CD (Helicopter)
MORSURE SOUFFLE 5 tracks electroacoustic/musique concrète album. click on the cover to download the full records in a .zip released by Test tube. cdr version on Mitenand. music under CC by-nc-nd, copy & share it, thanks
john wiese & c. spencer yeh "cincinnati" dronedisco fig. 95
john wiese – electronics, objects, msp, voice, synthesizer c. spencer yeh – voice, synthesizer, electronics, tabletop bass guitar, objects
the cooperative of composer/improvisers john wiese (sissy spacek) and c. spencer yeh (burning star core) reveals itself again, presenting a collection of new works titled "cincinnati." so far wiese & yeh's previous full-length documents have been culled from live performance situations and one could cite "cincinnati" as the duo's first studio album.
recorded face-to-face in late 2007 at ashworth tap room in cincinnati oh, "cincinnati" reveals further unexpected developments and strategies of this ongoing partnership. familiar machineries were primed, but an increasingly alien attitude was fed through and processed into churning and bewildering shapes. the results of these sessions were catalogued and surgically isolated into specimens by yeh; a little editing employed to carve the forms somewhat presentable, but no "studio trickery" to mask the organic nature. mastered by saff mastering to sharpen the bulbs and polish the blades, the whole of the fourteen tracks form a monumentally intimate body touched by indeterminate intuition, instant composition, and interior logic.
wiese and yeh first joined together on a stage in columbus oh, and since then have participated in the no-fi/cmn "free noise" 2007 tour in the uk, as well as fireworks-laden travels through coastal, midwest, and southern usa. with many finished missives yet to be issued, and many ideas discussed but not yet realized, the combined restlessness and curiousity of the team insures that "cincinnati" gestures not only towards the past and present, but the future as well.
"cincinnati" is available in an edition of 500 copies in the increasingly alienated compact disc format. the included 8-page booklet
"unlike “new york / atlanta” ‘s in-situ / crowd-front presentations, this one features these guys comfortably nestled in spencer’s studio / digs ... the tone is largely insular, with each pulling leads & direction(s) from the other, resulting in a “spiralling-out-of-control” feel as wiese comes to grips with spencer’s hyper-active glottis, ditto spencer wiese’s synth / computer automations ...
... as something of a continuation / update of the “company-week” style improv get-togethers that dotted the 70s / 80s / 90s musical landscape, this set triumphs gloriously (perhaps the influence of these guys touring w/ evan parker ?) - although i can easily see hardcore euro-improv enthusiasts being entirely irked by the kinds of secret language on display (and i’m not talking specifically about spencer’s omnipresent ululations) ...
years in the trenches, these guys are at the peak of their capabilities ... highly recommended !!!"
"The cooperative of composer/improvisers John Wiese (Sissy Spacek) and C. Spencer Yeh (Burning Star Core) reveals itself again, presenting a collection of new works titled Cincinnati. So far Wiese & Yehs previous full-length documents have been culled from live performance situations and one could site Cincinnati as the duos first studio album. Recorded face-to-face in late 2007 at Ashworth Tap Room in Cincinnati OH, Cincinnati reveals further unexpected developments and strategies of this ongoing partnership. Familiar machineries were primed, but an increasingly alien attitude was fed through and processed into churning and bewildering shapes. The results of these sessions were catalogued and surgically isolated into specimens by Yeh; a little editing employed to carve the forms somewhat presentable, but no "studio trickery" to mask the organic nature. Mastered by Saff Mastering to sharpen the bulbs and polish the blades, the whole of the fourteen tracks form a monumentally intimate body touched by indeterminate intuition, instant composition, and interior logic. Wiese and Yeh first joined together on a stage in Columbus OH, and since then have participated in the No-FI/CMN "Free Noise" 2007 tour in the UK, as well as fireworks-laden travels through coastal, midwest, and southern USA. With many finished missives yet to be issued, and many ideas discussed but not yet realized, the combined restlessness and curiousity of the team insures that "Cincinnati" gestures not only towards the past and present, but the future as well. Cincinnati is available in an edition of 500 copies in the increasingly alienated compact disc format. The included 8-page booklet contains a pictoral documenting the typical meeting between the two players. "
DJ That Hideous Strength will be spinning his New Wave Psych Disco Prog platters for you & yours @ The Argus Lounge this Saturday night, 2/21/09 9pm-2am • free • 3187 Mission (@ Valencia)
