Ernö Király - Phoenix: The Music Of Ernö Király (1996)

Essential introduction to Yugoslavian composer and instrument builder Ernö Király (1919-2007).  Whilst based in Novi Sad in the 60s, collecting folk music and soaking up modernist composition, Király was introduced by a friend to Edgard Varèse's Poeme Electronique.  This would be the spark that got Király into tape composition; later on, in the 70s, he would start building his own instruments a la Harry Partch, and write graphic scores for them.

Király's discography only starts in 1979, with just three Eastern European LPs appearing up until the mid 90s when ReR put out this CD that gave his music much-needed exposure.  The liner notes provide great biographical detail on Király's work and influences, which makes the omission of recording dates for these seven pieces all the more glaring - but given the aforementioned LPs, it's probably safe to say that everything here dates from the late 70s to the 90s.

The title track starts the album off with six minutes of reverberating swishing and hammering on a cymbalom (Hungarian zither), followed by Perpetuum Mobile for Király's modified version of the instrument, the zitherphone that he devised in 1974. That track's particularly interesting with what sounds like backwards tape at points - shame it's only three minutes long.  After a couple of string pieces with geometric scores, and a great voice/tape piece called Spiral, Acezantez show up (Király and Dutoni were good friends) for four Movements, the atmospheric highlights of the collection.  Another brief tape piece, The Sky, provides a memorable album closer.  Fascinating and unique stuff, and highly recommended.

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Dubravko Detoni With Acezantez - s/t (2000 compilation, rec. 1975-77)

Ansambl Centra za nove tendencije Zagreb were an experimental chamber ensemble formed in 1970 by Croatian composer Dubravko Detoni.  This compilation centres around the sole LP they released together in 1977 - although a smattering of other Detoni releases/VA releases would feature performances with Acezantez, three of which fill out the CD.

The LP (see below) featured two 20-minute pieces, Kitsch Variations and Fable.  The former features the ensemble skronking, plonking and droning away nicely on piano, celesta, harpsichord (Detoni) plus glockenspiel, organ and a variety of wind, brass and string instruments.  I'm not clear on what the composed/improvised ratio was here, but Fable does offer a highly listenable organised chaos with plenty of atmospheric headroom and no-one going on for too long of getting in each other's way.  I'd take a guess then at some sort of basic guide score at least being followed.

Fable is even better, and the definite highlight here for me.  There's much more manipulation of the instruments going on, there's lots of vocal weirdness and odd tape samples in the mix, and the whole thing could definitely pass at a push for some great lost Nurse With Wound track (incidentally, that lettering on the CD cover is credited to one Steven Stapleton).

As mentioned, completing this collection are two tracks from a self-titled 1976 Detoni LP, Grafika VI and Group Gymnastics, and the disc opener Dokument 75 is from an LP called Muzički Biennale Zagreb 1975.  All are worth a listen, especially Grafika's distorted organ drones and Dokument's electronic stabs.  Wish there were a dozen more Acezantez releases - this is one of the most satisying CDs I've bought in ages.  Hugely recommended, if you like this sort of thing.

original LP cover, 1977 (tracks 2 & 3 on CD)

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