REVIEWS reviews...... sounds...... pictures...... words...... links...... info from Hans Stoeve, Power Spot (a weekly program on Eastside Radio (89.7) in Sydney, Australia) Visit the Power Spot website for playlists and reviews. The Foundry - Mote (Fou.06) Think of interesting labels and to my mind Hypnos, Extreme and the foundry are some that immediately spring to mind, due to the nature of their excellent production and genuinely interesting range of sonic materials. It's not always easy going, in terms of listener involvement, but when push comes to shove all three of these labels (and many more) bring out consistently good recordings. Michael Bentley who is 'the label' so to speak, also works under other pseudonyms such as eM, rhomb, the apiary. Bentley has been somewhat quiet of late, though I knew these particular recordings were in production. mote as MB writes in the sleeve notes "started out with an unusual phone message. The message consisted of clicks and clacks and static which formed a percussive pattern and lasted about a minute" This was the starting point for this particular recording of processed electronic sounds. What you end up with are thirteen odd pieces of music which explore everything from sonambulustic states to beautiful ambience, drones, signals and static, dark atonal textures which at times become somewhat melancholic and distant. I like it all funnily enough; maybe it's just my current state of mind, but I'm finding as I get older that I like challenging musical ideas, especially when music (if you can call it that) is deconstructed before your very ears. A lot of Bentley's work is atonal, whereby no real sense of melody is evident, rather the sounds are left to develop and grow within themselves, though to be fair to MB he does guide his particular 'sound' to a conclusion. On a piece like 'the bridge' the violin becomes almost a sad voice accompanying the electronics, it's like a deserted, empty feeling which paradoxically becomes hauntingly beautiful to listen to. Within these works there are also a number of 'aquatic' environments which seem to have been created, and it's hard not to think of composers like Hildegard Westerkamp with her organic environmental interactions. It's s a strange hybridisation of sounds which work effectively and simply. Bentley is a man who I think knows his limitations. 'occluded forms' is 5'46 long, and in this time frame does more than Monsieur JM Jarre did in 74 minutes with Waiting For Cousteau. A great piece of music and I think MB would do well to explore this for what it's worth, maybe an extended piece. There is a beautiful stillness throughout which I admire. It's easy to make noise, it's a lot harder to create silence. But it's not all like this depending on the musical persona involved; with it comes distortion and feedback, a denselike electronic wall of sound that can at times be unsettling. Still, it's challenging and as far as recordings go, far more interesting than anything I have heard in a long long time. Highly recommended, and as always I wished more people would explore what this label has to offer.If you're not familiar with the works and musical personaes of Michael Bentley, start with mote, you won't be disappointed. Check out the web site for more info; I believe sound files are present.