Taiji Pole
Taiji Pole
High Mayhem Records
***image1***
Layers, hurtling shapes, shadows, waves, pulses and cascades of sound characterize Taiji Pole's self-titled debut CD. Spin it, and you want to find reference points, a narrative, the reaching of the aural mind for a map. It's fruitless, even though at times the pieces shapeshift into vaguely familiar contours. Stay with it and relax: Taiji Pole's electronic sound sculpture heralds mystery, frees the imagination and conjures the inner (outer) reaches of consciousness. The explorations documented here make the ordinary seem liminal, the solid surfaces of the world evanescent and strange. Moments flash liquid or incendiary through time, obliterating our humdrum sense of proportion, our habitual fit in the world.
The group is a trio, comprised of locals Carlos Santestivan on bass, Matt Deason on bass, and J A Deane on flute and computer. The instrumentation is quotidian enough, and could easily lend itself to a tribal-techno-trance New Agey noodling. The suggestion invites maniacal laughter: If this is tribal, it's a transcription of indigenous music from the Pleiades. The response isn't "like wow, dude" but "holy shit."
The first track, recorded live at last year's High Mayhem Festival, is slightly over 38 continuous minutes, a seamless journey through uncountable phases and facets, with the overall effect being one strange trip indeed. The dynamic range of the piece is astonishing, with figures ferocious and lumbering counterpoised by delicacy, long shapes repeated unexpectedly and ephemeral filigrees. Not as a gimmick but as a testimony to the power of the ensemble's sound, track 2 is 1:14 of silence. The silence is a welcome chance to process the interstellar (and intersynaptic) subspace onslaught. Track 3 is more spacious, with moments of strange clarity counterpoised by breathtaking intensity.
Taiji Pole will perform at their CD release party Saturday, May 27 at
8 pm at High Mayhem Studios (1703-B Lena St., 501-3333). $10,
free with purchase of CD.
