ALTO STRATUS - VRIJE 1983

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ALTO STRATUS

VRIJE 1983

available as...
CD-R Auricle AMACDR 003 £5.00 low stock
bandcamp download

duration: 73'49" compilation

1. 11·45-13·15 (extract) 7'18"
2. Motion 8'55"
3. Contamination 2'58"
4. Contaminate 1'15"
5. Confusions 4'30"
6. Convenience 4'40"
7. Speed 3'38"
8. Resurrection (extract) 7'50"
9. Op 73, Part 1 (remix) 7'05"
10. Op 73, Part 2 (remix) 15'45"
11. Salivant/Malevil (montage) 6'25"
12. Terminus 3'19"

<a href="https://auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/auricle-archive-3-vrije-1983">Auricle Archive 3: Vrije 1983 by Alto Stratus</a>

Recorded at Nekrosis Studio (June 1983-Summer 1984).
Taken from Vrije: 4 (Syzygy ZC 60.009), Transmission (Dark Star DS 204), Contaminate (Syzygy ZC 60.012), Six: Retrospection I (Syzygy ZC 60.011),
New Life (Dark Star DS 213), Diabolik Trepidation (Dark Star DS 201),
& Terminus: Retrospection 2 (Dark Star DS 202).
Compiled & remixed at Tachyon Studio (2 April 2001).

Alan & Steve Freeman: Yamaha CS5, Casio PT30, radio, tape, voice, collage, electronics, turntable, effects.

notes...
This CD collates much of the best material from Vrije cassette releases numbers 4 to 11 (all made during 1983), releases that bridge the early pure sound experiments and experimental synthesis, leading to what became a distinctive Alto Stratus sound. The very early experiments (from when Alto Stratus recorded under the names Vrije and (Q.S.O.)) are documented on the Auricle Archive "Duin Tha' Whitehouse" CDR, and the third Vrije cassette is now recompiled as the Alto Stratus CDR release "Alchemy". Between them these CDs document the early prehistoric Alto Stratus. 1983 was a very explorative year, and this disc represents the best of that.

"Vrije 4" centred on the newly acquired Yamaha CS5 synthesizer exploring its ability to create the most bizarre Geiger Counter like tonalities, buzzing rasping patterns and such-like, existing as two 25+ sound fabrics, each amounting to a dual lamination with a third layer added live on mix-down. Having no mixer, and needing to laminate and overdub in real time, limited what could be done, and thus many of the experiments conducted on tapes after this didn't really work out as intended, although tapes like "Transmission", Contaminate" and "Retrospection" did have moments of brilliance. "New Life" was originally conceived as Holy Atheist's comeback, but turned out to be something entirely different in that snatches of various avant-garde records were blatantly ripped-off. The section included here, however, is quite remarkable in its use of collage and processed electronics, comparable to work in the parallel project ZBB (Zircon & the Burning Brains). "Gravamina For Uxoricide" gained a review in Dave Henderson's "Wild Planet" feature in Sounds, notably due to its Maurizio Bianchi type feel. That, and the subsequent "Blitzkrieg", however, are not documented here, as they seem to lack the inspiration of much of the other material from this era. And, after all, "Diabolik Trepidation" developed these ideas on a far more interesting level.

Wrapping up the Vrije archive "Terminus" was completed after the transition to Alto Stratus proper, it amounted to a collection of remixes and unreleased choice works, two of which you'll find here ending the disc on a most bizarre footing. This is all choice historic material, destined to challenge and perplex, the very cutting edge of new music.

Versions...
CD-R - released 2001.
Bandcamp download - released 11/8/2014.

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VRIJE 1983
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