RIO Drop-In Centre

 

No worries. For me Canberra is the place I called home but unforunately for the mean time I am living in Sydney

 

Many tracks herer I liked a lot, but I want to mention one group in particular who plays a frantic melange of free jazz and has the rio sound that you may find in other bands of the genre particularly those that Chris Cutler was involved in, since, well, he is in this band as well...

The group is called Ec Nudes.

 

Now here is what Chris says about this group in his site:

 

THE (ec) NUDES

I had been in touch with Amy for along time before we met. She was working for the Musak corporation then and Recommended distributed her first LP.

1992 found me touring with Wadi Gysi and Hans Reichel - shortly after they had both toured with Amy- and a little later, while Wadi and I were doing a series of duo performances, the two of us began discussing the idea of a more organised group playing written rather than improvised music. Amy's was the first name to came up. So we called her and that was the beginning of The (ec) Nudes. I wrote a number of texts, which I sent both parties, then we met, rehearsed, toured and made our first CD, The Vanishing Point, in a single sweep. The Nudes was a straight-ahead band project: basic composition by individuals, collective arrangements and plenty of space for extemporisation. We recorded in France and Switzerland (with Bill Gilonis engineering). But, once we had the songs to tape, I had a strong intimation that mixing would be problematical. Although I had never relinquished hands-on participation in mixing before, on this occasion I suggested we hand the whole project to new ears in order to give the material its best shot. I had known Bob Drake for many years, both as an engineer and a musician (Thinking Plague, Hail). And I had worked with him too, in the touring version of Hail. So, I suggested he mix the CD alone. The group sent the masters to LA; Bob sent a coherent album back. And, for future tours, since Amy was somewhat over-demanded - being bassist, saxophonist, accordionist and singer - we invited Bob to join us. This quartet toured all over Europe and visited Brasil, but never recorded. Fitting schedules together was becoming increasingly difficult, and in light of various other internal complications, I decided in 1994 to leave. Amy and Wadi continued as The Pale Nudes, taking on a new bass-player and drummer.

WHAT'S IN A NAME-

THE NUDES because I thought it would be funny, look great on posters and be nice to live with. But at the last moment it had to become the (ec) NUDES (which is funnier, luckily) since it turned out that there was already a folk group in New York called The Nudes, and we didn't want to tread on their toes (them being nude and all).

ON RECORD:

THE VANISHING POINT (1994) ReR N1CD

 

 

 

 

And here is what allmusic says:

 

vanishing point - album reviews

This collaboration between avant-garde everyman Chris Cutler, ex-Tone Dogs vocalist Amy Denio, and experimental guitar player Wadi Gysi produced only this one album, but what an album. Denio leads the album with her wild three-octave-range vocals and dexterous accordion and sax playing, while Cutler and Gysi alternately construct tight, intimate spaces for the sound or wide panoramas. There's also a sense of humor at work; "Opening" and "Qu'est Que Tu Fais?" recreate the atmosphere of a stadium rock concert for the intro and outro of the kind of music that would never receive such an ovation. "Crystal Palace," while again demonstrating Cutler's politically insightful lyrics, plays a rollicking good tune. The highlight, for musicality and Denio's voice, could be "O Pastor," a cover of a song by Madredeus, a dynamic rush of up-tempo music over which Denio's voice hovers like some apparition. A rich and rewarding album. ~ Ted Mills, All Music Guide

 

 

 

Here is a little info about Amy Denio who is a member of this group as well as a composer and a multi-instrumentalist (sax and accordion).

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amy Denio (b. June 9, 1961) is a Seattle (USA)-based multi-instrumental avant-garde jazz musician and composer. She is probably best known as an accordionist and saxophone-player. Among her current musical involvements are Kultur Shock (drawing heavily on Balkan music) and the all-female The Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet. She has also collaborated repeatedly with the Pat Graney Dance Company.

Her first recordings were in the early 1980s with the Entropics. Since then, she has performed with (among others) Francisco Lopez, Danny Barnes, the Tone Dogs, the aforementioned Billy Tiptons, Pale Nudes, Blowhole, the Danubians, Chris Cutler, Guy Klucevsek, Pauline Oliveros, Relâche, Curlew, Matt Cameron, Hoppy Kamiyama, Derek Bailey, and the Shaking Ray Levis.

During the 1980s, Denio had a day job at Muzak.

 

A link to her site:

 

 

Enjoy

 

 

 

 

Actually we do have a very nice CD store down here in Sydney. I don't know if you have heard of Red Eye Records, but they are a very commendable source from my music. Especially when I have looking for material from the Japanese scene, which is interesting me at the moment. Here is the website for the store.

 

 

Have a browse through the genres, there is some nice stuff hiding in the electronic/Ambient section along side the Avant-garde section. Then in the Rock and pop section you will find many Kraut and Canterbury bands such as Soft Machine, Khan, Egg, Amon Duul II, This Heat. Plus some of the Symphonic acts.

 

As for bands I don't know of any hailing from the RIO side of things unforunately. We have a few ok Noise bands but I have not found a huge Avant scene, though I do intend on looking more thoroughly. And the factor Wolf Eyes can out here not that long ago! How about up in Brisbane are they any bands of this note around you area ?

 

Thanks for that Assaf, a nice post indeed. I have been meaning to check out The (ec) Nudes. Now I know they are worth my while I might give this is a little more thought.

 

Anyway here is a record I have been listening to over the last few days. This one goes out to the Avant-noise fans out there.

 

The band in question is the Japanese band Nord, gracing us with their ST album from 1981. As you can see this is rather early on in the noise scene. I have heard them sited as a percuilar cross between Early Kluster and Throbbing Grissle.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a little information about the band:

 

 

An obscure experimental group formed in 1980 by Satoshi Katayama and
Hiroshi Oikawa. Together they released one album, 'Nord #1' [Pinakotheca
Records, 1981] in a limited edition of 300 copies. The Soundohm website says
"side one is meditative, with repetitive electronic loops. Second long side is a
terrific noisy space drone". They went their separate ways in 1982, but both
continued to perform individually as Nord. Oikawa recorded again with his
newly-formed label, LSD Records. This Nord released 'LSD' [LSD Records, 1984] in
a limited edition of 200 copies, which has been described on the Soundohm
website as a "beautiful electronic/psychedelic soundtrip"; and '3/Ego Trip' [LSD
Records] in a limited edition of 100. There are also three live cassettes on the
ZSF label, featuring Nord/Oikawa with Merzbow and [on one tape] K.K. Null of
Zeni Geva [see below]. Katayama also issued a cassette as Nord - 'Live Materials
1980-1993' [Vanilla Records, 1994] - in a limited edition of 150 copies.

 

I agree. I voted "yes".

 

 

The clips on myspace and Cuneiform are brilliant - another one to add to my ever expanding wish list.