Karel Appel, "Musique Barbare" [CP-093]

In 1963, long before Art Brut, Free Jazz ... hell, even before most of the 60s-lineage musical movements we’re still talking about today took form, abstract-expressionist painter Karel Christiaan Appel logged time in the Instituut Voor Sonologie - then just recently relocated to the University of Utrecht from Eindhoven - to compose music for a documentary being made on ... himself by cinematographer Jan Vrijman.
Perhaps in an attempt to capture an analog of his roughly-hewn visual style, Appel absolutely went to town on the Instituut’s ... battery of percussion instruments, piano, electric organ, and of course his own shouted proclamations - famously, “I DO NOT PAINT I HIT !!!” - these were all used as raw material to build three Musique Concrète pieces, made in collaboration with the Insituut’s staff: Frits Weiland, Jaap Vink, and Will Eisma. The results run from Cecil Taylor-meets-Dick Raaijmakers dual-fisted piano klang to inept electric organ fumblings to full-on riots of distorted kettle drum and assorted percussion-room filigree, assembled into an extremely edit-heavy suite - much use of tape-speed manipulation; many of the timpani hits tuned so low as to only be felt - running at break-neck speed for pretty much the entire duration.
Aside from the overall sonic appeal of this one - visual artist dabbling in violent, scattershot tape-music; classic “Broken Music” material - Mr. P.C. C.P. has done a ridiculously thorough job reproducing every flat surface of the original WBV-label edition - by far the RAER-est record ever to be “Creel Pwned;" I’ve yet to see a copy show up on the black/open markets for less than €300 - across 10 full panels of this double-booklet edition. This one was MONTHS in the making; inarguably one of the highlights of the series thus far.
Further reading:
www.keithfuller...
Rare & covetable Early-Electronic & Avant-Garde vinyl:
www.discogs.co...

[@nedsammy]

'hmm, maybe I should briefly stop painting these funky-looking fellas and make some really evil music' - karel appel