ALC16 #17: Signals by LOK 03+1

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so I feel kinda bad posting this here when I've not yet gotten to many of the earlier ones (or many of the latest SLPs for that matter, those being my priority), but oh well here we are.

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Signals by LOK 03+1

In short this is a collaborative free jazz record with copious turntable madness. Lineup is Aki Takase (with whom I've been obsessed lately), jazz legend Alexander Van Schlippenbach, his drummer Paul Lovens, and his son going by DJ Illvibe (who mans the tables and faderboard). Their interplay as musicians/collaborators/improvisers is impeccable. Some real chemistry going on, and they are clearly having a ton of fun with it. It's seriously dope stuff. I want more jazz w/turntables...

LISTEN HERE

(might write a little more in-depth later but just wanted to get this up for now. It's v good trust me.)

[Grzywa]

Loved in on the first listen. It's totally crazy but enthralling, kind of stuff I'm most into these days. So much is happening on this album. Will share some deeper thoughts once I delver deeper into it, but I already see it high on this year's list, so thanks !
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Always shouts out something obscene

[Skinny]

Listened to this the other day, and found it really interesting but also pretty frustrating. On the plus side, there are some beautiful, downcast piano moments that are really evident, especially when placed next to the more melodic cutting (the bits with horns and strings that sound kind of drunk and give the album this cool deconstructed effect). Conversely, the percussion and the more manic elements of turntablism don't truly gel with the piano playing - I feel like there are two distinct sides to this record which are (almost) constantly fighting for space, making the album cluttered. My favourite moments tend to come when either one side or the other takes centre stage (not necessarily alone, but complemented more tactfully), but the record spends an absurd amount of time trying to find a suitable balance (that ultimately only appears fleetingly). Compared to another record from 2016 where live instruments are mixed with electronic elements in a free jazz environment, namely Jamal Moss / Mark Sanders / Orphy Robinson's 01.01.2016, this album feel unfocused and pretty slight.

Still, it's a cool pick, and the positives outweigh the negatives (despite the amount of words I devoted to the latter). Will return to it in the near future to see if my opinions have changed, and if it was just a case of the right album at the wrong time when I first gave it a spin.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[RoundTheBend]

I tried.

Skinny said it better.

I really want to get to know one of these types musicians because I'd love to learn from them about their process and about the performance aspect of this stuff. Seriously intrigues me (can they really pull this off time and time again... are there different camps... those that only improvise or are there experimental artists that really can pull this type of performance off repeatedly or at least very close to it). I just don't have have that much experience with it. I've maybe heard 2 or 3 performances at USC and that's about it.