LYDIA LUNCH & JACOB KIRKEGAARD | AMNESIA
Reviewed in The Wire (October 2009)
JACOB KIRKEGAARD | MOTION... MATTERS
LYDKUNSTNER UDSTILLER SYNGENDE BILLEDER
(JANUARY 09) POLITIKEN http://ibyen.dk/kunst/anmeldelser/article631611.ece
Udstillingen 'Motion... Matters' er båret af kunstneren Jacob Kirkegaards fascination af videnskabelige lydeksperimenter.
Billedkunstneren Jacob Kirkegaard arbejder med lyd. Lydbilleder kunne man kalde hans værker på udstillingen 'Motion ... Matters' hos Helene Nyborg.
Alle involverer de referencer til lyd – eller rettere lyd som bevægelse. En serie fotografier 'NAGARAS' ligner umiddelbart smukke naturoptagelser af en sandstorm i ørkenen. Men det er ikke en vilkårlig sandstorm.
Det er en sandstorm i Oman, et af de få steder, hvor man kan være heldig at opleve fænomenet 'det syngende sand'. Det skabes af vinden, når den sætter millioner af sandkorn i bevægelse. Og det er denne sandets syngende dans i vinden, som Kirkegaard har fastholdt i fotografisk form.
SYNGENDE BILLEDER
En anden billedserie på udstillingen består af tre kvadratiske metalplader, en i jern, en i kobber og en i messing, hver monteret med mikrofon og højtaler. Pladerne opfanger og reflekterer rummets lyde via resonans. De sættes i vibration. De vibrerer.
Fænomenet forstærkes via mikrofon og højtaler til hørbare lyde. Syngende billeder kunne man kalde dem.
Men for Jacob Kirkegaard drejer det sig nok i højere grad om at udforske et videnskabeligt fænomen: de tre metallers forskellige resonans.
Det er nemlig sådan, at selv om de tre metalplader er lige store, lyder de helt forskelligt – fra svage metalliske, næsten etiske toner (jernet) til en stemning af symfoniorkester (messingpladen).
Der er mange billedkunstnere, som er optaget af lyd og arbejder med lydkunst. Men det er sjældent, resultaterne får så visuel en form som hos Kirkegaard.
'Motion ... Matters' er tydeligvis båret af kunstnerens fascination af videnskabelige lydeksperimenter – det vidner hans tekst også om – men den færdige udstilling er samtidig konceptuelt og ikke mindst visuelt overbevisende.
[Kristine Kern]
JACOB KIRKEGAARD | LABYRINTHITIS
DUSTED MAGAZINE (JANUARY 2009) http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4744
On Maryanne Amacher’s Sound Characters (Making the Third Ear), the CD’s output is crafted specifically to elicit sounds that come from within the ear. The phenomenon is called otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), where the inner ear is manipulated by external sound in such a way that its own vibrations become audible to the listener. Distorted product OAEs, or DPOAEs, involve tones generated at a specific ratio, causing a natural distortion effect on the OAE, and subsequently a third, lower tone in the listener’s ear. Amacher’s use of OAEs invited listeners into the creation process, but the disc was, in the end, a solitary endeavor - it is impossible for the naked ear to hear another human’s OAEs, so each listen of Sound Characters created a performance for one, even with others in the same room.
Jacob Kirkegaard aims to do Amacher one better. Labyrithitis, named for a disorder of the inner ear, also entails the playback of tones to elicit DPOAEs in the listener’s ears, but the conceptual kicker here is that all of the sounds on the disc evolved from a single series of source tones: DPOAEs recorded (using highly amplified microphones) from Kirkegaard’s own ears. On Labyrithitis, Kirkegaard uses his own DPOAEs to create the phenomenon in the ears of his listeners, presenting the tones at the 1:1.2 ratio required to generate the microscopic audio events. Kirkegaard begins with two tones, then, after a time, replaces the pair with a third, played at the frequency at which the prior DPOAE was created in the ear. Kirkegaard then uses the 1:1.2 ratio again to create a new DPOAE, and the disc continues in this manner for almost 40 minutes.
Since a DPOAE is always lower in pitch than the tones that create it, each new tone on Labyrithitis is lower than those that preceded it, though Kirkegaard appears to vary it up so that the projection isn’t too easy to predict. The experiment results in a beautiful collage, with shimmering intersections of sounds entering and leaving the mix. (Speaker arrangement and any number of factors likely play a part in the process.) The rich drones, sliding across each other like bolts of silk, are attractive enough, but the smaller sounds, the overtones and DPOAEs created by the carefully paired pitches, are what make for Labyrithitis‘ most interesting output.
To make music that interacts with its listener is quite a feat. To do so in a way that results in sound that’s as alluring aesthetically as it is conceptually is an even bigger coup. With Labyrithitis, Kirkegaard has achieved the latter, engaging with an idea that is draped in academic formality in its explanation, but in practice echoes the golden sky above the ivory tower more than any discussion going on inside. Other musicians may aim for shaking booty, heads banging, or feet that won’t stay still, but Kirkegaard looks to make ears sing, and the duet created by the output of his ears and those from the listeners’ is such a joy that when Labyrithitis ends, we all ought to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done.
[Adam Strohm]
FACT MAGAZINE [http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1450&Itemid=32] November 2008
Labyrinthitis is an interactive record, in the most fundamental and fascinating of ways. Danish sound artist Jacob Kirkegaard relies on a principle observed and sometimes relied upon in the practice of medicine and music alike: when two frequencies at a certain ratio are played into the ear, additional vibrations in the inner ear produce a third frequency. This third frequency is known to medics as a DPOAE (distortion product otoacoustic emission); musicians prefer the snappier handle of ‘Tartini tone’.
In our cochleas, there are thousands of microscopic hair cells that act as sensory receptors; when sound enters the ear, these hairs vibrate in the liquid that surrounds them, allowing us to perceive sound. Depending on the amplitude and frequency of the sound waves, the movement of hair cells will be strong enough to make the basilar membrane vibrate too; and it’s this basilar vibration which produces the Tartini tone. Neither an echo nor an auditory hallucination, this tone can apparently be measured, and recorded with a microphone – which is exactly what Kirkegaard has done – the very building blocks of Labyrinthitis are Tartini tones generated by his own ears. At this point, my tiny brain shuts down, and to adequately explain Kirkegaard’s production technique I have to quote verbatim from the (thorough) sleevenotes:
“In [Kirkegaard’s] composition, he starts off with to specific tones (both recorded from his ears) at a ratio of 1:1:2 and plays them at the same time. Stimulated by the distortion that these two tones will create in their own ears, the audience will be able to perceive a third tone. In a next step, Kirkegaard lets the two primary tones disappear and adds the third tone to the composition: it can now be heard “for real”, not just individually, in the room. Once this tone is established, a new tone is added in order to create, in combination with the earlier (third) tone, a further distortion in the same manner as before. By feeding more and more of these pairs of frequencies intro the spiral structure of the ears of the audience, Kirkegaard goes on to create a descending tonal structure which is then being taken up in different parts successively, so that the imitations overlap. While the audience is listening to this composition, their own ears will emit sounds in response to the sounds from the artists’ ears, thus joining the piece like voices in an increasingly complex and compressed canon."
If you’re still reading, chances are you’re intrigued by this mind-bending (or is that ear-bending?) proposition – and rightly so. But there’s a question you’ll be compelled ask: does Labyrinthitis stand up on its own? Is it an enjoyable and/or rewarding listening experience without the accompanying scientific exposition? Well, yes, as a matter of fact – this half-hour piece has moments of real beauty. The project’s grounding may be in science, but make no mistake, there is art at work: Kirkegaard brings an incredible, ineffable musicality to his tonal experiments, elevating them above the merely academic and up into the realm of the sublime.
While the quoted para-literature isn’t essential, it’s still important, and reading it will deeply enrich your experience of this record. Kirkegaard highlights, with amazing literality, the mutable, spectral quality of sound - as well as the essential subjectivity of listening. So yes: for all its palpable artistry, Labyrinthitis is first and foremost an experiment. And unless my ears, not to mention Kirkegaard’s, deceive me, it’s an incredibly successful one.
[Kiran Sande]
DANISH ARTS FOUNDATION AWARDS FOR CD RELEASES (JANUARY 2009)
http://www.kunst.dk/nyheder/artikel/danish-arts-foundation-awards-for-cd-releases/?no_cache=1
A jazz duo, a songwriter and an electronica composer has received honorable awards.
The Danish Arts Foundation's Rhythmic Music Committee is presenting awards to a number of artists who have excelled with CD music releases during the year.
The award recipients are:
• Little Red Suitcase: ’Temporarily out of Order’ (Suitcase Records)
• Jonas Villumsen: 'På Bagsiden af Europa' (Transistor Music/Bonnier Amigo)
• Jacob Kirkegaard: 'Labyrintitis' (Touch, London)
The Rhythmic Music Committee, which consists of Juliana Hodkinson (chair), Marilyn Mazur and Tobias Trier, has made the following remarks on the awards:
Jacob Kirkegaard: 'Labyrintitis'
A very well-thought-out work of audio art of a high international standard, this release is representative of Kirkegaard's work, though perhaps a slightly more 'musical' offering than some of his earlier recordings. In compositional terms, the recording plays with the frequencies generated by the inner ear itself – a rather hardcore conceptual starting-point, and one which certainly sets its stamp upon the listening experience. The work responds to John Cage's historical wish for active listening by increasing the technological efforts and opening up for sounds generated inside the ear – quite literally, by placing microscopic sound pickups and loudspeakers inside the composer's own ears. But despite this strictly monotonous origin, the recording is both accessible and pleasant, indeed moving, and manages to maintain a continuous and fluid movement.
Please
click here for more 'LABYRINTHITIS reviews
JACOB KIRKEGAARD | 4 ROOMS
Boomkat
(UK): Touch 25
I don’t think I need to tell you about the Touch label,
after 25 years of activity they have built up an unmatched reputation
for themselves. Releasing classic albums from experimental electronic
music guvners such as Biosphere, Philip Jeck, Fennesz, Mika Vainio
and Oren Ambarchi has put them into a hallowed place for discerning
music fans, and quite rightly each release from the label is hugely
anticipated. It’s not only the music that’s attained
them the reputation though, and the label’s founder Jon
Wozencroft has continuously repeated ‘Touch is not a record
label!’ – rather they are an ‘audiovisual’
label, a collective that puts just as much care and attention
into the packaging and imagery as the music. And it shows, indeed
their releases have garnered miles in column inches merely due
to the fact everything looks so damned delectable – something
difficult to say for a majority of Touch’s contemporaries.
So 25 years on, why should we still care? Well, if a cd featuring
EXCLUSIVE material from Oren Ambarchi, Biosphere, Fennesz, Ryoji
Ikeda, Philip Jeck, Johann Johannsson, BJ Nilsen, Rosy Parlane,
Peter Rehberg (Pita), Pan Sonic and Chris Watson among many more
doesn’t get you hot under the collar then I don’t
know what will. This disc features a lineup of the absolute cream
of experimental electronic music right now, and will engross,
astound and amaze in equal measures. It really doesn’t get
much better...
JACOB KIRKEGAARD | 4 ROOMS
Very rarely does a very interesting concept for an album translate
itself into a very interesting album musically, but trust the
Touch label to get it right. On ‘4 Rooms’ (nothing
to do with the crappy Tarantino-related hotel flick) Danish sound
artist Jacob Kirkegaard explores the legacy of the nuclear disaster
in Chernobyl. Kirkegaard recorded four rooms in the abandoned
military bunkers, rooms that were active meeting points for people
and have been left totally abandoned since the disaster. He recorded
the silence of the room for a set time and then played it back
to the empty room, recording the results. These recordings became
layered over and over the sound, building up into dense and haunting
drones - the results simply harrowing. For some strange reason
(probably my brain interpreting it badly) the pieces actually
bring to mind Andrei Tarkofky’s classic post-apocalyptic
mediation ‘Stalker’, the thick, moving drones taking
me across deserted landscapes and into frightening, stark concrete
bunkers. One of the most engrossing albums on Touch for some time,
a big recommendation
Please
click here for more '4 Rooms' reviews
JACOB KIRKEGAARD | ELDFJALL
The Wire. January issue 2006. (under Electronica.
Reviewed by Chris Sharp)
Jacob Kirkegaard is not so much a composer as a sound hunter -
a man on a quest to capture sonic ineffabilities and bring them
to our ears. In the past he has used his collection of probes,
accelerometers and contact microphones to record the interior
noise of ice crystals and the tiny transformative cries of nuclear
fission. On Eldfjall (which translates as 'Fire Mountain') he
offers an insight into the restlessness of the Earth's core by
documenting the geothermal vibrations of Iceland's volcanic geyser
regions. Given that they were made in such a tumultuous landscape,
it's no surprise that these recordings are wonderfully and fascinatingly
various - an utterly inhuman, but strangely immersive array of
hisses, slithers, drones and swirls whose cumulative impact far
surpasses that of many human contrivances.
Read
more reviews on Elfjall here
PHILIP
JECK & JACOB KIRKEGAARD | SOAKED
Drenched in Sound (Dusted Magazine (USA) by Michael Crumsho)
Although many cite him as an experimental turntablist, over the
course of a few great solo records Philip Jeck has built a beautiful
world out of record players, and not just the beats they can create.
His two most recent records, 1999s Surf and Stoke from earlier
this year, nicely display his ability to weave complex patterns
of sound, using vinyl to manipulate memories or older images,
not rhythms. He's also quite accomplished in the realm of performance
art (with his Vinyl Requiem piece) and radio, with Vinyl Codas
I - IV.
Soaked emerges as a document of Jeck's performance with Jacob
Kirkegaard, a noted Danish sound artist. The seven tracks here
were documented during the Moers Jazz festival in Germany during
this past May and display a wide variety of more ambient textures.
The two artists' natural tendencies often overlap and dovetail
nicely, so much so, that at times it sounds like the work of one
intensely focused mind.
The first track sets the tone for many of themes visited on this
set. Jeck uses his record layers wisely, coaxing longing, graceful
sounds out of weathered vinyl. His locked grooves subtly shift
the flow of the piece back and forth. Kirkegaard's electronics
are delicately restrained, nicely punctuating the track's natural
rhythm - a bit of a careful melody, with occasional bursts of
low-end clattering in the background. The second track begins
with a tired recording of a prayer recitation, a lullaby that
gradually sneaks its way into song. These sounds are taken and
looped and twisted, placed against Kirkegaard's electronic tinkering.
Its effects are nothing short of haunting as the song shifts from
voices in the crowd to the wild with ominous chirps and whirs
placed into the background of the third track. A growing clatter
builds amidst loops that grow more urgent and eerie as the track
passes. The fourth track gives way to crackling and static from
ancient discs, while the looped, plinking melody suggests something
entirely different. As things shift even further, sounds emerge
from forgotten satellites and are placed against growing washes
of sound. Kirkegaard adds the finishing touches, dropping sine
wave rhythms in and out amidst his clanking sound effects. The
track ends with the sound of bowed cymbals that gradually fade.
As these collapse into themselves and the background, drones,
skipping somewhere underneath the surface, emerge as Jeck's loops
enter ambient brilliance. Touches of an Eastern melody emerge
in place of the drones and a plundered vocal is gradually incorporated,
only to be overcome by the low end throbs and urgent clatter that
introduce the sixth track. Percussive elements struggle and kick
in the background while the hums and whirs build in intensity
before giving way to chaos. The frenzy calms itself as the percussion
fades out and the gentle loops of gorgeous forgotten melodies
wash over the beginning of the seventh and final track on the
record. A shorter piece, this track relies upon another gradual
build in sound, all before quickly giving way to the coming silence.
And then, as quickly as it began, it's over. The one thing that
makes this collaboration work well is the two players' ability
to complement each others styles so well. While Jeck favors weathered
images built gradually within his records, Kirkegaard uses his
sometimes jarring, sometimes soothing electronics in a variety
of complementary ways. This disc doesn't fill me with the same
sense of awe that some of Jeck's other work does, but it's an
inspired addition to his discography, one that will appeal to
fans and casual listeners alike. Which is not to say that it's
all Jeck's show. Kirkegaard does a fine job establishing his role
at times throughout the whole of the set, leaving his fingerprints
firmly embedded on Soaked..
Read
more reviews on Soaked here
JACOB KIRKEGAARD | 01.02 (BOTTROP-BOY B-BOY015 CD)
The Wire. April issue 2003. Outer Limits.
by Jim Haynes
Last year, the danish electronic abstactionist Jacob Kirkegaard
collaborated with avant turntabilist Philip Jeck on the well recieved Soaked album, bringing complementary battery of digitised
tricks to Jeck´s requiems for antique technologies. Kirkegaard´s
solo album 01.02 continues down the same path, purposefully
merging textural loops from beat-up vinyl with more cleanly concieved
rounds of disintegrating electronica. Whereas Soaked seemed like a distinct departure for Jeck, the differences between
the two artists are less clearly defined when comparing their
solo works.
The sad melodic fragments culled from archetypical but unidentifiable
motifs, the rendering of an abstract emotionally resonant space
through slow motion repetitions, and the swells of vinyl crackle
- all of which are typical of Jeck´s aesthetic - are the
key components of 01.02. These similarities in the compositional
and conceptual strategies for Jeck and Kirkegaard actually serve
the artists well as Proustian meditations on the void between
sound and memory.
Zeromoon / Vital Weekly by Jeff Surak
This is the first solo CD by Danish artist Jacob Kirkegaard who
recently worked with Philip Jeck and his own group Aeter. While
listening to this cd Raymond Scott’s abstract soundscapes
at times come to mind, but Kirkegaard employs a different sensibility.
Here the sounds try to recall forgotten memories, recreating the
sensation of events past. Delicate sonic patterns-sounds are reduced
to the outline of structure rather than a direct representation.
These very well can be aural memories, as the titles are city
names and dates. Kirkegaard uses field recordings (perhaps from
the cities listed in the titles) as instruments, integrating them
into the rest of the sounds. A pensive melody, trying to move
forward is overtaken by the crackle of vinyl and digital streams.
Song constructions reflect Kirkegaard’s sensitive touch
with fragile lines floating by heading in some unknown direction.
The 9 tracks move seamlessly into each other without pause. Sounds
thin as gossamer hover through the speaker. Towards the end of
the CD does the fragility give way too a more aggressive sound
of sine pulses and oscillations rendering an unsettling climax.
(JS)
[DE:BUG review]
Von den 4 Bottrop Boy und Semishigure Releases auf CD die grade
erscheinen ist diese clickend knisternd stille CD definitv unser
Favorite. Sehr schöne Tracks die klingen als würde an
den kleinsten Elementen immer noch wieder herumgepflückt
werden, als hätte der Sound es verdient bahandelt zu werden
wie ein Garten den man in jeder freien Minute pflegen muss. Musik
die sich auch zwischen Recordings und purer Digitalität bewegt,
aber darin einen sehr stillen Moment sucht in der das Betrachten,
Hören, der Blick und der Raum in sich zusammenfallen als
wäre nur dort eine Stadt (die Tracks haben alle Städtenamen,
Köln, Bourgongne (äh), Kopenhagen, Paris) wo man für
einen Moment innehalten kann. bleed *****
Politikken
28 feb. 03 Af Ralf Christensen
UDEN FOR KORTLAGTE RUTER
Skønheden afslører sig gennem fordybelse på
27-årige Jacob Kirkegaards '01.02' - en titel, som refererer
til de to år, hvorunder han har skabt de ni numre, der alle
er indspillet live på hans elektroniske udstyr, herunder
laptop, sampler og minidiskafspillere. Resultatet er en anderledes
abstrakt, til tider atonal, støvet, svært håndgribelig
electronica, som slipper mange af de gængse musikalske virkemidler,
mens Kirkegaard trænger længere ind i det elektroniske
vildnis. Her finder man en musik, der kan være både
idiosynkratisk støjende og ekstremt afdæmpet.
Et samplet klaver kan danse med loopet pladeknitren. Strukturerne
kan være så ikke repeterende, at de kan virke decideret
fraværende. Lydkilderne så skrøbelige og underbelyste,
at man må skrue op for at kunne høre dem. En ridset
cd med jødisk musik kan blive klikkende og hikkende fejlaflæst
- og blive til ny musik.
Kirkegaard vil videre. Det er der ingen tvivl om. Videre ind i
musikken på egen hånd, selv om man kan finde parallelle
ruter hos spansk-amerikanske Alejandra & Aeron, tyske Random_Inc
og amerikanske Matmos.
Kirkegaard er tidligere medlem af det københavnske eksperimentalband
Æter, men studerer i dag i Köln. Og det er her samt
i Bourgogne, Paris og København, at han har optaget lyde
fra instrumenter og omverden, som han siden har bearbejdet og
organiseret på forunderlige måder. Til sidste minut
undres man over den krævende og særegne musik, som
Kirkegaard har skabt uden for kortlagte ruter.
Ekstra Bladet 5 april 2003 weekend Henrik
Queitsc, 5 Stars *****
GÅDEFULDT
Hvordan lyder Køln, Bourgogne, København eller Paris
på en række tilfældige datoer i årene
2001 og 2002? Det afhænger selvfølgelig af ørerne,
der hører, men 27-årige Jacob Kirkegaard, der har
en fortid i det eksperimenterende ensemble Æter, giver et gådefuldt, men stærkt
dragende bud på sin fremragende solodebut. De ni 'kompositioner'
består af en blanding af hverdagslyde, samplinger, nålestøj
og en hel masse andet, hvor de konkrete lydkilder ofte fortaber
sig i skrattende, støvede og susende billeder, der ikke
minder om nogen eller noget andet. Det skulle da lige være
Titanics danseorkester, hvis sidste vals' svage ekkoer endelig når
os efter 91 år på havbunden.
AETER | LUFTANTENNER
VITAL Review october 2001, Vital Weekly 295,
Jeff Surak
Aeter is a Danish trio that produces electronic music with vocals.
Gry Bagoien's voice ranges from sounding carefree/wispy to passionate/dark.
The vocals add a much needed human prescence lacking in most present
day electronic music. Never once does Aeter suffer from sounding
dry or sterile, even when the vocals are not present. The mood
is cold and nocturnal yet you can feel the warmth of the blood
that pulses forth from the sounds. The fragmented songs form themselves
over time-bits of rhythm and melody are introduced until they
are tied together towards the end of each piece. This gives a
visual/narrative tonality to the music. The fragmentation creates
enough space in this music that it invites you to crawl in between
the sounds. Or else it will crawl into your
head. Soft music that you can play loud. Essential.
Blender 1998. af Ralf Christensen.
Dansk musik kan være et eksotisk bekendtskab. Tag nu fx.
det lille, københavnske selskab Helicopter Records´udgivelser,
der udgives på grammofonplader, allermest interessant trioen
Æters debutalbum.
Luftantænder kan karakteriseres som en rejse i
lyd, et imaginært soundtrack man kan forsvinde i og fantasere
vidre på. her er ingen nemme kategoriseringer, men sære
stilleståenede stemninger, isprængt båndsløjfer,
perlende skønsang, human beatbox, alskens slagtøj,
støvet akkustisk guitar og samplinger af alt fra tandbørstning
til motorvæddeløb på for hurtig hastighed.
Lydene bevæger sig sært besværede, forsvinder
ud af lydbilledet, skumpler tilbage under den underbelyste sanglærke
Gry Bagøien. Melodierne kæntrer og klangene er rustne,
støvede, mumlende ellers støjsprængte. Alt
er anløbent og intet er hvad det giver sig ud for i denne
på én gang underskønne og spøgelsesagtige
lydverden. En rusten elverdrøm.