Dzwieki z Offu

BAD ALCHEMY

ADAM MANKOWSKI in Lódz ist in den Kreisen, in denen er sich seit 2006 bewegt, besser bekannt als Limited Liability Sounds oder auch mit Scindite. Als LLS hat er zwischen Re-Drum und Emerge auch schon bei Attenuation Circuit angedockt, mit genug Anspruch und Courage, sich an "An Hommage to Luciano Berio" (2017) und gar an "Music for Philosophers" (2018) zu wagen. Dzwieki z Offu [Klänge aus dem Off] (ACU 1013) dreht sich nun lokalpatriotisch um Grzegorz Królikiewicz (1939-2017), den durch etwa "Wieczne pretensje" [Ewige Nörgelei] (1974), "Zabicie ciotki" [Die Tante erschlagen] (1984), "Der Fall Pekosinski" (1993) oder "Sasiady - Neighborhooders" (2014) bekannten Altmeister der polnischen Filmkunst in Lódz. Und insbesondere um dessen preisgekröntes und kontroverses Debut "Na wylot" (dt. Durch und durch, 1972) und die Filmmusik dazu von Henryk Kuzniak & Janusz Hajdun. Mankowski nähert sich dem an durch nicht unharmonische Drones und perkussive Geräusche und Ansätze von Rhythmik, durchsetzt mit Samples. Als Metasoundscape, durch den Alltagsgeräusche und Instrumentalklänge geistern, Fetzen eines Kinderchors. eine Handvoll Pianonoten, angerührte Strings, von allem nur Tupfer, Schlieren, ein Anhauch, wie ein melancholisch eingetrübter Schleier, gewebt aus Erinnerungen und durchhuscht von Mäusen, die im Oberstübchen daran nagen, betropft von Tropfen und müden Schlägen, mit vagen oder klimpernden Griffen in die Tasten, von Glocken bebimmelt, von Vögeln bezwitschert. Dumpf verzerrte Klänge kehren wieder, Geräusche kreisen und malen unrund und schleifend, das knarzende Gefüge scheint zu träumen. So vieles ist wie im Traum und durch den Lauf der Dinge unscharf geworden: die Festung Przemysl von "Fort 13" (1984) nicht weniger als der Totschlag und die "Na wylot"-Liebe von Jan & Maria oder "Die Kostbarkeit des freien Gewissens", wie Królikiewicz 1981 seine Mahnung vor dem religiösen (ideologischen) Bürgerkrieg überschrieb, und wie es in Polen weitergeht, nachdem wieder das Messer gezückt wurde.

http://www.badalchemy.de/

VITAL WEEKLY

This name you may not recognize straight away, but before Adam Mankowski worked as Limited Liability Sounds and as such reviews of his work appeared in Vital Weekly (Vital Weekly 1070 and 905). In the first, he played homage to Luciano Berio. This new work deals with the debut film of Grzegorz Krolikiewicz, 'Na Wylot', which apparently wasn't too well received. This according to the information I got along with this release, as I never heard of this, or seen the movie. Apparently, there is a "new path of film acoustics", "which allowed to significant extent the psychological portrait of the main characters of the drama". Alright, I'd be happy to take their word for it, even when it makes considerations about the music not easy. I can only judge it on the basis of what I hear. The nine pieces here present an interesting mixture of musique concrete manipulation of acoustic sounds, sampled and resampled, along with the crackles of old vinyl and rhythms from various machines. In the opening 'Bez Wyjscia' that results in a trip-hop approach, while 'Tam Byta Milosc' has a very dub like character; the rhythms that are as he spins rather musique concrete like sounds around it. That is a pattern for more pieces actually. There is a melodic touch to be noted in these pieces, via rhythm, sampled piano sounds, church bells, synthesizers and woven into the fabric of field recordings, acoustic objects being sampled and some highly processed computer sounds. As I said, it is very hard for me to judge in relation to the filmmaker and his debut film, but hearing the music independently, I'd say, it is all a most decent job, even when it's not the most original things you can hear. Especially since trip hop's history already has a proven track record of sampling acoustic sources, adding beats to it and generating a cinema for the ears narrative music, then this is something that works well, for sure, as Mankowski does some great music, but following the path already laid out, which of course is fine thing to do.
(FdW)

http://www.vitalweekly.net/1167.html

CHAIN D.L.K.

Adam Makowski is a sound artist and improviser which has an already considerable discography under the name Limited Liability Sounds but it's more or less unknown outside Poland. This seems its first release under his own name and it's something apparently along the path of certain minimal electronic music based on patterns and short samples but it has also melodic apertures based on traditional instruments as piano which removes a certain cerebrality to the framework.
The first track of this release, "Bez wyjcia", is a quiet minimal track colored by small glitches and noises. "Milczenie i szaro" is instead reminiscent of classic avant-garde, that could be the source of a couple of samples including the chorus at the beginning of the track, as the fragmentation is only apparent. "Poranek" is centered upon a melodic loop upon an irregular noisy beat. "Tam bya mio" is suspended in his unresolved lines and "Portret" is apparently static until some sparse piano notes appear and "Serce Malisza" is hypnotic with his long tones and the final bells doubled by the piano. "Próba" uses the piano in either a classic way and as a sound source. "Mordercy i ofiary" starts quietly and ends noisy and "Niewidzialny ledczy" could be a modern classical piano piece if it wasn't drowned in a noisy environment. "Ona i On" closes this release in between between being a piano piece and a noisy experimental track.
While he owe much to his influences which are clearly audible, he has so carefully crafted this release that it will be well received by all fans of IDM and minimal electronic music. It's worth a listen.

http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=10760.

FELT HAT REVIEWS

Attenuation circuit is one of those small labels that still possess the spirit of true DIY music culture. It's truly open to new faces, there's plenty of enthusiasm involved and foremostly, staying away from the known names it shows great music.
Approaching material by Adam Mankowski, I tried not to read the liner notes. The idea of paying a tribute to "Na wylot" creator Grzegorz Królikiewicz doesn't necessarily speaks to me as it's very idiosyncratic and hermetic, in other words - quite interesting as a piece of Polish cinema but emotionally leaves me indifferent.
Unlike the music on this cd...
It's very cinematic, very much ambient in an experimental way transposing field recordings into somewhat interesting textures. Great aspect of it is its narrative - the grainy maestry of it pushing the boundaries of not a very easy path of minimalism that can lead to the point where it's just plain old repetitiveness. Adam definitely knows how to do it.
The grey matter of the substancethat is diluted here to the level of an amalgam is the key here. There is no lead, no particular track I could mention that takes a role of a main one. It's better to listen to it as a whole.

https://felthatreviews.blogspot.com/2018/12/dzwieki-z-offu-by-adam-mankowski.html?fbclid=IwAR182FS0KYW606wXm6qdWJVMNPuhn_Abm7uT4vIBTbreZfeJ4oB3aXsex8M