#cris x

[cris-x]

The End Of The Fall ✖

[musikatlach]

Solito trafficare con ambienti sonori più estremi – vedi alla voce split con Merzbow, Maurizio Bianchi e K.K. Null, se si parla del Cris X in solo, oppure la purtroppo estinta esperienza Lendormin, di cui si recupera velatamente l’atteggiamento sperimentale in ambiti “jazz” –, il romano Cristiano Luciani annulla le distanze con l’amato Giappone e torna in coppia con la cantante e performer Keiko Higuchi. Registrato in modalità impro nel lontano 2010 e rodato live nel Sol Levante nella primavera scorsa, Meltsembra giocarsi sul filo dell’incontro/scontro tra personalità, background e sentire musicale. In questo senso i due, nel tentativo di fondere appieno i propri percorsi musicali, si “scambiano”, rivisitandoli, anche scampoli dei propri passati: una Sister presente in forme diverse nell’ultimo lavoro della Higuchi, (Ephemeral As Petals, Utech 2013) con proprio Luciani alla batteria e synth; una In Obscurity tratta dallo split citato con Merzbow in cui canto e piano sono ed erano della giapponese.

E su quei canovacci labili, su quell’annusarsi elegiacamente nel tentativo di trovare una via di fuga ad una poetica comune, si posiziona l’intero Melt: voce e pochi, calibrati ed evocativi rintocchi di piano per Keiko, elettronica, field recordings, samples, una slide-guitar per Cris; pochi, essenziali elementi che riescono a creare paesaggi sonori di notevole intensità e profondità, innervati da una fusione sublime tra i due (il lavoro di Cris X è magistrale nel “seguire” la collega, cucendole addosso frattali sonori ad ampio spettro: ambient, noise, glitch, ecc.) e mossi da una passione molto equilibrata, diafana per certi versi e fortemente “nippo” (e qui è Keiko a guidare quasi in maniera “zen” gli sviluppi sonori). Roba che non deraglia, insomma, nemmeno nei momenti più accesi – una Sister/You Left Me So Insane in cui Keiko se la gioca alla pari con la Diamanda Galas meno ferina – così come in quelli più intensi e desertici – la conclusiva, immaginifica Melt: blues per sottrazione, estasi per macerazione – ma mantiene sempre la barra dritta, verso una sorta di “blues” catatonico o catacombale, fatto di sospiri e soffi, penombre e interstizi, assenze e fruscii (l’iniziale Ceaseless/Do You Care? è paradigmatica per certi versi) in cui la dimensione onirica prende spesso il sopravvento senza risultare “già nota”.

Un lavoro pregevolissimo, dunque, in grado di costruire atmosfere evocative e suggestioni oscure e fiammeggianti, proprio come nella bellissima cover.

[musikatlach]

S'affina e scarnifica sempre più, l'ipotesi narrativa soundtrack/ambient/noise messa a fuoco nella collaborazione fra il romano Cris X e la giapponese Keiko Higuchi.

Che in “Melt”, amplia e deflagra, quanto di buono espresso, nello split “Guya / Greed” con Merzbow del 2011.

Cinque tormentate peregrinazioni, intorno ad una tesa espressione, tutta impeto (il piano e la voce della Higuchi) e glaciali affondi (l'elettronica, i field recordings e i metalli trattati di Cris X).

Spoglie ambientazioni, fra silenzi, deliquio e raccoglimento (tangibile e a tratti perfetto).

Una ballad terminale/fiammeggiante (Tell Me What You Got To Say), quasi un invito a perdersi/annullarsi, di fronte al bianco assoluto.

Sagome e traiettorie in dissolvenza, l'intensità espressiva di Patty Waters ed un blues spettrale/avvolgente/isolazionista, non distante dalle “Murder Ballads”, della coppia Mick Harris / Martyn Bates.

Chiude un percuotere statico/rituale, una slide ed un'orizzonte lattiginoso, tutt'attorno, il vuoto.

Dark Was The Night-Cold Was The Ground, altro non resta. Marco Carcasi

[musikatlach]

brainwashed posted the review - Keiko Higuchi/Cris X, "Melt"

Melt is an unexpected pairing given my previous experience with both artists.  Higuchi I have heard mostly in an almost conventional jazz context, marked by conventional piano playing and her powerful, idiosyncratic vocal style, while Cris X (Cristano Luciani) I associate with harsher, more noise oriented abstractions.  Neither deviate too far from what I expected from them on here, but the odd pairing works surprisingly well and comes together as more than the sum of its parts.

There is a shifting dynamic between the two artists across these five pieces, with one seemingly taking the lead on different pieces, while the other sits squarely between the two artists' respective styles.  "Ceaseless/Do You Care?" is one of the pieces that seems to favor Higuchi's solo work more, with her slightly pained vocals and piano playing sticking in the foreground, accented by Luciani's crackling textures and distant noisy clattering.

A similar sense can be heard on "Tell Me What You Got to Say," where the sound is stripped back to sparse piano chords and calmer vocals, with the more dissonant moments reserved for backing textures.  In contrast, "In Obscurity" is more consistent with what I have heard from Luciani before, with its sharp, piercing electronics slicing through the otherwise peaceful piano and vocals.  For the second half the noise dulls to a dark rumble and far off field recordings, but dissonance stays as the primary focus.

On "Sister/You Left Me So Insane," the two seem to be at equal footing, with Higuchi's piano swells and dramatic vocals pairing with Luciani's dense, reverberated noise backing to create a hybrid of the two artists' repertoire.  Though both are equally represented stylistically, the darkness is undeniable.  The closing title piece stands out perhaps the most as sounding somewhat like neither artist specifically, but something altogether unique.  A slow bed of traditional Japanese percussion underscores the constantly shifting vocals (in mood and tone) that remain harsh without every truly becoming noisy.  Even when the more familiar sound of Higuchi's piano arrives, it remains more of an accent than the primary focus.

Higuchi and Cris X work with very different sounds and styles on their own, and while superficially the two may not seem complimentary, the overreaching dark but beautiful mood is what draws them together.  Normally I would expect the more unsettling moments to come courtesy of the electronics, but the most chilling moments were largely Higuchi's contributions.  It is the combination of both, however, that causes Melt to excel. Creaig Dunton

brainwashed

[musikatlach]

darkroomrituals posted the review: Keiko Higuchi / Cris X ‎– Melt

Musik Atlach ‎– MA012, 2013   1. Ceaseless / Do You Care? (9:28) 2. Sister / You Left Me So Insane (5:52) 3. In Obscurity (7:11) 4. Tell Me What You Got To Say (4:53) 5. Melt  (6:40)   Ин...

[musikatlach]

loop posted review of 'Melt'

loop posted review of 'Melt'

Keiko Higuchi & Cris X | 'Melt' | Music Atlach | 2014 Keiko Higuchi es un vocalista, pianista e intérprete japonesa. Cuando vivió en Estados Unidos comienza con la improvisación y fue miembro de la banda Saturnalia. Regresó a Japón en 1998 e hizo algunas giras con el bailarín de butoh, Imre Thormann y el violonchelista, Yasumune Morishige.  Su trabajo no se limita únicamente a la improvisación, sino también al trabajo vocal y canta con el pianista, kanda shin-ichiro. Como solista en piano y vocalista, forma parte del grupo DUELO (Mitsuru Tabata, Astro, Kelly Churko y Keiko Higuchi), de Kyohansha (Isshee en el bajo, Keiko Higuchi en batería), entre otros. Ha tocado con varios músicos  y grupos dentro y fuera de Japón. También Higuchi es escritora, fotógrafa, profesora vocal, entre otras actividades. Cristiano Luciani aka Cris X es un artista sonoro y visual italiano que trabaja y vive en Roma y en Berlín. Trabaja en los campos de la electrónica, el noise, ambient y música concreta. También trabaja en la composición y actúa en producciones teatrales, ballet contemporáneo, música incidental y en bandas sonoras para sus propias producciones de video. Su trabajo visual y arte sonoro ha sido exhibido en Europa, Reino Unido, Japón, China y Sudamérica. Ha colaborado con importantes artistas como Merzbow, KK Null, Maurizio Bianchi, Phil Minton, Tristan Horsinger, Sachiko y Eugene Chadbourne, entre otros artistas.

 La música de Keiko Higuchi y Cris X se enmarca dentro de la electroacústica en donde podemos escuchar las vocalizaciones, sonidos guturales en un juego teatral y el piano minilista de Higuchi. En tanto que Cris X pone comotelón de fondo sus ambientaciones a través de la composición de síntesis y registros de campo creando fantasmagóricas atmósferas. Por momentos la voz de Higuchi me recuerda a Diamanda Galás de voz oscura y versatilidad de registros de voz. Guillermo Escudero Keiko Higuchi is a vocalist, pianist and Japanese interpreter. While living in the United States she starts with improvisation and former member of the Saturnalia band. When she returned to Japan in 1998 she did tours with Butoh dancer Imre Thormann and cellist, Yasumune Morishige. His work is not only in improvisation but also vocal work and singing with pianist shin-ichiro kanda. As a solo pianist and vocalist she is part of the DUELO group (Mitsuru Tabata, Astro, Kelly Churko y Keiko Higuchi), also of Kyohansha band (Isshee on bass, Keiko Higuchi on drums), among other projects. She has played with several musicians and groups in Japan ans abroad. Higuchi also is a writer, photographer, vocal teacheramong other activities. Cristiano Luciani aka Cris X is an Italian sound and visual artist who lives and works in Rome and Berlin working in the fields of electronics, noise, ambient, and musique concrète. He also works on composition and performs in theater productions, contemporary ballet, incidental music and soundtracks for his own video productions. His visual and sound art works has been exhibited in Europe, United Kingdom, Japan, China and South America. He has collaborated with renown artists in the likes of Merzbow, KK Null, Maurizio Bianchi, Phil Minton, Tristan Horsinger, Sachiko, Eugene Chadbourne among other artists. The music of Keiko Higuchi and Cris X is framed within electroacoustic music where we can hear the vocals, guttural sounds in a theatrical play and minilist piano of Higuchi. While Cris X puts as a backdrop ambiances through the synthesis of composition, improvisation and field recordings creating phantasmagorical atmospheres. At times Higuchi's voice reminds me of Diamanda Galás murky voice and her voice records versatility. http://www.loop.cl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1042&Itemid=27

[musikatlach]

VITALWEEKLY POSTED THE REVIEW OF “MELT”.

VITALWEEKLY POSTED THE REVIEW OF “MELT”.

KEIKO HIGUCHI & CRIS X - MELT (CD by Musik Atlach) Italy's Cris X has been reviewed before and his works are sometimes in collaboration with others, mainly Japanese, musicians such as Merzbow and KK Null and here with Keiko Higuchi. I never heard of her, but she's a singer and piano player. They recorded this album together, already in 2010, in Rome. This is certainly not easy music. It's orchestrated, but quite sparsely at that. It's full on an empty space, if you know what I mean. Everything seems careful here. The piano playing, the singing, the electronics, field recordings or the rattling of a metallic percussion in the title piece. Everything is performed with care, with space between the music. It has a vague, modern classical feel to it. It is very spacious, yet not entirely in the world of cosmic music. The opening fire crackles of 'Ceaseless/Do You Care?' reminded me of Etant Donnes circa 'Blue' and makes this is all a bit more musique concrete like. At thirty-five minutes this may seem like a rather short album, but it's an album that requires a lot from the listener. Probably this one of those albums if you listen only without much effort or concentration, one that will easily be dismissed; however if you open up and fully concentrate on this music, you will find there is much beauty in here. (FdW) http://www.vitalweekly.net/924.html

[skin--bones]

I CANI - Roma Sud/Theme from Koh Samui (feat. Cris X)