VWV by MA

In 2024, Japanese vocalist MA recorded an album together with producers duo IFS. “REIFSMA” was a meshing of MA's spontaneity with IFS' production machinery. Extended vocal techniques, multi-layered narratives and original expression gave IFS's tracks a disturbed and hypnotic feel. After the critically and audience acclaimed “REIFSMA ”, MA returns to the Guides label with the solo album “VWV”.

“VWV” is MA's second solo album, the first, “AMA,” was released on Morphine Records. The two albums are closely related, complementing each other. “VWV” is a reverse transcription of the word “AMA,” which means, in turn, heaven or universe. But visual and semantic connections are not the only thing at stake. “VWV” and “AMA” both focus on the elemental, unpredictable, risky and sometimes wild. The narrative in the works is not chronological, concentrating rather on what is simplest in language, expression and the body. MA lets his thoughts flow without assigning them to anything or giving them any specific direction. His verbal and vocal practices are close to stream-of-consciousness, MA often refers to word games.

On the musical level, we get extremely spare material, in which the voice dominates. However, MA does not shy away from the sonic layer either, enriching the tracks with rough, dirty, industrial sounds. The nature of these recordings evokes associations with the plunderphonic tradition and the “borrowing” of new contexts. “I used recordings of vocals and sound ideas that came to me, which I'd recorded as rough drafts, and edited them.” - MA naturally expands the semantic field of plunderphonics, treating his ideas as something potentially strange, not-yet-mine, which is instinctively processed when he gives it a voice. In his practice, MA is careful to note the nature of the spontaneous self-alienation and what comes in its place. He is like a sound poet who responds with his voice to every slightest impulse of narrative and potential atoms of meaning ready to be externalized.

“VWV” resembles the universe after the Big Bang - it is spreading radially in all directions, trying to encompass and express “everything” at every moment, simultaneously.

outlines is a searching label. It starts with Chicago Footwork and aims at new forms, outlines and intuitions.

guides, is the more frivolous branch of outlines, where releases are characterised by greater freedom of form.

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