Frequency Curtain by Frequency Curtain

Trio consisting of John Grzinich, Rick Reed and Josh Ronsen, using both analogue and digital sine wave generators, processing and interventions from the radiophonic spectrum. Frequency Curtain formed as a collaborative performance group, for an independent experimental media showcase in Austin, Texas known as Intersect 4. The Frequency Curtain debut (at Intersect 4) was on August 25th of 2001. In order to prepare for the performance, the group held a series of private improvisation sessions for two months prior to the event. What resulted was a highly charged interplay of analog and digital electronic sounds. The four tracks on this album are excerpts from extended improvisation sessions.

"The building blocks the members of Frequency Curtain play with are few and simple: shortwave radio, analog sine waves (tone generators), and digital sine waves and sound processing (on laptop computers). The music of Rick Reed, John Grzinich, and Josh Ronsen never sounds simple: cold and alien, yes, but also varied and richly textured. The lack of notes, recognizable instruments, or rhythm will make many a listener turn away, but the frequency deconstruction/reconstruction these three accomplish holds enough power to reward attentive listening. This trio premiered at the event Intersect 4 in Austin, TX, August 2001. In preparation for the performance, the three sound artists held a number of practice sessions, and the four tracks included here are taken from these rehearsals. Each track lasts between ten and 20 minutes, and is excerpted from a longer improvisation. Even though the musicians experiment with different approaches, the whole thing has a homogeneous feel, mostly thanks to the constant presence of radio static looped into a drone. The sine waves move around, heavily processed in both basic analog (pitch-voltage and such) and digital ways (MAX/MSP patches, presumably) -- and never presented in their headache-inducing raw state. The music is surprisingly gentle and, played back at low volume, takes the form of a soft electrical drone. At higher volume it becomes an immersing clash of frequencies, like being trapped between broadcast towers with a metal plate in your head." - AllMusic

The physical edition of "Frequency Curtain" was released by Elevator Bath as a compact disc in 2002.

Rick Reed is a self-taught composer and improviser who has been working in the Austin underground music scene for the past 40+ years.

Facebook