Bernhard Gal

Austrian sound artist Bernhard Gal is an "ear camera.” His listening is so acute, so sensitive that the field recordings that form the basis of many of his pieces are rendered with the precision and attention to detail one expects from a Leica or Hasselblad in an expert’s hands. Relive is a compilation of recordings from a number of his diverse live performances over the last two years. A composer of particular depth, Gal applies his deep listening skills to the clusters of overtones on his piano piece "Meu Nome Gal Também,” where he feeds back frequencies into the projection of the pre-recorded piano part. "Konzerthauskeller” rings with eerie, throbbing tones, susurrating sibilances and delicate chiming. It takes an extraordinary mind to find inspiration in the commonplace, and Gal finds it in ordinary sounds like a word ("Velvet Green”), the beeping in a checkout line or the clicking of pool balls. He also knows how to use the rhythms of machines to fascinating effect, looping bits over the basic pulsations of modern life. Gal is a singular talent.