Organ Eye

Organ Eye

BY Eric HillPublished Jun 29, 2007

As guiding hand behind Portugal’s Osso Exótico, David Maranha has long bowed his way towards the heart of "eternal music.” Drawing inspiration from the ’60s experiments that eventually birthed the Velvet Underground, Maranha enlists long-time collaborator Patricia Machás, as well as like-minded New Zealanders Jasmine Guffond and Torben Tilly, to explore two long, detail-rich drone excursions. While earlier recordings, such as the excellent 2000 release Circunscrita on Namskeio records, delved exclusively into the dense properties of acoustic instruments, Organ Eye open the door to the electronics provided by the NZ invitees. The results are phenomenal. On "Tema #1,” Maranha and Machás’ slowly breathe through their Hammond airways, adding little pockets of violin, drums and bowed piano as time passes. The electronics are so gradual, transparent and integrated that they never really reveal themselves until the piece concludes. "Tema #2,” however, picks up at that spot, with the modem squelch of digital noise transmitting its signal into both the past and future. Building these pieces through improvisation, the players are skilled listeners, preferring to cooperate on completely filling the cavity of listening gracefully rather than overwhelming with over-amplification and feedback.
(Staubgold)

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