Phil Niblock

Yet another exemplary drone recording by the tenured yet ingenious Phil Niblock who has made a worthy follow-up to Hurdy Gurdy, Touch Food is a shining example of minimalist composition. This release is a two-disc set of four delicious drones titled with food references, comprised of subtle transformations, tightly packed frequencies and shape shifting sound alchemy. Niblock individually distilled sounds played by musicians from piano, baritone sax, clarinets and electric bass using ProTools for his sound cookery. The instruments were played in ways other than their creators intended, to coax out unique sounds. The results are meditative continuous pieces that are not unlike a drawn out and sustained climax. At first the pieces are a simple yet long note, but, like the almost imperceptible movement of a clock minute hand, changes do occur, very subtly until the note becomes something different. These changes occur continuously, until the end of the track where the next flawless drone is executed. Once in the middle of a soothing Niblock recording, one gets the sense of being in a nirvana state without beginning or end, just constant dharmic change.