Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Kit Downes - Obsidian (ECM January 19, 2018)

'Obsidian' is a collection of Kit Downes’ solo organ works from the eponymous album released on ECM Records. It is a musical response to volcanicity, slow processes that cause extreme reactions. A mixture of written and semi-scored/semi-improvised pieces, it focusses on the nuances and unique features of both smaller chamber organs local to rural Suffolk as well as larger grander instruments from bigger cities around the UK. It is both a study of extended techniques from instruments sometimes in states of disrepair, and a connection and adaptation of the improvised tradition of the instrument, exploring themes of duration, vibration and mechanics.


1 Kings by Kit Downes 2 Black Is The Colour by Kit Downes
3 Rings Of Saturn by Kit Downes
4 Seeing Things by Kit Downes
5 Modern Gods by Kit Downes and Tom Challenger
6 The Bone Gambler by Kit Downes
7 Flying Foxes by Kit Downes
8 Ruth's Song For The Sea by Kit Downes
9 Last Leviathan by Kit Downes
10 The Gift by Kit Downes