- kdi dctb 039 [] – – mCD, October 2007, FernsRec (Fr.)
- kdi dctb 039 [f] – Festival Magnetic Trace
- kdi dctb 039 [f-a] –
kdi dctb 039 [] is a part of a “trilogy” made up of “kdi dctb 151” (See bremsstrahlung recordings), ’kdi dctb 039’ & ’kdi dctb 180’ (TBR).
Another piece about childhood memories composed only with field recordings made in various places visited from 1994 to 2007 : acoustic spaces, sound objects, sound auscultations, sound sculptures, bits of soundscapes… Microphone and recorder as the primary tools.
It’s sometimes good to make a pause, seat and take a look at the past – then, some sound fragments may appear… our sound memory.
3″CD, out on october 2007, FernsRec (Fr.).
Reviews
Throughout the ’90s, Cedric Peyronnet would boldy announce that none of his Toy Bizarre recordings were made with synthesizers or samplers, instead with field recordings and collage techniques as his twin media. It has been speculated that this notion comes from a punk attitude against France’s institutional avant-garde which evolved out of the work of Pierre Schaefer and Pierre Henri; but at the same time, Peyronnet’s recordings focus on the specificity of sound locations, and the technology of samplers and synthesizers didn’t have the ability to reflect the unpredictability that Peyronnet witnessed in environmental sound. While Peyronnet doesn’t mentioned his aversion to technology on this 3″ from Ferns, he’s retained the same adventurous sensibility for dynamic edits coupled with nocturnal, slippery ambience. From the jump-start opening of crackling twigs and grasses with an airplane’s Doppler-effected engine roaring in the distance, Peyronnet’s 20 minute composition dissolves into elegantly fluid timbres weaving out of tactile sounds from sand, grit, gravel, and other bits of detritus. Once all of the sounds have all settled into a drift of stasis, a quick jump to another set of textures and abrasions begins with a corresponding set of sympathetic drones. Fans of Loren Chasse’s field recording work, Tarab, and Steve Roden should all take note of this exceptional release.
In : Aquariusrecords.org
For more than a decade, France’s Cédric Peyronnet has put out a steady stream of releases under the name Toy Bizarre that explore the use of field recordings. As Peyronnet insists, neither effects nor traditional instruments are added to the mix, only found sounds and editing. “kdi dctb 039″, a new, 3” CD release on Ferns Recordings, mixes the pastoral with the industrial to achieve a thoroughly engrossing, sometimes enthralling listen.
Most of the one track on “kdi dctb 039” could be considered ambient and is extremely sparse, but a strong sense of tension and dread permeate the disc throughout. Thankfully, the tension builds to several satisfying releases. The first few minutes of the disc even contain brief eruptions of sound that veer into the realm of harsh noise. It’s somewhat remarkable that Peyronnet can achieve such an aggressive aesthetic by utilizing only field recording, a practice which, at least on the surface, may seem to be quite passive.
Like any album relying heavily upon field recordings, there is a certain joy in simply recognizing and contextualizing sounds. Apart from a bit of birdsong (thankfully kept to a relative minimum), some of the most easily apparent and interesting samples come from the subtly menacing drones of airplanes overhead. Equally fascinating are the plethora of samples that sound uncannily like typical instruments, especially analog synth.
Clocking in at around twenty minutes, “kdi dctb 039” comes nowhere close to wearing out its welcome. Unorthodox music-making methods aside, Peyronnet’s sounds and composition will satisfy and intrigue any adventurous listener willing to delve into the abstract. Though the name of the project might suggest otherwise, Toy Bizarre is anything but a novelty. 8/10 — Franklin Teagle (19 December, 2007)
In: http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=3011
The more I listen to Toy.Bizarre’s soundscapes, the better I appreciate them, even when they last no longer than 20 minutes, like in the case of this magnificent 3-inch which was made with field recordings that Cedric Peyronnet gathered in “various places visited from 1994 to 2007”. I’m sure that, besides being a frequent traveler, Peyronnet is a man gifted with the proverbial “open ears”. He always manages to catch the essential meaning of each sound, including the apparently less exciting ones, and his ability of generating accomplished compositions from these sources is something that strikes me deeply. One hardly realizes if we’re hearing presences from a country area – a concrete hypothesis, given that Toy.Bizarre has often made good use of that kind of ambience – or memories from depressing urban landscapes. The succession is perfect: “that” aircraft’s fabulous distant moan (I want the copyright for having named it “the airplane of consciousness” first), steps on a crumbling ground, reverberations that could have captured in a well or some other kind of hole, jangling metals in faraway quarters, virtual crossroads between reality and suspension of the bodily functions that become all the more welcomed in those moments where pondering about what we’ve been doing until now becomes as heavy as a huge stone that needs to be removed from our path. Different levels of sensibility will contribute to enhance the sense of belonging (to what, it remains to be seen) that these sounds can instigate. Brilliant stuff, a lesson for the wannabes who believe that sticking out a microphone is the only necessary act to start calling themselves “environmental artists” and, on that basis, releasing the customary bunch of useless discs.
In: TOUCHING EXTREMES
“Kdi dctb 039” consists of one track clocking in at barely over 20 minutes and, as per usual with high quality releases in the drone/ambient/etc category, is something meant for a deep listening experience. None of that background music stuff for this release. In fact you may want to bust out a pair of headphones for this one.
Starting out a bit more vivid than most drone releases with airplane sounds and unidentifiable crackle and clatter, various processed sounds and drones weave in and out of each other in such a flawless way that its really hard to figure out when one sound ends and another starts sometimes. However, this release is far from relaxing, somewhere in the 4 minute mark things become almost silent and if you start to turn it up you’re in for a surprise when it gets almost overbearingly loud for a bit with an onslaught of familiar static sounds at a much higher volume. This followed by high frequency drones that I’m assuming are to keep you on your toes.
Although “Kdi dctb 039” starts out pretty intense it has periods of slowing down, starting up, then slowing down again which is something I have to admit I’m not very used to in music of this genre. Also, the sounds used remain interesting throughout the track but after the ten minute mark I occasionally felt that things were dragging on from time to time. After all is said and done though, this really is a pretty unique release. Toy Bizarre definitely does have his own sound in this field and I’d be more than willing to check out further releases of his.
Charlie Martineau, in http://www.connexionbizarre.net
This composition mixes creaks, crackles, whistles, passing airplanes, bumps and thunderous noises from various field recordings with a range of dynamics from the loud opening moments to the micro-sounds paired drones which seem to whisper some secret melody. A 20 minute symphony, the organization of the recordings makes this a piece od music and not a static document of place.
In: Bixobal 4, july 2008
Der Code kdi dctb ist bei Cédric Peyronnets Fieldrecordings so obligatorisch wie in gewissen Parallelwelten das BWV oder dergl. ,kdi dctb 039′ speziell ist der Mittelteil einer Trilogie, die mit ‘kdi dctb 151′ auf dem Split mit Dale Lloyd auf Bremsstrahlung in San Diego begann. Dass Peyronnet auf puren Naturklang (keine Synthesizer, Sampler etc.) pocht, wurde schon als bewusste Abkehr aufgefasst von der erzfranzösischen Pariser Musique-Concrète-Schule. Aber die Lauschangriffe auf die akustische Umwelt, hier nur deklariert mit ,made in various places from 1994 to 2007′, sind nicht weniger ,typisch französisch’. Oben propellert ein Flieger, unten knistern Laub und Ästchen, dazwischen ein Hüsteln, Klackern und Knurschen, ein Zwitschern, Bitzeln und Zirpen, wie ein Glas prall gefüllt mit ,Wald & Wiese’. Duchamp hat 1919 in einer Apothekenambulle ,Pariser Luft’ als Readymade-Gastgeschenk mit in die USA genommen. Peyronnet könnte entsprechend 20 Minuten ,Heimatklang’ verschenken, so komprimiert, dass er explosiv verpufft, dass es wie ein Percussionorchester aufrauscht und dann minutenlang nachbebt, als synästhetisches Konzentrat von ,Natur’, über die hinweg erneut Flugzeuge ihre Bahn ziehen.
In: Bad Alchemy 56
Verdammt knusprige Natur- und Umweltaufnahmen, die uns über 20 Minuten regelrecht um die Ohren gerieben werden. Mikroskopisches Gezwirbel im Unterholz, begleitet vom Düsenjet in 8000 Meter Höhe, geht über in fantastische Echodrones. Vögel zwitschern entfernt, Schotter, Gewitter und verschwommenes Glockenläuten wachsen aus fremden Texturen und lösen unmerklich einander ab. Leider viel zu kurz, dafür aber entrückter und anonymer als Luc Ferraris Aufnahmen und tausendfach klarer als alles von Francisco Lopez. Bravo!
In : De:Bug 07/08
