Partly inspired by Alex Ross' 'The Rest Is Noise', Tone Poem is a menagerie of samples accumulated by a deterministically random process - an exploration into the landscape of late nineteenth and twentieth century classical music via a cathartic endeavor to compose his own personal opera.
Expressing method in perceptible madness, Rubik has long been compelled to make an album as a product of almost entirely stochastic processes. After deciding on a stylistic theme he sourced the backing tracks from a selection of 10 classical CDs from his personal collection. Assigning numerical values to specific elements of these works, he picked numbers from a bowl to determine sample length; the point in time from which the sample was taken; and CD/disc/track number sampled from, etc. All samples of a certain length would be used on the same track and thus a tempo derived. Notes were then manipulated within the samples for a more expressive and ‘musical’ result and additional instruments and solos were ‘bent’ to fit the backing track in the same way.
Lyrical themes include religion, aging, paternal relationships, death/transcendence, acceptance of self, break-up(s), masculinity (and lack of perceived ideal), alcoholism, change.
The melodic, albeit slightly off-kilter, classical overtones provide some semblance of alleviation for any challenging listening, as if Billie Holiday’s ‘Lady In Satin’ had been warped in dystopia. Consider Rubik a more mortal David Sylvian or Krzysztof Penderecki, a twisted Sondheim, or merely a contemporary of L.Pierre or Hype Williams. And consider Tone Poem a nightmarish Disney production telling of one man’s everyday existence in Tottenham.
PRESS
ELECTRONIC SOUND
It’s one thing to have a concept like this, but a whole other to actually deliver it. And while that might sound like an indictment, it’s nothing of the kind. It is, in fact, all rather fascinating.
SOUNDS AROUND THE CORNER
Quasi un’ora di follia gestita con una classe davvero notevole, sperimentazione pura per abbracciare ogni volto la musica, nel suo essere possibilità manipolabile da persone, musicisti, eclettici, determina nelle ipotesi concettuali.
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ARTIST
TRACK
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RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
RUBIK
COME IN
KNIVES
BLACKWAVE
DUET
SWEET NOTHINGS
INTERVAL
MIRROR MUSEUM
CRINOLINE
SHADOWS OF APPLE BLOSSOMS
LACEWING
HALF WIDOW
TRUE & ETERNAL BLISS
BUY
GREEDBAG
