CD + DVD, Hinterzimmer

Virgil Moorefield is a composer and intermedia artist highly esteemed for his acoustic performances, which often include processed and visual sounds. Five Ideas About the Relation of Sight and Sound can be thought of as related to this field of “frontier experimentations”, although the relationship between sounds and images – to be honest – is very self-referential in this work: it is in large part focused on technical virtuosity and on the percussive moments of great suggestion, very often with a camera recording very closely and in real time what the performer is doing on stage. The whole effect is very elegant and expressive; the orchestration of the electro-acoustic passages is very rigorous and maintains a strong impact, keep the listener expectant throughout. The Hinterzimmer people thought it fitting to add a DVD recording of the piece and an additional CD of other interesting productions; No Business As Usual features five different scores for piano, vibraphone, drums, electric guitar, baritone sax and double bass, and the tracks “Detroit Per Se” and “Siamese Kits, Joined At The Kick”. The music harkens back to the polyrhythmic meanderings of seventies free jazz and the tradition of concrete music; but there are other influences too thanks to a subtle authorial homage to other genres (motor city techno, industrial, rock and pop too), all coming together through the filter of a masterful and uncommon personal taste. Very elegant too is the release’s artwork, including a double poster and many notes and photos about the project.

Virgil Moorefield – Five Ideas About the Relation of Sight and Sound