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Phil Dadson: Sound Tracks

Since the first fledgling attempts at free improvisation and soundscaping decades ago, contemporary music has expanded its scope exponentially. Practitioners experiment in myriad ways, using natural or man-made objects not usually associated with music, 'real' musical instruments in non-standard ways, free-form vocals, 'found' sounds, electronics, invented and self-constructed instruments, and other devices. New Zealand's Phil Dadson has done all this and more on his first solo album - and it's simply superb. In a seamless series of remarkable solo improvisations, incorporating most of the techniques mentioned above, with his intriguingly named self-conceived-and-crafted instruments (gloopdrum, ostifan, nundrum, zitherum) producing equally intriguing sounds, Dadson commands attention from the album's dramatic opening to the very end. Deep primal drum sounds give way to clicking stones, wordless vocals, sudden dynamic interpolations from unidentifiable sources, and plinking-planking-plunking and sympathetically resonating strings and drones, creating a kaleidoscopic soundscape of a future with endless sonic possibilities. Despite its apparent simplicity, there's a lot going on here and, thanks to Dadson's talent, the album is also very musical - remember, it's being played live by a solo performer. No matter what your personal musical tastes, if the stunning opening seconds of this album don't grab you, I'd be very surprised. Excellently recorded and produced by Atoll Records.

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