Jim O'Rourke

Lucky find, long out of print: No Fun Productions present an unearthed pairing of archive recordings from avant-garde polymath Jim O' Rourke, who's at his most ferocious on these recordings. From a title like '6 Oscillators '87' you figure the piece could go one of two ways: warm, disciplined Eliane Radigue-type drone or flailing chaos. Jim goes for the latter option, rattling through a host of pitch modulations and noise assaults, working his way through a sophisticated noise composition that always feels thorough and studied without feeling dry or reined-in. Over on the other side 'Guitar '88' sounds like the work of a vast string ensemble at some points, at others a Glenn Branca-style guitar orchestra. There's no sense of droning stasis on this piece, instead you get an impressive interrogation of the guitar's sonic possibilities. Extremely limited copies - hurry to secure a copy.