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Rick Reed

Music For The Rothko Chapel (10")

Label: Beta-lactam Ring Records

Format: 10"

Genre: Electronic

Out of stock

Here's a rose plucked from the magnetic garden. Rick Reed's solo project from 1985. Entitled "Music For The Rothko Chapel" . Reed has long had a fascination for the chapel, located in Houston, Texas, which contains some of the last large scale paintings by the late abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko. Almost completely monochromatic, in deep shades of purple and near black, the paintings seem to want to pull the viewer into it's mysterious world of the void. Reed wanted to create not so much a composition about the experience, but an actual soundscape in which one could lose themselves while inside, Slowly taking in the paintings, possibly wearing walkman type headphones for the full effect. The music like the paintings, is almost totally monochromatic. Starting with a single bit of guitar feedback, recorded, then played back into the room with additional bits of feedback added each time, recorded layer by layer until "all the brush strokes were rendered nearly invisible". The end result is not at all like feedback, but more like a huge dark cloud of electronic sound, like a totally bent orchestra with a way out string and flute section hell bent on exploring the nether regions. Reed adds one final note, " I don't think I ever intended to release this, but after a joint visit with members of the group AMM, I learned what high regard people from other parts of the world hold for the chapel, I quickly reconsidered my rather jaded take on just what a fantastic place this really is". This is the same Rick Reed who was named in the Amm cd, "On the way to the Chapel we had Coffee with Rick Reed." Audiophile vinyl, Direct Metal Mastering.  The Wire-UK writes, volume 2 presents composer Rick Reeds meditative music for the Rothko Chapel- a long drone work split across 2 sides, recalling some of Makoto Kawabata's (Father Moo & the Black Sheep, Acid Mother's Temple, ...) more esoteric solo excursions." Definitely a must for fans of Makoto, Roland Kayn, Keith Rowe, Fred Frith.

Details
Cat. number: MT 022
Year: 2000