Günter Müller, Voice Crack, eRikm

1999 release ** "Released in 1999 as a wave of electronic-based free improvisation was slowly overtaking the world of avant-garde music, Poire_Z appeared as the first such record by a supergroup of sorts. The duo Voice Crack (Andy Guhl and Norbert Möslang), Günter Müller, and ErikM's proposition was of a highly introspective, slowly building shroud of electronically derived sounds: the popping of M's vinyls, the clicks and crackles of Voice Crack's electrical devices, Müller's cheap electronics, and overamplified but Spartan selected percussion (often only a floor drum or a cymbal and a couple of rocks). The music on this eponymous album was recorded in a studio and edited into rather short tracks (the longest lasting 14 minutes), especially when considering the group's uninterrupted live sets or the two 20-plus-minute tracks of their follow-up, Presque_Chic. If the result may be less immersing, it is also denser. Poire_Z's music is not about individual performances -- there is no way to tell who makes what sounds. It focuses on synergy, collective movement, synchronized build-up and release, and osmotic changes. The two longer pieces, "Mother Mount" and "Eject Ellegance," achieve the best results. For an early encounter, this CD already shows a strong sense of direction. That's why it ended up being one of the most surprising releases of that year. Strongly recommended."