Sean Baxter

Solo Drumkit Improvisations is a richly detailed document of Sean Baxter's explorations in extended percussive technique. Utilising stochastic structures applied to the conventional drumkit, Baxter exploits the sonic potential of a range of percussive implements including, bamboo wok brushes and chopsticks, enamel camping plates, aluminium wind-chimes and wok lids, scrap metal, and even the body. Recorded by acclaimed Australian engineer, Christopher Lawson, with assistance from sound-artist Robin Fox, the fidelity and detail of the recordings is immense - justly complimenting the timbral and formal elements of the improvisations. Aesthetically, one is reminded of the intensity and density in stochastic works by the likes of Xenakis and Lachenmann, and the brutality of contemporary noise and grindcore, yet all the pieces are freely improvised by a single performer, with no processing or overdubs.