The legendary British collective AMM joins forces with Japanese sound artist Sachiko M on Testing, a stunning new release from Matchless Recordings that redefines the boundaries of experimental sound. This extraordinary collaboration captures a rare convergence between AMM's decades-spanning tradition of free improvisation and Sachiko M's pioneering sine wave minimalism. Testing emerges as a document of profound sonic exploration, where AMM's core members Keith Rowe, John Tilbury, and Eddie Prévost engage with Sachiko M's crystalline electronic interventions. The result is a work that transcends conventional notions of collaboration, creating an entirely new language of organized sound that speaks to both the collective's storied history and the limitless possibilities of contemporary experimental practice.
Recorded during sessions that allowed for genuine musical conversation rather than predetermined structures, Testing unfolds as a series of delicate negotiations between acoustic and electronic realms. Sachiko M's sine waves, known for their pure mathematical precision, find unexpected harmony with Rowe's tabletop guitar preparations, Tilbury's extended piano techniques, and Prévost's percussion interventions. Each piece becomes a meditation on the nature of sound itself - its emergence, development, and dissolution.
This release stands as a crucial addition to the AMM discography, marking another chapter in their ongoing investigation into the possibilities of collective music-making. For Sachiko M, it represents a rare opportunity to engage with one of experimental music's most revered ensembles, pushing her own practice into new territories of collaborative exploration.
Testing is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand the current state of the experimental avant-garde. Like all great works in this tradition, it offers no easy answers, instead presenting a series of questions about the nature of musical communication, the relationship between intention and accident, and the transformative power of deep listening. This is music that demands attention and rewards patience - a stunning testament to the enduring vitality of radical sound practice.
Available now on Matchless Recordings in a limited edition that befits this remarkable convergence of visionary artists.