phh!k songs - reviews

All Music Review

Phh!k gathers the essence of all electronic music, from mid-20th century first attempts (like the theremin) to the German school, electro-acoustics, and experimental turn-of-the-century techniques. It could be described as an amazing synthesis of synthesized music. Not that Phh!k was intended as a historical project of some sort, nor that it actually sounds like one. Simply, Peter Hannan and Henry Kucharzyk have integrated in their playing many influences, currents, and techniques both old and new. Their music has the soothing appeal of vintage Klaus Schultze, the cutting edge of abstract experimentation, and the ever-disconcerting weirdness of motion-triggered electronic instruments like the theremin and the lightning. Both instruments are heavily featured on "Dexter Sinister," the most difficult piece on this CD. A few tracks use the human voice as part of the material: speech sampled and arranged as melody in "Weather," as rhythmic patterns in "Hiro," as Inuit throat singing in "Venus Ascending." A series of six "Intersection" pieces are scattered throughout the album, providing short moments of electronic/noise crossbreeding. The music on Phh!k has a very organic feeling, and a sense of immediacy rarely found in electronic music, thanks to the fact that it was performed live in the studio. Overall, this album stands out as a discovery for fans of electronic or experimental music and a strong achievement for Hannan and Kucharzyk.
~François Couture, All Music Guide

Peter Hannan + Henry Kucharzyk - phh!k

Record Label: Artifact
Catalogue #: ART 023
Year of Release: 2000
Time: 59:00

Tracklist: Intersection 1 (1:49), Hiro (3:39), Intersection 2 (2:09), Raven Highway (6:17), Satisfied (5:28), Intersection 3 (2:39), Venus Ascending (8:57), Dexter Sinister (10:35), Intersection 4 (2:30), Weather (3:20), Intersection 5 (1:08), 7 Hours (5:31), Intersection 6 (4:52)

Ever since Progressive Rock was coined as a term by critics this section of music has seen no boundaries and has come to encapsulate various genres and styles. The album in question here is one of those particular albums that one would have difficulty in categorizing. The amount of experimentation involved as well as the heavy use of a battery of instruments both digital and analog gives this release that progressive slant.

Both musicians/composers started their musical career in traditional academic music studies but both have veered away from this field and moved on towards experimenting with synthesizers and more importantly gesture-controlled instruments. Examples of such instruments are the Theremin and the Lightning, a creation of synthesizer wizard Don Buchla. The Theremin was created in the 1920's and is the instrument used to create the famous wailing eeee-ooo on old horror films. It has been utilized by various rock musicians such as the Beach Boys (Good Vibrations) and Mercury Rev just to mention two. Both instruments emit sounds of different pitch and duration which vary according to the proximity of the body to the instrument allowing the musicians to play or program the space around them.

The music provided can be divided into two sections. The background rhythm is provided by Henry Kucharzyk who uses various samples including voices (Hiro), drum loops (Satisfied) and rhythmic chords. Furthermore he gives depth to thetracks by including drones and various other sound-effects. At times you feel you are hearing a range of ethnic instruments all playing together something which I experienced hearing the album Passion:The Last Temptation Of Christ by Peter Gabriel. However, this time the whole cacophony of instruments that is created has only two musicians. The music seems to transport the listener all over the world with diverse musical influences involved such as middle eastern drones, African rhythms up until modern day electronica! One of the most intriguing things about the way Kucharzyk introduces various rhythms is that they are done so at a phenomenal rate. No sooner has the listener grasped the new rhythm and accepted the beat then a new one has been delved out to shift the balance of the song. Basically Henry Kucharzyk has come up with a rhythm section that keeps the listener on his/her toes and does not allow one to sit back to and digest the electronic bombardment coming his/her way.

On the other hand we have Peter Hannan who is the equivalent of the lead guitarist in a routine rock band. Most of his work is done using the Yamaha WX-7, which is a clarinet that controls synthesizers instead of its own noise, as well as the Lightning. Together with Kucharzyk he has come up with a combination of both synthetic and natural sounds which complement the ever changing rhythm being created.

On the whole this is not an album for those who are looking for something that is easy listening and melodious. Not that it is devoid of melody but one has to really sit down and listen to the album paying attention to detail to appreciate it.

I recommend this album to those who like listening to the Experimental Prog groups especially those of the electronic kind such as Tangerine Dream, Can, Faust as well as those who appreciate the works of Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. Thisalbum is an interesting insight into avant-garde music with examples of musique concrete and pattern music appearing throughout. This is one of those albums that grows on you!

Conclusion: 7 out of 10.

Nigel Camilleri