gameboy en italiano
Written on 3:09 PM by waratxe
langstabil - Pronto Luigi (Blanco/May) published by: MHz/Plate Lunch (4/2000)
"Gioco Bambino", the recent CD-release of the german duo "Klangstabil", includes 12 tracks of Gameboy electronics that
range from simple melodies that could easily be used as themes for childrens TV-series, to speedy, crackling, rumbling and noisy tracks. All of these tracks have been recorded directly onto DAT in realtime by using only a Nintendo Gameboy with an additional Gameboy Camera cartridge (which wasn't used to take pictures with, but as a primitive "mixing desk") and some simple effects. There are no samples, overdubs or additional instruments mixed to this recording later - all that you hear are the gameboy sounds recorded directly onto a DAT-recorder! About 70% of the tracks included are made by using only the gameboy and nothing else. The remaining 30% of the tracks are recorded while the gameboy has been connected with additional electronic equipment, but of course these tracks are recorded in realtime, too. "Gioco Bambino" - what means "game boy" in italian language - evolved out of the spontaneous idea to release a complete CD with pieces played on a Gameboy only. Receiving a track by "Klangstabil" that had been recorded this way, "plate lunch" was immediately fascinated by this idea and asked "Klangstabil" to do further experiments and recordings with the gameboy for a CD-release in co- operation with their label, which finally resulted in about 20 tracks that they recorded during April and November 1999 and of which the 12 most interesting ones found their way onto the "Gioco Bambino" CD. It's really exciting to listen to music that comes straight from the heart of a tiny gameboy. The german duo of "Klangstabil" was founded in late 1994 by Maurizio Blanco and Boris May. Amongst their releases are the brilliant "Böhm - Gott der Elektrik" LP from early 1997, that was released on their own "Megahertz" label. On this LP they used a self-converted "Böhmat", a rhythm-and effects-"instrument" which had its high time during the 50's and the 60's and that was originally intended to support organ-players with additional rhythms. "Klangstabil" showed that the "Böhmat" is much more than just a simple instrument for support, but that it deserves to play a main part next to other instruments with its astonishingly fresh sound, instead of being kind of a musical slave. Due to their 1998 LP-release "Sieg der Monochronisten" and an appearance on the 2-CD-compilation "Tekknoir" that has been released on the german "Hymen" label, a sub-label of "Ant Zen" - which recently released further tracks made with the gameboy as 12"-LP with the title "Sprite Storage Format" (the 500 copies sold out within two days from the label!) - "Klangstabil" have been labelled as "post-industrial"-outfit, but releases like the "Böhm" LP and their so far sole 7" - which both got enthusiastic reviews in the german "De:Bug" magazine for example - as well as the recent "Gioco Bambino"- CD show, that such labels don't do them justice. "Klangstabil" establish their own rules what results in releases that are fairly different to each other. Asked, how they would describe their music, they say that it's just "Klangstabil music" - what only shows their aversion against all kinds of labels. They do their very own thing - probably sitting between all chairs, as on one hand they're working with acoustic "Orff"-instruments - an project they realize with the help of children and to the other hand they record minimal, but harsh electronic pieces which definitely show influences by old school electronic/industrial artists like Conrad Schnitzler or Maurizio Bianchi/M.B., perfectly connected with their present sound experiments. Recently they performed some of their gameboy tracks on the "Mixer" Festival in Amsterdam, along with artists like V/VM, Saoulaterre, Gert-Jan Prins, Kapotte Muziek and others. Maurizio Blanco and Boris May will always have an open ear for interesting sounds - there's absolutely no doubt about it!
