TO:83 | Oren Ambarchi "Audience of One"
CD - 4 tracks - 53:51
Artwork & photography: Jon Wozencroft
Mastered by Francois Tetaz at Moose, Melbourne
Pre-order in the TouchShop - this item will be shipped the week beginning January 30th 2012
Track listing:
1. Salt - 5:30
2. Knots - 33:23
3. Passage - 6:41
4. Fractured Mirror - 8:20
On "Audience of One", Oren Ambarchi presents a four-part suite which moves from throbbing minimalism to expansive song-craft to ecstatic free-rock. His previous solo albums for Touch exhibited a clear progression towards augmenting and embellishing his signature bass-heavy guitar tones with fragile acoustic instrumentation. Audience of One, while also existing in clear continuity with these recordings, opens the next chapter.
Remarkable in its confidence and breadth, but also in the sensuous immediacy of its details, this is the first time a single record has come close to encapsulating Ambarchi’s musical personality in its full range and singularity. The techniques and strategies developed in his refined improvisational work with Keith Rowe and his explorations of the outer limits of rock with Sunn O))) and Keiji Haino are both in evidence, alongside the meticulous attention to detail and composition of his solo works. And on the cover of Ace Frehley’s ‘Fractured Mirror’ which closes the record, Ambarchi even points to his roots as a classic rock fanatic, in an epic yet faithful version which extends the shimmering guitar patters of the original into a rich field of phase patters reminiscent of the classic American minimalism of Reich and Riley.
The album features a multitude of collaborators, who, far from appearing in incidental roles, are integral to the pieces on which they perform: on ‘Salt’, Ambarchi paints a hypnotic, chiming backdrop for Paul Duncan’s (Warm Ghost) vocals, and Joe Talia’s virtuoso drumming and driving cymbals are at the core of the epic ‘Knots’, in which Ambarchi, alongside a chamber arrangement by Eyvind Kang, weaves a net of frequencies and textures with the organic push and pull of a 70s psych jam, the bass response of a doom metal ritual and the psycho-acoustic precision of an Alvin Lucier composition.
On his previous records, Ambarchi’s signature guitar tone was the ever-present bedrock over which other elements sounded. At moments on Audience of One, this disappears entirely, as on the beautiful ‘Passage’, which, recalling the 70’s Italian non-academic minimalism of Roberto Cacciapaglia and Giusto Pio, is composed of overlapping tones from Hammond organ and wine glasses, Jessika Kenney's voice, various acoustic instruments, and the delicate amplified textures of Canadian sound-artist Crys Cole. Rather than being provided by any particular sound, the unified feel of Audience to One stems simply from the unique, patient sensibility Ambarchi has developed over the last twenty years; abstracting musical forms into their barest forms, while somehow always managing to leave their emotive power intact. [Francis Plagne]
Buy Oren Ambarchi "Audience of One" [CD] in the TouchShop
www.orenambarchi.com
Upcoming Shows | Winter 2011-12
Thu Dec 8
Oren Ambarchi & Joe Talia duo
+ Golden Fur, Marco Fusinato, Sean Baxter
@ What Is Music?
East Brunswick Club
280 Lygon Street
Brunswick East, Melbourne 3057
Australia
http://eastbrunswickclub.com/
Wed Dec 14
Oren Ambarchi & Joe Talia duo
+ Botborg, Cat Hope, Amanda Stewart & more
@ Now Now 2012 Festival Launch
The Red Rattler Theatre
6 Faversham St.
Marrickville
Sydney
Australia
http://redrattler.org/event/379/The+NOW+now+2012+Festival+Program+Launch
2012
Thu Jan 19
Keiji Haino/Jim O'Rourke/Oren Ambarchi +
Charlemagne Palestine
@ The Playhouse
Kitakyushu Performing Arts Centre
River Walk
6F Kitakyushu
Japan
http://www.cca-kitakyushu.org/english/events/index.shtml
Sun Jan 22
Jim O'Rourke & Oren Ambarchi duo
+ Crys Cole
@ Urban Guild
3F Le New Kyoto Building,
Kiyamachi, Sanjo-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku,
Kyoto
Japan
http://www.urbanguild.net/
Thu Jan 26
Jim O'Rourke & Oren Ambarchi duo
@ SuperDeluxe
3-1-25 NishiAzabu B1F
Minato-ku,
Tokyo
Japan
http://www.super-deluxe.com/
Mon Jan 30
Haino Keiji/Jim O'Rourke/Oren Ambarchi trio
@ SuperDeluxe
3-1-25 NishiAzabu B1F
Minato-ku,
Tokyo
Japan
http://www.super-deluxe.com/
Thu Feb 16
Oren Ambarchi and James Rushford's "Wreckage"
+ Alvin Lucier's "Still Lives"
@ Melbourne Recital Centre,
31 Sturt Street,
Southbank
Melbourne
Australia
http://www.melbournerecital.com.au/whatson/buytix?perfid=3672
Interview in Musique Machine
You can read an interview with Oren Ambarchi by Russell Cuzner here
Upcoming Shows | Autumn 2011
Sun Oct 23
Fire! with Oren Ambarchi
+ Tony Conrad, Cut Hands, Mike Watt & more
@ Supersonic Festival
Custard Factory
Birmingham
UK
http://www.supersonicfestival.com/
Mon Oct 24
Fire! with Oren Ambarchi
@ CCA 5
Glasgow
Scotland
UK
http://www.cca-glasgow.com/home
Tue Oct 25
Fire! with Oren Ambarchi
+ John Wall & Mark Durgan
@ Arnolfini
16 Narrow Quay
Bristol
UK
http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/music/
Wed Oct 26
Fire! with Oren Ambarchi
@ The Vortex
11 Gillett Sqaure
London
http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/
Thu Oct 27
Fire! with Oren Ambarchi
@ The Vortex
11 Gillett Sqaure
London
http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/
Sat Oct 29
Fire! with Oren Ambarchi
@ Soy Festival
Château des Ducs de Bretagne - Grande Salle du Harnachement
Nantes
France
http://www.myspace.com/festivalsoy
Sun Oct 30
Oren Ambarchi solo
@ Soy Festival
Maison des Compagnons du Devoir - 48 quai Malakoff
Nantes
France
http://www.myspace.com/festivalsoy
Tue Nov 1
Oren Ambarchi solo
+ Alan Licht
@ Batofar
Paris
France
http://www.batofar.org/
Wed Nov 2
Oren Ambarchi solo
@ Sonic Lyon
4 quai des Etroits
Lyon
France
http://www.myspace.com/events/View/11553105/Sonic-Lyon/
Sat Nov 5
Oren Ambarchi solo
+ The Necks
@ Kino Siska
Trg prekomorskih brigad 3
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
http://www.kinosiska.si/
Sun Nov 6
Oren Ambarchi solo
@ Jubez
Kronenplatz 1
76133 Karlsruhe
Germany
http://www.jubez.de/
Mon Nov 7
Keiji Haino/Stephen O'Malley/Oren Ambarchi trio
@ Hebbel am Ufer
Hallesches Ufer 32
10963 Berlin
Germany
http://www.hebbel-am-ufer.de/
Tue Nov 8
Keiji Haino/Stephen O'Malley/Oren Ambarchi trio
+ Lasse Marhaug
@ La Gaite Lyrique
3bis rue Papin
75003 Paris
France
http://www.gaite-lyrique.net/
Sat Nov 12
Oren Ambarchi solo
@ Jolt Festival
Gare du Nord
Schwarzwaldallee 200
4058 Basel
Switzerland
http://www.garedunord.ch/
August & September Live Shows
Thu Aug 25
Oren Ambarchi & Joe Talia Duo
+ Poletopra, Golden Fur, Thembi Soddell & more
@ KIPL
136 Roden St, West Melbourne VIC, Australia
Sat Aug 27
Husbands
+ Wunderlust
@ Revolver
229 Chapel St, Prahran VIC, Australia
www.revolverupstairs.com.au
Sun Aug 28
Husbands
+ Wunderlust, Marco Fusinato
@ The Tote
71 Johnston St, Collingwood VIC, Australia
www.thetotehotel.com
Sun Sept 4
Oren Ambarchi solo
@ Scaniaparken
Malmo, Sweden
scaniaparkproject.blogspot.com
Sun Sept 11
Oren Ambarchi & James Rushford's "Wreckage"
Performed by Oren Ambarchi & ensemble neoN, conducted by Jan Martin Smordal
@ Ultima Festival
Henie Onstad Art Centre
Sonja Henie Vel 31, NO-1311 Høvikodden, Norway
www.ultima.no
OREN AMBARCHI & JIM O'ROURKE - INDEED
Oren Ambarchi : Guitar, Synth, Percussion
Jim O'Rourke : Strings, Synth, Percussion
DEMEGO 021
Recorded & Mixed at Steamroom, Tokyo, Jan 2011
Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, May 2011
Photographs by Shunichiro Okada
Design by Takashi Site
While Oren Ambarchi and Jim O’Rourke have collaborated in a number of forms, from remixes to their acclaimed trio with Keiji Haino, Indeed is their first duo album. One long electro-acoustic exploration (presented here as two side-long pieces), what Ambarchi and O’Rourke proffer up here is also melodic and approachable, bringing to mind the warm post-minimalism of composers like Alvin Curran, David Behrman and Luciano Cilio. Indeed, it sounds a bit like the collective textural and melodic personality of their respective solo albums filtered through the highpoints of the Lovely Music catalogue. Beginning with a sequence of analogue electro-acoustic crunch before settling into a warm synth glow highlighted by the occasional melodic or percussive detail, it sounds like the music that two guys who have honed their skills through years of composition, pop songwriting and rigorous improvisation make when they’re having fun in the studio. [Francis Plagne]
Available from the TouchShop...
Oren's recipes in the Touch Recipe Book
Oren has added two new splendid fish recipes to the Touch Recipe Book
Live Dates | July 2011
Sun July 10
Oren Ambarchi solo
@ Western Front
Vancouver BC
Vancouver
Canada
http://front.bc.ca/newmusic/events/3394
Fri July 15
Oren Ambarchi solo
@ Substrata
Chapel Performance Space
4649 Sunnyside Ave. N
Seattle WA
Seattle 98103
USA
http://irisarri.org/SUBSTRATA/tickets.html
CONNECTED
Oren Ambarchi & Robin Fox have just completed the score for a new Chunky Move dance production called CONNECTED.
Teaming up with Californian artist, Reuben Margolin, director Gideon Obarzanek animates both the body and the machine through physical connection between the dancers and Margolin’s purpose-built, kinetic sculpture.
Reuben’s startlingly live sculptural works – constructed from wood, re-cycled plastic, paper and steel – transcend their concrete forms once set into motion, appearing as natural waveforms in a weightless kinetic flow. Suspended by hundreds of fine strings receiving information from multiple camshafts and wheels, his sculptures reveal in articulate detail the impulses of what they are coupled to. In this world premiere of connected, it is people – athletic and agile dancers’ bodies twisting and hurtling through space, as well as people in recognisable situations.
Beginning with simple movements and hundreds of tiny pieces, the dancers build their performance while they construct the sculpture in real time. During the performance, these basic elements and simple physical connections quickly evolve into complex structures and relationships. The show has just completed it's premiere run in Melbourne, with upcoming shows in Sydney, Seoul and the USA thru 2010-2011
Live Dates | April 2011
Tue April 5
Oren Ambarchi & Joe Talia duo
+ John Wiese
@ The Toff
252 Swanston St
Melbourne
Australia
www.thetoffintown.com/
Tue April 12
Oren Ambarchi solo
+ Quentin Sirjacq, Steve Argüelles
@ Les College De Bernardins
18 - 24 rue de Poissy
75005 Paris
France
www.collegedesbernardins.fr/
Wed April 13
Keiji Haino/Stephen O'Malley/Oren Ambarchi trio
@ OCCII
Amstelveenseweg 134
1075 XL Amsterdam
Netherlands
http://occii.org/
Thu April 14
Oren Ambarchi & Joe Talia duo
+ Christoph Heemann
+ Maya Dunietz performing Alvin Lucier
@ Cafe Oto
18-22 Ashwin St
London E8 3DL,
United Kingdom
www.cafeoto.co.uk/
Sat April 16
Oren Ambarchi solo
+ Genevieve Lacey solo
+ cr0w
@ Sligo New Music Festival
The Model
The Mall,
Sligo, Co. Sligo,
Ireland
http://themodel.ie/music/sligo-new-music-festival
Sun April 17
Oren Ambarchi & Genevieve Lacey duo
@ Sligo New Music Festival
The Model
The Mall,
Sligo, Co. Sligo,
Ireland
http://themodel.ie/music/sligo-new-music-festival