Meupe present
The Ambassador From Everywhere 20
Tuesday December 8, 2009
Spectrum Project Space
7pm / $5

— Solo Andata (12k, Melb/Per)
— Anonymeye (Bris)
— Ben Hamblin

Solo Andata should need no introduction to Perth audiences, yet this is the first time Paul Fiocco and Kane Ikin perform in their home city under their current nom de plume. Their highly anticipated and critically acclaimed second album — out through New York's increasingly influential 12k label — saw Solo Andata take a more abstract approach to song structure, honing in on the micro details of their every day environments to create a dense listening space.

Touring the release of his beautiful and well titled second album, "The Disambiguation of Anonymeye", Andrew Tuttle (aka Anonymeye) introduces his unique mix of experimental rustic steel-string guitar stylings and analogue synths to Perth.

One of Meupe's favourite local sound artists, Ben Hamblin, is to the clarinet as Oren Ambarchi is to the guitar. His unique approach to the instrument coupling live techniques with MaxMSP mastery is seriously next level and not to be missed!

—

Meupe's final event for 2009 and last until March 2010. Regrets guaranteed for those who miss this fine summer evening.

'Of recent weeks, the second self titled album from Australian duo Solo Andata has been really reinvigorating my love of ambient music. Blending field recordings with dense washes of reverb and floating, decayed instrumentation, the duo of Kane Ikin and Paul Fiocco – divided between Melbourne and Perth respectively – have crafted one of 2009’s best records. Kane was kind enough to drop by for a chat about their latest opus and play a few records, delving into dense swathes of sound for a Tuesday night cerebral love in, just how we like it on Against The Arctic. He also premiered some unreleased material, finishing his half an hour set with a track called ‘Sailing’ from a forthcoming solo project. Hopefully we can catch Solo Andata playing live sometime soon. Keep your ears peeled.'

Here the full interview and mix here http://againstarctic.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/against-the-arctic-182-6th-october-2009-w-kane-ikin-solo-andata/

TEXTURA REVIEW

Solo Andata's (Australian duo Paul Fiocco and Kane Ikin) eponymous follow-up to its 2006 debut album Fyris Swan (Hefty) hews to a somewhat oblique narrative path suggested by its eight track titles. In keeping with the group's name (which, translated from the Italian, means “one way”), the album traces a uni-directional movement from water to land and exploits binaries such as cold-hot and motion-stasis. The quasi-narrative grounds the album, then, but in a fairly open-ended manner that allows the listener to disregard the story if he/she chooses and attend to the slow-motion drift of the settings all by themselves (exquisitely designed, the release is complemented by a mini-booklet containing eight photographs by Taylor Deupree that visually reference the album tracks).

The opener “Ablation” supposedly situates itself on a boat in a cold arctic night, and as proof one can hear the distant sounds of seagull cries and the omnipresent churn of the boat's engine. The piece turns into something truly remarkable, however, once the mournful tones of Louise McKay's cello appear to augment the choral singing and the occasional piano accent. “Ablation” ultimately registers as a veritable master class in sound design and arrangement, with Solo Andata weaving its carefully-selected sounds into an eleven-minute mood piece of strikingly evocative character. With its humanizing presence and emotive warmth, McKay's cello playing also elevates “Loom,” which tends towards a conventional musical form in its melancholy unfolding and emphasis on acoustic instrumentation (cello, acoustic guitar). The elegiac “Canal Rocks” presents what sounds like muffled French horn motifs caught in a cascading loop amidst amplified river flow. “Beyond This Window” finds light breaking on the horizon, drenching the sky in a golden hue, while waves beat against the tower's walls. Piercing the watery flow, pinging bell tones give “Look For Me Here” a gamelan quality while the pluck and strum of an acoustic guitar adds a natural character to the setting. With the sounds of insects buzzing (presumably about a fresh carcass), birds chirping, and ground crackling underfoot front and center, “Woods Flesh Bone” makes imagining oneself traipsing through the woods on a sweltering hot summer afternoon the easiest thing in the world.

No information is given regarding sound sources or instrumentation used in producing the material—Solo Andata presumably wanting the music to speak for itself—but we're told that the duo largely eschews electronic instruments for the sound-generating potential of acoustic instruments (guitar, piano, and cello, obviously); it should be said, however, that while nothing so anomalous as a synthesizer squeal is present, Solo Andata radically processes its source materials until they turn into sumptuously-textured set-pieces. Regardless of production methods or sound sources deployed, the album offers a remarkable exemplar of the soundscaping genre.

October 2009

If you're still looking to pick up a copy of our limited half clear single for 'Look or me here'
we only have 20 copies left of 500!

Jump over to http://www.12k.com/2014.html to pick up one of the last ones.





Look For Me Here is Solo Andata’s accompanying single to their self-titled, full-length 12k album (12k1056) which, in addition to Solo Andata’s album mix, includes two exquisite remixes from Japanese legend Ryuichi Sakamoto and 12k visionary Giuseppe Ielasi.

With “Chorale”, Sakamoto progressively transforms Solo Andata’s rich and bittersweet work of electroacoustics into a vast and textured landscape of enchanting electronics which, at times, is beautifully bewitching. Giuseppe Ielasi, on the other hand, presents us with a luscious array of melodic skittering that altogether forms an elegant and harmonious whole.

Packaged in a clear, round CD case and printed on a half-clear “fan” CD, Look For Me Here is limited to only 500 copies for the world.

From Boomkat.com

Solo Andata - Solo Andata - Album of the week + Recommended Download

'Having previously cropped up on the label as one of three acts on 12k's Live In Melbourne album, Australian duo Solo Andata release their second album proper (a follow up to 2006's Fyris Swan, on Hefty) with this absorbing set of compositions, all mixed by Taylor Deupree, with mastering duties undertaken by another 12k stalwart, Giuseppe Ielasi. From the first few moments of its sonically rich opener, 'Ablation', this is an ambient album that's full of nuance and character. Surprisingly, there's actually very little in the way of an electronic presence here, and most of the finer details come from organic sources, whether they be acoustic instruments (both traditional and homemade) or a range of location recordings, encompassing such subjects as the dark-drone chug of a boat's engine to the close-up, environmental clatter of a forest. This is a wonderfully well-produced record (as you'd expect from the roster of talents involved), but it goes beyond the expected domain of textural and analytical microsound-type composition, expanding its focus to include Richard Skelton-esque untamed string passages and Chris Watson-influenced nature portraits. Wonderful stuff.'

Solo Andata - Look For Me Here - Single of the week + Recommended Download

'A rare short-form release for the 12k label, Look For Me Here is a remix EP accompanying Solo Andata's excellent new album. In addition to the album mix, 12k regular Giuseppe Ielasi is on hand as a remixer, as is Ryuichi Sakamoto, whose 'Chorale' mix starts off the release with a flood of glorious droning ambience. There's nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary in its conception, but Sakamoto's execution is imperious. Weaving together pin prick glitches and swathes of misty harmony the, the veteran composer brings a distinguished serenity to the original. Ielasi meanwhile delves into a slightly more dynamic soundworld, making more explicit use of the acoustic sounds from the original, casting a particularly warm glow over the acoustic guitar passages. Three great tracks, but the Sakamoto overhaul is the real pick of the bunch.'

Two and a bit years on from our first record 'Fyris Swan' on Hefty our new Self Titled record is finally available, online at such excellent vendors as Boomkat, itunes, Bleep, Forced Exposure, Amazon and pretty much anywhere else you can think of and especially from our label 12k!

Thanks to everyone who has/is featuring our album, including:

Fluid Radio - September Top 10
Boomkat - Featured Download
The Silent Ballet - Band of the Week

We hope you like it!

.. ..

Very Excited to announce the first Solo, record from Paul Fiocco - Torsions and Drifts.
A beautifully detailed excursion in microsound and composition that is devestating in its beauty.
Due out in June
Be sure to grab it while you can as copies are limited

Check Meupe.net for more details

12k is an independent record label, It was founded on January 1, 1997 by Taylor Deupree. The label focuses on experimental electronic music, specifically on digital minimalism and contemporary forms; as of January 2007, it has released over 40 CDs and become one of "the most consistent, and consistently excellent, record companies in the electronic music world." Notable artists appearing in the label's catalogue include Alva Noto and Frank Bretschneider (co-founder of the Raster-Noton label).

Solo Andata are pleased to announce their forthcoming self-titled record in collaboration with 12k to be released in September 2009.

Stay tuned for more announcements

www.12k.com