steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion


Klarc Qent

"Live: An Afternoon Bizarre" CD

Self-Released

Genres: tape collage, musique concrete, plunderphonics

Klarc Qent
PO Box 58674
Cincinnati, Ohio
45258 USA

Oct 28 - Nov 3 2002

Last time we saw Klarc Qent, he had created a wonderful little CDR by the name of Erroneous Data (plus) that culminated a number of his best tape collage pieces. This, his second effort, is another trip into the world of obscure samples and thrift store melodies - and, by golly, it's still dang fun.

Apparently from a live performance on his summer radio show, An Afternoon Bizarre is a fun, playful CDR that sticks more to the happy plunderphonic side of things than the world of political culture jamming. This, however, is no problem, and the album is a fun romp through a diverse smorgasbord of sounds.

Take "A World of Sound/N'coherency," for example. Over nine minutes long, the track is a long, drawn out aural attack of soundclips. Culminating everything from variety-show hosts to clips from Longmont Potion Castle's hilarious prank calls, his samples will continuously get you giggling to yourself. However, unlike similar artists People Like Us and The Bran Flakes, this music is not set to a beat, and those looking for more structured, melodic collages will want to look elsewhere.
Aside from the silly vocal samples, there are also a number of more experimental, abstract tape experiments here. "Live Improv #1," for example, sees Qent paying homage to Stockhausen in a bizarre sound concoction. The other two "Live Improv" tracks, as well as the two "UFO Was The Case" pieces, also feature a similar style.

Altogether, Klarc Qent's Erroneous Data (plus) may be more suited to newcomers to his sound, but this live album makes a wonderful supplement if you're already familiar with his sound. Heck, get 'em both.

By the way, this album also wins the "interesting packaging" award, as it is packed in a beautiful red case wiht interesting stickers and a funny little mini-zine about Jiminy Buzzkill. See the review of that zine here.

Note: Klarc loves to trade with artists of the same persuasion! Check out his website here to arrange a swap!

84%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 12 tracks; distributed by the artist; released 2002]