steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Klarc Qent

"Junk Jazz" CDR

Water Bear Records

Genres: sound collage, avant-garde, experimental

Klarc Qent
PO Box 58674
Cincinnati, OH
45258

Feb 2 - 8 2004

Few know of the living legend that is Klarc Qent.  Few know of his incredibly detailed, amazingly diverse sound collages.  Few know of his undying musical spirit, which breeds composition after composition of pure audio bliss.  Way back when, I reviewed his debut album, "Erroneous Data (plus)," which was a delicious foray into People Like Us / Negativland plunderphonics.  But Junk Jazz is a much different album, taking a more serious approach to musique concrete, featuring abstract cut-ups filled with old jazz and avant-garde samples.  The likes of Coltrane, Cage, and - of course - Stockhausen can all be heard in the mix.

Though Junk Jazz is extremely experimental, there are many pieces here that should be accessible to those unfamiliar with the experimental audio collage genre.  "The Cliff & the Fall," for example, lays some neat squiggly abstractness over a smooth piano background - the results are far from melodic, but still quite engaging.  The atmospheric "Eddie Lang Saxophone" is also one of the more listenable moments.

Other tracks go for straight-out experimentalism.  "Relapse," for example, is a percussion-heavy, bizarre soundscape.  "Improv for Duo" is pure messy guitar squall, chopped up and impaled on a frisky layer of percussion.

Junk Jazz is recommended for the adventurous listener.  Klarc Qent is truly proving himself to be one of the best sound collagists on the scene, and you'd be silly to miss out on this disc, which can be yours from Klarc for five measly dollars, postage paid.

87%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by the label ($5 ppd), released 2003]