Gregg Kowalsky - "Tape Chants" CD

Oakland, California-based drone/tone composer Kowalsky here shows a tremendous shift from his previous Kranky release, moving fully from the digital domain to purely-analogue sources. 'Tape Chants' utilizes cassette players, tape loops, oscillators, and acoustic recordings, and the hazy, gauzy sounds here are prime ambient material -- overall fairly static and (to jaded ears like mine) really quite relaxing and meditational. 'VI-VII' almost approaches a rhythmic direction, as several pitched pulse-tones (or loops) are layered together to create a rudimentary structure. 'IX' uses effected piano alongside lo-fi noises to evoke a mood of solemn nostalgia -- like a musty old photograph. The closer, 'X-XI' is closer to the noise of a furnace, insistent and jaggedly abrasive. Overall, 'Tape Chants' proves to be a curious and challenging experiment for Kowalsky, of which I'd expect greater fruits in the future. (Kranky)

Gregg Kowalsky website

Kowalskyspace