Jgrzinich - Insular regions (2005)

I wrote the name Jgrzinich on a slip of paper as I read something. Then I forgot about it. I found the paper, and googled the name. Jgrzinich is John Grzinich. He makes, among other things, sound art, ambient music and field recordings. The record I read about was Insular regions. I ordered it from Ikuisuus*. It was worth it. According to the booklet, the sounds are all recorded in Mooste, a village in Estonia. What Grzinich evokes are the ghosts of abandoned Soviet buildings. The record contains sounds recorded in an oil tank, a metal barn, in the forest, an old granary, on a lake and an estate mansion. There are two compositions. The first, ".e27 : n58" comprises a layer of drones (that sound like an organ, almost) and lots of clattering sounds in the background. The landscape we hear (is it a montage of different recordings or are all sounds recorded on the same location? I'm not sure.) really comes alive - or, should we say, what I imagine is somebody aimlessly moving around in this very industrial setting. The second composition, "..second portal", is a bit quieter than the first (that said, the first is not really loud, either). Drones surface the track here, too, but they keep changing form, one note persisting while another one fades out. That makes the music interesting. Beneath that, I imagine hearing creaking objects within the barn, and then, towards the end of the composition, I hear the forest, the wind and the frozen lake. Dripping sounds; the big Winter; silence.

I really want to say lots of things about this record but everything comes out silly. Listen for yourselves. It requires your full attention, though, otherwise it might turn bland. Insular regions will, I am sure, turn into one of my favorite records. The liner notes on the record sleeve give a glimpse into the world that the record evokes. Grzinich talks about the listening experiences he had while collecting his material, and he also writes a few things about Mooste. His notes are really helpful in attending to the music.

(Fans of Thomas Köner's Permafrost might like this.)

* I highly recommend this shop (they have a range of rare stuff from experimental rock to ambient music to noise to....). Fast delivery, good prices and friendly service. I got a few bonus records from the label. Nice.