Beginning with (very) softly fingerpicked electric guitar, Perlonex slowly build up a dense, detail-packed drone. Unequal parts ECM spaceyness, 1980’s tape-trader loop madness, free jazz and electroacoustic mayhem, these three gentlemen mix seemingly disparate elements into a breathing whole. They take their time, letting the sounds hang around and become dissociated, as when a word is repeated until it loses it’s meaning. String a bunch of these unknowns together and they’ll eventually cohere by the sheer weight of their mystery. They also suggest the union of the atomistic and laminate ways of structuring sound, which is also happening here. Slow down the atoms till they laminate with the layers, the loops break up under distortion to reveal their particulate core, and the two, again, mesh. The quietness of a lot of this disc suprised me. Things seem to disappear even though some vestige of their passing hangs in the air. Expectation. (Yes, the disc is still playing). Now far off metal sounds, close-up shufflings of backwards cards,…a hint of melody. Rather than suggest timidity, these long quiet interludes show careful attention to the sounds, allowing them their own voices before rubbing the edges of them together to see if they’ll stick. We’re into the second track , low bass thumps … cackles of metal, squeaks … unamplified guitar notes (is it a loop? … waiting for it to come around again )… thumps … (yes it’s a loop) … squeaks descending in pitch … quiet cracklings … The loops are filling in the spaces between the other sounds. Density. Detail …
Jeph Jerman, The Improviser, USA
“A strange and almost indigestible concortion from a contemporary power-trio here – Ignaz Schick on electronics, Joerg Maria Zeger on guitars and Burkhard Beins on percussion. On the two long tracks here, it’s the 47 minute ‘Terlenka’ (…) after breaking away from a Techno-inspired start with loud guitars, settling down into a long weird passage of improvised noise-making that almost surpasses the early work of Guru Guru. Come to think of it, this music even resembles a modern day, refitted and streamlined take on King Krimson. There’s the same Fripp-inspired angst-ridden guitar arpeggios and power chords, struggling against the kind of maniac percussion rattling that Jamie Muir made so famous. Plus plenty of feedback, harsh matallic shrieks, and mysterious groans. (…)”
Ed Pinsent, The Sound Projector, UK
“This trio plays electronics (Schick), guitar by Jorg Maria Zeger and percussion by Burkhard Beins. Less in the fields of noise then the solo wok of Schick, this trio plays a nice mixture of improvised music with many electronic elements. The two lenghty live pieces go from extremely soft parts to large, dense clouds of bursts in scraping noise and fierce electronica. The second ‘Argon’ is my favourite with its nice crescendo.”
Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly, The Netherlands
“Man muß nicht nach Chicago fliegen, um die allerneueste Improvisationsmusik zu hoeren – Berlin ist auch ein gutes Pflaster. Perlonex liefern in zwei langen Tr
A new small German label, putting out CD-rs with a sticker on rather than a screenprint, minimal information about Perlon. That they are three blokes on electronics (Ignaz Schick), guitars (Jorg Zeger) and percussion (Burkhard Beins) producing two tracks: ‘Play it loud!!’ (which could be the title) is suggested on the cover. Whack it on, and we are confronted by 62 minutes (‘Terlenka’ at 47 minutes and ‘Argon’ at 25) of what sounds like improvisation. While the pieces are single tracks, movements can be separated out as the mood or instrumentation shift. The main instrument/component is Schick’s electronics which provide a range of tonal, noise and intricate abstractions which the others work around – this is made concrete through a very distinct stereo-separation of the parts. The first part of ‘Terlenka’ is a slowly evolving intro with backwards sound loops, simple percussion, guitar scratching, metal percussion that becomes continuous and a heavy breathing synth that creates an ambient-noise. At 6’ a scratchy noise enters, the guitar becomes more dominant plucking faint melodies, and there is a voice sample. Wild wind like noises return, drums and cymbals, tape noises, buzzing, crashing on the cymbal and squirls of synth, which takes a solo. This is a developing noise maelstrom, which goes quieter at 15’ with bleeps, ambience and woody clatters. The percussion returns at 21’, with guitar feedback and more noises of clattering, scratchy metals, rapid burst of clicking shifting to a swirling ambience at 26’ the radio begins crackling in the background with more woodblock percussion. A high tone takes the stage at 31’, signaling the buildup of another noisey period of sirens, guitar, string banging and general clutter before a quite subtle, long fade which lasts for the last ten minutes. Drones and shimmering hisses are the base for a range of elements – voice samples, a pulsing keyboard, wood and cymbal percussion – which are stretched and moulded masterfully. The subtlety continues in ‘Argon’ where humming and distant noises provide a slow beat for plucked strings and electric guitar (indeed the guitar is more obvious throughout this piece). A fire crackle and a noise like wood blocks being shaken around clutters. The mood shifts at 6’ as a guitar wail builds, a swirling noise grows and more guitars enter, a scratchy sandpaper soundm and stumped piano, and a siren starts to wail as we move to 10’. A sample loop is played slightly louder and faster providing a focus for the central section which is the noisiest, most abstract on the album. There is random banging, rhythmic tortured metals, bubbling electronica and squirling electro which builds to a crescendo to be subsumed by a simple looped guitar which adds notes as the loop progresses with electronica in the background, shifting to another long outro at 21’ in an abstract collage of rumbling with elements such as voices, tones and percussion flecked in. This is one of those disks which take a bit more time to find their place – a few listens to get a handle on the structure and direction. While it is not engaging music, as the resistance of beat or melody and the preference for atonal and harsher sounds tends not to sooth the listener, it is interesting, does draw you in and asks you to listen. At first I didn’t think I would like it but is has definitely grown on me. And though some sections are relatively mellow, the cover advice is correct – it doesn’t work as ambience, and you need volume to hear the detail and gain the full Perlon experience.
Jeremy Keens, Ampersand Etcetera, Australia
“The first piece “Terlenka” starts with a deliberate quiet volume, which progressively restored through percussive stumbles which are superimposed at the back of a loopes arpeggio on the strings which, in turn, absorbs certain sounds by way of spinning drain. The seconds one, “Argon” unfolds in a similiar way, although featuring aspects of different nature.”
Jesus Gutierrez, Hurly Burly, Spain
acks ebenso elegante wie klobige Beispiele dfuer ab, was Noise- Musik abseits der Klischees bedeuten kann. Zum Beispiel, dass Noise nichts mit Lautstaerke, sondern mit einer unreglementierten Entfaltung von Klangfarben zu tun hat. Perlonex’ Musik ist außerordentlich differenziert, weswegen die ueblichen, sicher auch auf diese Improvisationen zutreffenden Issues, z.B. Aufhebeung der Grenze “handgespielt/elektronisch” nicht wirklich den Kern treffen. Das haengt auch mit einer in sich versunkenen, dennoch hellwachen Spielhaltung zusammen, wie man sie (historisch) von AMM kennt. Gitarrist Joerg Maria Zeger erinnert aber keine Sekunde an Keith Rowe, sondern webt fragile Patterns in die Musik, Burkhard Beins (…) bündelt die losen Geraeusche ein ums andere Mal zu Energie und Ignaz Schick, der Saxophonist, spielt hier ausschliesslich Electronics. (…)”
Felix Klopothek, Jazzthetik, 3/2001, ****
“Erstmals in das Bewusstsein einer solchen Musik geneigten Oeffentlichkeit gelangten Perlonex mit der Single zur letzten Ausgabe der Bad Alchemy. Nun liegt ein erster Longplayer vor und auf zwei sehr langen Stuecken (47 und 25 Minuten) spielen Perlonex ihre raumgreifende, zersplittert wirkende Musik. Electronics, Guitars, Percussion stehen lapidar als Tonquellen auf dem Cover, doch selbst beim konzentrierten Zuhoeren wird selten klar, welches Instrument nun fuer welche Beitraege zustaendig ist. aufreibend und spannend zugleich wirkt vor allem Terlenka, das laengere der beiden Stuecke. Melodien sucht mensch hier freilich vergebens. Klang und dekonstruierte Struktur stehen bei Perlonex im Vordergrund, freie Improvisationen und ganz ohne Jazz – sehr angenehm. Eine spannende CD fuer Freundinnen von aus dem Augenblick entstehender Musik.”
Tobias Lindemann, testcard #9, 2000
“Ignaz Schick si occupa di elettronica. Joerg Maria Zeger si occupa di chitarre. Burkhard Beins si occupa di percussioni. Sono in tre, si chiamano Perlonex e non mi risulta che prima d’ora abbiano dato alla luce altri lavori con tale denominazione, sebbene i loro curriculum vitae siano ricchi di collaborazioni nel campo della ricerca strumentale e dell’avanguardia contemporanea, di partiture per opere teatrali, film e compagnie di danza, di installazioni sonore, di partecipazioni a manifesta-zioni accademiche e non, di oscuri passati in gruppi punk, ecc.! L’omonimo disco ècomposto da due tracce – ‘Terlenka’ (47′ 33″) e ‘Argon (25’ 14”) – viene pubblicato dalla Zarek di Schick e lo potete reperire rivolgendovi a Zangi Music (zangi_ music@ gmx. net). Il ‘Play it loud!!’ che campeggia sulla copertina non èun consiglio da trascurare, poiché solo con l’ascolto a volume elevato èpossibile cogliere tutti i frammenti musicali e le variazioni strutturali che compongono i pezzi. Un’improvvisazione che poggia su una scarna base noise e avant jazz dove gli strati sonori si sovrappongono, intersecano, mescolano e rigenerano vicendevolmente, come se Graham Bowers venisse “ridotto all’osso” o se gli Anatrofobia si facessero ibernare; que-sto èquanto ne scaturisce e non èpoco, anzi!”
Roberto Michieletto, musicclub, italia 10/00
“Bij Perlonex wordt het plaatje uitgebreid met percussie. Dit driekopping collectif opereert vanuit Berlijn en maakt in diverse projecten deel uit van der experimentele scene, zowel in avantgarde compositie als vrije improvisatie. Geisoleerde, associatievrije elektronica wordt langs alle kanten geattaqueerd door onderhuidse, zeurende ritmes en murmelnde snaarcreaties. Neurotisch pulserende en verschuivende klankenveloppes-ergens tussen hypermoderne improv en experimentele ambient (Zoviet France, EAR enz.) – zorgen voor een bij vlagen erg indrukwekkende psychoakoestische ommegang doorheen een vervallen en beregend industriepark.”
Gonzo Circus, Belgium
Ignaz Schick & his network of Zangi Music 