21 Situations

by François CoutureThis encounter between two of the leading turntablists of the avant-garde was meant to be. It happened in Montreal (Martin Tétreault's territory), December 1997. Japanese pioneer Otomo Yoshihide (ex-Ground Zero) performs on turntables, sampler, and CDs. Tétreault uses his arsenal of pick-ups, prepared records, and prepared needles. They recorded 21 short improvisations (maximum duration: three-and-a-half minutes) on specific themes, ranging from traditional music to cartoon, from science-fiction to education. This working method allowed them to concentrate their efforts on a few selected sound sources for a short period of time. It resulted in sharply focused pieces summarizing the techniques and art of both musicians. Humor is always a key aspect of Tétreault's work, and it is well-represented here, especially in "Science-Fiction," where the "spacy" analog synthesizer sounds he dug out are assembled into a melody very close to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The listener's attention has no time to wander off. Recommended.