back to Edge City Collective reviews

CDs of the Week

By da Flower Punk
flowerpunk@pauserecord.com


Week of Sept 5-11, 2000

EDGE CITY COLLECTIVE,
"GUITARRASALTO" (Edge City Music) - It's
interesting that the acronym for Edge City Music is ECM,
because this record is reminiscent of nothing more than
the groundbreaking atmospheric, all instrumental jazz
discs put out by the European label ECM in the early
1980s. While the atmospherics idea was eventually
co-opted in large part by new age pablum producers, the
Edge City Collective stays in tune with the idea of the
edge (this is often not immediately accessible nor always
comfortable music) and the city (the sounds here are
urban, sophisticated and diverse), as well as the
collective (all five members share in the writing and
performing in various combinations). The sounds on the
disc tend towards improvisation on many levels. The
group begins with an idea, then goes off on it. They next
add layers, often taking hard left turns in structures or
melody lines at seemingly random but always interesting
intervals. From there they sometimes make sonic collages
using tape, or more likely digital edits, which combine
various pieces of music, to create something that happens
only this one time, on this disc. That they pull it all off
without drums takes several listening sessions to even
notice, and the variety of sounds they get with acoustic
guitars, basses, sax, flute, melodica, accordion and a
touch of mandolin is astounding. Yes, it gets electric at
times too, creating a palette of emotional soundscapes
that is at once soothing and unsettling, urban with an
occasional touch of country roots. All instrumental,
heady, and full of feeling, this is a fascinating collection.
The only news better than that of its existence is that this
is scheduled to be the first part of a trilogy. I look
forward to hearing where this series goes.

back to Edge City Collective reviews