The material for Agglo was written, recorded and a produced, over a period of six months in a rehearsal space converted into a studio. The band decided to do away with the distinct parts of the production process: improvising, writing, recording and post. They worked on the music in layers – constantly revising, re-editing, remixing and over-dubbing pre-recorded material. Hence, the studio literally acted as the fourth member of the band, and contributed a very distinct musical voice to every composition. This very unorthodox approach to recording live music (especially in Jazz circles), not only opened up new arrangement possibilities for the group, but also allowed them to apply a freedom normally associated with live improvisation, to the treatment of the actual sonic substance of their songs. The result is a true fusion of acoustic and electronic sound, one, that at times, completely blurs the distinction between the two.
The band describe their music as urban, i.e. the sound representative of a modern megapolis: sprawling, dynamic and, at times, bleak and oppressive. This moniker also denotes the direct allusions made to genres such as Hip Hop and the various offshoots of Electronica, which infuse this material in very inventive ways. Free Jazz is, of course, also an urban genre. And, in fact, it was the group’s improvisational proficiency which laid the very foundation for this multifaceted, capacious sound. Many of the compositions, found here, feature jagged sonic artefacts and, on occasion, sound like broken technology (a prepared piano heavily treated with fx, a soviet synth); and tend to steep in a steadily building pressure that can’t find a resolution or a release. Despite its experimental leanings and a mild brand of cinematic melancholia, at its core, Agglo is a visceral, groove-driven record that speaks directly to the body. However, the most unique thing about this collection of songs is their ability to collapse musical history on itself, by dissolving musical traditions of the past in sonic iterations of potential afterfutures. Get ready for a dose of Post-Jazz, dystopian sci-fi eclectica.
1. Mount Ninja
2. Ni!
3. Totalsanierung
4. H.L.M.
5. In Rainbows We Trust
6. Know Your Explosives
7. Cheysar
8. Biosphere
9. Bejing Bolero
10. Karlsruhe
All songs recorded at the Me&Mobi Studio, Bern 2017
All songs written and performed by Me&Mobi
Produced and mixed by Philipp Schlotter Mastered by Dan Suter
Artwork by David Nydegger
Artist Page: www.meandmobi.ch
