andy graydon at bay

Graydon’s ever more complex, liminal works set the benchmark for an ever growing population of microsonics artists that appear regularly on label roster’s and compilations the world over. Perhaps his most noteworthy contributions coming in the form of his remix work for post_piano on L-NE in the States, and NVO’s masterful EXTRACT book/CD, that perhaps exemplifies Graydon at his best.. Ben Owen’s Winds Measures imprint now gets the chance to further build on their reputation by giving Graydon a chance to shine on the wonderful, “at bay”.Much of Graydon’s work explores the confluence of sound and video, opening up novel spaces of investigation. Here, questions of sound and listening are placed within a distinctly physical framework that seeks the microscopic, the quantum, and the miniscule as a site of acoustic research. Whilst mapping out this new pallette of sonicity, Graydon’s material counters currents in contemporary sound art by questioning the presumed given of technologies and environments, uncovering hidden layers of phenomenal information by indicating the as yet uncovered sound source, the overlooked perceptual fragment, or the molecular dimensions to spaciality.
Pieces like”cloister 5.20.05? is based on a fragment by Kenneth Kirschner, taking the source material and mining it for every sonic possibility, it becomes a finely honed exploration of tone and texture. “Surroundings,(the ship, the shoal, the shore)” is a trembling, emotive piece, that explodes from a glitchy seed, blossoming into an almost symphonic tonal work, that then collapses into pure digital shingle.
“At bay” represents some of Graydon’s finest moments and is a collection worthy of further attention and wider circulation. Winds Measures have made a fine choice in Graydon, and the beautifully presented packaging only adds further charm to a very masterful work indeed.
Highly recommended. BGN

reviewed by BGN in white line