The Closest Thing to Silence

フランスの「第四世界」を体現する
電子音楽家/ニューエイジ、レジェンドAriel KalmaがJeremiah Chiu、Marta Sofia Honerとの奇跡のコラボ作をリリース

『The Closest Thing to Silence』は、オーストラリアを拠点とするフランス出身の第四世界音楽の先駆者Ariel Kalma、およびJeremiah ChiuとMarta Sofia Honerによるコラボレーション作品である。本作は、2022年8月にBBC Radio 3の『Late Junction』企画に端を発し、初対面のアーティスト同士を組み合わせて新たな音楽を生み出す試みの中で制作された。

当初は番組用に約20分の音楽を完成させることが目的であり、3人はそれぞれのアイデアを往復させながら断片的な録音を編集・追加していった。完成した4曲は放送されたものの、その後も未使用の素材や発展途中のアイデアが残されていたことから、彼らは制作を継続することを決意する。

その結果生まれた本作は、即興演奏とコラージュ編集を基盤に、異なる時代の音素材が交差する構造を持つ。1970年代にカルマがGRMで録音した音源や、制作過程のメモ的な音声、各メンバーの即興パフォーマンスが編集によって再構築され、新たな音楽的ナラティブを形成している。

世代を超えた創造性と、記録と即興の境界を曖昧にする本作は、カルマの長年にわたる探求の延長線上にあり、その精神性はタイトル『The Closest Thing to Silence』にも象徴されている。

French experimental musician, new age pioneer, and global traveler Ariel Kalma has been making music for most of his life, but largely remained obscure until some of his early records were reissued in the 21st century, and RVNG Intl. released the remarkable Evolutionary Music anthology of previously unreleased works in 2014. Since then, Kalma has been united with several major figures of contemporary experimental electronic music, most notably Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (as part of RVNGs acclaimed FRKWYS series) and Sarah Davachi. The Closest Thing to Silence is a collaboration with synthesizer musician Jeremiah Chiu and violist Marta Sofia Honer, who both release music on the International Anthem label. The three musicians first collaborated for BBC Radio 3s Late Junction series in 2022, then expanded their work into a full-length. The record is based in improvisation, and edited together in a collage incorporating recordings Kalma made at pioneering electo-acoustic studio GRM in the 70s, as well as snippets of his spoken instructions to the other musicians. Like some of Kalmas earliest work, the music is filled with swirling, Terry Riley-esque loops, particularly on the hypnotic "Breathing in Three Orbits," but the sounds veer from cyclical patterns and trippy effects to cool, bubbling synth sequences, following an ever-shifting current. The overall tone is uplifting as well as curious, with selections like "Une Ombre Legere" taking on a more spiritual aura. "A Treasure Chest" is mesmerizing, with its various elements (clicking beats, chirping crickets, synth sparkles) coexisting without quite following the same rhythm, before Honers heavenly viola playing stands out near the end. "Stack Attack" also starts out with a detached beat sequence before clearing out and giving Honer room to shine. All three musicians drive each other into previously uncharted directions, making The Closest Thing to Silence a spirited and successful collaboration. ~ Paul Simpson