Abstract three-dimensional geometries: for many, they are the best expression of the rich imagery the mind’s eye produces when listening to music. But, with a growing heap of work that uses that material, artists have to push the details and execution to connect with the music.
Last year, Michel de Klein did a beautiful realization of Dutch artist Roel Funcken’s “Mercury Retrograde,” out on Schematic; I’m surprised I’m only coming across this now. It recalls the classic music video for Autechre’s “Gantz Graf,” produced in 2002 by Alex Rutterford of Lost in Space and far ahead of its time. Here, there’s a literal sense of being in a world that comes after digital techniques, as the hard edges of those geometries are seen as if on a CRT, viewed through layers of filters or processes. And there’s both a literal homage to the earlier work, and a sense – missing in many other derived creations – of the attention to precise audiovisual connections, in the finer points of Funck’s intricate music.
Details:
Mercury Retrograde, sept 04 2012, Schematic (SCH-096)
www.roelfuncken.com/ www/funckarma.com
Dear Schematic: we’d certainly love to see more videos, as your catalog is fertile territory for visualization. #idm4eva…
Mercury Retrograde is a fantastic title, I think – and comes with a fantastic cover.
