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Main | Tau

Monumental piece of weirdness by ex-Loop guitarist.
CD, (Kraak)³/Lowlands

Tekst: Bas Ickenroth

Publicatiedatum: 19 november 2002

Living on the edge. Or better: music on the edge. Robert Hampson knows how to do it. The former member of both Loop and Godflesh (if only for a short time) has his own project, Main, since 1992.

Tau is his first full-length album since Firmament IV from 1998, and it's a damn shame it took Hampson so long. According to the Main news list, he's in the middle of a true bombardment of releases on all kinds of small obscure labels. Or sometimes not that obscure, such as his split 12" with Fennesz, on Fat Cat. This album is released on the Belgian (Kraak)³ label, and fits perfectly well within their catalogue of difficult electronic avant-garde music.

So, what to expect from Main? Tau consists of two tracks. 'Heuristic' is divided into parts I through V; 'Mirror' into parts I through III. The music itself is truly on the edge, as it is assembled out of frightening background noises, laptop glitches, processed field recordings, guitar sounds that are completely unrecognizable as such, and ambient drones. This all makes a mind-altering, sometimes downright scary piece of work. The sound is deep, and, especially with good headphones, there is an enormous richness to discover. The atmosphere sometimes is a bit remniscent of Hazard's masterpiece Wind, but Tau is more minimal and definitely more frightening. Like a modern day musique concrète composer, Main goes through everyday life and takes what is needed. Hampson has found himself a comfortable place, somewhere in the middle between the digital avant-garde and composers like Stockhausen. Tau is a wonderful piece of art, and Main is a genius.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/main/tau/2071/
Meer Main op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/main