anla courtis (sometimes alan courtis...don't ask me) is most famously known for his work in the argentinean experimental rock group reynols, which broke up in 2002. that group's demise seems to center around the fact that some people felt that the band was exploiting percussionist and singer miguel tomasin, who has down syndrome. the three reynols members still continue to play together in different forms, courtis with tomasin in sol mayor, an orchestra consisting primarily of other musicians with down's. their music is geared towards children. courtis also plays with fellow reynols member moncho conlazo (and his brother paco, not in reynols) in the avant-rock troupe minexio viii.

anla has collaborated with such artists as damion romero, lasse marhaug, mats gustafsson, thomas dimuzio and pablo reche. his knack for interesting textured drones and overall musical talent is why you should acquaint yourself with his work. here's a couple of newer releases; one's a split, the other a collaboration, as well as a classic from courtis.

kawabata makoto, anla courtis and rokugenkin

kokura 12"
[2006, riot season]

joining anla this time around is underground japanese guitarist rokugenkin and acid mothers temple/tsurubami/mainliner's kawabata makoto.

the first thing that stands out about this release is how anla courtis and makoto (pictured together left) could collaborate and create four tracks that clock in at just over twenty-three minutes. it's mindboggling. i can't recall there ever being an acid mothers temple song that wasn't less than two hours long. quite an accomplishment. personally, i'm torn between the running time. my practical side likes it for sheer listenability, but my frosted side thinks that it's a waste of these psychedelic minds to put out (on average) five minute long songs. having said that, this is an outstanding album of improvised electric guitar prowess. also worth taking of is just how incredibly cohesive this is for being improvised. kokura isn't scattershot at all, there's certainly a rhyme and reason to what everyone's doing here. it kind of evoked bardo pond's brilliant amanita, in certain regards. namely, that on that record there were two guitars that were used more as atmosphere and texture, while the third was playing the central rhythm. that formula is also in use here. on each of the songs there's the one guitar belting out repetitious notes that you instinctively latch onto while the other guitars drone and screech all around it. every song's a winner here. by keeping the track lengths insanely reasonable, the trio ensures that nothing gets too spacey and make the most of their time, crafting a record in the process which that probably has more longetivity than your average acid mothers album. unless you really love drugs.


Arigato Explosion

andrey kiritchenko, the moglass & anla courtis

courtis/kiritchenko/moglass
[2006, nexsound]

ukraine's andrey kiritchenko (pictured) is also the founder of the nexsound label, which was primarily founded to put out ukrainian music. andrey has worked his way, musically, from singing in a rock band to being a radio dj for techno music to later getting into more experimental electronic fields and finally to where he is today, which is a damn fine experimental sound artist. andrey's also released music under the alias of sidhartha. personally, i'm very thankful that he ditched the techno. i'm sure we all have our phases that we're less proud of, i know that i've had my fair share (and then some).

the moglass, also from ukraine, are an experimental trio that bring guitar, bass and electronics together to create, alternately, desolate and soothing music.

this is a three-way split that was released by a few different labels including carbon along with jan iversen and sindre bjerga's tibprod and goldsoundz, respectively. a.k. is first and all three of his contributions are really good. his drone and textured noise establish a very deliberate icy mood, which the moglass do a terrific job of, not only, carrying over into the album's mid-section, but elaborating upon it. while kiritchenko's tracks could be the musical personification of standoffishness, the moglass' incorporate more organic instrumentation, as well as some vocals which, while those elements are not overpoweringly warm, does give it more of a human feel. overall, it's still pretty droney and atmospheric. the moglass' closing piece harkens back to andrey's frigid mood with its central drone. courtis picks up on the continuity on track seven. while he's maintaining the droney soundscape that the other artists fixated on, he wisely deviates from the overt electronic feel, relying more on his affected guitar mixed with subtler electronic flourishes. with five tracks clocking in at twenty-eight minutes, anla clearly has top billing on this split, and he makes the most of it. while the first two thirds of the album had more of an atmosphere-based vibe, courtis commands your attention with his variation and experimentation and really hits his stride during the terrific final three tracks.


altogether, this is a worthwhile split with kiritchenko and courtis being especially on point. bonus points for how well this disc flowed together, coming off more like a collaboration than a choppy split release. as for the moglass, i'd strongly recommend their collaboration, again with kiritchenko, entitled dto, from 2003 on audioplate. their solo effort, pallcast, from 2004, was good as well. you can find that one on antony milton's pseudoarcana.

Andrey Kiritchenko Untitled 3
The Moglass Untitled 4
Anla Courtis Untitled 11

courtis

albúmina blues
[2001, freedom from]

when i was first discovering reynols through blastitude, i was excited by their depictions of reynols as a devastating drone -based rock band, but my excitement level diminished a bit when i could never find any of their recordings that lived up to the live hype that i was reading. enter this disc. while it's certainly not rock, courtis delivers the drone in spades. certainly anyone with a few hours of acidpro experience could make a drone album, it's the little added nuances that makes it interesting. anla demonstrates that in fine fashion with albúmina blues. using the slightest rhythmic elements, sometimes buried in the back, masquerading as ambiance, along with repetition, he doesn't attempt to simply lull you into a stupor, but strives to fascinate you. the title track is where he's at his best. this piece combines multiple repetitious layers with a central guitar drone. he also throws on some slight noise which serves as a stunning compliment to all that's going on around the track. that last part is meant literally as everything but the drone goes from one speaker to the next with amazing fluidity. it's an absolutely perfect piece of music. the following track, laringitis, resurrects elements of the previous one, adding some unique twists here, replacing other things there. still brilliant. the closing track, seems, to my ears, to be exactly the same as the opening one. that decision might seem like an odd one, especially considering when there was one track that was a reworking of another one, but i don't see it as a bad thing at all. i feel that the reworking and reprisals gave the album a tangible sense of cohesion, not only that, but it made it more of a memorable experience.

reynols was certainly a great band, but when i thought that i was looking for them, what i'd really been searching for was courtis, and more specifically, albúmina blues.

GREAT post on Anla Courtis. I'm perpetually upset that I can't hear everything he's done. I'd never even heard of the collaboration with Kiritchenko!

I decided to do my part, and post about Courtis's "Tape Works" release on Pogus Productions. Check it out!

I really liked "Kokura". I first thought this album would be harder to swallow, but actually it is a very enjoyable piece. And not too long. Fine.

yeah, while something "harder to swallow" more than likely would've been rad too, it was nice to hear alan in rock mode again. i could've stood to have it be a bit longer, but the brevity works to sustain repeated listens.