Bertoncini / Kocher / Lehn - Critical Values [Bruit Editions 019]

Put out on the circuit via the Switzerland-based Bruit Editions label on June 5th, 2k26 is "Critical Values", the latest full on improvisational album cooked up and captured by Tiziana Bertoncini, Jonas Kocher and Thomas Lehn. Combining their instruments and working methods of choice - violin, accordion, analogue synthesizer and sound processing in this respective order - "Critical Values" is comprised of two extended pieces both recorded live on September 17th, 2k25 and exceeding the 20 minutes mark with a combined runtime of roughly 44 minutes in total. Opening with "Complex Plane" the sonic triumvirate serves an intricate and somewhat brittle arrangement of partly screeching high frequency bowing and sustained electronic sinewave tones also at home in the upper registers, accompanied by intensely dramatic movements, calm sequences of near silence, electronic chatter and almost rural beauty which later lead into a whirling crescendo of various modulations and an intense, yet highly detailed improvisational climax before entering an expansive realm of electroacoustic minimalism. On the other hand the subsequently following second cut named "Bifurcation Points" explores a more tender and accessible, surely Deep Listening Music-leaning variation of electroacoustic experimentalism, focusing on slow sustained movements as well as carefully executed tonal shifts, at times eerie, at times brooding and at times well comforting, sometimes soothing even, slowly moving forward towards a tense, at times danger-heralding and certainly spine-tingling attitude surely informed by free and associative Contemporary Classical as well as scores for psychologic B-movie horror flics harking back to the era of black-and-white cinema in the best possible of all meanings, bringing forth fluttering strings, metallic clatterings of unclear origin as well as moments of pure nothingness, leaving room for the listeners brain to fill in the blanks both visually and sonically speaking. This is intense. And intensely avantgarde.

Album artwork on Instagram!