Audio CD [oc99]
Collaboration between Roel Meelkop and Cédric Peyronnet / toy.bizarre : one solo track by R.M., two solo tracks by T.B. and one collaborative piece.
Roel Meelkop (1963) studied visual arts and art theory at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. During a post-graduate course at the same academy he decided to dedicate his work to sound and music. His musical activities date back to the early eighties when he started THU20, together with Jac van Bussel, Peter Duimelinks, Jos Smolders and Guido Doesborg. THU20 have released several tapes and CD’s and performed regularly in Europe. The working method of THU20 included many discussions about how to compose and why. This period was crucial in forming his ideas and concepts about sound and how to organise it, but it was not until the mid nineties that he was able to fully realise these ideas. The purchase of a sampler and later a computer radically changed his possibilities of working with sound, offering infinitely more control and freedom. Since then he has worked steadily on a body of work, most of which was recieved enthusiastically in the small but dedicated world of sound art. His other activities include working with Kapotte Muziek and GOEM and organising sound events, mostly in Rotterdam. Aside from releases, Meelkop also creates site-specific sound installations and performance pieces in collaboration with other artists.
Cédric Peyronnet aka toy.bizarre / ingeos is a french “sound sculptor” working since 1985 on phonography, soundscapes, sound art, acoustic ecology, field recordings – experimental, concrete, electronic and environmental music.
CD tracklisting
- Roel Meelkop – 1 (détude)
- Roel Meelkop & toy.bizarre – 0.5 (détude) kdi dctb 69
- toy.bizarre – kdi dctb 51
- toy.bizarre – kdi dctb 66
Reviews
The sound of rain water at the beginning of this album offers a deceptive introduction to this deft and stimulating collection of what, at first, sound like field recordings, but within time reveal something entirely more outlandish. After several minutes this cozy veneer is stripped away to reveal humming drones and threads of tenderly modulating sound morphing into near audible rumble zones framed by long periods of virtual silence. However, don’t get too relaxed – signs that a virus has contamined the programme are betrayed by sudden, glitchy outbursts of absurdly loud noise that can have you sitting bolt upright in your chair wondering whether that whistling sound you can hear afterwards belongs to the record ot it’s simply tinnitus generator from shell shock. The loudest interruptions feature micro seconds edits of nasty, crunchy, crackly samples beloved of powerbooksworms everywhere – and now quite commonplace ever since the Mego label artists popularised the style in the mid – neneties. The extreme dynamics encountered on this recording are certainly challenging for thr listener, but trace a ligne through its elegant structure and one is aware of a gracefully symmetry and a strong narrative od transformation ; the watery sounds at its inception are almost mirrored by their fuzzy, filtered, frequency-shifted, digital cousins at conclusion. Another strange chapter in the story of Glitch.
Kev Hopper in Resonance Vol.8
Roel Meelkop is your ‘no-bullshit’ type of person. Always open for new work, new challenges, no big stories. Recentely he completed with his pal Peter Duimelinks and Ralf Wehowsky a three way collaboration, and now he presents another one of those ‘I mail you, You mail me’ works. This time with Toy Bizarre, who have not yet thrown off their ‘group’ identity, behind which there is one person. The CD has, oh wonder, four pieces. One solo by Roel, one collaboration between Roel and Toy Bizarre and two solo by Toy Bizarre. Roel’s solo piece is of the usual high Meelkopian standard. It dwells for a great part on (partly processed) environment recordings. Slowly the whole piece is torn apart and small sounds remain. Then samples take over. The collaborative track is cleverly placed after this one: familiar sounds from the first piece return. If I understood correctly this is a linear track: each artist got equal parts and on harddisc it’s put together. Small bit of Meelkop, small bit of Toy Bizarre, small of Meelkop, etc. It turns out to be a somewhat more electronic piece with various interceptions. From the two Toy Bizarre pieces Id like the first best: high cracks and clicks, with sinewave sounds. In the second piece there are these ‘thumbling sampled sounds’ which sound like the ‘old’ academic stuff with today’s means. The second part of the track makes it up I think. But fine CD, well carried out.
Fdw- in Vital Weekly 208 vital@staalplaat.com
Trois pièces isolées et une collaboration, pour envisager en quelques minutes la proximité de ces deux peintres du son, en même temps que leurs particularités. Aux frontières du silence, ou plutôt aux limites de la perception, le néerlandais Roel Meelkop est aussi paradoxalement éloquent que son mini-cd 2 (Kyoku) (staalplaat). Ses microscopiques sons concrets sont une manifestation timide mais tétanisée d’un son aux aspérités démesurées. Cette opposition des dimensions fait entrevoir le son comme une dimension totale au spectre infini. Délicatement, la densité progressive des tonalités les plus douces ajuste les perceptions, à moins que nos sens sollicités aient accompli seuls ce travail. Le morceau réalisé avec toy.bizarre traduit les mêmes espacements, le même minimalisme dans les effets. Craquements, nappes concrètes, dissimulés derrière ce manteau de distance ; un travail conjugué qui n’arrive pas toujours à restituer la force de l’imperceptible. Les deux morceaux composés par C. Peyronnet / toy.bizarre sont conçus dans une optique plus environnementale mais tout aussi microscopique. L’impression de se retrouver dans une matière sonore cette fois crépitante, dont les champs d’activité ont subi l’effet loupe du musicien. Quelques chaos, mais aussi beaucoup de passages subjectivement harmonieux, organisations de strates aux microtons complémentaires, à la vie élémentaire. Comme une ouverture sur le monde des particules sonores quantiques.
D.B. – in Fear Drop n°7