Black Truffle Australia Vinyl & CDs

Review: Accomplished Swedish-Finnish artist Marja Ahti arrives on Black Truffle with an extended journey into her electro-acoustic practice. As you might expect from a release on Oren Ambarchi's label, there's an emphasis on sustained tonal immersion, but Ahti is equally prepared to make decisive cuts and shifts in direction when the moment calls for it. At times surrounded by environmental static, elsewhere drawing us close to consider a specifically sculpted tone, Tender Membranes is a captivating invitation to pause and truly listen, and makes the task surprisingly approachable through the compelling nature of the sounds contained within.

Review: Black Truffle is celebrating the tenth anniversary of Oren Ambarchi's Quixotism with a special reissue, originally released on Editions Mego in 2014. This remastered edition, with enhancements by Joe Talia, brings back Ambarchi's ambitious workia summation of his past explorations and a precursor to future innovations. Quixotism presents a single, LP-length composition divided into five parts, anchored by Thomas Brinkmann's pulsating electronic rhythms. The album starts with delicate orchestral and piano textures, gradually evolving into a vibrant polyrhythmic shuffle featuring tabla player U-zhaan. Ambarchi's guitar traverses a wide array of acoustic spaces, from crisp, clipped tones to deep, reverberant expanses. The piece's slow, dream-like transitions and the intricate interplay of its elements reflect both a culmination of Ambarchi's previous work and a hint of his future directions. A fresh opportunity to rediscover the charm of Quixotism.

Review: Black Truffle's tenth-anniversary reissue of Oren Ambarchi's Quixotism brings renewed attention to this monumental 2014 release. Originally recorded with collaborators across Europe, Japan, Australia, and the U.S., Quixotism unfolds as a single, long-form piece split into five sections. Anchored by Thomas Brinkmann's steady, double-time electronic percussion, the piece gradually evolves from orchestral depth and subtle piano motifs (courtesy of John Tilbury) to a striking polyrhythmic shuffle, culminating in the final passages with U-zhaan's masterful tabla. Throughout its journey, Ambarchi weaves guitar textures that shift from clipped, sparse tones to lush, reverberated layers, creating an expansive yet cohesive sonic landscape. The interplay of acoustic and electronic elementsiranging from the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra's grandeur to Crys Cole's intimate contact-mic texturesiguides the listener through an otherworldly audio experience. Influenced by Cologne techno, Eliane Radigue's long-form compositions, and the fluidity of improvisation, Quixotism shifts in subtle, dreamlike transitions. Remastered by Joe Talia, this edition offers a clearer perspective on the album's intricate sound design, reaffirming its relevance while pointing forward to Ambarchi's future works like Hubris and Hence.

Review: Given that Ricardo Villalobos was one of a handful of guest producers who featured on Oren Ambarchi's recent Hubris album - a krautrock-influenced minimalist techno exploration that also boasted contributions from Jim O'Rourke and Mark Fell, amongst others - it seems fitting that he's been roped in to provide two new remixes. The Chilean's contribution to the album was largely rhythm-based, and his two lengthy Variations - each stretched across one side of wax - promote undulating, heads-down dancefloor hypnotism above all else. Naturally, his drum programming and use of subtle stylistic shifts is as on-point as ever, with Ambarchi's original textures being manipulated into mind-altering new shapes.

Review: The 2020 send + receive festival in Winnipeg ignited a series of connections that culminated in an ambitious and unexpected collaboration. It was here that Mark Fell first experienced Will Guthrie's work, inspiring a future project. The festival also led to Fell's connection with Limpe Fuchs, whose music left a lasting impression. This connection flourished into a collaborative session in September 2022, when Fell and his son, Rian Treanor, visited Fuchs in her Peterskirchen home. Now, Black Truffle presents the results: Dessogia/Queetch/Fauch, an expansive triple LP with over two hours of innovative soundscapes. On the surface, Fuchsia veteran pianist, improviser and instrument makeriand Fellian electronic music producer known for reshaping club sounds into algorithmic experimentsiseem like unlikely partners. Yet, their shared love for percussion and their ability to "establish silence" reveals a deep commonality. Recorded in Fuchs' home studio, the album features a vast array of her unique instruments, from wooden parquetry and bamboo flutes to microtonal metal tubes and free-form vocals. Fell's contributions oscillate between stuttering, percussive digital pulses and textured, sliding tones, contrasting yet complementing Fuchs' organic sounds. From the shimmering tones of 'Dessogia I' to the metallic echoes in 'Fauch I' and the synthetic waves of 'Queetch III', each track offers a journey into uncharted sonic territory. An audacious blend of ancient and modern music.

Review: Over the course of fifty years, Kamalesh Maitra devoted himself to the art of tabla playing - specifically playing the tabla tarang, a set of between ten and sixteen hand drums tuned to the notes of a drone and scalic backing. Here on Black Truffle comes 'Raag Kirwani On Tabla Tarang', a quelling new record detailing one of several newly unearthed archival recordings of this late great purveyor of the Indian classical music tradition. Across just two movements in one raga, Kirwani demonstrates an adroit playstyle, slickly promulgating an illusorily multi-armed sound; it's almost unbelievable at points as to how he achieves his various unisons and flams, with several pinpointable moments sounding as if at least three drums are being struck at once. Seated behind a semi-circular array of drums, Maitra produces stunning waves of melodic improvisation enlivened with the rhythmic invention of a master percussionist.

Review: Konrad Sprenger, as any real heads will know, is a moniker of Jorg Hiller, who works in many fields including composing, producing and instrument building. His work seamlessly blends scientific exploration of sound with pop sensibility and humour. From the diverse instrumentation of albums like Miniaturen and Versprochen to the electric guitar explorations of Stack Music in 2017, Hiller's evolution is ever-captivating. Here he unites these elements into a playful, infectious epic performed by Hiller and the enigmatic Ensemble Risonanze Moderne with guest Oren Ambarchi weaving swirling harmonics into its vibrant soundscapes. These two side-long pieces feature polyrhythmic frameworks blending shimmering guitar harmonics, horns and synthetic bursts into a mix of avant-garde and techno wonderment. Hiller doesn't release very often but when he does, it's worth taking note.