Zaft 018 StillStand / Goose Split
Track Listing:
- StillStand: (Biographie Einer) Blume
- Goose: Did You Forget That We Are Eternal Beings?
From the time I first heard StillStand's Nebel CD on Fusion Audio Recordings, I knew that I wanted to do a split with him. It reminded me of Coil's equinox series, which is some of their best work, in my opinion. I emailed him and he agreed to do a split. I was rather pleased with the result. The two tracks mesh together very well. The theme was "life cycles". He took the idea of a flower sprouting, blooming, and decaying. My belief is that we are eternal beings, so I took it from that angle. The Goose track is treated didgeridoo, played by none other than Zelifkizum. Calm, beautiful music. This is one of the best recordings to enjoy by candlelight during a storm.
Here's what Nicolas at Recycle Your Ears had to say:
The fourth installment in the series of split CDRs on Zaftig Research contains two half an hour tracks. One is by Goose (Stolen Light / Zaftig Research) and one is by Stillstand (Martin Steinebach, also active as Monoid and Conscentia Peccati). Stillstand opens with a track that is build with the usual elements of this project: long, very slightly noisy but quite melodic drones and very ambient tones. The tracks seems to "fly", flowing very easily and, even though it feature quite a lot of low sound, not being heavy at all. I really liked Stillstand's "Ordnung" released on Troniks, and this track would have be at home on this album, with his very nice synthetic tunes. In the midst of all the noise drones / ambient bands that are appearing these days, Stillstand is one of the only artist who manage to communicate emotion and poetry through his music, which I find is really nice and enjoyable. Goose's tracks is another very ambient piece, that use very low sounds (of the kind that makes my stereo saturate, at least) combined with things that sounded like small echoed crystal-like samples. It's a good track, with a lot of repetitions, but also quite moody, and it goes well with the Stillstand track (not equaling it, though). It's not as drone-oriented as the track on Goose's split with Ovum, but really cave-like, the kind of stuff that make you body twitch when listened to too loud. I still think the problem of this series is the fact that you get only one track by band (on most of the CDRs), but this is still a nice appetizer or introduction the these bands. The Stillstand track on this CDR is really good, and the Goose one is also quite pleasant. Another good brick in the series.
Here's what PTR at Re:mote Induction had to say:
This split CD-R by Stillstand/Goose is another in Zaftig's split series. This time featuring the Goose side of the Stolen Light/Goose equation coupled with Stillstand. As tends to be the case with this series the release comes in an edition of 50, with artwork which is simple and consistent with the series. Along with which both artists' music comprises about half the disc, offering one long track each. These half hour trips being complimentary in that they both play with in the same sound ballpark of atmospheric and textured ambient.
Stillstand start with (Biographie Einer) Blume. Featuring a low bass, one which acts in a mild wave function with a mild sound, that has a little roughness around the edges. This is a fairly understated sound, with volume pushing its limits but revealing more detail. Detail which starts to come in anyway as the track progresses, more variation in the tone and sustain of the wave and more flicker in the additional sounds. The weave of sounds develop a certain melodic construction, chromatic, pulses wandering through the now dank washes of lower sounds. The expansion continues, the melody starting to soar and shine, gaining a radiance which the now drone enhanced bass is complimenting. From here on the track drifts within this territory, a sorted sound, with other elements starting to come in an increment at a time as the piece continues. As is the nature of this type of piece its only a matter of time before the overall feel of the piece has changed again, little strikes echoing in and out in loops, the melody a subdued tone in the mix the wash of bass lapping in fluid motions. Transforming once more there is a darker feel, a ragged wind and a choked bass acting together and carrying the piece to conclusion.
Goose follow with Did You Forget That We Are Eternal Beings?, a really evocative name for a track. Sighing tones layer together in a droning manner, light tweating tones in the higher regions and a straining bass in the lower - the whole together as a straining stream. Through the swirls the bass gains a density, deep blasts like didgeridoo tones, while the higher tones flit like shining lights. The higher tones comes down so that the two distinct levels are closer together, working in a more tuned manner. The piece maintains its flow, emphasising different aspects within the turns and progress of the sound - moments of pronounced strokes or choppier waves.