Composer and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Dimuzio (who
relocated from Boston to San Francisco in 1996)
specializes in compositions for acoustic instruments and "found sounds".
He uses computers and other electronic devices to transform the original
sounds into his own sounds. He excels at both free improvisation and
more or less traditional composition.
Louden (Odd Size, 1997) compiles early cassettes:
Delineation of Perspective (Gench, 1988),
FLUX (Gench, 1988),
19th Monkey (Schism Gench, 1988),
lightswitch (Gench, 1990),
Sone Songs (Realization Recordings, 1990),
Remote 1 (Zer0, 1991).
Headlock (Generations Unlimited, 1989 - ReR, 1998) was an ambitious
collection, running the gamut from harsh musique concrete to
ambient industrial music.
The swirling maelstrom of Inherent Power and the Space Between
sounds like Jimi Hendrix on electronics. That brief introduction leads to
Shank Thesis, that unleashes a volley of dissonant, evil droning masses
of sound.
No less threatening are the chaotic chords floating in the polluted air of
Sallow.
Samplers take the driving seat in disjointed collages such as Moneytable at the Countinghouse and Certainty Persuaded Me.
The influences of electronic pioneers such as
Tod Dockstader and
Gordon Mumma are strong and pervasive.
Most original is probably the last piece,
For You Don't Know What They Want You To Think, where fast moving
ideas and cascading percussion create a rhythm worthy of rock'n'roll,
a collage of distorted voices spins like a helicopter in free fall,
syncopated metallic beats annihilate each other, repetitive samples
collapse into a black hole, and a guitar strums in hell.
Markoff Process (RRRecords, 1994) documents live performances from
1990 and 1991.
The double-CD Sonicism (RRRecords, 1997), probably his artistic peak,
created by distorting (or, better, "transforming") an arsenal of instruments, samples and field recordings,
updates his dark ambient industrial techniques to a more metaphysical context.
Live at Generator (Generator Archives, 2001) documents one of his
performances.
Another double disc, Mono::Poly (Gench, 2002), documents his
work from 1997 on, and several collaborations with other industrial and
progressive-rock musicians.
Uncertain Symmetry (Korm Plastics, 2002) is a long-distance
collaboration with David Lee Myers.
Upcoming Events (No Fun Productions, 2009) and Hz (2009)
originated from
collaborations with
Dan Burke
(Illusion Of Safety).
Dimmer,
a collaboration between Thomas Dimuzio and Joseph Hammer (an original member of
the Los Angeles Free Music Society)
of real-time electronic improvisation,
was documented on live albums The Shining Path (2007) and Remissions (2009) and on the studio recording
Ascent (Isounderscore, 2012) which was entirely implemented on vintage analog devices.
