Randy Greif
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California-based Randy Greif (Los Angeles, 1957) is one of the most inventive perpetrators of "musique concrete" of his generation, a sophsiticated specialist in audio collage, audio verite`, spoken-word, field recordings, ethnic sources, and, last but not least, electronic music.

His progression during the 1980s is mainly documented by a series of cassettes: It's In A Box (Swinging Axe, 1983), Screaming Dukduks (1983) and Fuck the Dog (1984), credited to Screaming Dukduks, It's In A Box (Swinging Axe, 1983), the monumental Lost Contact (Swinging Axe, 1984), Wireless Spine Review (Swinging Axe, 1985), Easy Green Proof (Swinging Axe, 1985), a collaboration with writer Alva Svoboda, Golden Joy Club (Swinging Axe, 1986), Live In L.A. (Swinging Axe, 1987), Shadow Traders (Swinging Axe, 1988), etc.

Bacteria and Gravity (RRR, 1987), which includes a hypnotic, percussive, tribal piece, was his first major work.

At about the same time, he formed the duo Static Effect, which has released Tower of Iron (Swinging Axe, 1988), Axis Of Rotation (Swinging Axe, 1989), Siamese Twin Reflex (Swinging Axe, 1989), Dead Game In Any Weather (Swinging Axe, 1990) and Certain Random Firings (Swinging Axe, 1990).

His most daring audio collage is the six-hour (five-disc) decomposition and recomposition of texts taken from Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland (Staalplaat, 1992 - Soleilmoon, 2000).

The Barnacles Inside (Staalplaat, 1994), for wordless vocals treated electronically, is no less adventurous on a smaller scale.

After the cassette In A Foreign Tongue (Anomalous, 1994), the cosmic electronic poem No Ordinary Storm on the compilation To Step Outside And Keep Walking (Swinging Axe, 1994), Fragment 56 (1995), which is a collaboration with Illusion Of Safety's Dan Burke, and the split album In Our Little Bodies with Illusion Of Safety, Greif entered the mature stage of his career.

His most powerful and dramatic work, Verdi's Requiem (Soleilmoon, 1997), is based on a fictitious Verdi biography, but mostly reminiscent of Morton Subotnick's chaotic scores.

Greif is also a member of the trio His Masters Voice, that released the ambient vignettes of Singing The Boundaries (Manifold, 1997).

After Oedipus Brain Foil (Soleilmoon, 1997), a three-CD ambient collaboration with Rapoon's Robin Storey and Nocturnal Emissions' Nigel Ayers, Nail Of Pious Bride (Soleilmoon, 1999), another collaboration with Robin Storey, the song-oriented Tiny Voices Of Love And Fear (Soleilmoon, 1999) and We Are Beginning Our Descent (Soleilmoon, 2001), both credited to Shadowbug 4, Greif returned to his specialty with War Of The World (Soleilmoon, 2001), another postmodernist deconstruction of texts derived from Wells' novel and Orson Welles' radio-drama.

(Translation by/ Tradotto da Marco Spagnuolo)

Randy Greif, vive in California(Los Angeles,1957) e’ uno dei maggiori continuatori della musica concreta della sua generazione, uno specialista estremamente sofisticato nell’audio collage, audio verite’ , spoken-word, registrazione sul campo. Suoni etnici, e ultimo ma non meno importante, musica elettronica.

Negli anni’80, la sua carriera e’ documentata principalmente da una serie di cassette: It's In A Box (Swinging Axe, 1983), Screaming Dukduks (1983) e Fuck the Dog (1984), accreditati agli Screaming Dukduks, la monumentale Lost Contact (Swinging Axe, 1984), Wireless Spine Review (Swinging Axe, 1985), Easy Green Proof (Swinging Axe, 1985), una collaborazione con lo scrittore Alva Svoboda, Golden Joy Club (Swinging Axe, 1986), Live In L.A. (Swinging Axe, 1987), Shadow Traders (Swinging Axe, 1988), ecc...

 

Bacteria and Gravity (RRR, 1987), il quale include un brano tribale percussivo ed ipnotico, che puo’ essere considerato il suo primo lavoro di una certa importanza.

In quegli stessi anni, formo’ anche un duo denominato Static Effect con Mikail Bohonus; il duo rilasciò diversi lavori: Tower of Iron (Swinging Axe, 1988), Axis Of Rotation (Swinging Axe, 1989), Siamese Twin Reflex (Swinging Axe, 1989), Dead Game In Any Weather (Swinging Axe, 1990) e Certain Random Firings (Swinging Axe, 1990).

Il suo piu’ incredibile "tour de force" e’, con ogni probabilità, un audio-collage della durata record di 6 ore(comprese in 5 dischi), in realtà si tratta della decomposizione e ricomposizione di testi tratti dal celeberrimo Alice Nel Paese Delle Meraviglie di Lewis Carroll (Staalplaat, 1992 - Soleilmoon, 2000).

The Barnacles Inside (Staalplaat, 1994), e’ un’opera in cui il cantato e’ privo di parole , in quanto e’ manipolato elettronicamente, tuttavia esso non risulta certo meno avventuroso, anche se ad una scala piu’ piccola.

Dopo la cassetta In A Foreign Tongue (Anomalous, 1994), il poema elettronico No Ordinary Storm sulla compilation To Step Outside And Keep Walking (Swinging Axe, 1994), Fragment 56 (1995), la quale e’ una collaborazione con gli Illusion Of Safety di Dan Burke, lo split album In Our Little Bodies sempre con gli Illsuion Of Safety,la carriera di Greif raggiunge la maturita’ artistica.

Il suo piu’ importante e drammatico lavoro, Verdi's Requiem (Soleilmoon, 1997), si basa su una finta biografia di Giuseppe Verdi, ma reminiscente del caos sonoro di Morton Subotnick.

Greif e’ anche membro del trio His Masters Voice, che rilascio’ le vignette ambient di Singing The Boundaries (Manifold, 1997).

Dopo Oedipus Brain Foil (Soleilmoon, 1997) una collaborazione (in tre cds) di musica ambient con Robin Storey dei Rapoon e Nigel Ayers dei Nocturnal Emissions, Nail Of Pious Bride (Soleilmoon, 1999), una nuova collaborazione con Robin Storey, l’orientaleggiante Tiny Voices Of Love And Fear (Soleilmoon, 1999) e We Are Beginning Our Descent (Soleilmoon, 2001), tutte e due accreditati agli Shadowbug 4, Greif ritorna alla sua specialita’ con l’album War Of The World (Soleilmoon, 2001), una nuova decostruzione post-modernista di testi tratti dal romanzo di H.G. Wells e dal terrificante annuncio radiofonico di Orson Welles.

(Copyright © 2003 Piero Scaruffi | Terms of use )
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