Duke of York’s Picturehouse, 17th November 2008
It’s not often you get to sink into the Duke’s plush crimson seating for an event other than a film and get to luxuriate in some cutting-edge audiovisual stimulation. The music of Murcof will never be to everyone’s taste: at times claustrophobic and threatening, yet ever intricate and rewarding, Fernando Corona could never be accused of taking the easy route. Having garnered a grand reputation on the underground since the release of the landmark “Martes” (Leaf, 2002), he was accompanied on this rare UK tour by members of Spanish classical ensemble BCN-16 and visual artist Flicker (aka Roderick Maclachlan) for a specially composed suite of music.
Judging by the snaking queue around the entrance, it was a popular ticket and there were still people squeezing into the few remaining seats as Tuba virtuoso Oren Marshall hopped nonchalantly onto the stage. An experience in itself, Oren warmed up with a variety of squeaks and farts to titters of amusement from the audience. This out of the way, he set about producing some startlingly unique music with only his tuba and a handful of digital effects units. Fascinating stuff.
After that wondrous performance, a sleepy looking Corona emerged with his supporting cast to begin what was a performance of great finesse and aural dexterity, successfully marrying his reverb-drenched mechanical micro-beats to live instrumentation. As each piece unfolded, Maclachlan’s visuals (composited entirely from analogue sources) provided a hypnotic focal point for the ebb and flow of the music. Tiny cameras dotted around the stage relayed footage of a sieve sifting flour, a backlit plant revolving slowly around and strips of seared 35mm film passed through a projector. Taking these most usual of objects, he masterfully filtered and distorted the footage in such a fluid and creative way that it felt like we were witnessing a live installation piece.
Apparently the “Oceano” project will be released at some point in the future. At times it felt like waking from some post-apocalyptic dream world, at others, being encased in the womb at the very point of birth, squeezed out into a world of drama to begin a life of dynamism. And this is what Murcof does best: using technology as a solid base rather than letting it dictate his compositions, forcing us to face the unfamiliar, the unrecognizable, via the dynamic force of his utterly beguiling music.
Words by Jody White
