Luciano Maggiore’s 18 Rhythmic Studies for a Pen, a Cassette Case and a Korean Cassette Deck shrinks the scope to a narrowband fixation on the sonic possibilities of his titular equipment. All of the pieces here were created on a single day in December 2015, using only the internal mic in the cassette deck and a looper. The near obsessive focus process and the miniscule variations in sound Maggiores’s technique produces make 18 Rhythmic Studies… perhaps the archetypical Hideous Replica release, with each of the featured cuts cycling through their reduced percussive clonks with the dogged and unrealising stubbornness of a subroutine locked in an eternal error loop. It’s fab, obviously, Maggiore’s deliberately limited approach providing a seemingly unlimited amount of variation. Sometimes the looping clicks have the battered groove of an old-school drum machine – no. 17 resembles the chassis of an ancient Lee Perry track, while no. 09 has a whiff of Burial’s night bus sway. Others (no. 15 or no. 19, for example) lurch like a stuck record. And, while I’d be lying if I didn’t say that there are moments of intense irritation – if I never hear Rhythmic Study No. 08’s double time skip again I’d be very happy – that just adds to the fun. Repetition in the music and we’re gonna lose it. Damn right. (https://weneednoswords.wordpress.com/)
Realised on 29.12.15, utilising the cassette recorders internal microphone and looper.
With thanks to Taeyong Kim.
