Artist: Vertonen Title: "The Ocean is Gone, the Ship is Next" Catalog #: GF026 Series: II Total Time: 54'46" Release Date: April 16, 2003

The Ocean is Gone, the Ship is Next

01: untitled for air organ and turntable motor ..... 14'45"
02: the last great circus of desperate heritage ..... 10'11"
03: four chambers plus their various fluids ..... 15'07"
04: soma trio study (#2) ..... 5'04"
05: harbor surfacant ..... 9'35"

The first 50 copies of "The Ocean is Gone, the Ship is Next" came with a bonus 3" CDr entitled "There's No Point in Hitting the Earth, For the Ground has Long Since Given Way". The 3" CDr contained the following three tracks from Vertonen:

1) Like Some Wretched Oceanic Voyage
2) Dirty Unsure Stabbing Into a Void
3) Glass Like Distorted Singing

The first 50 copies also came with a VERTONEN badge. The first 50 copies have been sold.

reviews

Vertonen is the name under which Blake Edwards has been recording experimental audio since 1991. Drawing on a wide array of sound sources--sometimes processed, sometimes not--Vertonen's sound output explores audio terrain ranging from crunchy and dense sonic chaos to off-kilter rhythms to deep evolving drones, making plenty of stops between.
In addition to recording as Vertonen, Blake also runs the experimental music label C.I.P. (www.crippledintellectproductions.net) and has recorded for theatre.

Some notes on "the ocean is gone, the ship is next" from Blake "Vertonen" Edwards.

1. Untitled for Air Organ and Turntable Motor

"The most recent piece on the disc, reflective of my recent interest in longer, dronish compositions. Prior to utilizing the air organ, I'd been doing some dronish compositions with contact mics placed at various locations around and on the motor and wheels of the turntable. This piece brings those elements together."

2. The Last Great Circus of Desperate Heritage
(metals, metal construction, contact mics, turntable motor, LPs, effect processor)

"A reworking/reinterpretation of one of the pieces I performed while on tour in April 2002 with Ven Voisey. The sampled and skipped recording near the end is one of my standbys, a 1940s 78 of "the devil and the deep blue sea." This is also one of the first recordings I made with the effect processor processing itself."

3. Four Chambers Plus Their Various Fluids
(cassette and VCR motors, metals, metal construction, turntable motor, water, LPs, field recordings, effect processor)

"I began this piece with the intent of doing something "conceptual," but by the time I was ready to record the whole piece, my feelings toward a "concept piece" had morphed from a decent idea into a sense that it was little more than self-indulgent wankery which I could later point out to people and get a response of a chin scratch and "mmm, Yes, I see". In the end, all that remains of the "concept" in this piece are the title and idea of creating a track with four sections with distinctly different sound elements per section."

4. Soma Trio Study (#2)
(CD, effect processor)

"I started noodling with this particular CD in 2001 but, sadly, overworked it; I shelved the idea for almost eight months before giving it a second go 'round."

5. Harbor Surfacant
(LP, effect processor)

"At the apex of my intrigue with developing pieces from LP run out grooves and the spaces between songs I came across a particularly messy record a friend had given me before he moved. I was puttering around with the run out groove when my cat jumped on my lap and I bounced the tone arm. A snippet of audio entered the loop, and I liked it more than the hiss, pop, and crackle elements I'd layered thus far. Having always enjoyed pieces based on skipped records, but not having recorded one in a long time, I erased the existing loop and began working with the audio on the record, with and without processing."

 

REVIEWS

• "This is one of the handful of Ground Fault releases that was, for a very limited time, shipped with an additional 3" CD. But thats almost definitely long gone now, though something to hunt for if you ever desire more Vertonen! The 26th release in the ever popular Ground Fault catalogue sees the work of Blake Edwards, aka Vertonen, also known for Cripple Intellect Productions and for his writings (see the website link for more details). This is perhaps one of the most easily accesible of the catalogue, coming under the Series II banner of the GF catalogue. The first track is a long, drone piece that utilises an air organ and turntable (as the name suggests) and is a very relaxing piece of ambient texture, caressing your eardrums rather than pounding them. Following this is another piece with a drone feel to it, though this time the drone has a minor variation to make it more of a wave of low end, possibly using a turntable again to create the almost cyclical nature of the sound. On top of this are various static style scrapes and pops, sounding very much like a scratched and battered LP. This culminates in a bizarre combination of echoing percussive tones and a bizarre horn like noise, almost like a lock track of somesort. The third track is rhythmical, pounding electronics, almost like being in a factory, and is easily the most extreme sounding of the tracks here, while still being almost drone like in sound. This piece ends with more turntable static and metallic sounds, possibly direct recordings as they don't sound overly processed. 'Soma Trio Study' starts with a synth style ambient quality to it, kind of an ethereal, angelic sound, its the most musical of the pieces and is probably the most relaxing too. The final piece, 'Harbor Surfucant', is the most blatant turntabalism on the disc, the use of an LP is obvious, but unlike many who use the run out grooves and other elements of crackle and pop, Vertonen utilises the music itself here to create a rhythmic, repetitive piece with piano looped from the record and manages to create and eerie, echo laden ambience. By far and away one of the most enjoyable experimental releases I have heard in ages, this warrants multiple listens and is a good place to start for anyone making those first steps into the experimental/ noise scene. Recommended." - catdam.com

• Vertonen is Chicago experimental music veteran Blake Edwards and this CD continues an ongoing exploration of turntable-fueled drones. The opening track's title is self-explanatory: "untitled for air organ and turntable motor". Recorded live on the radio in Chicago, this piece is a fourteen minute long deep and dense mix of beautiful bass tones and thick breathy hums playing endless phase games with each other. On the second piece, a very heavy speaker-rattling bass tone loops through the beginning as metal-percussion sounds slowly cycle in the background. Scratchy vinyl sounds and dense ambient tones continue throughout as some recognizable vinyl-sourced sounds emerge- like a looped horn-line perhaps. the regular sound of the loop disturbs the drone atmosphere a little, adding some humor to a track that doesn't seem to need any. The next piece, "Four chambers plus their various fluids" kicks out the noise from the get go- fast and loud cycling noise whirring and flanging endlessly. Hissy field recorded sounds predominate as the track fades out to silence. "Soma Trio Study (2)" is the shortest cut one here at 5 minutes and could have used a little more time to develop. The sounds at play are delicate and melodic slowly evolving loops drifting in and out of phase- a bit like Philip Jeck, perhaps and much more romantic than the claustrophobic sounds on the previous pieces. Final track begins with warbly locked groove piano sounds eventually overtaken by a darker, machine loop that slowly fades in as the piano plays on. The mix of endless drone frequencies and more loopish vinyl sounds works wonderfully throughout this disc. -- Angbase

• This album is classified by Groundfault Recordings as a Series II release, meaning it falls somewhere in the realm of drone, soundscape, and atmospheric experimental music. After a slightly lulling opening, the album takes off in various unexpected directions, all of which provide an entry point into the sometimes inaccessible world of ambience. For purists, “Untitled for Air Organ and Turntable Motor” maintains the steady whisper of hollow minimalist sound that borders on the unbearable in places. “Harbor Surfacent” sits as the starkest piece on the album, with a distant, tinny piano that is eventually adorned by dark puffs of processed sound; on the other face of the coin, “Soma Trio Study (#2)” captures an accessible fluidity in a short five minutes of floating electronic textures. For fans of noise, the most intense workout of sound comes in “Four Chambers Plus their Various Fluids,” hammering over the relative solace of the previous tracks with a pleasing and fiery machine rumble.
  Vertonen rhymes motifs as disparate as electronic wobbles and field recordings of birds in various places, using the common abstract sound art technique of cyclical composition to great effect. As is often the case with ambient-related sound art, The Ocean is Gone, the Ship is Next is a quietly intriguing exploration of electronic and tape processes that can only be described in a pale light to the experience of listening to it. A most engaging work.
  Reviewed by Joel Calahan (February 2004)
  

• It's not that Vertonen is going to be the next Merzbow in an attempt to release more CDs, but with the review of 'Stendac' (Vital Weekly 369) we were just catching up with some older release. I believe this is more new. Vertonen, aka Blake Edwards, is back with five lengthy pieces of his usual drone like style, which is most certainly apparent in the opening piece 'Untitled For Air Organ And Turntable Motor', which clocks in at some fourteen minutes, with subtle shifting frequencies of the two primary sound elements. In the other four tracks, Vertonen goes back to using the turntable as his musical instrument, but he manages to do it in such a way that it's not always that obvious. Vertonen uses metal sheets and objects attached to the turntable's arm and that creates an ever evolving drive to the music. Occassionally crackles from vinyl pop up, which hints at the more common use of turntablism. In all, it's very nice work and maybe more diverse then 'Stendac'. (Frans de Waard -- Vital Weekly #371)

• "Vertonen (Blake Edwards) enters his second decade of recording with this five track, nearly hour-long set. The opening piece, "Untitled for Air Organ and Turntable Motor" was recorded live for radio in Chicago, sounding like the tinny insides of an aircraft motor being tuned up. The effect simulates a barren foreground, with a tonal shifting horizon. Ground Fault has done well to separate their series into three distinct sections, this disc falling into the Series II (medium) category, defined by adjectives like surreal, experimental and textural - all of which this recording could be described as. The sources in other tracks like "The Last Great Circus of Desperate Heritage" and the slightly more caustic "Four Chambers Plus their Various Liquids" use metals and other objects to placate the irrational ear. Through distortion and pace setting Vertonen defines some specific sound-making pleasures by risking the naked roots of improv and fashioning a voice that is both analytical and beatless. Edwards can also quash noise in developing pieces like "Soma Trio Study" which uses a quieter, more wave lapping vibe. Its vivid surface is a bit like a bed of clouds. Closing the disc is "Harbor Sufacant" which is a deconstructed western saloon on squeaky scratched vinyl. The repetitive merky beat is a clash between and a filthy, brainwashed hypnotism and ghostly drones." - TJ Norris, Contributing Editor - Igloo Electronic Music Magazine

• The offering from Vertonen, aka Blake Edwards, serves to remind us that it's not just a question of having good material but of knowing what to do with it. "Untitled for air organ and turntable motor" is reminiscent at times of the vast soundscapes of Jeff Wrench (aka Brutum Fulmen, whose excellent "Flesh of the Moon" appeared on Edwards' Crippled Intellect imprint last year), while "The last great circus of desperate heritage" sounds as if Edwards has dropped the stylus on a plate of porridge, but settles into squeaking gate groove by the time it checks out. Some sound sources are easily recognisable - "Four chambers plus the various fluids" ends in birdsong - others cunningly disguised. The sustained major ninth tonality of "Soma trio study (#2)" has me wondering whether the title might refer to the mind-numbing drug of the same name in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", while "Harbor surfacant" starts out sounding like one of those extraordinary fucked-up asymmetrical samples Tricky used to love (you half expect his phlegm-rattling voice and crashing backbeats to come slamming in at any moment) until the fragments of piano become progressively buried in a humid moss of drones and surface noise. - Dan Warburton, Paris Transantlantic
  
  

 

Vertonen discography:

7" (all on C.I.P.)
V.V./Vertonen remix tour 7" 2002
Panicsville/Vertonen: Coagulation collab 2002
Coeurl/Vertonen split tour 7" (out of print) 2001
Crawl Unit / Vertonen: Soundtracks for Locations split 1997
Heat 1995
The Women Men Leave Their Wives For 1995
Strip Mining/Camche 1994 (out of print)
Lock up! 1-15 b/w: Seizure 1994 (out of print)

CDR:
The blister of communication (naninani, 2003)
Stendac (boxmedia, 2002)
Certainty without pause 3" CDR (C.I.P., 2001, out of print)
The initial decay will be illuminated by low level lighting 3" CDR (cranksatori, 2001)
Trigger Field (solipsism, 1999)

Cassette (all out of print)
Calibrations (Loud Cat, 1998)
Anastasia (C.I.P., 1994)
Sound knots and orchestrations (C.I.P., 1991)

Some reviews of other Vertonen releases:

"Vertonen['s side] sounds more like a field recording of a cart full of manure being rolled down a country lane into the mouth of a troll, then ejected directly into a subterranean room filled with model jets. Must have been a fun tour."
-Byron Coley, Wire review of v.v.v. split tour 7"

"Certainty without pause begins with dark rumbling sounds, but gets more complex faster. Layers of different sounds build up into a dense atmosphere, cut every now and then by a metallic clunk. Then, all of a sudden, things speed up and the rumble disappears, leaving glissando's of hisses and crackles that steady into a loop. Another loop is added and before you know it, we're in a new part with an uptempo loop and short metallic sounds. With all the effects added to this part it sounds quite industrial, until there's a sudden cut. A noisier part now, densely layered and with pretty high tension, that slowly fades away into a dark rumble, soon combined with a high whining sound. The track ends with the whine and a metallic loop. This piece has definitely got my preference, both because of the structure and the sound quality."
Meelkop Roel, Vital Weekly review of certainty without pause 3" CDR

"Vertonen' s piece begins with a dark atmospheric loop of what sounds like muffled metal clanging. The piece takes an unexpected turn with the introduction of several high pitched whistles and shrills, which are piercing to the ears and quite unsettling as they escalate in intensity, still preserving the underlying drone as the foundation for the piece. Vertonen's track certainly rouses a reaction, though, which may very well have been the point here. One side lulls you into complacency while the other gets you up from your seat."
-Incursion review of coeurl/vertonen split 7"

"Repetitive loops and found sounds lay down the tiles on which subtle nuance and subliminal audio dance into your subconscious. Imagine a lock groove which actually changes albeit imperceptibly. This is the work of an artist dabbling in the audio realm to create this unique vision for others to perceive in their own way and interpret individually."
-Objekt 4 review of the women men leave their wives for 7"

"Very much an 'every-home-should-have-one' thing."
-EST #6 (UK) review of lock up!/seizure 7"

"Seizure is brilliant--an endless cycling drone at the bottom with overlapping water noises on top, like a gentler, kinder, Aube."
-dead angel (#33) review of lock up!/seizure 7"