Marcelo Radulovich - "Hello"
(Accretions 2002, ALP029)
Marcelo Radulovich - "Hello"
(Accretions 2002, ALP029)
From Aural Innovations #21 (October 2002)
Sound/graphics/visual artist and musician Marcelo Radulovich follows up last years (case of the missing) THUMB CD with more of his sound collage and sculpture journeys that incorporate music, ambient textures, field recordings, and more sounds than even today's technology should be able to produce. But really, what makes Marcelo's recordings so successful is the construction and flow of the assembled bits and parts. In some ways this is like a modern and more advanced version of the Residents' Eskimo, and indeed Radulovich is way beyond where the eyeballs were at that time (which was way ahead of their time back then). But that's a simplistic analogy as Radulovich covers a great deal of ground that explores many aspects of sound art and the possibilities for creating aural imagery and establishing mood and atmosphere through sound. Things can get quite harsh at times, particularly at the beginning where it sounds like we might be in for the grand tour of an insane asylum. But the ambient/ethnic elements are far more pervasive and there's also a significant ethnic influence as evidenced by the use of field recordings from Costa Rica.
Overall, Marcelo strikes an even balance between music, sound, and field recordings to create a listening experience that is hypnotic, mood altering, oddly thematic, and a great deal of fun. Keep spinning this disc and you'll catch new bits each time. And there's also a theme underlying it all with the main character being Titicacaman who eats bees and has a fold of skin that looks like a cows tit coming out of his forehead and never cleans himself after defecating. I didn't quite get it, being perfectly content to surrender myself to the wild and ever evolving aural experience, but those interested can read more about the "hero" at www.titicacaman.com.
For more information you can visit the Marcelo Radulovich web site at:
http://www.marceloradulovich.com.
Hear lots of Marcelo's music at his Mp3.com web site at: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/167/marcelo_radulovich.html.
Hello is distributed by Accretions. You can visit their web site at: http://www.accretions.com.
Contact via snail mail c/o Accretions; PO Box 81973; San Diego, CA 92138.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz