Os suíços Diatribes vão apresentar-se em concerto no próximo dia 30 de Janeiro, às 19h00, no espaço Lisboa Incomum (Festival DME). A formação actual do grupo junta Cyril Bondi (percussão e objectos) e D’incise (computador e objectos). Aqui fica o texto que escrevi em 2006 para as liner notes do álbum “Parenthèse Polonaise“, editado pela netlabel Test Tube.
Diatribes is the name of a 1996 album by Napalm Death. With no apparent relation, Diatribes is also the name of a trio dedicated to improvised music. Originally from Geneva, this trio is Cyril Bondi (drums, percussion), Gaël Riondel (saxophones, clarinet, flute) and Laurent Peter – a.k.a. d’Incise – (laptop, objects, effects). Working exclusively with digital distribution, this swiss trio have released a total of six works to this moment, each through a different label: Edogm, Zymogen, Tulipesä, Insubordinations, Stomoxine and Digitalbiotope. “Parenthèse Polonaise”, their new work released by Test Tube, shows off a band exploring free improv soundworks. On the trio’s website we find three words to classify their sound: free jazz/electro-acoustic/noise. None of them is wrong, but this may not be the absolutely right definition. More than free jazz or noise, this music is descendant of European driven free/improv, in the lines of Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Han Bennink or Peter Brötzmann. Right on the first track, “Cieszyn 1.1”, there is a percussion sequence which evokes Tony Oxley experiences. d’Incise’s work, on laptop and effects, complements the percussion action, forming a cohesive sound block. Gaël Riondel’s blowing works as contraposition, in an insanely interaction. Sometimes the drums elaborate a certain rhythmic steadiness, but don’t extend it on too rigid formulas, the blowing is strong and inconstant, and the effects sharp ‘round the corners. The recording, with all the background room and audience noise, probably isn’t the most appropriate for audiophile fans, but encapsulates the session’s informality – and, consequently, the expressively freedom of this music. As the most evident example of this trio’s creativity, there is track #11, “Trzebinia 1.4”, where tribal sounds are mixed together with crescendos and noise. The following track, “Bielsko Biala 1.3”, on the other hand goes to more familiar territories; it is a piece closely related to the free jazz of the New York loft scene. Closing the album, an 8 and a half minutes track starts slowly to grow until it arrives to a diabolic free finale. It’s safe to say that these Diatribes don’t come from death metal, but they’re not far from the devil.