Beryllium:
Michał Górczyński - klarnety, elektronika
Andrzej Izdebski - elektronika, gitary
Gościnnie:
Paweł Szulik - shakuhachi
Album: "Kumonosu-jō"
Wydawca: Antenna Non Grata (2025)
“Kumonosu-jō” (蜘蛛巣城), or “Throne of Blood,” is the title of a renowned 1957 movie by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. The film is a kind of adaptation of Shakespeare, set in Japanese tradition. Kurosawa's movies were especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s, and he was, to use today's terms, an alternative influencer of his era. It was partly because of him that I became increasingly attracted to Japanese films, music, and aesthetics many decades ago.
“Kumonosu-jō” is also the new album from a collaborative trio. The creative collective comprises the electro-acoustic improvisational duo Beryllium, consisting of Michał Górczyński (contrabass clarinet, electronics) and Andrzej Izdebski (synthesizers, guitars, field recordings, electronics), as well as shakuhachi player Paweł Szulik. The album and its track titles clearly show inspiration from the aforementioned Kurosawa movie.
Improvisational electro-acoustic collectives are not rare in today's creative music. In fact, I notice something of a revival on the Polish scene and beyond. Beryllium plays cinematic “old school” electronics with loops and space effects, and their music does not feature any techno or beat influences. Their sound is dreamy and often meditative, but never esoteric. The compositions have both blood and flesh, which is refreshing in the world of countless contemporary electronic sounds. At different moments, I can hear influences of John Cage's minimalism, Robert Fripp and the second incarnation of King Crimson, as well as the German group Can.
I believe even recorded solely by Beryllium, the album of similar music would be enjoyable enough. Still, it's Paweł Szulik's shakuhachi that gives the whole sound an exceptional atmosphere. In the past, I listened to a lot of Japanese shakuhachi star Hozan Yamamoto’s music (partially because of his collaboration with leading country's avant-garde jazz artists, like Masabumi Kikuchi), and the impression was always mixed – shakuhachi music often sounds too “etno” for my ears. Here on “Kumonosu-jō” we have a very successful balance of modern electro-acoustic sound and ancient and very “oriental” bamboo flute.
As a result, we got an impressive, diverse alternative “soundtrack”, not just to a Kurosawa movie, but an impressive dedication to Japanese music and films, and a unique culture as a whole. A cross-genre release, deserving the attention of fans of all kinds of good music.
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