1 Untitled 15:45
2 Untitled 17:10
Crouton weeps with joy over this new release featuring Steve Hess, percussion; Jeff Klatt, cello; Jon Mueller, percussion; and Matt Turner, cello. Together they form ‘Hat Melter’, and quite literally too, as their names suggest. Although beyond the coincidence of the selective letters of their names, this group also combines elements of each others’ instruments to create a record of rich, vibrant sound - loaded with the texture of strings, and the melody of percussion. Strange, yes, and so is the record. The initial recordings were captured in a live setting. The cello work of Matt Turner, who is regarded as one of the world’s leading improvising cellists (as featured on Meniscus, Stellar, O.O. Discs, Asian Improv, Rastascan, Geode, and Cadence), is top notch, and is complemented wholeheartedly by vibrant cellist and recent composition graduate Jeff Klatt. Steve Hess and Jon Mueller, known Chicago and Milwaukee area percussionists, play harmonies with their cymbals, and grind Styrofoam through box fans. The results of this live session were then taken back to C. Rosenau’s studio, segmented, and analog constructed into new developments - segments as heard from the ‘ear’ of one room mic, strings picked up by snare drum mics - a reassignment of the flow of vibrations, and the feeling of ‘moments’ being pulled out of a magic hat. The end result is a record of switched sound characteristics, mixed emotions, and combined names that reveals a mysterious, often dark labyrinth of unknown sound. Two side long tracks, each with no name - unknown first by the players, and finally the listener...
Crouton
A platter of black vinyl packaged in an unmarked black cardboard jacket, with only a strip of paper disclosing some information: this is Hat Melter's Unknown Album. The group consists of four American improvisers: two cellists (Matt Turner and Jeff Klatt) and two percussionists (Jon Mueller and Steve Hess). At the heart of this album is a free improvisation, but what we hear through these two side-long pieces is a different story -- to be more precise, a different perspective. The pieces have been reshaped and re-sourced by Chris Rosenau (Telecognac, Collections of Colonies of Bees). Instruments are heard from other musicians' microphones, events have been resequenced, the whole listening experience is reconstructed following another person's point of view. It results in a fascinating but highly dizzying album. For example, at one point on side two, the quartet is split into two cello/drums duets, each isolated in its stereo channel and "heard" from a distance. A cello moves front stage center and a few seconds later everyone gets tucked away in the right channel. The technique recalls René Lussier's CD Deboutonné, where the sound engineer had the possibility to mix the input of a dozen microphones placed in and outside the recording booth, but in that case the performance was left unaltered, only the sonic perspective changed. Here, we don't know where performance ends and studio construction begins. It makes for very dynamic music, despite the highly abstract nature of the original improvisation -- which should be included as a bonus track if this album ever gets released on CD.
François Couture, AllMusic Guide
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