▲ スライドショー

疫病交響曲第９番

• アルバムタイトル：The Epidemic Symphony No.9
• アーティスト：Maurizio Bianchi, Nobu Kasahara, Hitoshi Kojo
• 曲名 [時間]：1. First Day [17:44]、2. Second Day [14:08]、3. Third Day [17:55]、4. Flaming Roses [9:23]
• 収録時間：59:07
• カタログナンバー：Octpia 08
• フォーマット：オーディオ CD
• カバー：デジパック
• 発行年月：2006年7月 / デジタルファイル版 2023年
• 発行部数：限定500部

• 手法 / 期間：郵便によるコラボレーション / 2003年冬ー2005年冬
• 場所：マウリツィオ・ビンアンキ - ミラノ (イタリア) / カサハラ・ノブ - 東京 / コジョウ・ヒトシ - 鹿児島、グルノーブル (フランス)、ラヴォー(スイス)
• 鎮魂碑：The Flaming Roses (1992年録音 カサハラ、2005年アレンジ コジョウ)は、制作期間中他界したビアンキの母、サンティーナ・ザンブルーニに捧げられた。

前書き

　約3517年前、エジプトの世界権力は第九の疫病：深い闇によって屈辱を受た。 現在、世界権力は『疫病交響曲第九番：重い闇』によって壊滅状態になるだろう。現代の権威である誤った科学、傲慢な政治、脆弱な経済、傲慢な宗教を信頼するのは無駄だ。なぜなら、権力が発する光は盲目であり、理性の強力な光の前には何も出来ないからだ。

マウリツィオ・ビンアンキ　2005年10月

レビュー

We've long championed the work of Maurizio Bianchi, the grim electronic sculptor whose work in the early '80s paralleled the likes of Whitehouse, Ramleh, and Matthew Bower's early power electronics project Total. As much as we would like to ramble on about Bianchi's intriguing musical and existential history in reference to this record, it's almost a moot point as it's really hard to discern any sounds that bear the signature of Mr. Bianchi. Don't let that caveat scare you off from checking out this thoroughly amazing blur of noise, drone, acoustic tumult and electronics; but we have to be completely honest. No, it doesn't sound much like a Bianchi record; instead, the real author of the final mix of The Epidemic Symphony No. 9 is the little known Japanese sound artist Hitosji Kojo (who also records as Spiracle). If there's any justice, Hitoshi / Spiracle shouldn't be "little known" for very long. In fact, he should be heralded as the viable contender to replace David Jackman / Organum as the king of the droning acoustics. And no, none of the guttural drone expressionists who splatter cd-rs with quickly rendered cosmic exasperations come close to the power that Jackman was capable of in the '80s. But Hitoshi Kojo does. Like Jackman, Hitoshi's work is a dense compounding of layered acoustic textures, each of which are impeccably recorded and carefully positioned within the stereo field. In working with the source material presented by Bianchi and Nobu Kasahara (another obscure Japanese sound artist who has collaborated once before with The New Blockaders, giving some clue as the cacophony he's capable of), Hitoshi continues this strategy of precisely placed sounds which are then given plenty of opportunity to growl, rumble, vibrate, and bristle however they see fit. Where the first lengthy track steadily builds up to a crashing crescendo that abruptly cuts to silence, the second track exhibits some of what may be Bianchi's sounds -- a return to the Sacher Pelz techniques of varispeed tape and crushed turntable clatter which Hitoshi compounds into rippled acoustic shimmer. For the finale, Hitoshi blurs the source material into an industrial chorale marked by a surprisingly elegant two-note melody. Highly recommended!

Jim Haynes (Aquarius Records)