VITAL 257Kymatik is derived from the Greek word 'Kyma', meaning 'a great wave', and was used by Swiss physicist Hans Jenny to describe the effects of amplified tones to manipulate/create patterns in fluids and powders. When I read this, I was reminded of the booklet that came with 'The Sea Org' 10" by The Hafler Trio (a decade or so ago), in which you'll find reprints of sonic painting: tones that influence paint on canvas. Now The Hafler Trio simply wrote their own novel on sound that was so real that is was almost real, but what about Kymatik? Who are they/she/he? There is a lot of info on the cover, but as to the basic who, we are in the dark. Kymatik uses environmental recordings and treats those in the studio into his own compositions. Two pieces are about pure tones of which 'Lorenz Attractor' works best. The tones fill your space and if you move through the room, or if you are lazy just your head, these tones keep changing. The other piece is a transposition of a painting by Kandinsky works the same but the sound wasn't appealing to me. Then there are two pieces in which sampling and moreover, looping plays a big role. Loaded with sounds and effects, these are rhythmic affairs and humm... quite psychedelic. Finally the three shortest pieces are 'just' recordings from nature, a ship leaving harbour, crickets in the wind and bees. These pieces form counterpoints in the overal CD, for they are moments of tranquility. If you have a UHJ decoder, whatever that may be (I am not a gear freak), then the psychoacoustic effect can be further enhanced. Well, I thought it was already beautiful enough. (Frans de Waard) The WIRE (Feb 2001)Dar-As-Sulh Vol 1 features four longish pieces, two of which are built on fearsomely executed drones. These main works are interspersed with delicate environmental recordings: bees, crickets in the wind, a trawler leaving harbour. The word 'Kymatik' derives from the Greek word for wave, kyma, as applied by Swiss physicist Hans Jenny, whose research lead him to put sound to therapeutic uses. The pieces on Dar-As-Sulh were conceived with 3 speaker ambisonics in mind - surround sound is a Kymatik preoccupation, though it can obviously only be approximated on a regular stereo CD. Kymatik brings interests in bioenergetics, psychoacoustics and physics to bear on his work. Musically his reference points include Alvin Lucier, Pauline Oliveros and Roland Kayn. The first of these rich soundworks, 'Dentists For Mice', has the greatest range of sound inputs. A succession of heavily treated found sounds passes, as a wandering narrative unfolds over 17 minutes. It is carefully constructed but it lacks the feeling of accumulating intensity of the other long pieces on the CD. More involving is the 'Excerpt From Kandinsky's Im Blau'. This takes its tonal quality from atranslation of the painting's colours into sonic information. It's essentially a spatialised drone traversed by other background notes, giving an endlessly shifting stereo image. Another track, dating from 1994, uses a spin dryer as sound source. As one might expect, it's a throbbing whirring piece, overlaid with ever denser loops and fragments of higher pitched sound. Gradually it becomes a grinding epic, writhing with hypnotic potential as, somehow, the body logic Techno meets electroacoustic sound chiselling. The most substantial piece, though, is the culminating 'Lorenz Attractor', which is 23 minutes long and is billed as 'the result of ten years work in psychoacoustics and states of consciousness'. First a low tone comes to the fore. A soft chord is gradually built up. This constantly modulates as different elements dominate and the sounds are continually tweaked. Gradually higher pitches, sharpening in tonal quality, are added (apparently this continues beyond the audible range towards the end of the track). The piece communicates increasing pressure and intensity, and acquires a monolithic weight. Kymatik has also produced a surround sound version, which must be overwhelming. Even in simple stereo, it's an imposinglisten and the listener is well advised on the CD sleeve, to cease all other activity (Will Montgomery)