By: John M. Peters, The Borderland, UK
Matthew Schoening - Elements (Live and Uncut)
“Elements” has to be one of the most extraordinary albums that I have heard since I started reviewing music on my website. Matthew Schoening is a cellist of subtle virtuosity, and his album is a live solo performance of improvisational music created by recording loops of his cello and layering these loops until it builds up into a near-orchestral sound and then playing over this. It sounds more amazing than I can describe it - one imagines from listening to the album blindly that banks of synthesizers and other electronic gubbins are doing the work. Which is essentially true in essence [apart from no synths used], but this is all produced live from a blank canvas at the time of the performance.
“Elements” contains five sections [Water, Air, Fire, Earth, and Spirit], which are performed consecutively without any gaps. In terms of the music, I guess that it falls within the experimental, ambient, new age and any other alternative musical genre you care to think of. While it is 100% original I think that if you enjoy the music of Brian Eno, early Tangerine Dream, Roedellius, etc., then you will find this most interesting.
I have never been a huge fan of the cello when used in its usual capacity, but Mr. Schoening's brilliance in bringing out these astounding sounds and then mixing them together live while performing on top of this background has to be heard to be believed. I imagine that the process is not too dissimilar to the Frippertronics process that guitarist Robert Fripp utilizes on his solo work, and it must be liberating to the musician to be able to create and explore musical soundscapes wholly under their control. While it may sound as if the music is highly technical - which it is - it is also extremely emotional and melodic, atmospheric and ephemeral. It must have been quite an experience for the audience who shared this performance; thank goodness this CD captures it very well. Highly recommended!