Tracklisting :
1. Zbigniew Karkowski - Wrench
2. Phauss - Nothing But The Truth / We'll Be Married In The Morning
3. John Duncan / Zbigniew Karkowski - Chapel Perilous
4. John Duncan - Kick
5. Guds Söner - Betaeckning
6. The Hafler Trio - Bread & Shit
"Anckarström Live" was released by Staalplaat in 1993.
From Allmusic.com : "Developed during a residency at the Atelier de Création Radiophonique at Maison Radio France (Paris) in 2002 and completed in Tokyo a few months later, ElectroStatics ranks among Zbigniew Karkowski's best works (the CD presents this sole piece, 42 minutes long) and his easiest listens. Don't be fooled; it remains challenging sound art, but one finds a nice balance between abrasive textures and microscopic sounds/silences that makes it easier on the ear than most of his released material. ElectroStatics is all about electric signal. Sound sources include a shortwave radio, a scanner, the direct output of an antenna, and a transformer, plus ground signal. The piece opens on a Biblical rant typical of those populating the shortwaves, immediately setting the mood for an experience that aims at electrical transcendence yet keeps a satirical point of view. The first two thirds are rather noisy as Karkowski sculpts radio signals into finely detailed shapes that evoke how half the fun about scanning stations on a dial radio is listening to the sounds in between stations. Morse code transmissions find their way into the mix (or is it that Karkowski shaped the material into dots and dashes?) before the music shifts its focus on electrical hum. A low growl grips you by the stomach for a few minutes, ever-changing its cycles before being harmonized by other buzzes and joined by a few slabs of white noise for the finale. The topic of shortwave radio is not new; in fact, ever since the release of The Conet Project, it has threatened to become a small-scale trend, but Karkowski's piece makes compelling use of this type of sound sources."
"ElectroStatics" was released by Post-Concrete in 2003.
From Allmusic.com : "Released in Metamkine's series of 3" CDs, "Cinéma Pour l'Oreille," and adopting its usual format of a single 20-minute piece, Consciously Unconscious. Unconsciously Conscious may destabilize at first. It is not a noise onslaught like listeners are used to from this artist. Yet, it remains focused on the physicality of sound. In the opening seconds listeners hear filtered voices, ghostly and with an uncertain purpose. The piece then dives into low-frequency rumbles. Listened to at high volume (and on a subwoofer if possible), they get under your skin to toy with your organs. For the next third of an hour, Zbigniew Karkowski sculpts these low turmoils, letting occasional strokes of high frequencies pass by, not painful flashes, just grey openings in the black fabric of sound. In the last three minutes, the composer drops the low range to produce high-frequency drones. None of this sheds light on the introductory voices. Skillfully constructed, the piece amounts to one big question mark made of dozens of smaller ones. Two of them are: Is it good? Should it be?"
"Consciously Unconscious, Unconsciously Conscious" was released by Metamkine in 2002.
From www.sensorband.com : "Sensorband is the premier trio of virtual instruments. Each musician uses interactive electronics in a different way - making music from ultrasound, infrared, and bioelectric signals. They have created a band that takes a rock power trio as metaphor. Edwin van der Heide is the "vocals", working with ultrasound based 3D handheld controllers to perform infinite time stretching on digitally sampled vocal sources. Atau Tanaka is "guitar-bass" using muscle signals (EMG) and gesture to play air guitar, and low bass parts. Zbigniew Karkowski is "drums", playing virtual percussion in a cage armed with infrared beams. As a trio they reconcile new technology with the immediacy and energy of a rock group. With these new instruments the Sensorband musicians takes the group dynamic beyond the limitations of guitar, bass, and drums. The result is a powerful musical force of intense percussive rhythms, deep pulsing drones, and wailing melodic fragments.
Sensorband has also created a monumental 121 sq meter musical instrument called Soundnet.
The members of the Sensorband came together performing in the experimental music scene in Europe. Edwin and Zbigniew went together to the summer courses in Darmstadt. Atau met Zbigniew in San Francisco during a USA tour. They performed as soloists in the festival Sonimage at Tacheles in Berlin in 1993. A few months later, they premiered the Sensorband at Voyages Virtuels in Paris, then in 1994 at The Paradiso in Amsterdam. While geographical distance has prevented these musicians from performing together more often, this has been partially overcome by network technology. In 1995 the Sensorband appeared at the Sonar Festival in Barcelona, with Atau in Barcelona, and with Edwin and Zbigniew performing from Amsterdam via ISDN providing video and audio connections."
This compilation brings together the works of Ulf Bilting, Zbigniew Karkowski and Phauss (aka Carl Michael Von Hausswolff and Erik Pauser).
The three collaborative pieces between Ulf Bilting and Zbigniew Karkowski were created and recorded in the Computer Music Studio at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, from June to September 1990.
"Final Folklore" by Phauss was recorded, re-recorded, equalized, mutated and mixed in the Electro-Acoustic Music Studio at the State College of Music in Gothenburg during the summer 1990, by Phauss and Zbigniew Karkowski.
"Immortal By My Side" by Zbigniew Karkowski uses sound material generated with UPIC (Unité Polyagogique Informatique du CEMAMu) in Paris from June to July 1989. This sound material was then treated and manipulated at Steim in Amsterdam in May 1990, and later finally mixed in the Electro-Acoustic Music Studio at the State College of Music in Gothenburg in August 1990.
"Phauss - Karkowski - Bilting" was released by Silent Records in 1992.
