A first collaboration between
Tetsu Inoue and
Carl Stone,
pict.soul has been released by the record label of Cycling '74, the computer company that produced the Max/MSP software. One could fear the album would turn into something like a demonstration tool, but it is not the case. The music remains computer-based electronica, but in general inspiration prevails over system requirements -- it sticks close to both artists' previous releases. Of course, each of them tugs on the bedsheets and the balance between
Inoue's delicate, experimental ambient music and
Stone's more jagged-edge constructions shifts from one track to the next. "%.disc" is pure
Inoue: soft, insidious, and mesmerizing. "(.ram)" and "@.fine" are most probably
Stone creations: busy, they build interruptions and glitches into something you could dance to if you had a third leg in the middle of your back. Everything in between finds the two compromising to find common ground -- and explore something new, as "?.digit" testifies. A sample (circus organ?) is literally orchestrated to form a mechanical fanfare. Interesting in concept, it is not completely convincing. Otherwise
pict.soul is a fine CD recommendable to fans of
Kim Cascone,
Kit Clayton, and the like.