Tim Hecker has built himself an enviable reputation during the course of his career. In the ambient field, comparisons with not only contemporary artists, but the great innovators - specifically Brian Eno, the progenitor of ambient music - are not only inevitable, but also wholly appropriate. And yet Hecker stands out as being unique, and in many ways, his work should be measured against the likes of John Cage.
Although Hecker is concerned with a sense of order and structure - something not generally associated with ambient music - whereas Cage's fascination with the random and 'fate' was a major factor in determining the direction of his compositions, he was nevertheless equally interested in creating order from the chaos, and creating pieces that could be replicated, while as the same time being different with every performance. In a sense, both arrive at a similar place.
'Ravedeath, 1972' has all the features of many contemporary ambient works of quality: sonic range, texture, mood, dynamic and tonal variation, often simultaneously, with contrasting and seemingly opposing sounds juxtaposed and pulling in opposite directions. The sense of structure is, as one might expect, subtle. But that's the whole point. The album does not function as twelve separate pieces, but one shifting, mutating soundscape, with moments of darkness and moments of light.
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'In the Fog', a piece in three movements that drift together to forge a unified whole, features majestic, distant pipe organ and long notes that float and soar, while grating drones fade in and out in the background.
There are moments of silence - and near-silence - too. Moments to reflect, to listen to the sound of your own breathing, the hum of a mains adapter, those tiny sounds within and without. The real triumph of 'Ravedeath, 1972' lies in the fact that it feels so natural and flows so perfectly. Much of this stems from the fact that it was recorded in a church in Reykjavik, with the live pipe organ sounds subsequently manipulated and re-ordered in the studio. It feels in no way contrived, and instead, from the order, Hecker has moulded something that sounds and feels entirely organic.
Tim Hecker on MySpace
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