Robert Turman is perhaps best known – at least in certain circles – for his early involvement with NON with Boyd Rice. After his pioneering noise works with Rice in the late 70s, Turman was motivated by a desire to explore alternative sonic territories. Making his break from heavy industrial racket, he turned toward sparser, gentler sounds. In hindsight, it was probably a sound move, not least of all because he also managed to time his departure a fair way ahead of Rice’s dalliances with the far right that would prove so controversial as to threaten to overshadow his musical output.
Originally released in 1981 on cassette as an edition of just 100, Spectrum Spools are now giving Turman’s minimalist work a proper vinyl release – and it sounds just great.
|
Unsurprisingly, it’s a far cry from the cranium-compressing sonic torture of NON, with soft tones and chimes dominating the foreground while delicate rumbles remain distant. It’s the kind of music that really does wash over you, soothing the synapses and calming the nerves.
It may be over 30 years old, but ‘Flux’ remains both timeless and contemporary, and its rerelease is as welcome as it was long overdue.
Robert Turman Online
|
