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Partikel - Counteraction (2017)

Posted By: Designol

Date: 23 Jun 2022 15:44:50

Vibrant release 'Counteraction' sees Partikel shifts up another gear, with music crafted specifically around their forward-thinking approach to composition, while also introducing atmospheric electric guitarist Ant Law, flautist and baritone saxophonist Anna Cooper, and electronic sound designer Sisi Lu. Since their Whirlwind debut as an acoustic trio ('Cohesion', 2012), Partikel have progressively pushed at the developmental possibilities, and 2015's 'String Theory' - augmenting the line-up of Duncan Eagles (saxophones), Max Luthert (double bass) and Eric Ford (drums) with string quartet - generated significant interest, spawning numerous gigs both in the UK and internationally. These live experiences (including a month touring China) saw the band's sound climbing to new heights, enhanced by the work of violinist Benet McLean and super-sized with the creative blends enabled by digital harmonizers, pedals and programming. The compositions (mostly by Eagles) explore fascinating textural avenues, balancing and integrating them with the band's original sax, bass and drums identity to create often strikingly unusual resonances. For example, their revisitation of previously-issued trio track 'Blood of the Pharoah' now elevates its spatial, percussive mystery through windswept ambience and cello, achieving greater dramatic intensity. This album's zeal is defined by strongly collaborative arrangements and explosive playing throughout - but then, to follow such an evolving course is a liberating process for the band. Personnel: Duncan Eagles (saxophones), Max Luthert (double and electric bass), Eric Ford (drums), Ant Law (guitar), Benet McLean (violin), Anna Cooper (flute and baritone saxophone), Matthew Sharp (cello), SiSi Lu (electronics).

The stylistically supple south London outfit Partikel have made plenty of trenchant contemporary jazz simply as a sax-led trio featuring saxophonist/composer Duncan Eagles, but recent expansions to their lineup (fine jazz violinist Benet McLean in 2015, and now the innovative young guitarist Ant Law) have significantly stretched their appeal. Law adds both ambient dreamscapes and rock-riffing rhythmic punch, sound designer Sisi Lu wraps orchestral-electronic tapestries around the pithy acoustic phrasing of Eagles and McLean, and the saxophonist’s clever, rhythmically drum-tight but occasionally impassive compositions often get a newly inviting warmth. Land and Sea’s swaps of swaying and then staccato sax melodies against soaring-seabird electronics confirm the expanded palette, while Law’s gliding improv lines and gleaming sound show what a gamechanger he can be on the folksier Scenes and Sounds. McLean applies both his languidly Stephane Grappelli-like swing and brittle free-improv to the rhythmically capricious title track, and the hard-swung violin/sax exchanges on the New Orleans-inflected Bolden Days are as loose and vivaciously jam-like as anything Partikel have recorded.

Review by John Fordham, The Guardian

Counteraction is Partikel's fourth album to date and their follow-up to 2015's String Theory. Without wishing to wrap this review up in a couple of sentences, it's probably their best to date and adopts their customary deployment of heterogeneous instrumentation—strings and reeds notably—and characteristically unorthodox structures.

"Land And Sea" begins tentatively but soon leads into a short saxophone melody and onto a strident ensemble vamp redolent of King Crimson. "Scenes And Sounds" opens with a brief melee of sound reverting to a calmer melody introduced by Duncan Eagles on tenor saxophone. Ant Law contributes a lithe, fluid solo, meticulously avoiding running the customary gamut of guitar clichés.

The blending of jazz and classical elements throughout Counteraction is pervasive and subtle—as an exemplar of this just listen to "Lanterns" but as if to emphasise the duality of Partikel's influences Benet McLean's violin on the title track is stunning. His playing often evokes that of Dominique Pifarély's in his contributions to Mike Westbrook's seminal On Duke's Birthday and later on The Orchestra of Smith's Academy.

Early on in "The Blood Of The Pharoah" the listener is treated to a short swanee whistle type evocation of The Clangers, followed by some lugubrious cello near-quotes from "Hearts And Flowers" both of which reflect the cornucopia of disparate moods captured in each of the pieces. McLean's violin positively effervesces with energy and continues to astound with his virtuosity and imaginative extemporisation, as witnessed on the final track, "Bolden Days," a lively paean to the innovative legendary cornetist, Buddy Bolden.

Whilst it would be churlish (and wrong) to suggest that Counteraction borders on chamber jazz at times, this could be an easy misapprehension to make. But the music is much more mercurial than that. Imbued with a kaleidoscopically changing palette of sonic colours and tempos this is an album of brave and imaginative compositions enhanced by bravura performances.

Review by Roger Farbey, AllAboutJazz.com

Partikel Website

- Duncan Eagles, saxophones
- Max Luthert, double and electric bass
- Eric Ford, drums

with:
- Ant Law, guitar
- Benet McLean, violin
- Anna Cooper, flute and baritone saxophone
- Matthew Sharp, cello
- SiSi Lu, electronics

Tracklist:

1. Land and Sea (5:52)
2. Scenes and Sounds (8:26)
3. Lanterns (6:39)
4. Counteraction (9:33)
5. Moving Fields (8:50)
6. Introduction to Blood of the Pharaoh (2:26)
7. Blood of the Pharoah (9:16)
8. Bolden Days (7:42)

EAC log

Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3 from 29. August 2011

EAC extraction logfile from 11. September 2017, 13:36

Partikel / Counteraction

Used drive : ATAPI iHAS124 E Adapter: 0 ID: 0

Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No

Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track

Used output format : Internal WAV Routines
Sample format : 44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo

TOC of the extracted CD

Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 5:51.42 | 0 | 26366
2 | 5:51.42 | 8:25.70 | 26367 | 64311
3 | 14:17.37 | 6:38.74 | 64312 | 94235
4 | 20:56.36 | 9:32.60 | 94236 | 137195
5 | 30:29.21 | 8:50.21 | 137196 | 176966
6 | 39:19.42 | 2:26.34 | 176967 | 187950
7 | 41:46.01 | 9:16.32 | 187951 | 229682
8 | 51:02.33 | 7:41.49 | 229683 | 264306

Track 1

Filename C:\_EAC\01. Land and Sea.wav

Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00

Peak level 92.2 %
Extraction speed 1.1 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 1170689C
Copy CRC 1170689C
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK

Track 2

Filename C:\_EAC\02. Scenes and Sounds.wav

Peak level 91.8 %
Extraction speed 1.3 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 6DA1E927
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Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK

Track 3

Filename C:\_EAC\03. Lanterns.wav

Peak level 91.8 %
Extraction speed 1.6 X
Track quality 100.0 %
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Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK

Track 4

Filename C:\_EAC\04. Counteraction.wav

Peak level 91.8 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
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Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK

Track 5

Filename C:\_EAC\05. Moving Fields.wav

Peak level 91.8 %
Extraction speed 2.0 X
Track quality 100.0 %
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Track 6

Filename C:\_EAC\06. Introduction to Blood of the Pharaoh.wav

Peak level 32.8 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
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Track 7

Filename C:\_EAC\07. Blood of the Pharoah.wav

Peak level 91.8 %
Extraction speed 2.1 X
Track quality 99.9 %
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Track not present in AccurateRip database
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Track 8

Filename C:\_EAC\08. Bolden Days.wav

Peak level 92.2 %
Extraction speed 2.1 X
Track quality 100.0 %
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Track not present in AccurateRip database
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None of the tracks are present in the AccurateRip database

No errors occurred

End of status report

==== Log checksum F158A3B063129494C35798943B26A193501E804BA8F4F2ADDBB9B5FFCB97F63B ====

DR log

foobar2000 1.3.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-09-11 13:44:30

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Partikel / Counteraction
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR10 -0.70 dB -12.92 dB 5:52 01-Land and Sea
DR10 -0.73 dB -14.33 dB 8:26 02-Scenes and Sounds
DR10 -0.73 dB -15.23 dB 6:39 03-Lanterns
DR10 -0.73 dB -13.34 dB 9:33 04-Counteraction
DR10 -0.73 dB -13.10 dB 8:50 05-Moving Fields
DR8 -9.67 dB -21.16 dB 2:26 06-Introduction to Blood of the Pharaoh
DR11 -0.73 dB -15.41 dB 9:16 07-Blood of the Pharoah
DR10 -0.70 dB -13.48 dB 7:42 08-Bolden Days
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 8
Official DR value: DR10

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 835 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

All thanks to original releaser - vp_sunset

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