From Jason Kahn, a cassette representing two more episodes from his 2012 tour where he was treating audiences in UK and Europe to a barrage of synth-and-radio noise. Thirty Seconds Over (aude1003) captures him doing this in Brighton and Ghent, the former as part of Paul Morgan’s Aural Detritus series of concerts. Matter of fact I suppose it’s likely that ihj / ftarri is also a document from this same jaunt, since it features plenty of hot action from Kahn’s analogue synth a-blastin’. I used to associate Kahn almost exclusively with drumming and free improvisation, but that was years ago, and we’ve since heard impressive compositions like Open Space which demonstrate a real grasp of structure and sequence and an understanding of how to power a large-scale composition for a group ensemble.
However, for Thirty Seconds Over most of that structure and meaning is jettisoned in favour of raw, in-the-now, gritty noise-burst performance work, giving us a chance to savour Kahn’s down-and-dirty skills in the bear-pit of the live arena, rather than hiding like a quivering cissy behind the conductor’s podium. Needless to say he hurls himself into the job like a seasoned gladiator armed with trident and net. Insufferable harsh noise bursts are leavened by occasional random stabs of music and comforting shortwave signal noise from his radio set-up, and for the most part his performances seem to follow no logical schema other than the path determined by the personal demons who guide his every thought and move in these fraught situations. A somewhat disjunctive listen, but overall a very punchy set of growly, texturised, immediate art-noise, which means Kahn wins by two falls to a submission. Arrived 5th December 2014.