Other:M:other, MetaMorph, Austria, Klanggalerie, gg424 CD (2023)
Based in Vienna, Other:M:other is an improvisational jazz / experimental / beats-oriented trio, each of whose members boasts a varied background in music and sound art though they are all still quite young. Drummer Judith Schwarz plays with jazz groups Orjazztra Vienna and Chuffdrone, the latter band including saxophonist Lisa Hofmaninger with whom Schwarz also pairs as Duo Hofmaninger/Schwarz. Jul Dillier (prepared piano), also a member of Chuffdrone, is a soloist in his own right and performs with other improvisational jazz ensembles, a full list of which can be found at his website. Arthur Fussy is a sound designer, engineer and composer, and as the third member of Other:M:other performs on modular synthesiser. “MetaMorph” is Other:M:other’s debut album, consisting of music recorded from three concerts the trio gave in 2022.
With three musicians with such diverse experiences and backgrounds, Other:M:other can be expected to deliver the unexpected and on this album, the threesome does not disappoint: from one track to the next, the music ranges from improv jazz (natch!) to droning ambient soundscapes on “Lithosphäre”, electroacoustic (“Reaktor”) and beats-driven electronic dance music (“Techtonic”). All tracks are of varying lengths and most of them, mainly the more jazz improv pieces, are short, leaving the more musically idiosyncratic tracks like “Lithosphäre” and “Techtonic” to claim a major chunk of the album’s playing time. The longest track “Unruh” is a mix of jazz improv, percussion-driven rhythms, stuttery piano drama and ambient electroacoustic effects.
While the long tracks are all very good, I find myself wishing they all could have been a bit longer and more hypnotically immersive. “Unruh” especially could have been long enough to merit a one-track EP or album. It may be just due to the way all the music has been recorded and edited, but I do find the album sounds just a little too clean and tidy, given that the source material was performed live, and needs a bit of a raw edge to boost it to a wider audience not familiar with free jazz.