The array of percussive instruments in the photograph on Steve Noble‘s Solo release shows the stripped-down aesthetic that he is working towards; a snare, some gongs, various cymbals and some sort of boards.
The cymbal flex at the opening immediately puts the listener on the back foot as the sound is so strange, its growing insistence building towards a peak. It feels almost like the attempted take-off of some enormous bird, screeching and cawing as it tries to leave the ground. The sounds here are often edgy; there is a feeling of someone sawing through a wall trying to reach you at one point, and you can feel the emptiness of the room in the ring of echo as each noise dies away only to be replaced. There is a certain energy generated in the room, and the juxtaposition of scraping and scoring surfaces against the awakening of a single gong beat is impressive.
There is some rhythmic precision here and there; the alarm insinuation of bells or a beautiful polyrhythmic run towards the latter stages; but generally, this is about experiencing the sounds as the instrument was designed. There is a wide variety of sensations, from the beautiful ring of the gong to the more discordant or uncomfortable sawing of unknown origin; subterranean creaks and groans rise from below, the unnerving deep of the Underground, rails creaking, a slow emergence into the light, punctuated by snare cracks like rifle shots that surprise you with their force. At one point there is almost an imitation of a bop horn blowing slow and plaintive as the mood changes and light floods in again. This change of mood as Steve works slowly around the kit keeps everything you experience fresh, and you can almost feel his thought process as he decides which tones will sit well or as diametric opposites. It feels like an experiment in construction and each run is punctuated by silence to allow the effect to sink in.It is curious how animal-like some of the sounds appear; whereas at other pints, old machinery is clanking into gradual action. You can also sense his fascination with the sounds and I can imagine Steve staring and listening intently as he works his way around, his measured movement and control clearly discernible, ravaged echoes fleetingly hanging in the air
How do two sounds sit together? What is too much of one section? Which has the most pervasive echo? These questions and more are on the tip of Steve’s tongue and he works his magic to answer them all the way through this piece.-Mr Olivetti-
