AMM — Ammmusic (review)

Album · 1967 · Jazz Related Improv/Composition

4/5 · 2017-05-17
siLLy puPPy

Stemming from the classical indeterminacy of artists like John Cage and the free jazz antics of rule breakers like Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor, during the 60s these influences along with other atonal sounds from the musique concrete movement culminated into the experimental noise and free improvisation sounds with the London based group AMM leading the way in divorcing themselves from any remaining melodies, rhythms or predictable musical patterns. The group started in 1965 when Keith Rowe (guitar), Lou Gare (saxophone) and Eddie Prévost (drums) found the commonality of creating free form noise from their instruments that was designed to be spontaneous embellished by unorthodox methods of adding extra touches of weirdness to the mix such as amplifying the abuse of everyday objects, using radio feedback as part of the overall flow of noise and Rowe’s deconstructed guitar techniques including untuned strings. After a heavy rotation of finding musicians who shared the same vision, the group grew to a quintet with Cornelius Cardew (piano, cell, transistor radio) and Lawrence Sheaff (cello, accordion, clarinet, transistor radio) joining the noise seeker ranks.

Because of their ambitions to sound utterly alien, their spontaneous music ensemble succeeded in scoring an opening spot with the then still free improv psychedelic band Pink Floyd at the famous UFO Club and in the fertile experimental fields of the 60s managed to ultimately score them a record deal with Elektra Records which was one of the big wig labels of the day as they were responsible for such hugely successful acts like The Doors. Unfortunately after AMMMUSIC sold virtually zilch amount of records, the band was immediately dropped leaving them to finding their own twisted way in the world, thus keeping them tethered to the deep recesses of the underground world as a cult curiosity for those who relish in the most out-there collections of sounds to be heard. Despite it all the undeterred group continues to the present day continuing their refusal to rehearse their compositions and still only perform spontaneously without previous notice.

The original LP released in 1967 contains two sprawling tracks that both clock in over the 20 minute mark and are utterly unintelligible as they consist of nothing more than constant flows of free improv sounds eschewing every aspect of “normal” music. Nothing even close to melodies, no steady rhythms and absolutely no recognizable structures whatsoever. It makes me think of the interior of the sun with random forces and explosions of sonic decibalage haphazardly punctuating the silence in aimless and arbitrary modus operandi that appear to have some hidden agenda as they swirl and swoosh about but is too removed from reality to understand it. The results of this nasty noise that celebrates chaos, atonality and the ultimate bizarre is like stepping into another reality altogether, suspending all expectations and placing the listener in a mediative state of disbelief with only the recognizable timbres of the instruments tethering consciousness to the world in which we are familiar.

More than a worthy addition to the Nurse With Wound list, AMM has persevered by carving out their own unique niche in the world of noise and improv and hides in the shadows of the popular musical world that dominates at any given moment. While original pressings are always preferred to experience first, some of the newer pressings on CD have extra tracks from the same sessions that add different takes of the two tracks as well as four completely unreleased tracks which are excellent complimentary companions to the originally intended tracks. If you’re looking for weird then look no further than AMMMUSIC. This is the type of sound collage that takes you somewhere you never knew existed and has enough going on so that it’s impossible to get bored.