Dafne Vicente-Sandoval

Redefined minimalism, NuDaft is the result of a sonic association between Paris-based bassoonist Dafne Vicente-Sandoval and New York composer Phill Niblock. Basically Vicente-Sandoval improvised and recorded a collection of sounds which were then reworked using ProTools into a 65 minute composition-program by Niblock.

Unfolding at the same leisurely pace that Niblock, who is also a film maker, imbues in his visual and purely electronic work, fragmented reed raw materials are repeated, shaped, multiplied and layered. Evolving in slow-motion, the dense timbres project their own rhythm and logic, with the overriding and undulating drone encompasses distinctive melodic segments, albeit briefly. Vicente-Sandoval is a reed experimenter who has helped interpret musical creations by Rhodri Davies, Éliane Radigue and others. Thus timbral input stemming from the bassoonist’s meticulously recorded bed tracks make NuDaf a true collaboration. During the multiphonic elaborations that make up the relaxed, undulating performances there are numerous times when the multilayered vamps seem to be further amplified with vocal-sourced lyric textures. There’s even a suggestion of a multi-voiced choir during the penultimate sequence. As it is, the stratified line with a few biting treble tones thickens into a nearly unbroken buzz during the final interlude signaling conclusion as well as the possibility of sonic revival.

Accepting composer’s and performer’s singular contributions as well as the composition’s assiduous construction, heightens appreciation for this, distinct and engrossing disc.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. NuDaf

Personnel: Dafne Vicente-Sandoval (bassoon) and Phill Niblock (composer)