Mike Cooper / Mark Wastell

Adapting rare strategies, two veteran British improvisers work out a set of unconventional string and percussion duets that revamp their instruments expected timbres on this notable disc. Someone who assembled a style out of acoustic folk-like references plus interaction with improvises ranging from Dave Holland to Chris Abrahams; Mike Cooper expresses himself here on lap steel guitar and electronics. Meanwhile Mark Wastell, whose cello work has been featured with the likes of Chris Burn and Rhodri Davies, instead uses tam tam, percussion and shruti box on Sound Mirrors’ six selections.

Starting slowly with slippery vibrations, distracted twangs, hissing drones and reverberations, the two achieve their most effective interaction mid-way through on “Warden Point” and “Joss Gap”. With Cooper processing electronics to stab and wiggle outer-space-like tones that succeed his initial extended twanging, interaction with shruti box drones is achieved on the first tune with sizzling stings weaving through the drones resulting in a landscape of off-key percussiveness. Then, the extended “Joss Gap” propels individual techniques still further. Expected string picking and regularized drum beats are quickly superseded by tremolo textures which not only that shatter the placid tone, but also in turning faster, more dissonant and more rhythmic reach a crescendo of shifting textures. Abruptly however, just when percussion drones appear paramount, Cooper upsets expectations by interpolating a folksy, scratching guitar air as an acoustic challenge to the beats and processing.

The concluding “Boulby’ may be more atonal with thumping tam tam echoing; and the penultimate “Maghtab” allows the guitarist to demonstrate what harsh flamenco-like strums sound like vibrating next to maracas-like shakes. But it’s those transitional sequences which demonstrate the duo’s sonic originality and how they go about achieving it.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Abbott’s Cliff 2. Fan Bay 3. Warden Point 4. Joss Gap 5. Maghtab 6. Boulby

Personnel: Mike Cooper (lap steel guitar and electronics) and Mark Wastell (Paiste 32 inch tam tam, percussion and shruti box)