Host by Philip Jeck (SR194)

text

Three pieces, the short, introductive "Community", followed by the more expansive "Accomodation" (sic) with its ghostly choir (the "host" of the disc's title, perhaps) and the drone and two-note bleep, almost a Jeck trademark that runs through his "Vinyl Coda" series, then the full-on twenty minutes of "Skew", a Jeck classic which builds and rises then falls apart before building itself up to a climax again. In comparison with some of his other recordings, there are no easily identifiable quotes or refrains which fall into the pieces (which can be fantastic - the bit of "Little Drummer Boy" in "Vinyl Coda IV" is one of the best Christmas records ever!). And, as usual, no sources are credited, which is a great shame, but does add to the mystery and fascination of just exactly what it is that Jeck does with those old scratched bits of plastic, a couple of battered record players (definitely not "turntables") and some toyshop effects.
Jeck's skill lies in using just the right touchstones to develop the themes of memory and loss, making his work both ghostly yet also very warm and often reassuring, using "forgotten" sounds and mistakes to build up something which is almost the sound of memory, forgetting, absence itself. Listening to Jeck is like trawling through a pile of old photographs of places you vaguely remember but haven't visited for years, their features blurred not only by the faded, torn pictures themselves but also by your own blurred memories.
"Host" also includes a video, which makes for interesting viewing, shedding some light on Jeck's method for those who have never caught one of his hypnotic live performances. 21 minutes of a bloke fiddling around with two ancient record players, some scratched old pieces of plastic doctored with strips of sticky tape, a tiny keyboard and a mixer. Like the rest of Jeck's soundworld, it's unpromising when written down, but actually amazing.
An excellent introduction to Jeck's work for anyone who hasn't encountered this fascinating artist before.