Who could have thought that such
a dense musical explosion could ever emanate from one man alone? Using
a nord modular to constitute additional members and musical parts, and
supplying an endless, controlled battery of lightning-fast drum
smashes; Andrew Dymond is able to create a wholly new embodiment of
musical exposition, manifold in its creative genius.
One hit of a drum does not
signify the whole in this process of music making. Midi-triggers are
attached to a pre-programmed synth –painstakingly sequenced with
complex, alternating patches- to create a perfectly synchronised
accompaniment to the drumming onslaught. The drum strikes become
twinned with melody, but the sound does not stop spreading. The floor
tom, then the bass and snare drum, are all attached - all musical cogs
in action- creating the whole. Each drum giving their own sonically
synonymous melody; the bass drum triggering staggeringly powerful
basslines, the snare driving with hectic disarray through different
melodies, and the floor tom pushing through different patterns.
It becomes almost like a nervous
system. The drums are used as the sense nodes for the whole, the midi
triggers become the synapse through which the electrical signal, the
communication is sent. These electrical pulses are then interpreted by
the modular, and, upon returning a command, interpret the impulses into
coherent, organised melody, orated in grandiose fashion through two
heavy-duty amplifiers.
Duracell is a paradox between the
unrelenting, dyonisian release of sonic force and the detailed,
structured process with which the music is programmed. It is drumming
which appears completely unrestrained, completely free, and yet it is
an accomplished art form, requiring detailed composition and a unique
talent for drumming.
R Cowling. May 2005