Rhodri DAVIES & Alfredo Costa MONTEIRO
“Widdershins”

A new CD of a live performance by these two talented improvisers. The interplay between them is, to use a cliche, telepathic. Whilst it’s often difficult to figure out who is doing what, the gelling of the sounds is perfect, going from meditative to intense, smooth to harsh (but not abrasive). Improvisation at it’s best – highly recommended!
Recorded live on 24th May 2024 in Barcelona
Rhodri Davies : Amplified harp, electronics
Alfredo Costa Monteiro : Amplified objects & electro-acoustic devices
Mixed by Alfredo Costa Monteiro
Mastered by Colin Potter

REVIEW by Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly : The biggest surprise here is not the music but the label. I would expect such fine talents in improvised music to find their home within their musical field, say, a label like Confront. But it’s on Colin Potter’s ICR label, home for Potter’s music, Andrew Liles, Nurse With Wound and others related to these projects. Alfredo Costa Monteiro and Rhodri Davies don’t seem to be from this family. They recorded this piece on May 24, 2024, in Barcelona, with Davies on amplified harp, electronics and Monteiro on amplified objects & electro-acoustic devices. These aren’t the most conventional instruments, and the results aren’t all too traditional; at least, most of the time. The amplification is used to generate drone-like sounds, with pickups being amplified, and mechanised objects and electrical currents are incorporated into the music. Whatever these amplified objects are, we don’t know, and I thought that would be a good thing; it leaves a lot to imagine there. I can’t even hazard a guess, or perhaps I never tried in the first place. I sat back and enjoyed this work all the same. Based on what I heard, I’d say there might be one or more sound effects at work, but maybe it’s all to do with the careful placing of microphones and a clever mix of microphone and line recordings here. At least, again, that’s what I imagine here. The music is far from noisy, or all too tranquil for that matter, yet always with some force played. Here too, the buzzing of drones, no matter how quiet they are, is always present, in whatever changing form. And, sometimes, the music has a pleasant, violent feel, such as around the 25-minute mark. Whatever happens, the music never stays in the same place too long, constantly changing and moving, looking for the next sweet spot. This goes on for about 40-some minutes, and then the possibilities are exhausted. The listener (me) wasn’t exhausted and wished for some more.