THE SEALED KNOT - SURFACE/PLANE

(confront collectors series ccs 20)

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***CD EDITION SOLD OUT**

 

Burkhard Beins : percussion
Rhodri Davies : harp
Mark Wastell : violoncello

Surface recorded live in concert at St. Michael & All Angels Church, West London on 28 September 2001. Plane recorded live in concert at St.Pauls Hall, Huddersfield, on 27 September 2001.

Re-issue of Meniscus MNSCS 012, originally released in 2003.

Listed as one of THE WIRE'S Top 10 Improvised Music Records 2003.

Although the group was formed in 2000, its members have been playing together in different groupings and settings throughout Europe since 1997. There is a special connection between the London and Berlin scenes, which The Sealed Knot exemplifies. Although the musical form is composed in the moment, the structures are open. Nothing is forced – all three lock into a specific area of exploration in a subtle way. The group uses no pre-prepared material and they don’t eschew repetition and definite pitches.

"...Overall, they give the impression of a gradual ebb and flow of layered soundfields over a bedrock of silence. Confronted with the trio's intricately plaited tones, sometimes it's hard to tell the provenance of a particular sound - like many musicians exploring extended techniques, they're at war with their instruments...Gradual shifts and the kind of communication that develops within longstanding musical relationships are central to the group aesthetic. The slow, deliberate movement of The Sealed Knot's music often sounds semi-composed, a testament to the close bond that they have developed over the years..." (Will Montgomery, "Silence is a rhythm too: The Sealed Knot”, The Wire, June 2002)