Greg Malcolm, an audio engineer based in Cleveland, Ohio, and Chad
Mossholder, a sound designer from Boulder, Connecticut, formed Twine
a while ago. Both artists have performed on their own in the past, but,
since the release of Reference , their first album, last year, they have
been concentrating on developing their common interest for unusual
sound structures.
Situated at the point where the hip-hop-based glitch of Autechre and the
experimental sonic mutations of German label Mille Plateaux meet, Twin
define their own space by way of oblique digital abstraction. Inspired by
the work of John Cage, Stauckhausen and the electro-acoustic
movement, the duo dissects noises, clicks and human voices to present
sound in its purest form, decontextualised and destructured. Once the
process of isolationism by negation complete, what is left is an ensemble
of randomly formed organic spaces, organised within themselves and
often interacting with each other. If Summary evokes VI Scose Poise ,
and both tracks are strategically placed at the beginning of their
respective albums, it is because they act as some sort of guide to the
more complex tracks to follow. Many of Autechre's fans and detractors
alike have condemned them for following a similar path to the one
adopted by Twine. However, the result indicates a broad, visionary,
approach to new forms of music. The sound constructions produced by
Twine are everything but inhuman and cold. Quite the contrary in fact, as
the band performs a crosscheck examination of our sonic society. This is
circumstantial music. Twin's evolutive rhythmic patterns and multifaceted
use of the same sound sources create a unique collection of avant-
gardist musical forms, firmly set into its own cultural landscape, but open
to the outside world. The band's compositions are welcomingly warm and
inviting, and despite their abstract architecture, surprisingly accessible.
Twine have created, with Circulation , an album full of extremely
inventive textures all the way through. The duo presents a challenging,
yet fascinating, record, and develop further their structural sound to near
perfection.
