I’m late to the game on this one but Kitakata is Kita-licious so I’m going to tout this product from Joachim Badenhorst anyway. Buttressed by a nice fold-out tape cover that smells… eternal and has nice overlay designs (is that what they’re called?), this cassette takes a few different tacts early on, each of them successful. First we have a couple of killer clarinet solo works that flow like rivers in and out of your ear drums, interspersed by the nice found-sound trickle of a creek or some such thing. It’s tough to get me excited when it comes to experimental solo showcases (ex: Loren Connors, etc.), but Badenhorst makes it easy, shifting his template constantly while maintaining the aforementioned flow like an electrician servicing a downed power line. I used to know a guy that, without training, could solo on a piano like a virtuoso for short bursts of time. Kitakata is full of similar virtuosity, but instead of short bursts Badenhorst is bringing long, drawn out explorations that hit all the right notes (shit I’m becoming a cliche’d jerk). I love the interludes too, they’re more necessary than one would think, offering short respites that whet the taste buds for more of that clarinet. ‘Horst has put out recordings on Smeraldina-Rima, Clean Feed, and a ton of other labels I’ve never heard of, so I might have to do a little digging on this fellow. Hopefully you’ll follow me through the wormhole, as I don’t cover tapes like Kitakata enough and want to atone. Forgive me!
More about: Joachim Badenhorst
