Evol Magia Potagia

[Mego; 2005]

Rating: 3.5/5

Styles: algorithmic composition, experimental laptop, notebook noise
Others: Hecker, Kevin Drumm, Massimo, Pita, Nobukazu Takemura


A computer duo of Roc Jiménez de Cisneros and Anna Ramos, Evol plugs its USB cables into the depths of algorithmic composition and discarded noise. But the circuits don't so much explore as dwell in a communal hum. Rather than imposing some sort of structure on an otherwise chaotic mess, Evol allows its computer-generated sounds to just simply be. Especially on "Pus pus pus" and "Walpurgis," there is no deferred gratification going on. There's no musical goal, no destination. To talk of the beginning, middle, or end of the compositions is to drag the discussion to irrelevancy. What you hear at any given moment is where the enjoyment is, so bracing yourself for a ride of crescendos and mounting dynamics should be saved for your post-rock foraging. As illusory as it may seem, Evol's music is about as static as you can get, existing not for a musical nugget to be flicked at you, but for the moment. So what's in this moment? Well, nothing you can particularly grasp onto. Eschewing any sense of rhythm or tonality, Magia Potagia is abstract and anti-teleological, with minimal variation and maximum impact. Their abrasive noise distillations avoid conventional human emotion in favor of a mathematical template, sounding distant yet, ironically, sardonic at the same time. This is not to say, however, that the music is bland. In fact, the music is constantly micro-shifting from befuddlement to utter frustration, in that chaotic, 'my life is overwhelming because of a, b, c' kinda way. But it's certainly not the kind of music that'll play on your emotions with codified gestures. If you're looking for experimental music that'll go down easy, you're looking in the wrong place. Magia Potagia is about the aestheticization of computer-generated sound, working under the assumption that this thing we call time can, should, or will be transcended. Consequently, the album is perhaps more geared to those seeking a temporary escape from the illusions of the modern listening experience.

1. Punani Potagia
2. Pus pus pus
3. Walpurgis