Intermodulation

by Formen

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Mike Healey This ep is a thing of beauty from start to finish. The textures are just exquisite. Favorite track: Total Harmonic Distortion.

Memento Mori Exciting EP with more similarities to Formen's debut album "Impulse" than to the live compilation "Noise Around Our Homes". The arrangements are more elaborate than before, the 'clicks' are emphasized over the 'cuts' and generally more harmony elements are presented. Nevertheless, Formen's raw, analog approach of the early years is never missing. Highly recommended! Favorite track: Blackheath.

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Signed and numbered lathe cut by Formen
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Formen's interest in analog sound design and vintage production techniques led him into the world of vinyl cutting. Therefore, "Intermodulation" will not only be released digitally, but also as a strictly limited edition of 19 lathe cuts. Every single one of these records is cut on high quality PVC and was meticulously crafted by Formen himself in his studio in Biel/Bienne. As a result, each individual record is a unique work created by the artist. This is evident, among other things, from the personal signature and numbering in the run-out groove of each individual record.

The covers of the lathe cuts were created by Arthoss Iliph, a very reclusive photographer from Basel. He made a name for himself at a young age with large-format analog photographs, primarily dealing with the interaction of society, nature and architecture. For Formen's cover, however, he has chosen abstraction: For several years, he has been experimenting with silver gelatin photographic paper, which he processes with light and heat to create different color gradients, degrees of saturation and organic patterns. Using this method, he has produced 19 different covers, which differ greatly from one another in terms of their motifs, but can be understood as variations on the same concept.

We at Empty Space would like to point out that the vinyl cutting process is a technical and infrastructural challenge, which means that each cut sounds slightly different and may contain pops, soft crackles or lead-in noise. At the same time, however, we would like to emphasize that the beauty of the medium lies in its physical limitations as well as technical challenges. These lathe cuts are therefore, in the spirit of Ae, only "complete with surface noise".

One per customer.

Includes unlimited streaming of Intermodulation via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

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1.	Für Frank 02:18	buy track
2.	Shuto Expressway '71 08:06	buy track
3.	Blackheath 06:56	buy track
4.	Total Harmonic Distortion 06:07	buy track

about

It is a difficult task to narrow down Formen's work within the usual genre boundaries: The tracks on this EP range from downbeat clicks 'n' cuts, to dub techno, all the way to electro-noise. What gives the EP coherence despite this broad spectrum is its unique texture and raw approach, which is evident in the sound design and composition of the tracks - characteristics that provide a connection to Formen's older work.

The tracks on this EP have been produced using only hardware, with some instruments modified for each composition. The interaction of the instruments with each other and the resulting modulations create new timbres, the maintenance of which is a balancing act: Each reshaping of a single parameter produces changes in the timbres of the other instruments. The term "intermodulation", which originally describes the (unwanted) interaction between two signals in an electronic system, is understood here as a creative method: The elements in the studio influence each other in their frequency spectrum as well as their amplitude, creating new timbres, which are processed aesthetically.

Formen, who is a representative of analog dub mixing, has created all compositions as one-takes, using these intermodulations and malfunctions of his instruments as musical themes. The individual tracks draw on the genre expectations of the recipient, but subvert them through the use of evolving timbres, experimental spatiality and electronic saturation. As a result, Formen's EP moves between the reproduction of popular music and the exploration of electro-acoustic sounds, whereby established arrangements and motifs are deconstructed and sonically reassembled. The tracks are thus characterized less by their compositional subtleties or genre affiliation than by their sonic peculiarities.

The covers of the lathe cuts were created by Arthoss Iliph, a very reclusive photographer from Basel. He made a name for himself at a young age with large-format analog photographs, primarily dealing with the interaction of society, nature and architecture. For Formen's cover, however, he has chosen abstraction: For several years, he has been experimenting with silver gelatin photographic paper, which he processes with light and heat to create different color gradients, degrees of saturation and organic patterns. Using this method, he has produced 19 different covers, which differ greatly from one another in terms of their motifs, but can be understood as variations on the same concept. The artwork of the digital release is a modified high quality scan of #19 of these silver gelatin experiments.

credits

released March 8, 2024

All tracks are written and produced by Formen
Artwork by Arthoss Iliph
Mastered by Formen

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about

Formen Biel/Bienne, Switzerland

Formen is a musician and sound designer based in Biel/Bienne. He explores glitch aesthetics and electroacoustic soundscapes through vintage production techniques.

He is renowned for working exclusively with hardware, mixing and performing his tracks live at the mixing console. Most of his compositions are live performances, designed as one-take recordings without overdubs. ... more

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