Rotterdam resident Jochem Paap, better known to many as Speedy J for his outstanding albums on Warp and Mute, as well as collaborations with the likes of Mike Paradinas, delivers something rather different in the shape of this audiovisual project with American Scott Pagano. Making use of cutting edge 5.1 surround sound technology, Paap creates soundscapes reminiscent of Autechre at their most challenging, while Pagano fries the visual cortex with a complex mesh of constantly evolving images using some startling effects.

Abstract is most definitely the word — only one semblance of a melody occurring in the whole hour’s duration. It’s neither easy listening nor viewing and frankly should be issued with a health warning for those of a sensitive disposition, or those indulging in mind-altering chemicals. Whilst the sound design is first class, Paap himself admits in the documentary that accompanies the film that this is a project of ‘possibilities’ — but I can’t help but feel that these aren’t necessarily realised to their full extent. The emerging technology employed here seems to have left Paap in a playground where he’s feeling around for ways to put new things together, rather than constructing the kind of organised masterpiece which we know he’s capable of.

Largely impenetrable to the casual listener/viewer, it requires full immersion but the overall effect is… too much. It’s so unrelenting in its attempts to be clever that it ends up being too clinical. Apparently Umfeld is created ‘in HD’ — ADHD, perhaps? It does have it’s moments though — an ambient section just before the 30 minute mark is particularly striking, as different surfaces metamorphose into one another on the screen, is one of several ‘how does he do that?’ sections that Pagano is responsible for, but with no real narrative it could easily be lost in the larger mass of hyper-fast chopped up images and effects.

Paap draws a comparison between the emergence of 5.1 technology with the early days of techno and of stereo sound recordings — a fair point in terms of where this kind of sound design may ultimately lead, but it’s early days yet and unfortunately I don’t see Umfeld being regarded with the same kind of fondness in fifteen years as his Artifical Intelligence era work is today. An interesting experiment for the art school crowd, but not a lasting legacy and certainly not a joy to the ears.

 

 Umfeld is out now on DVD. A version without the features of the DVD is downloadable here.