JOHN DUNCAN

EMS SESSIONS Vol. 1

2015 iDEAL 132 John Duncan with James Hamilton, Joachim Nordwall, Jeremiah Runnels.
Limited edition CD in hot pink cover, released by iDEAL for Swedish Energies 5.
Download available on Bandcamp.

PARTY TALK
John Duncan and Joachim Nordwall: Korg
John Duncan and Jeremiah Runnels: Buchla

WELCOME AT LAST
John Duncan and Jeremiah Runnels: Serge
James Hamilton: Hammond BV + Lesie

EMS SESSIONS Vol. 1 reveals our ability of balance that we get from sound, I feel.
I believe that we are set to find a “new” balance once a conventional balance is lost. EMS sound is so analogue and has gravitation just that between “Natto”. Each sound particle is correlated with gravity between them. It affects our sense of balance in listening. The balance is induced to change but some compensation avoids breakdown of the balance. Activation or induction of such an ability should be the most interesting strategy of music. EMS SESSIONS Vol. 1 is an analogue stimulator for us to encounter the phenomenon.
— Dr. Takuya Sakaguchi

Sometimes when I have extra angst I impulsively buy new music to help calm the inner beast, whether I can’t really afford it or not. Not in this case though. When it comes to John Duncan I try to get all of them. And he doesn’t release every single thing that he does so it makes it easier on the wallet of the completists. I’m only a completist when it comes to a couple artists and John Duncan was the first of them for me. I so wish that I could really impress upon the people of the world John’s importance to humanity life/art. Like touch a stick to the heads of strangers endowing them with this knowledge/awareness. There has never been anyone like him. He is truly truly ahead of his time which is unfortunate because much of his work and ideas I consider to be both timeless and contemporary. John Duncan is one of the truest, most honest and most genuinely experimental and frighteningly intelligent gifted artists of the last century and beginning of this one. And you can be assured that whatever he does is going to be high quality. He doesn’t do shit quality ever. And this latest release with Joachim Nordwall, Jermeiah Runnels and James Hamilton that I just got is no exception. Even though I didn’t purchase it impulsively, it still did the trick and has managed to help calm the inner beast of angst within me. Music heals when it’s done right. And this one was definitely done right.
— Bryan Lewis Saunders



Art - Audio