Customer Reviews

1999 Soundscapes - Live in Argentina

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robert Fripp's "1999" CD from 1994 was released during a time when the legendary guitarist was making a major comeback. King Crimson had returned after a decade-long absence and Fripp re-emerged with his first solo performances in almost as long. 1994 also marked the birth of Fripp's 'soundscaping' technique which was and still is an extension of his 'Frippertronic' experiments of the 1970's and '80's.
Instead of using two tape machines as had been the norm with 'Frippertronics', Soundscapes utilized digital technology and guitar-synthesizers to create and loop the endless mass of sound created by Fripp from his guitar. The idea was not a new one but the sound definitely was.
Unlike the later Soundscape albums which consist mostly of layered calm atmospheric sounds, "1999" mostly consists of giant crescendo-like pieces that begin from pure silence and slowly develop into harsh and sometimes abrasive frightening walls of sound. The opening two pieces (1999 and 2000) follow this manner and are quite unsettling and chilling. "2001" is a more calmer piece but still has the same principle as the first two tracks. "Interlude" is an edited piece from a longer performance and is quite experimental with its sounds which ping-pong between the speakers. Finally, to close the album, "2002" points the direction in which Fripp would eventually take his Soundscapes as it consists of beautiful ambient layered sounds.
"1999" has become somewhat difficult to find in recent years but if your a fan of King Crimson, Robert Fripp and Soundscapes, this CD is definitely a must. This was the beginning of a new Fripp trademark which continues to this day and displays him at his most experimental and most unpredictable.
Recommended!!!

"1999" is, if I'm not mistaken, the first album by Robert Fripp featuring solely his soundscapes performances (differentiated from Frippertronics as being a wholly digital experience whereas Frippertronics relied on tape loops). Essentially, it is Fripp, his guitar, a series of effects and looping equipment. It is not music that is for everyone-- for those familiar with Fripp's guitar work with King Crimson, this is not the sort of jaw dropping stuff he played with that band, instead it is similar to his work with Brian Eno-- in fact ambient music. In addition, it is wholly improvised, so all structure, implied or not, is spontanteous. And without such things as concrete melody, this music can often be extremely difficult to deal with.

Having stated that, "1999"-- five unedited live recordings from 1994 is a decent example of the form (though not the best-- I've reserve that for "A Blessing of Tears"). The music moves between dark and haunting ("1999"), horrific ("2000"), achingly beautiful ("2001"), meandering (the appropriately titled and fortunately only edited track on the record, "Interlude"), and gentle ("2002"). Remarkably, the only track I really dislike is the "Interlude", which comes closest to sounding like a guitar, the rest has an orchestral feel to it, the pure amount of noise generated at a minimum is pretty impressive.

If you're new to soundscapes, start with the easier to find "A Blessing of Tears", but if you're familiar with this work, track this one down, it is an interesting and rewarding release.

This set of works, recorded in concerts given by Fripp in Argentina, are a real challenge to most listeners expecting the sort of ambience found on his collaborations with Brian Eno, or his loop-based 'Frippertronics' experiments of the 1970s and 80s. This has less in common with conventional guitar music than it does with dense, dissonant, and tense sound-mass works by composers such as Penderecki or Ligeti. It's space music, perhaps...but not a tranquil space; rather, this evokes something of a musical setting for the primordial ylem, with all of the chaos and cosmic tension of that early period of the universe. Not for unadventurous ears. Docked one star for the ending of the CD, which sounds as if the work in progress was just snip-edited, where there was much more to go on it. If this is how the piece stopped, I would be very surprised; it sounds more like an editing mistake.

Its amazing just how moving these arhythmic, dissonant, dense and sometimes frightening electronic soundscapes can be. Truly awesome in every sense of the word. At high volume they're the soundtrack for religious epiphany or the creation of stars.

A previous review states this might be scary if you're too shallow to hack it. Well I love Fripp's work because it CAN be scary! This album draws you in through soothing soundscapes which Fripp builds up with truly disturbing effects. A listening experience which can leave you surprisingly emotionally drained, you might want to play something a little more conventional afterwards so you can relax! If you do have a "fear of music" you may not wish to tread down this path!

Fripp touches your soul, anything this deep can cause fear to arise if you are too shallow or hearing impaired. Master of the guitar and analog/digital FX, anyone interested in pushing limits with six strings should get aqueinted with Mr. Fripp.

This is the first of a series of releases featuring improvised and synthetic music Fripp was at the time calling Soundscapes. They are recorded live-to-dat from performances given in South America in 1994.

It is a raw and turbulent sounding abstract sonic painting.

Starting out from near silence, a density of timbres accumulate and collide as washes crash against eachother.

Play this loud and you will scare your pets, neihbours, and possibly even yourself.

The CD started off with such a low volume that I thought it was defective, but the sound gradually comes in. Very Fripp. I like it

It's truly amazing what one man can do with 6 strings (and a ton of effects). This is an absolutly excelent album. And it's also very nice to read in the liner notes that he thanks Brian Eno exclusively.

When restarting his solo career in earnest in 1994, Robert Fripp updated his Frippertronics technique with digital technology - instead of tapes - to create loops of sounds.

The Soundscapes projects included six CD releases of new material and a "single" collection of two releases.

The cutting-edge textures are oftentimes quite metallic and non-melodic, but Fripp is attempting to expand the potential of the electric guitar. And with any laboratory being the stage, there may be home runs and pop outs, but in the end, Fripp has a winning formula.