On May 27 2017, KEDA was invited by Festival Printemps Coréen in Nantes (France) to improvise on a painting created in real time by Korean cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim. The performance was filmed and recorded, giving birth to this one track only album - Live at Cosmopolis -
E'Joung Ju and Mathias Deplanque's debut recording "HWAL" saw the pair explore a moodier sound palette that spoke as some imaginary folk music using dub and ambient techniques to confront the ancestral sound of the geomungo.
On "Live at Cosmopolis", KEDA embraces a noisier and full-on improvised approach placing the duo amongst a rising tide of korean musicians/projects currently making a name for themselves as true adventurers such as multi-instrumentalist Park Jiha, post-rockers Jambinai, Pansori maestro Bae il Dong or Danso player Hyelim Kim to name a few.
E'Joung-Ju bends, hits and bows heavily on her geomungo strings, making full use of her zither, making it sound dirtier than ever before while Mathias Delplanque's live sampling techniques and exploration of the bass participate in creating a tense and epic 30 minutes piece, a compelling exploration of musical possibilities in the same line of previous works 'Hwal' and 'Dali'.
The press says:
* The interplay between his modern and her traditional contributions is seamless. To be clear, E’Joung-Ju doesn’t play her instrument the way it has normally been played during its 1,600-plus-year history. She brings the same boundless sense of experimentation to geomungo that Delplanque is so well respected for in electronic music circles. (Bad Press Blog)
* Deeply resonant, this is slow music detailed with a sonic acuteness that lends the impression you are listening in a pitch black space, like a cave - similarly, it evokes suspense and expectation. (Hear and Now)
* 30 minutes de musique épique et improvisée entre folk imaginaire et électro ambiant. (J'ai écouté Blogspot)
credits
released January 26, 2018
Recorded live at Cosmopolis (Nantes, Fr) on May 27 2017 as part of the 5th edition of the Festival Printemps Coréen.
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E'Joung-Ju : geomungo
Mathias Delplanque: live sampling and bass
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Recorded by Eric Bodard
Mixed and Mastered by Mathias Delplanque
Photograph: Tom Mùller, Essor (2015)
Design and layout by Laure Houssiau
supported by 17 fans who also own “Live at Cosmopolis”
This collection of Ran's shorter vignettes is a wonderful display of Ran's diversity in his sound craft. It may not be immersive but it is compelling and enjoyable if you like syth explorations... Enjoy <=>
KEDA creates a spellbinding soundtrack for a contemporary dance production by Compagnie Linga that centers the Korean geomungo. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 13, 2022
Pioneering electronic artist Leafcutter John and gyil player Bex Burch come together for an exuberant, largely improvised jazz-fusion set. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 10, 2021
supported by 16 fans who also own “Live at Cosmopolis”
Deliciously tricksy, full of agile riffs and echoing backgrounds, meandering melodic lines and dancing beats. The floating detuned 'Endream' lulls the listener, in contrast to the sharp-edged 'GalaxhinobiDream,' whilst 'r0mx2.5+3.0' spins and whirls with a restless energy behind its slowly-shifting colours. If you like Aphex Twin, this is one for you. Entrancing. Modern Music Dan