Roland Kayn

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a serious call for help:

'Tektra', the 4 CD Kayn set on Barooni, pretty much establishes this guy's reputation single handedly. He's a major figure in my book. I've had it for a few years, when I saw it reissued earlier this year I started listening to it again... a lot.

So his RRR label has just reissued the other discs. They aren't cheap. I just dropped $70 on 'Electronic Symphony I-III' and 'Electronic Symphony VIII / X'.

They're interesting; a lot less alien than 'Tektra', you can still make out the sources being processed on several of these pieces. Orchestral and instrumental textures still audible, unlike the completely abstracted landscapes on 'Tektra'. Not sure if he's composing the source materials himself, and then subjecting them to his cybernetic processes, but it seems much less like the pure, alien process music than a simple, well aimed drone collage. Still extremely accomplished and I'll be listening to them a lot, but as these are painfully expensive purchases, I'd love to hear some recommendations from anyone...

― (Jon L), Sunday, 5 October 2003 00:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

i got infra earlier in the year. its lovely vapour trails type stuff.

― gaz (gaz), Sunday, 5 October 2003 06:56 (9 years ago) Permalink

The only Kayn I have is "Simultan," but a friend is promising to burn "Tektra" for me. (He fucking better; I sent him a burn of Cecil Taylor's 2 Ts For A Lovely T box, which is 10 CDs.) Should I ask him for the "Electronic Symphony" stuff, too?

"Simultan" is great. Very crunchy, ultra-abstract. Hard to really describe since I haven't listened to it for a couple of years, but I remember lots of sounds like ships being torn open by giant robot hands, plus distorted voices. Very cool stuff. Don't know if it's available on CD, though.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 5 October 2003 12:01 (9 years ago) Permalink

hey Milton I'll check this out. thanks :-)

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 5 October 2003 12:14 (9 years ago) Permalink

I recommend 'Tektra' before the Symphonies. More immediately distinctive. The sound's been refined to the point where it's more about the process than the source material, there's less in the sound to connect it to this planet. Very immersive stuff (and also at $30 for 4 CDs, 'Tektra' is the easiest place to start).

But until I listen a few more times, I'll refrain from attempts to describe the differences here, it's like trying to describe the differences in late period AMM albums: very different, but be careful saying just why...

Can't say this thread has done anything but remind me about the out of print, impossible to find, even more expensive 3 LP vinyl sets from the late 70's, 'Simultan' and 'Infra'. Great. If anyone wants to trade tapes/cdrs, preferably for the out of print vinyl, drop me a line.

― (Jon L), Monday, 6 October 2003 16:48 (9 years ago) Permalink

also, RRR stands for 'Reiger Reeks Records', no affiliation with Ron Lessard's RRR label.

― (Jon L), Monday, 6 October 2003 16:49 (9 years ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

You can order all CD's on WWW.kayn.nl.
Even the rare LP's are available.
Roland Kayn makes his own sounds and says himself that he graspes his sounds out off the air.

― leon rima, Thursday, 25 December 2003 10:31 (9 years ago) Permalink

thanks leon.

wow, I'd forgotten he was in Gruppo Nuova Consonanza. He's not on either of the recordings of theirs I own though...

I picked up the 2 disc set of his early orchestral / ensemble works, which made it clear that the later electro-acoustic works are using self-composed recordings rather than samples. 'Sequenzen' from 1957 is distinguished, floating mid-air flames, also love the recording of 1966's 'Signals' (conducted by Boulez). Amazing to hear his pieces for live performance, they really hold up. Wish I could discuss technical basics but words fail me.

The website makes a helpful division between his electro-acoustic pieces and his cybernetic pieces. I find myself preferring the cybernetic pieces, offhand. Out of the other discs I bought I'm spending the most time with 'Assemblage' and 'Ready-Made I'. Nothing I've bought disappoints though, although they're painfully expensive. 'Tektra' remains the best entry point.

― (Jon L), Thursday, 25 December 2003 23:48 (9 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...

tektra is astonishing

these four discs have been my sleep records for the last two months straight (with occasional detours to the new stars of the lid)

― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 22:36 (5 years ago) Permalink

i highly recommend his keyboard works cd, too. the recording quality makes it sound like it was recorded in an underwater vault - very affecting, and of course the music is boggling.

― oo, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 23:58 (5 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 16 July 2008 03:14 (4 years ago) Permalink

from this PDF file of the liner notes found via this discussion

― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 16 July 2008 03:24 (4 years ago) Permalink

4 months pass...

thank you, blog of no longer forgotten music

peaks are Side Three of Makro, Monades & Eon from Elektroakustische Projekte 1966-1975, and pretty much all of Infra & Simultan

― Milton Parker, Monday, 1 December 2008 21:09 (4 years ago) Permalink

recent unreleased compositions from his PDF of complete works:

176.00 THE ORTHO-PROJECT (2007) R: Reiger recording Studio
Elektronisch -842'09- U: - Stereo

176.01 -Atharyt 48'12
176.02 -Itirsis 27'45
176.03 -Dat SR z 47'00
176.04 -Tirals 47'28
176.05 -Skips 47'50
176.06 -Synergy 47'00
176.07 -Les Rantoles 43'46
176.08 -Perikarya 35'49
176.09 -Kthoor 44'04
176.10 -Ataraly 40'31
176.11 -Conversions 32'00
176.12 -Anisotropy EE 61'25
176.13 -Antarary 53'17
176.14 -Rantho 45'04
176.15 -Sonoritys 41'23
176.16 -Antegry 20'04
176.17 -Ecardy 57'08
176.18 -La Grada 29'35
176.19 -Zazorith 29'58
176.20 -Arttiraes 45'08

182.00 THE ASSURGENTY PROGRESSIONS (2007) -17.45'12- Elektronisch Stereo

182.01 -LA TARAN 42'27
182.02 -SATHAR 42'24
182.03 -SIYTARY 55'12
182.04 -YTHO 48'22
182.05 -LUERY 39'02
182.06 -DECORA 26'13
182.07 -SRATO 28'48
182.08 -MICTOSYS 88'26
182.09 -part 1: 55'02
182.10 -part 2: 35'24
182.11 -LUNN 44'00
182.12 -PER MATOS 44'50
182.13 -LES TARALS 45'39
182.14 -BILORY 44'12
182.15 -DALAAR 35'51
182.16 -RATARI 27'31
182.17 -OKTARAL 26'18
182.18 -RHYSAL 44'37
182.19 -ECCATO 76'07
182.20 - part 1: 44'37
182.21 - part 2: 31'55
182.22 -LES GARALES 63'10
182.23 -LLATERO 35'39
182.24 -R.461DA 45'24
182.25 -AUDIOBRIDGE 33'43
182.26 -ACCATA 59'17
182.27 -TRACKS 28'48
182.28 -RHADAL 65'40
182.29 -OOTIS 23'25

― Milton Parker, Monday, 1 December 2008 21:11 (4 years ago) Permalink

about the climactic movement of Infra

In Apeiron, various energy states of a basic structure which is inaudible itself, form a continuum extending to the very limits of the functioning of the regulating and controlling mechanisms. Due to the complexity, the previous sections seem to be crowded out of the auditive memory.

The music can be termed 'abstract'.

― Milton Parker, Monday, 1 December 2008 21:23 (4 years ago) Permalink

― Milton Parker, Monday, 1 December 2008 21:47 (4 years ago) Permalink

this is incredible

― sleep, Saturday, 6 December 2008 02:41 (4 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

― Milton Parker, Friday, 9 January 2009 21:30 (4 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

http://www.kayn.nl/index.php

We regret to inform you that Roland passed away on Januari 5th 2011.

― Milton Parker, Sunday, 9 January 2011 21:23 (2 years ago) Permalink

aw no way!!!! RIP

― Kevin John Bozelka, Sunday, 9 January 2011 21:25 (2 years ago) Permalink

non stop Infra & Tektra all this week

http://classicaldrone.blogspot.com/2011/01/roland-kayn-1933-2011.html

He adapted marvelously to the digital age, increasing his output dramatically, with 220 of his 287 works composed in his last decade, all of them electronic. In 2009 alone, he composed 30 electronic works for a total of over 36 hours of music.

bring it on!

― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 19:06 (2 years ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

Roland Kayn.
A Little Electronic Milky Way of Sound (2009).
opus 256, ~14 hours

1. Czerial.
2. Xattax.
3. Somitoh.
4. Ykties.
5. Naaps.
6. Rosonic.
7. Ilay.
8. Aseral.
9. Ractil.
10. Zearid.
11. Radox.
12a. Qyrials I.
12b. Qyrials II.
13. Tachys.
14. Prahoxx.
15. Hatho.
16a. Ecerit I.
16b. Ecerit II.
16c. Ecerit III.
17. Ritaces.
18. Icursim.
19. Arasa.

http://www.concertzender.nl/swfplayer.php?mode=rod&provider=cz&program=rod&date=20100523&hour=00&pid=43142
http://www.concertzender.nl/swfplayer.php?mode=rod&provider=cz&program=rod&date=20100530&hour=00&pid=42829

― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 13 April 2011 00:00 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Tektra might be the best non-Radigue drone album I've come across. The soundscapes on that album are out-of-this-world.

― kyema, Monday, 11 February 2013 06:34 (3 months ago) Permalink

http://archive.org/details/agp164

― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 01:40 (3 months ago) Permalink

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