dj oliveTriage is the third part of DJ Olive’s series of sleeping pill albums composed to act as audible company on sleepless nights for those of you who suffer with insomniac tendencies. In contrast to the previous two albums for Australian imprint Room 40 (‘Buoy’ and the appropriately titled ‘Sleep’) this work utilizes more complex structures augmented by the collaborating musicians that most prominently includes additional processing and production from Christian Fennesz. It was originally presented in installation format at the 2008 Whitney Biennial but the soundtrack version works equally well as in album format. The hour-long excursion is relentlessly still, drifting along at pedestrian pace. The soft, smokey soundscapes blend in with your surroundings as you listen, working at an almost subconscious level. The low volume mix certainly enhances this experience and the wave like motions of suspended tones, instrumental suggestions and at times sounds that suggest real world space and place will gradually drag you down into their sub-aquatic audio whirlpool. Fans of William Basinski’s much lauded ‘Disintegration Loops’ series will find a close reference point for DJ Olive’s style. After 60 engrossingly slow minutes that evoke the haziest of imagery, you’ll find yourself ready for the most sleepy of slumbers. -- simon harris
:: DJ Olive/Triage - Room 40/A-Musik
