Pat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter - Face (2017)

¿Electrónica, Jazz, Ambient, Avantgarde, Prog Rock? Todo ello junto quizás sea la mejor definición. "Face" es el último trabajo del baterista y percusionista Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, Stick Men, Mr. Mister) -que, dicho sea de paso, últimamete tiene todas las pilas puestas- y el guitarrista Markus Reuter (Stick Men, Crimson ProjeKt, Tuner). Compuesto por un solo tema de 35 minutos que explora todos los recovecos sonoros que uno puede imaginar y donde no falta ni Steven Wilson haciendo coros junto a muchos otros colaboradores, en un trabajo que estuvo nueve años generándose y está diseñado como todo un polifacético armónico. Esto es diferente a todo lo que has escuchado hasta hoy, así que... ¿Querían una sorpresa? ¿Y qué mejor que presentarles este inclasificable y excelente disco?

Artista: Pat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter

Álbum: Face
Año: 2017
Género: Experimental
Duración: 35:11
Nacionalidad: EEUU / Alemania

Lista de Temas:
1. Face

Alineación:
- Markus Reuter / Touch Guitars, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitars, Melodica, Grand Piano, Banjo, Bulbul Tarang, Omnichord, Synthesizer
- Pat Mastelotto / Acoustic & Electronic Drums & Percussives
With:
Fabio Trentini / Electric Guitars, Guitar Synth, Fretless Bass
Tim Motzer / Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Ukulele
Mark Williams / Mandocello, Fretless Bass, Cello, Voice
Monica Champion / Clarinet, Saxophone, Voice
Steven Wilson / Vocal Chords
Annette Franzen / Violin
Adrian Benavides / Electric Guitar
Michael Mordecai / Trombone
Marcus Graf / Trumpet
Chrysta Bell / Voice
Brad Houser / Bass Clarinet
Luca Calabrese / Flügelhorn
Michael Bernier / Bowed Stick
Danny Wilde / Voice
Yoshi Hampl / Voice
Renée Stieger / Voice

Este disco fue posible gracias a la telepatía musical y la empatía alcanzada entre Mastelotto y Reuter se originan en una sociedad que se remonta a Totem en el 2005, y desde ahí, como compañeros de banda, han viajado por todo el mundo con Crimson Projekt y Stick Men. Dice Mastelotto que este es probablemente el disco más difícil de hacer en una larga carrera que abarca más de cuatro décadas.

Esto es magia musical, una manipuilación sonora que desafía nuestra percepción. De la misma manera que una ilusión óptica desafía nuestra visión, donde parece que lo que sabíamos de la "realidad" desaparece de golpe, aquí se altera nuestro espacio auditivo, nuestra impresión de melodía en un juego exótico y diverso, en un tema-magia que a pesar de su brevedad relativa es tan ambicioso como trabajoso fue crearlo. Su enfoque compositivo es distinto a lo habitual y funciona como una alquimia que combina diversos elementos para producir oro sonoro, en una transmutación que busca abrir las puertas del cielo. Pareciera que los músicos están intentando encontrarle la vuelta, están fabricando la llave, no sé si lo van a lograr, pero no importa, porque su llave es maravillosa.
"Face" presenta un viaje musical rico en detalles, una panorámica llena de escenas contrastantes, paisajes dramáticos y vistas inspiradoras e inesperadas. Con la participación de dieciséis colaboradores invitados, con ecos del melodismo de Mike Oldfield, de las complejidades crimsoneanas, de los entrecruzamientos de Henry Cow, de las experimentaciones de Soft Machine, incorporando variados y diferentes estados de ánimo, pero el vínculo con el vocabulario de rock progresivo es inconfundible.

Espacios acústicos íntimos se desvanece repentinamente en el ambiente orgánico, casi fractal, a veces matemático, donde juegan todo tipo de instrumentos diferentes en transiciones a veces suave o abruptas, que se fusionan en una alquimia que consistió en experimentar con nuevos patrones compositivos, de improvisación y de armonía, donde toman el concepto palindromo (algo que se lee igual adelante que atráso sea, el famoso capicúa) se desarrolló para armar una estructura armónica palindrómica con un flujo y reflujo melódico desde donde cada uno de los múltiples instrumentos que intervienen desarrollaron su espacio de expresión, a veces calculado y otras totalmente improvisado, en una retícula matemática distribuída en el sonido que se distribuye a lo largo de la pieza, pero siempre con la idea de que se puede observar esta pieza desde distintos lados, desde perspectivas diferentes, y que contiene muchas caras, muchas facetas. Y quizás eso es parte del nombre al disco, aunque en teoría el título se debe a que la música se basa en las notas F (fa), A (la), C (do) y E (mi).

El resultado es una pieza musical absolutamente brillante, un viaje musical altamente creativo, novedoso, atractivo, asombroso, desafiante y entretenido. Música progresiva del más alto nivel, estructurada, melódica e intensa. Honestamente, esta es una de las cosas más fascinantes que he oído en mucho tiempo, una búsqueda de nuevos horizontes sonoros, y fácilmente será uno de los mejores lanzamientos de este 2017. Increíble.

No hay mucho en internet sobre este trabajo, ni muchos comentarios ni siquiera videos, y no se puede escuchar el disco por su espacio en Bandcamp, por ahora les dejo un par de comentarios en inglés que encontré, y estén atentos a cuando aparezca algo más... Obviamente, ni se atrevan a pedirnos links de descarga.

In my long experience of modern prog I have come to the conclusion that there are three variants that apply in the vast majority of cases when one is presented with the long form piece. “What are they, then?”, you probably didn’t ask. Well, firstly a composer has a ridiculous amount of ideas that probably shouldn’t belong on the same page, and cackhandedly staples them together for fan appeasement – they are suckers for the “long un” after all. Secondly, we have the one idea stretched way beyond the point of reasonableness, which is usually around the ten minute mark, and lastly the long and rambling formless noodle that may as well have been recorded by accident, guaranteed to send one into deep coma.
FACE is an album containing just the one 35-minute track. Given my reputation for disliking the prog “long un”, that should be enough to instantly put me off, don’t you think? Ah, but this is Markus Reuter, a man whose long form excursions are rooted in classical music methodology, applied to both composition and arrangements. He’s even written a modern classical symphony, the utterly fascinating Todmorden 513. Therefore one should expect a defined structure, with both obvious and cleverly buried themes making their presence known at strategic points, and as a result one’s attention is held from start to finish. Let’s jump in and have a swim…
Firstly, the cover art by Tool’s Adam Jones is as fearsome as I would expect from this highly talented designer. See the KoMaRa album cover for some recent evidence of his visceral style. As for the musicians, Markus Reuter and Pat Mastelotto have a long history of collaboration, both in various projects and as the rhythm section of bands involving others. They have also made music in the past as a duo by the name of TUNER. For FACE they are joined by a small army of guest players on what must rank as the most conventionally “prog” composition Markus has ever composed. Don’t be fooled by that, as this is not in the slightest “prog” by numbers, although the piece is played out with a mathematical precision as if it is following a chart into places hitherto undiscovered.
Markus maps out the journey over 385 bars of music, and one can imagine him in the captain’s quarters of a three-master from the 18th Century, pouring over the charts with First Mate Mastelotto, before setting off on a quest into unknown waters. Given Markus’ history, especially with the Todmorden outing, it is no surprise that this piece of music has symphonic qualities, as it moves through changes with themes coming and going.
In typically erudite fashion Markus explains the basis for the years of groundwork the duo put into this piece, which Pat reckons was the most challenging to make of his entire career, and the origins of the title “FACE”, thus: “We have the notes F, A, C, and E as a theme within the piece. The idea was to play with the idea that you can look at a piece of music from different sides. It’s all deep, heady stuff!” he laughs.
Once the grid was laid down, Markus’ agile playing and Pat’s instantly recognisable and very natural percussive style were fleshed out by the numerous guest players. “I wanted something organic going on,” Mastelotto explains. “That’s why there’s all sorts of different instruments appearing; strings, trombone, banjo and so on. Instead of getting those sounds on a synth we wanted to give it a little human touch.” ‘Little’ is something of an understatement, as these guests add all manner of emotional subtleties to proceedings.
This is a fantastically intricate piece of music that is dense while being simultaneously fleet of foot. There is some of the ethos of Mike Oldfield in here, brought bang up to date for the 21st Century. Instrumental highlights rise and fall in the mix, brass sections, guitars, saxophones, voices, and all the while Markus and Pat steer proceedings with a high degree of clarity. Pat’s percussion is deft and powerful, there is always the beat to fall back on.
Being but the one track, you will need to set aside 35 minutes where you know you will not be disturbed – turn the bloody phone off! Pour yourself a large one, sit back, turn it up, and lose yourself in the complexities of the mapped route. You will arrive at the destination tired but elated. Ten years in the making, this is so obviously a labour of love, and deserves to be a success. Hopefully the conventional prog fan will appreciate its worth, as this is probably the best progressive rock record I have heard this year.

Roger Trenwith

facePat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter are some of prog’s finest musicians. Mastelotto has been a part of King Crimson for many years now. He has also been in Tuner, Stick Men and The Crimson ProjeKCt with Reuter. So it’s quite clear that these two gentlemen have a chemistry. For those who don’t know, Reuter is a master of the touch guitar, which he founded and has been playing for a long time now.
“FACE” is a 35 minute track/album that was written by Reuter and not only features Mastelotto on drums and percussion but many other friends such as Fabio Trentini of Moonbound (one of my favorite bands of late, Mastelotto and Reuter guested on the last album), Tim Motzer (who has worked with Reuter), The Rembrandts’ Danny Wilde and yes Steven Wilson. Also, the cover painting by Adam Jones of Tool.
The piece of music has taken NINE YEARS to make. To call it an involved piece would be selling it short. However, it’s not a piece of music that ever loses the listener. In fact, it is one of more inviting pieces while still being wildly creative and challenging. I’ve heard something else each time I’ve listened to it and just want to hear it again.
The title is because the music is based on the notes F, A, C and E. And like any successful long progressive epic, it needs to flow well and it does. Regardless if a transition is smooth or even abrupt, it WORKS. There are so many instruments that each had a special color to the piece PLUS wordless vocals as well which make the human voice just another instrument in the arsenal of these true artists.
“FACE” is a true prog journey but unlike some songs that rely on the abundance of notes, this one is about the right note being in the right place with the right rhythm and structure. Honestly, this is one of the most fascinating things I’ve heard in quite a while. “FACE” renews my hope in truly progressive music. This is easily going to be a part of my best releases of 2017. Incredible. NOT TO BE MISSED!
Rating: 10/10

progmanrob