'experimental' music only for those beings who have outgrown the ordinary and do not choose blind escapism in sound.

11 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Weird Jazz, AVANT GARDE: Classical Avant-Garde



Details:
When he was 6 years old, Andre van Rensburg strung a guitar string to a plank of wood, attached the other end to his bedroom window bars and yanked the string until it broke. His musical vision has changed little sinceâ¦.

After leaving school he moved to London and Paris for a year, writing his first material, living in abandoned houses and busking. On his return to South Africa he formed the band âSupernatureâ, gaining instant fame with their 1st single reaching #1 in the SA alternative charts in a matter of weeks. Supernature recorded 2 albums (released independently) and was infamous for their intense theatrical live performances, often ending in chaotic noise. Always experimental in his musical visions, Andre managed to get 5fm; South Africaâs most listened-to rock radio station, to air 5 minutes of live guitar - the guitar playing only one note for the entire 5 minutes!

Andre then teamed up with Brendan Jury and Trans.Sky (who collaborated with Brian Eno, the Orb and Jamie Catto from Faithless). They later formed the band âOhmâ, which recorded 2 albums for the British independent label M.E.L.T.2000 (previously known as B&W Records and now as Blue Room Records). Ohm toured London and Holland to great reviews. The band had a unique blend of rock and middle-eastern melodies, techno beats and ambient guitar work. Working in a traditional rock band format, but producing sounds that were anything but.

In 1999 Andre joined one of South Africaâs most well-known and popular underground groups, Battery 9. This was an industrial band/theatrical live act that included scrap metal percussionists and a painter on stage. He recorded one album with the group, âSondebokâ (South African Music Awards winner of best alternative rock album in 1999), released by BMG in 2000.
In 2004 he also released an album with Battery 9âs vocalist Paul Riekert as âDie Menereâ, toning down on the industrial sound and reinventing American country music in an Afrikaans idiom. The album, âfloukopâ was reviewed as a breakthrough in Afrikaans alternative music, as well as being rated by one critic as one of the top 10 Americana albums of all time! A second album is in progress at this time.

Andre has also done numerous Sound Installations in art galleries in South Africa and composed extensively for experimental theatre, dance & film.

He currently lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan.


CONCRETE

âConcreteâ marks Andre van Ransburgâs 1st solo full-length album project. Recorded and produced in Taipei from 2006 â 2007, it reflects the surreal environment of a modern world in conflict with itself, finding beauty and sensuality in the chaos of the modern city.
Blending rock, jazz, classical and ambient styles and textures, it creates an album that will startle, amuse and entrance any listener.
The music on Concrete is highly intense and is filled with unexpected turns and changes, creating a sonic blend of dissonance juxtaposed with traditional harmony, thereby questioning the relationship between these in a new and unique way. Rather than seeing his work as âexperimentalâ or âavant-gardeâ Andre prefers to describe his music as âhyper-realismâ, reflecting daily life and thought in sound texture. As such it does not always have predictable repetitions or outcomes. Never taking himself too seriously, however, âConcreteâ is still highly enjoyable, playful and humorous in its experimentations.

Liner notes on 'conrete':

This album started with the writing of coffee & bukkake, an initial experiment to see if I could single-handedly âfakeâ an improvised, structured, but spontaneous sounding piece without being able to really play any of the instruments myself, making it sound like a conducted ensemble. It was layered piece by piece in immediate succession. So were many of the other tracks. Concrete was inspired by imaginary or real films and photographs. I used these ideas and images as notation and guidance for other musicians. Accidents and mistakes . Iâm not sure who controls my fingers, the music seems to write and play itself most of the time, but Iâll take the credit! (or the blame for that matterâ¦). These sounds are inspired by the chaos and organic & industrial destruction/construction (I do not separate these 2 concepts) I have always been attracted too. There is an old broken down purple child size Japanese motorbike machine outside my apartment that is half covered with dark green vegetation. It is the most beautiful thing in the world, it
defines ârealityâ for me. When nature changes mankindâs form and creates its own constructions and patterns. I try to convey this in sound, but then the question arises; am I âmankindâ or ânatureâ, or should we stop making that distinction?
I believe humor is the most important ingredient in music and life. When you hear the tenor sax
on the bathroom it really is supposed to sound like a fart, it was not notated!
I wish I could say it was recorded in my toilet, but my microphone cable does not extend that far. I am greatly indebted to Jean Marais, who played all the horn parts on this album for his input and ideas. Farts and squeals are the birth of life!
This is my 1st solo album after a decade of many albums, tours, births and deaths in collaboration with some of South Africanâs finest composers and musicians. Paul Riekert, Brendan Jury, Hyser, Cobi, Jacqui, Juliana & Gaston stand out in memory, the geniuses that have encouraged me always to do what I want, when I want, how I want & with whom I wantâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦I thank you all!
- Andre van Rensburg, Taipei, 2007 -


Links to previous works and reviews:

Ohm:

http://www.melt2000.com/page.html?chapter=0&id=66

http://www.melt2000.com/ohm-p-302.html

http://users.iafrica.com/d/df/dflewell/bands_r.html


Multi Media & Sound Installations:

http://onair.co.za/mn/seesaw/seesaw_blurb.htm

http://www.onair.co.za/mn/clinical_capsule/information.htm


Battery9:

http://www.rock.co.za/legends/90s/battery9_index.html

http://www.rock.co.za/legends/2000plus/b9_sondebok.html

http://www.pubsclubs.co.za/bands/bandmay.htm


Andre van Rensburg:

http://musos.info/Default.asp?pklMusoID=2931


Die Menere:

http://www.jhblive.co.za/live/publications_view.jsp?pub_id=2454&print=true

http://www.rhythmrecords.co.za/store/viewAlbum.asp?idAlbum=229