Steve Jansen

The rediscovery of Dziga Vertov's 1929 silent film The Man With the Movie Camera in the late '90s has inspired a few artists from the electronica avant-garde. Steve Jansen and Claudio Chianura released their soundtrack only months after Biosphere made his own proposition available as part of the two-CD set Substrata 2. Kinoapparatum (the original Russian title of the movie) was recorded live in Milan on December 11, 1999. The two electronicists were accompanied during this semi-improvisational event by L.A. 1919 guitarist Roberto Zorzi and keyboardist Piero Chianura. Pre-composed material was laid down to fit the moods and durations of the film's key sections. The four musicians improvised around the structure, following the projected images. The result is a highly atmospheric record. Zorzi's guitar is faintly heard detailing fragile notes among the drones, transient tones, record static, and textural sampling. An after-hours affair designed for the couch, this CD pleases but doesn't strike at first. Subsequent listens reveal the source of its beauty, but also its limitations; the static sounds, omnipresent throughout the session, become a burden. It still makes a nice CD of light experimental music and fits the film better than Biosphere's attempt (although the latter's music is more compelling). ~ François Couture, All Music Guide