The name Painjerk, the musical project of Kohei Gomi, didn’t come to mind for a long time. Offhand, I’d say it is likely that I reviewed very few of his releases. Many of those he released himself, and the ones of Harbinger Sound, Editions Mego, Alternative Tentacles and Hospital never reached me. He’s among the few musicians leaving the harsh noise behind and doing other projects. He calls it the “exploration and practice of kinematics of electro-acoustics using unorthodox methodologies, mainly using live-electronics, synths and computers”. That sounds interesting, and I wonder if this disc represents what he does solo as he teams up with a chamber orchestra, The Touchables.

 

They are from Norway and are led by bass player Guro Skumsnes Moe, who works closely with Ole-Henrik Moe. Instruments used by this orchestra are the octobass, violin, piccolo violin, bass trombone, cello, French horn, handbells, bassoon and percussion; some of these more than once, and some players use more instruments. Painjerk is on the computer and synth and gets credit for the composition. I found it hard to hear the computer and synth, but sometimes they come crashing in. This piece has a low-end sound, creating a rich acoustic rumble, especially in the ten-minute opening. The middle ten minutes employ an opener sound, mainly because the sounds are isolated and disjointed, and here, it sounds like the modern composition one usually associates with contemporary composition. All ranks close in the final ten minutes and arrive at the noisiest part of the piece, one in which (perhaps less of a surprise) Painjerk’s synthesiser plays the most significant role. While all instruments are close together, there is quite a bit of chaos and noise, a maybe reminder of Painjerk’s background." - Frans de Waard