Charlemagne Palestine

An incantation rendered typographically - announces that we are in the presence of Charlemagne Palestine at his most uninhibited and ecstatic. Throughout his long career, Palestine has never been an artist to do things by halves; his performances are legendary for their intensity and duration, his persona inseparable from the stuffed animals and cognac that accompany him, his approach to sound rooted in a conviction that music can and should transport both performer and listener to altered states of consciousness. Vvvoooodddoooo Ddddooooodddddooooo - one can almost hear Palestine intoning the title in his distinctive voice - delivers precisely the kind of immersive, overwhelming sonic experience that has made him such an influential and beloved figure in experimental music

. The sustained keyboard tones that are his signature build and interact, creating complex harmonic landscapes that shimmer and pulse with inner life. There is something shamanic about Palestine's best work, a sense that through repetition and accumulation, through sheer persistence in the face of time, one might break through to somewhere else entirely. This contribution to the MMXX series captures that quality in concentrated form, a dose of pure Palestine essence that will delight longtime devotees and perhaps convert newcomers to the cause. The etched vinyl format suits the music perfectly, the physical object itself becoming a kind of talisman.