Deluxe Improvisation Festival 2001 Day Two: A Sonic Freakshow That Won’t Let You Sleep
Alright, let’s get this straight—this album is not for everyone. If you’re into predictable beats or polished melodies, turn back now. Deluxe Improvisation Festival 2001 Day Two slaps you in the face with its raw, unfiltered chaos. It’s avant-garde, electronic, jazz madness all mashed together like some kind of deranged musical stew. And yeah, it’s experimental as hell. You think free improvisation sounds pretentious? This record will either make you a believer or send you running for the hills.
The first thing that grabs you by the throat is Track 1 (no fancy title here—it's just "Untitled"). Recorded by Tetuzi Akiyama, this piece feels like someone took apart an old piano and decided to play it with screwdrivers while throwing sparks at your ears. The dissonance hits hard, but there’s something oddly hypnotic about it. Like, you wanna hate it, but instead, you're sitting there nodding along like a lunatic. By the time those distorted tones fade out, you realize you’ve been holding your breath. Wild stuff.
Then there’s Track 5 (again, no name because apparently these guys don’t care about SEO). This one leans heavier on the electronic side, layering glitchy bleeps over what sounds like a dying robot having an existential crisis. It’s abrasive, sure, but also kinda genius. Every sound feels intentional—even if you can’t figure out why they chose half of them. Producer Brett Larner deserves credit for letting this mess stay messy. Too many cooks would’ve ruined this soup.
Photography by Kazue Yokoi nails the vibe too—a grainy black-and-white cover that screams “we didn’t try too hard, but we still look cooler than you.” Props to ASE Records for putting this out when most labels wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.
So who remembers this album? Probably only weirdos and music nerds who thrive on challenging art. But damn, isn’t that the point? Listening to this feels like stepping into a secret club where nothing makes sense except everything does.
Here’s the kicker though—if aliens ever invade Earth and ask us to explain human creativity, I’d hand them this album. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s proof we’re capable of making noise that doesn’t need rules. Now go listen to it—but don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
