While the Leeds scene continues to evolve in directions that centre around the noisy and the frenzied, Richard Knox’s Gizeh label, which is, not so coincidentally, the home to the many collaborative projects has developed apart from the rest, pursuing altogether quieter avenues. This isn’t to say Gizeh is an oasis of tranquillity, however, and dark ripples of tension pull beneath much of the music released by the label. A-Sun Amissa is one of Knox’s myriad projects, this time in collaboration with Angela Chan (Glissando, The Rustle of the Stars, Ten, Tomorrow We Sail) and the assistance of Owen Pegg, Gareth Davis and Aidan Baker. ‘You Stood Up For Victory, We Stood Up For Less’ epitomises the Gizeh sound.
Containing two lengthy tracks that pan out toward the hazy horizon, occupying a side each of the limited vinyl edition of this release, ‘ You Stood Up For Victory, We Stood Up For Less’ explores a range of moods within each track or movement.
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The rich tones of the underlying drones may be warm, but there’s a chill to the brittle, echoey guitar that chimes over the top. Piano notes hover like droplets of water… swells to a sandstorm of sound, overwrought sax / woodwind twisted slow jazz... it’s all blended together magnificently: nothing stands out as incongruous, there are no seams or sharp edges, and the expansive sound envelops the listener, releasing them back to the real world only after the music ends and silence returns.
A-Sun Amissa Online
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