A Vinyl, CD and Digital Imposed Order / Imposed Absence




MIDHEAVEN

BOOMKAT

JUNO


FROM VITAL WEEKLY

As with many of Leimer’s earlier recordings the music deals with both ambient structures as well as rhythm. These are looped, I would think, and don’t have that traditional rhythm machine sound but a richer percussive touch; a touch that is sometimes called fourth world music I think. It’s interesting to hear Imposed Orderagain, which for me has been a while (he admitted with a bit shame), with it’s more finished approach in the pieces than the indeed sketch like approaches some of the music has on Imposed Absence. Of course the latter is perhaps more like a book of ideas, and maybe a ragged bunch of highly atmospheric pieces, but a bit unbalanced. It’s however great to hear all of Leimer’s diverse interests in ambient music, with a variety of approaches, which even includes solo piano music, and it’s like flipping through a photo album with all sorts of excellent snapshots. On Imposed Order there is quite a fine balance between the various interests, and much care has been made into putting these pieces in the right order, creating different approaches with rhythm pieces, exotic strings (in ‘Water Music’) and tabla-like sounds, along with spacious synthesizer passages. In a way very much music of it’s time I’d say, with a strong Brian Eno influence when it comes to ambient music, rich in sound, more or less traditional when it comes to the use of synthesizers and other instruments, but it still sounds remarkably fresh today and the music has not aged at all. A most welcome re-issue and a great bonus disc! — (FdW)
 

FROM TEXTURA

In the eight-page booklet accompanying the eighty-six-minute set, the period following the release of Imposed Order is referred to as one of “struggle between commerce and art hampered by the effort to somehow transition from analog to digital instruments.” That break turned out to be lengthy, given that The Listening Room, the next Leimer release to appear on Palace of Lights, materialized in 2002. He never stopped creating during that gap, however, even if what was produced didn't see public release—until now, with Imposed Absence presenting ten pieces recorded during that nineteen-year stretch. One hears in the material Leimer exploring new stylistic directions and adopting new production methodologies, the addition of the Kurzweil Digital Synthesizer to the analog gear used for the 1983 album a significant move. Surprising too is how stripped-down certain pieces are, none more so than the serene piano-only settings “Interval,” “Intervene,” and “Intervein.” If there's a difference between the two halves, it's the subtler hand Leimer plays in Imposed Absence; with the exception of the punchy “The Uneven Ritual,” the percussive dimension on Imposed Order is downplayed in favour of atmospheric scene-painting in the second half, with brooding soundscapes such as “A Nostalgia” and “The Surround” evidencing a refinement and sophistication emblematic of his later work.

IMPOSED ORDER / IMPOSED ABSENCE

The first phase of K. Leimer’s recorded work began in 1972 with the production of the Grey Cows cassette and culminated in 1983 with the release of Imposed Order. Though work seemingly stopped following the release of I/O, Leimer continued to record and experiment with sound during what proved to be a 15-year interregnum for his Palace of Lights label. That work, never before issued, is included in this expanded remaster. Imposed Absence features 10 tracks recorded in the years between Imposed Order and his return to releasing music with The Listening Room. I/A features the addition of Mellotron and early digital synths, some excursions into lo- and, unusual in his catalog, a few improvised tracks. Combined with the VOD double album of his earliest tape recordings and RVNG’s A Period of Review double album, the release of Imposed Order / Imposed Absence brings the entirety of Leimer’s early work into view. Remastered by Taylor Deupree at 12K Mastering, the LP includes a 4-page booklet and download card for all 19 tracks.

The LP features the original track line-up of Imposed Order, with both Imposed Order and Imposed Absence included as a digital down load. The 2xCD includes all 19 tracks on 2 CDs

Imposed Order
The Human Condition
Shallows
Three Forms of Decay
Life of the Poet
Wajang Kulit
Water Music
Simple Hierarchies
Aspects of Order
Method, Language and Silence

Imposed Absence
Lits et Rature
Foreign Course
Interval
Rain Bed
Intervene
Corrupt Signal
The Uneven Ritual
A Nostalgia
Intervein
The Surround

© Kerry Leimer