RAQQA is an acousmatic-improvised duo comprised of Nicolas Zentz and Nino Baleyte, who use laptops, SuperCollider, and the '-Oris' device in their performances. Flying Ginsu VII emerges from a series of improvisations, recorded in August 2022 in France.
RAQQA stirs up the commotion; the need for creativity and human expression, which arises in the world in an unpredictable, unconstrained and sometimes brutal way. RAQQA is all about bringing about the confrontation of fundamental sound elements, building an entire ecosystem of complex and interdependent elements that give rise to deep sound worlds. Through these soundscapes the listener experiences the vague boundaries between noise and music, between consciousness and dreaming, between control and letting go.
--
Chuchotement grave et insidieux se faufile dans les décombres humides.
Humides humanoïdes, trainés en poussière qu'on gratte quand elle se fige au creux du siphon.
Reflet de la fiction, friction du canal auditif, modelage du désir, montée des idées salvatrices.
Idées qui s'émoussent en cylindres sensibles, averses lentes sous plafonds bétonnés.
Les murs composés d'air, infiltrés d'eau, gonflent et s'effondrent soutenus par l'espoir.
Tranchées perlante, ruisseaux de pierres, la fin sonne à l'oreille du rêveur.
Low and insidious whisper sneaks into the damp ruin.
Wet humanoids, dragged into dust that is scratched when it freezes in the hollow of the siphon.
Reflection of fiction, friction of the ear-drum, shaping of desire, rise of salvational ideas.
Ideas that blunt into sensitive cylinders, slow showers under concrete ceilings.
Walls made of air, infiltrated with water, swell and collapse supported by hope.
Pearling trenches, streams of stones, the end rings in the dreamer's ear.
--
Review by Massimo Ricci in Beyond The Dust:
"As proof that the most fascinating experimental music often comes from unsung artists, take this outstanding composition – at once consuming and concise – by the French duo RAQQA, consisting of Nicolas Zentz and Nino Baleyte. Even by looking at the instrumentation listed on the release page, there is little to understand about the aura of mystery surrounding the sounds of Flying Ginsu VII. Such nouns as “drone”, “hum”, “hiss” and “crunch” can only partially provide an idea of the scope of this piece which, more than anything else, seems animated by an irregularly organic pulse. Flickering lights, incalculable distances due to fog, and a general sense of loneliness in godforsaken urban areas are the sensations this writer had to deal with. Compositional restraint is another prominent aspect: no element is in the wrong place amid the grimy gray that is the predominant color, and the oxidation which appears on the electrical wires. A crescendo of intensity – imperceptible at first, almost overwhelming as it goes on – distinguishes this mesmerizing accumulation of impenetrable realities, miscellaneous interference and acousmatic dampness. After the climax has been reached, and near-silence appears to have finally fallen, a very last, vaguely harmonic hint points to an infinity that is still unattainable for the limited human mind. I really don’t know what to add, except that this is one of my favorites of 2023. So, open your ears. And, while you’re at it, your spirits as well."
--
Review by Sven Schlijper-Karssenberg in Vital Weekly:
"I don't know why. Maybe it's the 'band name'. Maybe just the overall tonality of the picture. But upon reception of Flying Ginsu VII, a postcard (sic!) with a download of the musical work, I immediately thought of the musical realms of Anemone Tube on the one hand
and Pharaoh Chromium on the other. Which in and of itself is not a bad thing at all and a good reminder to look either act up in the collection and deep dive in again. And, hearing RAQQA's work, both references aren't that far off, to be honest. There's a spectacular dramatic sonic density, poetic-philosophical maturity and maybe even political red thread throughout the instant composition that touches on heaviness (as described by JR Moores in his book Electric Wizards) and involves in-depth, open-ended dialogue between electronic and acoustic instrumentation. The release features a poemlike manifesto which is worth quoting in full. [...] As RAQQA Nicolas Zentz and Nino Baleyto push their improvising nature across the varied landscapes of the acousmatic realm. They leave it open and let it happen. They confront and appease, smooth over and rupture. There are flourishes of GRM-like narration mixed with F Pierce Warnecke-style electronics or Claire rosary-ish moods. Above anything, though, apart from references, RAQQA is about fundamentals, base lines, and deep sound worlds. Nearing the border, across the demarcation line, into the following sector and letting go of boundaries of what came before and could present itself after. Indeed: a 'reflet de la fiction, friction du canal auditif'. An aural picture to lose oneself in completely. Under those concrete ceilings of heaviness."
--
Review by Ben Taffijn in Nieuwe Noten:
"De muziek op ‘Flying Ginsu VII’ doemt op uit de stilte, als een nevel aan subtiele klanken. Verderop krijgt die nevel meer kleur en voorzien Zentz en Baleyte het geheel van noise-achtige verstoringen. Die verstoringen krijgen steeds meer de overhand, totdat er zo rond de twaalfde minuut louter ruis klinkt, als een lopende kraan. Iets verderop krijgt ook dit meer dimensie, machinale geluiden, een flinke stortbui, ik hoor er van alles in. En het wordt steeds heftiger naarmate we verder geraken in deze verontrustende compositie. Zich ongeveer halverwege uitend in een soort van elektronisch gehuil, als van een wild beest, de noise interrumperend, maar verderop uitmondend in een repetitief ritmisch patroon. En dan zo rond de dertigste minuut valt de muziek nagenoeg stil. Een overgang naar een noise patroon wat nog het meest wegheeft van een krakende grammofoonplaat. Tot slot rest het laatste stukje, opvallend harmonieus en verstild, zeker voor deze merkwaardige, maar boeiende compositie."
credits
released September 22, 2023
All music by RAQQA; Nicolas Zentz and Nino Baleyte
Text by Nicolas Zentz
Mixing/mastering and visuals by Nino Baleyte
Our heartfelt gratitude to Rémi and Julia, for lending us their magnificent space, which made this creation possible.
Special thanks to Harco Rutgers and Fred Baleyte for their precious help.
This rhythm-forward record from Italian producer Markeno allows songs to stretch out to epic length, building more with each minute. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 29, 2022
