Justin Frye – Music For Contrabasse
9.6.16 by J Moss

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New York artist Justin Frye is best known as the band leader of the twisted and brilliant art/jazz/punk band PC Worship, producing a thick catalog of mind altering LPs. Earlier this year, in his off-time from that and other work as a producer, Frye quietly self-released a tape of experimental compositions called “Music for Contrabasse”, a gritty and organically psychedelic exploration of the possibilities inherent in that instrument. The two sides of this tape take divergent approaches to developing the vibe of the bass.

Side A, “Trio for a Double Bass” is a deliberate construction, a long-form composition built from three separate improvised performances. Over it’s 19:15 length, it embodies all modes of the bass. The piece begins with an ominous textured drone that grows in weight. this mutates with time into percussive passages and free jazz scalar departures in the higher registers of the instrument. the use of layering to form the “trio” allows for the drone to remain a grinding, churning constant. at one point a coughing fit can be heard, symbolic of the mix of improvisation and contrivance at play here and maybe also referencing “Sweet Leaf” by Black Sabbath, who knows. The drone dissipates and becomes periodical at the end of the piece, allowing final high pitched scratches to float in the mix.

Side B, “Live at The Outpost for Contrabasse, Prepared Tape, and No Input Teac 2A” is an improvised live recording that emphasizes much more fully the low-drone side of the bass with the tape loops providing a surreal rhythm and the ability for some on-the-spot self accompaniment, bedding some more free jazz style solos that would be at home on a classic Ornette Coleman record, if saxophones and drums were clattering around them. This piece also contains a coughing spell, and ends with snatches of conversation, laughter and what sounds like the sounds of leaving, packing up and leaving the performance.

The two sides compliment each other well and fully expose the experimental roots that lie under the surface of Frye’s more well known work. Grab the tape here.