I’m not so much into fine art, but I’m going to attempt to draw a relevant analogy here. Jon Mueller, both philosophically and in practice, is like the percussionist version of impressionist painter Claude Monet, but without the (as far as I know) lengthy facial hair, and without the unenviable quality of being French. Even if they wouldn’t or haven’t described their respective artistic endeavors using exactly these words, the inclination, at least on my part, is to point to one phrase in particular: “organized chaos.” In an interview, Mueller explains how his initial interest in drums and percussion was inspired by this creative approach: “Hitting the drums and cymbals sounded good, no matter the combination. There were no major or minor keys to complicate things. My brain instantly shifted to this perspective: just hit them and listen, then hit them some more. Find interesting combinations of sounds. Try to get a feel for the coordination, but don’t worry too much about it if you can’t. Focus on the fun of playing. I was sold.”
Mueller’s distaste for compositional formalities is partly why he gave up on the guitar at an early age. He gave up, but folks like the perpetually doom-minded guitarist/bassist James Plotkin have shown that unorthodox playing (obviously) isn’t just limited to percussion instruments. For instance, as a member of Lotus Eaters and Khanate, he transformed what would otherwise be a wholesome little string instrument into a non-verbal call for demon gatherings. Surely that’s not something you can do without venturing off the beaten path a bit.
On June 19, Mueller and Plotkin will be releasing Terminal Velocity, a 2xLP limited to 500 copies, via the Minneapolis-based Taiga Records. The release is a formal and more dedicated follow-up to their collaboration on the leading side of Mueller’s Physical Changes LP, which was released in 2009. Unsurprisingly, I have no idea what to expect, and you shouldn’t either. Feel free to pre-order it here though, and act fast because there’s only one cool colored vinyl option left.
Terminal Velocity tracklisting:
A1. Vestibular Apparatus
A2: Hypnagogia
B1. Eigenlicht
B2. Anthypnic
B3. Praedormitium
C1. Subvocal
D1. Microsleep
• James Plotkin: http://plotkinworks.com
• Jon Mueller: http://www.rhythmplex.com
• Taiga: http://www.taigarecords.com