Pita Parka Pt. 1: Xam Egdub
Dun-Dun Band
Ansible Editions 007 (kunudusuvuntu.bandcamp.com/album/pita-parka-pt-i-xam-egdub)
When the music, instrumental credits (i.e. Craig Dunsmuir on single line electric guitar and P___r P____r, Colin Fisher on the “Hahahacksaw” Jim Duggan, Mike Smith handling keyboard transcombobulations), themes and textures defy categorization, why bother trying to categorize them? Pita Parka, Pt.1: Xan Egdub is the latest from Dun-Dun Band, which is an incredible improvised music project that has yielded truly unique odysseys across the sonic spectrum. As a ten-piece outfit sporting an impressive lineup of perpetual experimenters on their respective instruments, it is astounding to witness the places they go throughout this album, and perhaps even more inspiring to experience long stretches of restraint.
Leader Dunsmuir’s influences include elements of minimalism and post rock, which is manifest in the strong devotion to repetition and atmospheric build throughout these compositions. No.1 in particular has hypnotic qualities to it, with the cyclical nature of its primary sequences continuously hooking and holding the listener in a trance, daring their ears to become lost in minute detail rather than any overt changes to each steadfast rhythmic pattern. Throughout, there is a tangible sense of interconnectedness and deep listening between musicians, primarily evident in magical instances where a sound or idea crawls to the forefront, and the rest of the ensemble immediately uplifts it on a whim. Why bother trying to categorize all this? Mileage may vary, but one thing is for certain: however you try, categorizations won’t stick.