Magic minimalism with Sonar and David Torn
Few Swiss bands have travelled more widely and to more critical acclaim in the last couple of years than Sonar, Zurich-based purveyors of intense, minimalist guitar grooves. The band is led by Stephan Thelen – an early participant of one of Robert Fripp’s guitar workshops – and fellow guitarist Bernhard Wagner who for several years played his own brand of “Frippertronic” guitar in the breaks at Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin’s performances at the Exil venue in Zurich. Bassist Christian Kuntner and drummer Manuel Pasquinelli, meanwhile, provide a dense rhythmic safety net for their explorations of guitar strings.
For their fourth album, “Vortex”, the band teamed up with renowned American avant-garde guitarist David Torn. Torn had been told of Sonar by fellow guitar explorer Henry Kaiser. When Thelen contacted him with a view of hiring his services as a producer, Torn didn’t have to ponder for long. The sessions at the legendary Powerplay Studios near Zurich turned out to be so inspirational that Torn soon found himself wanting to join in. The result was a truly remarkable joint Sonar and David Torn album.
“Vortex” by Sonar with David Torn was released worldwide by Rare Noise Records on 30 March.
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