A review of Goh Lee Kwang's GOOD VIBRATIONS
Heathen Harvest
This new CD from Malaysian maestro Goh Lee Kwang, Good Vibrations is a five-song buzz of one 15-minute, two 20 minute and two nine minute tracks that all slip into one another seamlessly.
It’s hard to figure out what exactly, if anything, Goh is trying to get across. My guess is that it was a labor of love, something he wanted to put out there that is so unique there’s nothing like it on the map. That is, unless you have a habit where you tune your radio to frequencies that are between stations and you get that static and noise, beeping, high-pitched sounds that, played loud enough, will pierce your ears.
According to his bio on his MySpace page, Goh focuses on “various possibilities of both natural sound and recorded sound, crossing the boundaries of digital and analog, electronic and acoustic, go[ing] beyond language, allowing audiences to experience the work directly and in their own personal way.” Besides dabbling in creating unusual and original sound works, Goh has also created sound installations, interactive sound & vision installations, single- and multi-channel videos, etc, not to mention soundtracks for various theater pieces, dance performances and scores for independent films as well.
You’ll probably have a hard time trying to find the multi-media pieces that Goh’s created if you live in the US because his multi-media works are most prominent in Asia as well as Europe.
Basically, Goh is a multi-talented, multi-media cat who has a vivid imagination, seeing as that’s where he spends a lot of time getting ideas and inspiration; if you’ve been lucky enough to see any of his live shows you’d understand more of what’s going on here. Most of the shows are done at Museums/Galleries around the world and each sensation is driven by or augmented by another - that is, the minimalist soundscapes, the video installations as well as the interactive shows he sets up with an audio/visual sensation to it. The venues at which Goh brings all these disparate ideas become realized are perfectly suited to the vibe(s) they evoke - in other words, his performances don’t belong in some football stadium or a smoky, raging club full of McFisters who just want to drink more beer and smash up everything. This is high-brow stuff and it may be too bad that one would have to go to a snobby Euro-Art-bar to check it out. Myself, I’d be hip to seeing one of his installations in Bangkok or Macau, exotic destinations that would bring to life Goh’s subconscious even more.
So, while you ponder Good Vibrations and are scratching your head, trying to figure it out, just close your eyes and think of hallucinogenic video loops and many colors flitting, bouncing off the walls and such.
- Blond Adonis
CD for 12 euros, + shipping.
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glk / herbal