missed this one when it first appeared some nice words about the Acoustic Textures CDr.
“Hidden gem of the week: the Manchester improvising guitarist David Birchall, whose one-take directly-recorded improvisations are splendidly presented on his Acoustic Textures (BLACK CAT PRESS 002) collection. Birchall is of the school of those who insert objects into acoustic instruments, building on the prepared piano notion, but his technique is to play the inserted objects as much as he plays the guitar, allowing the soundboard to act as a natural amplifier for his multiple – erm – interpolations…what I enjoy is the spirited bounce and snap of his playing attack, suggesting strongly he’s not one of these self-satisfied aesthetes who invite us to admire the sumptuous resonances of their vibrating bowls or shimmering saucepans used as percussion. He does seem to be more about the physical sound he creates, rather than a muso improviser indulging their over-crafted technique. Visual representations of the objects used in this performance are provided in the mini art booklet, where Birchall has co-opted Max Ernst’s frottage technique to generate strong monochrome images. Excellent. (23/08/2012)”
http://www.thesoundprojector.com/2013/05/25/play-as-parable/
David Birchall 