3. Ahhh

The final volume in a three-part series documenting Martin Tétreault and Otomo Yoshihide's April 2003 European tour, 3. Ahhh presents the ambient side of the turntablist duo, after the harsh noise of 1. GRRR and the concrete popping of 2. Tok. Tables softly turn on empty, quiet electrical hums provide background textures — most sounds are of the sustained kind. The Quebecer and the Japanese sculpt them into strange moving landscapes. One can completely forget that they are working with turntables, as their electro-acoustic aesthetics separate the music from the instrument. Things remain very calm, almost peaceful, for a gentle late-night listen, but there are crescendos that push things beyond the comfort zone (the wonderful "Orléans No. 2") and moments of feedback that escalate to regions neighboring 1. GRRR ("Genève No. 1," masterfully grinding to a halt). Actually, 3. Ahhh is the best-balanced volume in the series, the most representative of the duo's work. At this point, one could question the relevance of fragmenting the duo's persona into three characters, sold separately. It surely is debatable and some listeners would probably rather have a triple-CD set presenting three complete shows from the tour instead of these themed best-ofs. Then again, people who don't care about turntable noise-fests can skip the first volume altogether. In any case, if you are thinking about giving this series a try, you may want to start with this last installment and work your way back. ~ François Couture, Rovi