Ernesto Rodrigues - Viola, Crackle Box
Nuno Torres - Alto Saxophone
João Gato - Soprano Saxophone
Luisa Gonçalves - Piano
Flak - Electric Guitar
João Madeira - Double Bass
Carlos Santos - Analog Synthesiser
José Oliveira - Percussion

Reviews:



""Teufelmusik" is one of the five albums relased by the band this year, covering a period of performance between 2015 and 2023. The ensemble consists of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola and crackle box, Nuno Torres on alto saxophone, João Gato on soprano saxophone, Luisa Gonçalves on piano, Flak on electric guitar, João Madeira on double bass, Carlos Santos on analog synthesiser, and José Oliveira on percussion.

The album covers a live performance on May 27th of this year, and consists of one, long fourty minute track. In the best tradition of the label, the music is a carefully forward-moving electroacoustic improvisation, on which all instruments create a dense, dark collective sound, that oscillates and shimmers in many layers around a central focal point. Even if all instruments move freely in and out of the total sound, a core is maintained, like an implicit solidity resulting from its fleeting parts, almost like a auditory reflection of moving atoms creating the illusion of a fixed reality.

The dissonance could explain the album's title: "the devil's music", banned through history by the catholic church and reflecting the position of the establishment for any music that breaks the boundaries of the conventional. Think also of jazz, rock 'n' roll and metal. In contrast to these genres, this music is anything but loud or exuberant, this music here is in a category of its own. It is eery, compelling, strange at times, disconcerting, appealing, captivating and intense. It requires equally intense listening to capture all the ungoing shifts in sound colour, the creative subtleties and nuances, the various ephemeral threads and barely audible unattributable instrumental voices.

A collective 'tour de force', the kind of achievement that can only mean that somehow the devil's involved." Stef Gijssels, freejazzblog.org

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"Sur la pochette rouge intense de ce CD il y a un diable noir qui pose sa main par-dessus une table (teufel) pour toucher un instrument de musique invisible (muzik). Orchestre de huit musiciens (ou plus) d’improvisation, Suspensão n’est pas à son coup d’essai et chaque nouvel album voit un changement dans sa composition. Si Ernesto Rodrigues (alto et crackle box), Nuno Torres (sax alto) et Carlos Santos (électronique) se retrouvent dans les onze éditions, João Madeira (contrebasse), José Oliveira (percussion), Flak (guitare) avaient déjà participé à quelques albums du groupe et sont des collaborateurs réguliers d’Ernesto Rodrigues. Ici, la pianiste Luisa Gonçalves et le saxophoniste soprano João Gato complètent l’ensemble. Il y a une densité de sons émis par chacun des huit improvisateurs qui se croisent, s’étagent, se différencient dans des mouvements constants avec des phases de silence d’un, deux, trois ou quatre.. d’entre eux. Une masse grouillante, des rhizomes subtils, un réseau de connexions qui s’allument, vacillent, grondent ou s’éteignent sans logique apparente mais qui suivent des sentiers qui illuminent l’espace sonore ou s’effacent dans les bruissements d’activités fébriles ou sous des drones bourdonnants ou effilés. Une musique collective, fruit d’une écoute mutuelle studieuse ou dérapage de l’imaginaire. Des éléments hétérogènes (timbres, vibrations, textures, suraigus, graves, chocs, frottements, crissements, fragments) confluent dans un éventail d’interactions qui aspirent à un état d’esprit homogène de communion de différences étalées au grand jour : une fois échangées, partagées, disparues, alors que de nouvelles propositions surgissent ou s’immiscent et regénèrent la trame ; la durée se dilate, le paysage a évolué au point d’être méconnaissable, inexplicable, métamorphosé sans raison. Aucun d’entre eux ne peut vous en donner la raison, le but, ni expliquer ce qui arrive, est arrivé ou va arriver. Mais ils jouent, cherchent des sonorités, s’écoutent, réagissent, se taisent, recommencent, continuent ou s’arrêtent jusqu’à ce qu’un faisceau de vibrations électroniques s’étale, s’étiole et s’éteint après avoir été rejoint par deux ou trois autres musiciens que nous ne pouvons à peine identifier. C’est un mystère, une démocratie totale, une liberté qui force à suivre une partition invisible à laquelle il faut peu ou prou se soumettre au lieu de quoi elle perdrait tout son sens. Une improvisation collective vraiment prenante et réussie !!" Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, orynx-improvandsounds.blogspot.com

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"Finally, the new album of Suspensão, "Teufelmusik",
the last acquisition of 2023. This a "moderate" size
ensemble, which has released already several impressive
recordings, "Rayon Blanc" on Creative Sources as a nonet
in November 2017, and the amazing "Sfumato" with the
eleven members ensemble in November 2019. On "Teufelmusik"
the group is an octet, with the core consisting of
Ernesto, Nuno, João Madeira, José and Carlos, and the
"new" members; João Gato, Luisa, and Flak.
The music continues the lines of the previous records,
but maybe is even more lyrical, peaceful, and reflections
full? This is a live recording from May 2023 by Kellzo at
SMUP, Parede. As Bandcamp explains: ""Teufelmusik"
is one of the ve albums released by the band this year,
covering a period of performance between 2015 and 2023.
The ensemble consists of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola
and crackle box, Nuno Torres on alto saxophone, João
Gato on soprano saxophone, Luisa Gonçalves on piano,
Flak on electric guitar, João Madeira on double bass,
Carlos Santos on analog synthesiser, and José Oliveira
on percussion. The album covers a live performance on
May 27th of this year (2023), and consists of one, long
forty-minute track. In the best tradition of the label,
the music is a carefully forward-moving electro-acoustic
improvisation, on which all instruments create a dense,
dark collective sound, that oscillates and shimmers in
many layers around a central focal point. Even if all
instruments move freely in and out of the total sound,
a core is maintained, like an implicit solidity resulting
from its meeting parts, almost like an auditory reflection
of moving atoms creating the illusion of a fixed reality."
Maciej Lewenstein

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