Manafonistas

This is not a Miracle – ECM, 6. November 2015

Mercurial Balm – ECM, 2012

Quiet Inlet – ECM, 2010

Molecular Gastronomy – Rune Grammofon, 2007

Last Supper – Rune Grammofon, 2004

Veggie – Rune Grammofon 2002

Organic and GM Food – Feral Records, 2001

Food – Feral Records, 1999

„Food“ is a rare example of a group or an idea of a group that kept surprising me all over the years and never did a record that was less than very good. (m.e.) 

Once founded by saxophone player Iain Bellamy, and following quite an amount of incarnations and stylistic changes, „Food“ never did a wrong move, never stopped to surprise, never put out anything but, good, very good, or excellent albums. In recent years, Iain Bellamy’s knack for sophistication and sparseness has been the perfect match for Thomas Stronen’s hitting on things, and his way of, well, sophistication and sparseness. Soulmates are always welcome.

Austrian guitar and sound manipulator Christian Fennesz takes care of unexpected ambiences and noisy undercurrents; he’s a hunter of discreet wilderness proving the rewards of letting all power fall. Normally starting with nothing more than a vibe, an impulse, „Food“ decided a new modus operandi and made use of „real themes“ – banning away the beloved raw skeletons. But why making it simple when complication is so much fun?

After recording a heavy load of material, Thomas Stronen was left alone with it for months, mixing, doubling, cutting, layering, chaneling, canceling. The basics were radically reshaped without letting go some of the key elements and original ideas. „This Is Not A Miracle“ (ECM Records) may not be a miracle, but it is an adventurous perpetuum mobile of shifting moods and awesome polarities. Call it electronic, call it organic!

Stronen and Bellamy know about showdowns, too: the last four tracks are brutally ascetic and perfectly executed: it’s the magician’s trick of „Food“ to be able to even make the tiniest details unforgettable, at least endlessly enjoyable. This time they added (en passant) some grand gestures that hit you right in the face. No one could have expected that!