Search - Wim Mertens :: At Home Not at Home

Early Mertens Cool Hybrid

Joe A. Stokes | Dallas | 10/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After writing the book on "American Minimal Music" Wim Mertens does his first record - sounds from pinball machines titled "For Amusement Only". It is hard to listen to and hardly worth the effort. Then he does "At Home Not at Home". This record has the beginning of his beautiful melodic focus that all Wim Mertens fans know and love.
At Home Not at Home was originally released as a two song mini LP in 1981. This version contains the original plus reworkings of the songs done at the same time but never released plus a solo piano version of "Not at Home" recorded in 1998.
On this album Wim plays minimalist structured pulsing repetitive melody on a CRUMAR (an early electronic organ/synth)
and he is joined by Peter Gordon on Saxaphone, Peter Principle (TUXEDOMOON) on scathing guitar. Here Wim also introduces a violin and harp (later to become a staple of his ensemble work) to the mix in some of the pieces.
The result is for me a hybrid sounding like minimalism (ala STEVE REICH) plus Avant Gard of TUXEDOMOON plus the beautiful melodica of WIM MERTENS plus the strangeness of THE RESIDENTS.
At Home Not at Home is definitely worth listening to for more than it's historical significance. It is ultra cool and quite pleasurable."