| ***When offered a commission by France's national radio station to record music for a special broadcast of Atelier De Creation Radiophonique (Radiophonic Workshop Of Creation), it was a perfect opportunity for Colleen's Cecile Schott to further explore her work with music boxes. The commission would have remained just that, but Schott was so pleased with the results she decided to okay the recordings for official release under the name Colleen Et Les Boites A Musique (Colleen And The Music Boxes). No stranger to performing and recording with music boxes, Schott yields extraordinary dividends from such a limited palette. The compositions utilize everything from miniature music boxes hidden in 1940s birthday cards to huge Victorian parlor boxes. Not content with the orthodox sounds produced by these novelty instruments, Schott hijacks them, playing them with her fingers or with mallets. She then re-samples, delays and pitch-shifts the results in a quest to produce unique sounds and melodies. Utilizing the natural loop in each box, the instruments move in and out of time creating a playful ebb and flow. Schott somehow mimics the sound of harps, xylophones, and the Fender Rhodes, coaxing sounds from the boxes one wouldn't have thought possible. Colleen Et Les Boites A Musique is a wonder and arguably the most intimate and melodic release of her career. 30-second MP3 excerpts: John Levers The Ratchet
What Is A Componium? - Part 1
Charles's Birthday Card
Will You Gamelan For Me?
The Sad Panther
Under The Roof
What Is A Componium? - Part 2
A Bear Is Trapped
Please Gamelan Again
Your Heart Is So Loud
Calypso In A Box
Bicycle Bells
Happiness Nuggets
I'll Read You A Story
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