Micro-East Collective - Out of My Face (CD)

All Music Guide

The second CD from the shape-shifting ensemble Micro-East Collective, Out of My Face documents a one-time encounter between this improvising group and five members of the avant rock behemoth Doctor Nerve. Guitarist Nick Didkovsky, drummer Leo Ciesa, trumpeter Rob Henke, saxophonist Yves Duboin, and bass clarinetist Michael Lytle join a cast of musicians similar to the one featured on 062099. The Micro-East Collective's approach to improvisation resides in the use of scores and sets of directions, a method Didkovsky's outfit has adopted through the years and perfected on the CD Ereia. The merger comes out as a convincing success. Doctor Nerve's electric avant rock approach fused with Micro-East's acoustic structured improvisations. The music is closer to free form than rock, and Nerve fans may be disappointed that Didkovsky doesn't get a guitar solo spotlight -- but that would have been against the equity rule at the basis of such collectives. Highlights include "Out of My Face" (a Didk...ovsky composition), the collective improvisation "Determinant," and the noisy "Buried Textures." Out of My Face was recorded with two ambient microphones. The resulting mix sounds a bit soft (it lacks "oomph"), but the music on this CD is stronger and tighter than the one found on the band's first release (recorded only two months before this one). - François Couture, All Music Guide Read more Less