Dave Powell by Auricle Music

released June 22, 2024

Dave first demonstrated his instrumental talent as a unique explorer in the use of the hurdy gurdy, aka "vielle-à-roue" (a 16th Century folk instrument related to the violin, but played using a rotating wheel and keys) as a guest with Endgame, live in 2001. After that, Endgame plus Dave Powell became the pan-genre improvising quartet Extremities, and then the more prolific split-off trio Triax. Alongside all this group activity, Dave has used the extraordinary sonic capabilities of this instrument and propelled the possibilities even further with the use of guitar effects and 4-track multi-layering of the sonic textures.

It is interesting to hear Dave's work on its own (outside the context of Extremities or Triax that is), but don't expect an easy listening experience, nor anything resembling standard folk music! But, talking of folk music, on his second solo cryptically titled "Industrial Folk Music" Dave's range of instruments is much wider, amounting to an acoustic instrumental album, that often sounds anything but acoustic! With "Electronic Odysseys" Dave favours his new-found passion for the electronic processed flute, with some sizeable works that venture way beyond the pioneering soundscapes of Bob Downes, sometimes sounding like a fried flute Urban Sax!

Innovation is continually the key in Dave's music, especially so with his eclectic duo project Tartovisti, as they explore instrumental concoctions that bridge many genres form the realms of folk dirges through to fried electronics, although 90% of the instrumentation is acoustic. Some pointers to the Tartovisti sound could include the Third Ear Band, Xenis Emputae Travelling Band, early Deuter, Stephan Micus, although there's also a relation sound-wise to the unfolk and neo folk genres, except that Tartovisti are largely instrumental.

Discography...

FRIED ROSIN - CDR Auricle AMCDR 042 (2003)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/fried-rosin
INDUSTRIAL FOLK MUSIC - CDR Auricle AMCDR 051 (2004)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/industrial-folk-music
ELECTRONIC ODYSSEYS - CDR Auricle AMCDR 093 (2007)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-odysseys
STICK THE FORK IN YOUR EYE, WE SHALL BE GLAD TO EAT OURSELVES - 2CDR Auricle AMCDR 180/1 (2011)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/stick-the-fork-in-your-eye-we-shall-be-glad-to-eat-ourselves
THAT MAY BE LOST - CDR Auricle AMCDR 199 (2013)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/that-may-be-lost
DREI PSYCHEDELISCHE GESCHEHEN - CDR Auricle AMCDR 203 (2014)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/drei-psychedelische-geschehen

in Tartovisti...
MERCURY AND THE MOON - 2CDR Auricle AMCDR 189/90 (2012)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/mercury-the-moon
HALLUCINATIONS ON THE SECRET COAST - CDR Auricle AMCDR 276 (2017)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/hallucinations-on-the-secret-coast
FULL MOON - CDR Auricle AMCDR 286 (2018)
auriclemusic.bandcamp.com/album/full-moon

Dave Powell appearances on other releases...
¿DRONSZ? - track: Weird Terrain
Endgame - LIVE, VOL. VII - track: I’m Not Messing With That!
Endgame - LIVE, VOL. IX - track: Over The Edge (Condensed Mix)
Endgame - ENDOPLASM - track: After Falling "Over The Edge"
The Scanner Game - COURTEOUS
Endgame - LIVE, VOL. XI - on 2 tracks
Endgame - LIVE DVD OFFICIAL BOOTLEG

Dave Powell also features on all Extremities and Triax releases, and on many Quadelectronic Documents.