Robbie Avenaim

Robbie Avenaim is an Australian experimental musician whose recordings fall somewhere between the cacophonous jazz of John Zorn and the lulling drones of Oren Ambarchi, with whom he used to play with in short-lived band Phlegm. He’s a lot less prolific though, settling on one full-length release every couple of years. Rhythmic Music Disorder is very much what its title suggests: a fusion of unexpected percussion, field recordings and homemade instruments joining together to make four long passages that bristle with both soft tones and underlying tension without ever becoming jarring. So while the music never settles for the more inviting tones of ambient, it also never rises to the level of abrasion indicative of most noise. Fans of the Rune Grammofon label should take note of this release, as should anyone interested in the more industrial and droning branches of contemporary jazz.