Antoine Läng: Lâcher Les Chiens Tant Qu'on Y Est

The album Lâcher Les Chiens Tant Qu'on Y Est ("Let the dogs loose while we're at it") is a recording of single takes of prepared jaw harps, without overdubs or additional effects, by Antoine Läng, an experimental musician and vocalist from Geneva, Switzerland. It was mixed by Läng and mastered by D'Incise of the label. Alongside D'Incise and his fellow Insub stalwart Cyril Bondi, Läng is also a member of Insub Meta Orchestra, the large (sometimes 45-strong) ensemble of improvisers that was formed in 2010.

The black-and-white digital drawing on the front cover of Läng's album (and on the CD's face) is by Anton Bruhinh and dates from 2011. Nowhere on the album sleeve does it mention how many tracks there are or their durations. Fortunately, another source with information about this album lists the durations of its six tracks, but no titles; the album's tracks run from 3:13 up to 10:49, a total just short of 44 minutes altogether. The album begins with its longest track and closes with its next longest at 10:12.

For those unfamiliar with jaw harps, they are made of metal and are small enough to be held in position by lips and tongue just inside the mouth and vibrated by twanging a handle. Läng's work focussed on the instrument, with simple preparations and gestures helping it modulate itself in different ways; he does not describe the nature of those preparations and gestures in detail, but magnetic elements placed on the jaw harp and movements of the hands, lips and tongue affected the whole and transformed the sound.

Listening to the album from start to finish can be an enthralling, mesmerising experience. Once Läng hits a sound or a groove, he tends to explore and repeat it in order to get as much as possible from it, without allowing it to become tedious. Each of the album's six tracks has its own identity and sound. It must be fascinating to see and hear Läng, live in action. As he says of his own music, "Elements of noise and minimal repetitive music, songwriting and environmental sound practices often come together in my work. The voice/mouth plays an important role, both as an instrument and as a broader theme to be explored through listening, experimentation, improvisation, idiomatic and non-idiomatic approaches, sound rituals, composition, and with the jaw harp." Definitely one to watch out for...

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