and/2

Track List:

01. Fire Alarm From A Distance (Winter Park, FL.)
02. Water Pipe Beneath A Pier (Bainbridge, WA.)
03. Power Lines (Wallace Falls, WA.)
04. Metal Structure In The Desert (Dead Horse Ranch, AZ.)
05. Bugs Near A Lake (New Mexico)
06. Tree In The Wind (Moanalua, HI.)
07. Rain Within A Parking Structure (Seattle, WA.)
08. Docks (Seattle, WA.)
09. Log Partially Submerged In Water (Seattle, WA.)

Don't be fooled by the simple track titles of this subtle but great collection of
interesting field recordings from various parts of the United States. Jon is
known for being understated when it comes to words, but his attention is very
acute when it comes to listening and recording. He often captures
soundscapes that seem to be processed or mixed in a studio, when in fact,
they were not.

Reviews
_________________________________________________________________________________

Absurd (December 2003)
Jon Tulchin is a new name to me and his Location Recordings on and/OAR
was my first encounter with his work. Including various location recordings
(as the title suggests as well) around Arizona, Washington, Florida, New
Mexico, etc, Jon presents us here his own obscure views. The cdr starts with
an intensity (which is all around it and that's pretty cool), a dense sound of a
"fire alarm from a distance" to continue with the "water pipe beneath a pier"
then. Atmospheres that brought in mind some of the best Hafler Trio
moments. Things slowly start changing regarding the moods from the 4th
track, especially the 5th which is titled "bugs near a lake" can somehow be
seen as the point of change. What i admired here is that the bug sounds
were treated luckily and not left almost unaltered (unless I am wrong. If so,
pardon me). The "tree in the wind" was a piece of a little different mood, I'd
say a bit more "static", though not lasting long, can be perceived I think, as a
documentation of an experience, but I enjoyed it a lot, such as the "rain within
a parking structure" that follows it, and also found it charming too. The
closing "log partially submerged in water" was also a piece to show a
different mood too, perhaps not so "obscure" as the opening one, but
however I think that gives a different aspect of Jon's soundscapes. I think that
if you fancy manipulated field recordings seen under an "obscure" (to say the
least) perspective, then this is a great cdr to be discovered.
(Nicolas Malevitsis)

E / I Magazine (Autumn 2003)
Discussing 'truth' vis-a-vis music has become an occupation virtually
abandoned in this age of internet authorship and facile 'criticism'. Jon
Tulchin's Location Recordings, however, begs that the consideration for truth
be taken to absurd ends. Included on the CDR are recordings from around
America of: a distant fire alarm, a water pipe beneath a pier, power lines, a
metal structure in the desert, bugs near a lake, a tree in the wind, rain heard
splattering a parking structure, docks, and a log partially submerged in water.

Each track varies in length from three-and-a-half to six-and-a-half minutes,
giving the appropriate location a proper chance to introduce itself, express its
make-up, and then diminish, usually within the unyielding parameters of the
sound level control. Where the beauty of these recordings lies is
embellished in their lonely, if active, nature. For people sensitive to everyday
sounds, this disc is the ideal panacea. The quality of the recordings is
unbelievable, with a broad, dynamic range and vibrant authenticity, fat in
bass and sharp in treble; hear transformers sizzle and rain approach such
cacophony, the intensity of it could shatter your eardrums at high volumes.

Because these recordings are not in any way manipulated, which Tulchin
points out with pride in his liner notes, the recording makes its prima facie
case for validation of the phonographer's specialty-in-trade. These are the
crusaders for sonic truth; they traverse the sonic aspects of culture and
environment we all take for granted, transliterating the fundamentalism of
'sound' into a fabric recognizable as 'music'. Tulchin makes us forget there's
even a difference. (Michael Bernstein)