Cristian Vogel: Black Swan

DJ Cristian Vogel has contributed remixes for Radiohead and Thom Yorke in the past (in the case of the latter, his solo track “Black Swan”…imagine that). When I listen to Black Swan, Vogel’s latest plunge into the territory of musique concrète, I keep thinking that everything is in its right place. This is sound manipulation wholly on an intuitive level, and the results are just as compelling as the best of any conventional classical music. Each noise is perfectly tailored for a listening experience that can soothe as well as disturb. Just like Bruce Gilbert or, heck, Jonny Greenwood, it’s a mark of greatness when an artist like Vogel can make random samples of disruptive clangs sound so darn musical.