Recording: Thin Edge New Music Collective

Artist: Thin Edge New Music Collective

Song: Workers Union [excerpt] [composer: Louis Andriessen]

Recorded at The Great Hall (Long Winter 4.5 – Night 2), March 19, 2016.

Thin Edge New Music Collective - Workers Union [excerpt]

You can't fault Long Winter for being ambitious and for wanting to close out the season by cramming in as much music and art into the Great Hall as possible, but their plan to close the year out with a two-night stand didn't entirely pay off. Giving patrons the choice of two nights (and holding them at the end of Spring Break) seemed to especially cut into the younger crowd and both nights (especially Friday) lacked that "about to burst" feeling that makes LW unique. But even if the crowd was at less than maximum strength, there was no certainly no lack of music spread throughout the building.

I was rather pleased to see Thin Edge — one of the city's most forward-thinking DIY chamber ensembles — get the call to play at Long Winter. Setting up eight-deep in the Conversation Room, they dressed casually and brought an appropriately loud bit of music. With its insistent rhythmic bursts, this Andriessen piece isn't so far removed from the electronic blast-beats or cosmiche lockgrooves that might be otherwise found at Long Winter — and while the little curls of mic feedback near the end here might sound out of place in the concert hall, at this show they felt totally rock'n'roll. Turn it up!