Jan St. Werner is a critically acclaimed and internationally recognized sound innovator. In a myriad of ways, as a solo artist, a collaborator, through his group Mouse On Mars, as a producer , or as a course instructor at MIT, Werner has challenged traditional approaches to creating and experiencing music. The sixth installment of his Fiepblatter Catalogue series, Glottal Wolpertinger, endeavors to transcribe the phenomenon of sound as anarchic and highly sensitive material. His multilayered presentation of the project highlights the ways in which sound and music can ?uctuate and morph depending on context. In keeping with the series’ collaborative nature, the pieces include contributions from guitarists Aaron & Bryce Dessner of The National, who Werner also collaborated with on Mouse On Mars’ Dimensional People, and The National’s Sleep Well Beast. Glottal Wolpertinger was initially conceived as a radio installation for documenta 14 with each of the tracks broadcasting individually over the course of ten weeks and culminating in a convergence of all eight tracks at a performance in Athens. The pieces consist of microtonally tuned feedback, multispectral drones which Werner modulated and fltered with a purposeful, and indeed vocalized, emphasis given to the different frequencies and textures used. Glottal Wolpertinger’s incarnation as a recording is no less potent than its preceding forms, but serves as a continuation of the project’s evolution as a distinct listening experience.
