When I heard that Derek and Bill had collaborated on a disc, I knew that it was going to be something special and that it was something I absolutely needed in my collection. For those who are not familiar, Austin, Texas's Derek Rogers is on the forefront of a new drone movement sweeping the internet. Bill Shute, also hailing from Texas, is a poet and purveyor of experimental music, running the awesome imprint Kendra Steiner Editions as an outlet for music and poetry.
What we have on Four Texas Streams is essentially the most out-there recordings to ever come from Austin; and much like the city itself, it is beautiful, haunting, and thought provoking all in one. Clocking in at just under fifteen minutes, what we have is Derek creating haunting soundscapes, and Bill reading his poetry. Now, while that may sound like one is filling in background for the other, it really comes out quite balanced. Even though Bill's voice is louder in the mix than anything Derek is playing, neither one seems to overpower the other. It's as if both artists play to each others strengths and weave seamlessly in and out. This is not Derek Rogers plus Bill Shute, this is Derek Rogers with Bill Shute.
Four Texas Streams itself is a 3-inch CD-R limited to just 55 copies, and at five dollars postage-paid anywhere, it's worth picking up for yourself, or a gift for anyone interested in experimental music or poetry.
[Derek Rogers Bandcamp]
[Buy Four Texas Streams from Kendra Steiner Editions]
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