With his debut CD BlackGate the Irish contrabassist Caimin Gilmore demonstrates that boundary-crossing music gains meaning when you clearly define those boundaries. BlackGate is a provocatively structured suite for harp, cello, double bass, and Yamaha DX7 synthesizer. Gilmore is accompanied by Kate Ellis (cello), with whom he has long been performing in Crash Ensemble, and Lavinia Meijer (harp). Both guest musicians provide a solid foundation of quality.
The music is based on minimalist structures and alternative playing techniques that place tonal color at the center. The synthesizer provides sonic depth. And as a performing musician of both contemporary classical, indie, folk, traditional, and orchestral music, he's no stranger to the craft. "I felt that the playing techniques I used in these genres were transferable and that the diffuse sound worlds worked well together," he explains, "it felt very natural to me to write something with this cross-pollination of genres in mind. BlackGate became a natural reflection of the different types of music plus all sorts of people I was performing and collaborating with at the time of writing."
The CD is structured as a mini-suite with alternating longer MVE-pieces and shorter Segue-transitions. Gilmore builds energy as he experiments, lets the music go where it wants, and brazenly defies expectations.
The four-part cycle MVE starts from a foundational tone from which various exploratory journeys are undertaken. The harp and cello take turns leading—a hospitable compositional gesture. The tempo remains steady, with only a hint of dissonance that quickly fades. But then electronic embellishments appear, followed by a premonition as notes descend and collide with one another. The listener then realizes that anything can happen. For and by the kinetic adventurer.
