Recorded November 1986 at Shifty Studio, Johannesburg direct to 2 track tape by Lloyd Ross
Photo: Estelle Trengove

ABSTRACTIONS
Carlo Mombelli - Fretless Bass, Composer
Johnny Fourie - Guitar
Jo Runde - Guitar and Guitar Synthesizer
Neill Ettridge - Drums
Duke Makasi - Tenor Sax

Carlo Mombelli formed ABSTRACTIONS in January 1986 with the intention of playing creative original music that would not be compromised for commercial purposes. The idea was also that the music should provide a vehicle for each musician to express himself freely. ABSTRACTIONS has not swayed from this path and has matured into a unique sounding quartet. After numerous performances and two TV appearances

ABSTRACTIONS went into 'Shifty Studios' at the end of October 1986 and recorded their first album, 'On the Other Side'.

About The Music

The music of ABSTRACTIONS is ethereal and atmospheric. It comprises of overlapping textures which create moods through different balances of space, light and shade, tension and release, harmony and dissonance. 'When I compose, I will write a fixed piece of music to suggest the spirit and feeling of the composition; then I add an improvised section which I leave up to each individual to explore in the spirit of the music - the musicians building on and feeding off each other's ideas. In these sections, there is often no fixed key, time, or specified length, which leaves the musician the maximum amount of creative space' - Carlo Mombelli. The free sections may be compared to the situation in which four artists, each with a palette of different colours, are let loose on one blank canvas.

About the Recording

The music of ABSTRACTIONS requires the musicians to be able to communicate with each other at all times. To this end, the instruments were set up as they would be for an ordinary rehearsal or performance. After achieving the correct sound and balance, the compositions were recorded direct onto digital two-track tape. There was no overdubbing, nor any subsequent mixing. What you hear on the record is what the music sounded like in the studio.