"Dave Black is a new moniker for New Zealand’s (relocated to Melbourne, Australia while recording this album) David Edwards and given the sound presented on 'After Maths & Sciences' (fiffdimension) it’s quite fitting that he chose to put this out under a different name as it’s not quite like anything he’s done before. Derek Bailey-esque improv dissonance hover on top of a riverbed of laptop work and all sorts of various sounds and voices that somehow seems to try to describe the Australian soul. Add to all this the occasional addition of cello, harmonica and shakers and you got yourself an album that demands a lot from the listener but which upon repeated listens will prove to be surprisingly beautiful and extrovert.
Whilst shopping from fiffdimension make sure to get hold of 'Gleefully Unknown', a best-of compilation of Dave Edwards’ music from 1997 to 2005. Unlike the disc described above this is a great starting point to understand where Edwards is coming from. Rough outsider folk-blues mysteries born out of a fascination for Bob Dylan gives way to dissonant rock textures along the lines of the Fall, which doesn’t prevent Edwards’s impressive talent for electric and acoustic improvisations to be all over the place. Edwards strikes me as one of the most overlooked musicians from the fertile lands of New Zealand and if you need a fresh start this might very well be the place."
- Mats Gustafsson, The Broken Face
If you want copies, just email me (fiffdimensionATgmailDOTcom)...