I had the pleasure of receiving three Abdullah Ibrahim records as gifts, just from a generous listener of the channel. As soon as they were put on the platter, all dated between 2019 and 2023, I was surprised by a sonic aesthetic radically different from what I have always associated with the artist and his work, having his much, much older vinyls.
This reminded me of how (almost) all sounds in quality recordings have actually been veering towards a different "modern" recipe for years now. The reason, in my opinion, lies somewhere between the evolving tastes of audiophiles and the new contingencies of homes and the organization of their spaces, with the technological choices this induces.
We listen to an excerpt from three LPs. In order of appearance: "The Balance" (2019), "African Dawn" (1982), "Mannenberg: Is Where It's Happening" (1974).
As we proceed in this exploration back in time, we find Abdullah Ibrahim's piano (and band) character ever different, gradually drier, more raw and explosive, with the roundness and softness of the most recent record becoming a distant memory.
I will comment on this transformation from my own perspective, contextualizing the reasons and, more importantly, the needs on the related hi-fi system.
Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
02:05 Who is Abdullah Ibrahim
05:22 Listening to "Dreamtime" (The Balance, 2019)
06:48 Commenting The Balance
08:50 Listening to "Blues For a Hip King" (African Dawn, 1982)
10:07 Commenting African Dawn
11:16 Listening to "The Pilgrim" (Mannenberg: Is Where It's Happening, 1974)
13:08 Commenting Mannenberg: Is Where It's Happening
15:00 Quick listen to "Mannenberg" and technologic evolution
16:51 Conclusion and cheers
Audio pick-up set-up:
Two Røde Wireless Pro microphones in stereo A-B configuration, for music, and only one of them hanging from my chest for my voice. No passing through camera, audio directly downloaded from microphone memory, synchronized to stereo track with Audacity, overlaid with video in Final Cut Pro X.
Video shooting set-up:
Two cameras: a Sony RX-1RmII with its Zeiss Sonnar-T* 35mm F/2 lens, and a Sony A7IV with a Zeiss Batis 85mm F/1.8 lens.