CURD DUCA — Waves 1

Curd Duca – Waves 1 appears on Magazine as catalogue MAGAZINEWAVES1, a 12-inch vinyl release that also includes a CD. Issued on 20 November 2020, the record situates itself in the label’s evolving roster of experimental electronic works, arriving after Friday Dunard’s “Gerade” (MAGAZINE018) and preceding the Barnt releases “After completing the Hex 2x12” (MAGAZINE025) and “Geffen” (MAGAZINEGEFFEN). The album forms the first part of a trilogy, with Waves 2 and 3 slated for 2021, and marks Curd Duca’s first output since the influential Elevator series at the turn of the millennium. The record’s concept, as described by the label, treats each piece like an illuminated initial letter in a medieval manuscript, an alphabet of sounds that moves from gong to gone, bell to bells minus drone, dome to father. This framing suggests a collection of sonic “letters” that both reference and transform everyday acoustic material, blurring the line between field recordings and synthetic textures. The resulting palette ranges across ambient, experimental pop beats and world-music rhythms, inviting listeners to hear the world as an inventory of sounds. Side A opens with “Gong”, a resonant entry that establishes the manuscript motif, followed by “satori” and “california”, which continue the exploratory narrative through shifting tonal spaces. “Babel” and “oui” deepen the dialogue between cultural signifiers and abstract gesture, while “formantor” and “avant org” introduce a more structured, almost typographic quality. The latter half of the side, from “berg” through “scr op42”, moves through a series of concise statements that feel like marginalia, each track a brief but distinct comment on the surrounding sonic environment. Side B picks up with “git L9”, a piece that feels like a new chapter in the alphabet, and proceeds through “hedges a” and “hedges b”, twin entries that echo one another like a pair of linked glyphs. “Karunesh”, “cow” and “marienbad” each bring a different cultural or textual reference, reinforcing the record’s world-music beat undercurrents. The middle of the side, from “click & schwell” to “sonic island”, offers a series of rhythmic vignettes that could serve as transitional moments in a DJ set, while “bird snap”, “engelschor lo” and “marina” provide atmospheric interludes that deepen the ambient texture. The final trio—“mingus”, “liquid” and “gone”—close the cycle with a sense of resolution, echoing the opening “Gong” and completing the alphabetic journey. Within Curd Duca’s limited discography, Waves 1 stands out as a conceptual bridge between the early Elevator series and the forthcoming continuation of the Waves trilogy. Its placement on Magazine aligns the release with a label that has recently supported forward-thinking electronic statements from artists such as Barnt, Colorist and Schaufler, reinforcing a shared commitment to experimental sound design and narrative structure. For DJs, the record offers a wealth of short, self-contained sections that can be layered or mixed to create evolving textures. The ambient and world-beat elements provide background depth for downtempo sets, while the more rhythmically defined cuts like “supercussion” or “click & schwell” can be inserted as bridges or punctuations in a longer set. Collectors will appreciate the dual format, which preserves the vinyl experience while supplying the CD for archival listening. The release is presented as a 12-inch vinyl paired with a CD, reflecting the label’s intention to deliver both analog warmth and digital convenience. The physical package mirrors the album’s dual nature, offering a tactile medium for the illuminated-letter concept alongside a more portable format. Curd Duca – Waves 1, Magazine, catalogue MAGAZINEWAVES1, 12-inch vinyl + CD, 28 tracks, ambient/experimental/pop beats/world music beats, released 20 November 2020. Tracklist: A1. Curd Duca – Gong A2. Curd Duca – satori A3. Curd Duca – california A4. Curd Duca – babel A5. Curd Duca – oui A6. Curd Duca – formantor A7. Curd Duca – avant org A8. Curd Duca – berg A9. Curd Duca – touch A10. Curd Duca – supercussion A11. Curd Duca – DX7 angel A12. Curd Duca – cassette A13. Curd Duca – healing A14. Curd Duca – scr op42 B1. Curd Duca – git L9 B2. Curd Duca – hedges a B3. Curd Duca – hedges b B4. Curd Duca – karunesh B5. Curd Duca – cow B6. Curd Duca – marienbad B7. Curd Duca – click & schwell B8. Curd Duca – sonic island B9. Curd Duca – bird snap B10. Curd Duca – engelschor lo B11. Curd Duca – marina B12. Curd Duca – mingus B13. Curd Duca – liquid B14. Curd Duca – gone