r e a l t i m e   r e v i e ws

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realtime ~Art cohen is a musician based out of Pennsylvania. In the past, he's played with West Coast-influenced bands such as Hearthstone from Philadelphia, as well as playing accoustic and electric folk. But his latest release, Realtime finds him heading into avant garde territory, with hints of spacey Dead, Tangerine Dream, John Cage, Gong and other similarly way-out artists being evident. The tape consists of two pieces of music, "Serpent of Circumstance", which clocks in at 18:30 and "Much More or Less", which is 27 minutes long, both recorded direct to two track. It's very experimental stuff that in places seems very structured and in others very free-form and spontaneous. It's by no means easy listening, but it has a certain appealing texture. Cohen plays mostly guitar, with all manner of distortion and delay effects, and considering there are no overdubs, it's very impressive. Cohen says he thinks of the music as "a journey or a dream" and that "it should draw the listener in" -it did me. It's very spacey and hypnotic, and a must for the more adventurous souls out there. Mick Skidmore -- RELIX   1990

realtime ~A wonderful electronic music album - even more wonderful when you realize that it was done with an electric guitar and a few distortion and delay devices. No overdubs, no edit, no synth - but Art has still put together a compelling and eerie experience, with two pieces, each filling a whole side of the tape. A skilled exploration that proves we are only beginning to tap the potential of our instruments. Mike Gundelroy -- FACTSHEET FIVE   1991

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