Rubbed + Blown is a split CD. The first half consists of a 30-minute piece by
Claus van Bebber and Ron Schmidt, "50/50." The remainder is made of three compositions by Paul Hubweber. The highlight is definitely the first piece: experimental turntablist
Bebber teams up with multi-instrumentalist Schmidt to create an intricate and full-bodied suite. The listener is knee-deep in sound art as turntables, small objects, percussion, and occasional guitar and synth come together to create a bumpy sonic landscape. "50/50" is one of
Bebber's most accomplished works (Herz Mit is another good one). Hubweber's pieces are three trombone compositions. "Zellen" has multiple trombones playing quasi-identical lines for six minutes: a genre exercise of limited interest. On "1996" (of which an edited version was included on the Nurnichtnur 1996 compilation Vox), the trombone (once again multiplied) imitates certain sounds from the body (you know, the later stage of digestion): not always graceful but funny and some variations (especially in the last five minutes) go beyond the obvious and show real technical prowess from the player. But the best piece remains "Ab + Auf," a subtle composition once again using multiple trombones, but this time with a more "contemporary classical" approach.
Rubbed + Blown suffers from the lack of relation between its two halves, but it is worth tracking down. The CD is packaged in a metal box with two cards (in German only) acting as booklet. ~ François Couture