Two of the earliest Pole tracks from 1996 are reissued here along with4 pairs of reworkings by Stefan Betke (aka Pole) and contemporariesBurnt Friedman and Kit Clayton from his own ~scape label. Do "Raum 1"and "Raum 2" warrant ten versions? Somewhat surprisingly the answer isyes. "Raum" is German for "Space" and these guys are experts in thefield, each taking the source in different directions. The originalsare murky dub affairs with washes and crackles aplenty and steady, deepbass lines - much like everything that has followed to date on Poles"1", "2" and "3". While they're fine in their own right they do pale incomparison to the updated versions. Betke's variations (and two morenew tracks spawned from them) feature first time collaborator D. Meteo,guitarist for Submission. Everything is much more bright, clear andspacious as truncated guitar notes and riffs are abruptly weaved intothe new mixes, sometimes adding a sort of dub strum to the groove.Friedman takes the tracks into his own personal ambient jazz trajectoryby dressing them up with latin flavored percussion, sliding bass andmore ambiance. The Raum 1 Variation all but erases the original by thefinal few minutes of its graceful decay. And last but not least,Clayton's cut and paste treatment clutters up the static and rhythmsover time making for the busiest mixes of all. Nice variety. Perhaps"R" is a precursor of new ideas for the next Pole album proper? I hopeso ...
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The sixth album in his Selbstportrait series, this is one of the best. Hans-Joachim Roedelius created this mini-masterpiece during the mid '70s, drawing on various recordings from his career at that time and building on them with added instrumentation and a wider selection of tones, structures and styles. The end result is a dazzling mix of old and new material (well it is all old at this stage considering the age of the album) which gives Roedelius’ talent the spotlight it deserves.
Recorded live as a duet between turntables and keyboards (with editing and overdubbing bass added later), the main track here is a slow, dramatic piece, with the flip side conjuring the best moments of electronic dub.
Following up their four track debut (originally titled 4), here are two additional tracks from the former Clockcleaner vocalist's sideproject. Again, it is an exercise in unabashed goth revivalism, encapsulating the sensibilities of the genre without sounding like a tribute band or an overly derivative project. Here is simply two additional songs, following the mold set forth on the previous EP, of quality death rock with a modern influence.
While both of these artists have significant discographies in their various projects (Marcia Bassett is a member of Double Leopards and Hototogisu, while Jenny Gräf is half of Metalux), here in the context of a duo they've chosen to examine more varied and ambient sounds as opposed to the more noise and drone tinged works their other bands are known for.
As a follow-up to his last full-length solo album Northern, Deupree has once again captured the changes in seasons in an audio format. Rather than the vast expanse of ice and snow, Shoals is the sound of summer’s transition into fall, of weather-worn trees decaying and other vegetation making early preparation for the coming change.
This isn't the first collaboration between these two that serves as excellent hot weather listening. While a lot of Andrew Chalk's recordings can seem dark and cold, this short release is serene in a very warm and comforting, almost blindingly bright way.
Originally released in 2005 as a small run CD-R, this album has been given a much needed reissue (albeit only as a limited edition cassette). Slightly remixed, this version also includes a bonus track and new artwork. Simultaneously putting me at ease and on edge, the music is in a constant flux of emotional and sonic content. This is one of Anthony Mangicapra's more fulfilling releases from his early works and it sounds as fresh now as any of his current output.
Julianna Barwick’s Florine has an enveloping dreamlike atmosphere built from multi-layered vocals and simple instrumental loops. Her choral abstractions are pretty and affecting but will need expanding or she risks being as musically trapped as a third unknown Cocteau Twin who died as an infant yet gibbers from a buried shoebox.
