By William Rossi
I decided to pick up this album for two main reasons: the Karlrecords
line-up is usually right up my alley and I was captivated by the photo
chosen as the album cover, and I have to say that sometimes it's good to
judge a book by its cover. The instrumental palette on this release is
pretty peculiar: just drums and electronics, with the added kicker that
some elements and parameters of hÄK's electronic setup are controlled by
Danzeisen's kit through the use of triggers and sensors, creating some
sort of hybrid human-machine instrument.
I've always loved duos with just drums and another instrument, be it
modern releases like the great collaborations between Chris Corsano and
Mette Rasmussen or, going back to the classics, the wonderful Interstellar
Space by none other than Coltrane and Rashied Ali, one of my favourite and
most listened to albums in his discography.
On the part of the melodic instrumentalist, I think missing a harmonic
foundation forces them to think outside the box, giving them more freedom
but also forcing them to make every single note count, it's a huge
undertaking and few people are able to pull it off but when they do the
result is an intimate performance where the voices and intentions of both
musicians are loud, clear and, in some sense, raw, which can be difficult
for some people to digest.
One would think that any instrument other than synths would be preferable
to be the counterpoint to live drums, as synths can often be stiff,
working with clocks, sequencers, arpeggiators, and can limit a drummer's
possibilities substantially. Their particular approach, however, fixes all
of these limitations, allowing for something that's actually very lively
and free, with the added bonus of having the instruments so intertwined
that two operate at perfect synchronicity: every crash hit after a pause
hits harder since it's always partnered with a response from the
electronics, when the kick slows down so do the electronics, when the
drums get more intense so do the electronics, instantly and without having
to re-adjust the way a human would.
I never felt while listening to this album that the music was cold or
mechanical or constricted by the choice of instrumentation; it can be,
however, quite harsh and alien at times and it could be a little too
out-there for some, which is why the two musicians smartly chose to ease
the listener into their sonic world by putting the two more physical
tracks on the first half of the album. Even if the glassy bleeps or the
electronic swarm of noisy electronics are not your cup of tea you'll find
enjoyment in the tribal rhythms and the propulsive energy of "Aufwärts"
and "Kurve (parts 1 and 2)", the perfect backdrop for a dystopian cyberpunk
disco.
After a while the non-musicality of the synths will start to make sense to
you as you get accustomed to their internal logic and they will sound as
natural to you as a saxophone or a trumpet would.
The third track "Abwärts" marks the beginning of the second, more abstract
half, of the album: gone are the attempts at a constant beat, preferring
constant tempo changes, abrupt stops followed by punky drum explosions as
the modular synthesizer screams and squeals, eschewing all melody in an
unrelenting attack on the listener that's utterly unpredictable from its
busy start, to its weirdly soothing middle section and its explosive
finale; the highlight of the entire release.
The last track "Ungerade" is the logical conclusion to the madness,
forgoing even the vitality of the tom-heavy drum rolls, at least for a
while, and giving the spotlight to the arrhythmic alien sounds of the
electronics, their high-pitched ringing and deep bass with subtle rises
and drops in tension punctuated by fluid and elusive drumming, gently
taking the listener to the end of the album's journey.
The music on this release inhabits some sort of musical no man's land: too
free and not danceable enough for electronic music fans and not
traditional-sounding enough for hardline free jazz fans; but we must never
forget that the records and sound we put in such high regard today, be it
Ornette Coleman or Peter Brötzman, were initially frowned upon by the so
called "jazz purists". Stagnation is the death of art and this album
brings something new to the table that I hope the duo will continue to
build upon and that will inspire other musicians to put their own spin to
this sound and way of playing. I'll be listening closely.
Available on vinyl and digital from Karlrecords
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