Cyclic Defrost Magazine

Posted: 16 Feb 2009 09:58 PM CST

liedgut

Code warrior Uwe Schmidt tests his customarily fragmented language with mobile structures that work in tandem to maintain a unified identity on Liedgut, his first significant statement in some years. The palette of the first few pieces consists of a thousand shades of white noise, which unravel, fray and constantly renew their filaments. Subsequent works then work these atoms into percussive clusters, often underlined by Schmidt’s mannered vocoder vocalizations.

There is an engaging interaction between the bit-blasting and Schmidt’s attentive formal elements. The former is highly precise, impersonal, yet of a certain boldness, while the latter swirls the space something strange, injecting unexpected moods and tensions into these pure, abstract sound-worlds. Sparse, skipping beats are rendered murky on account of the underlying melodic development of “Mittlere Composition No. I”, and, accordingly, the track seems fixed somewhere between the human and inhuman. Differently, the rigid funk found through “Im Rausch Der Gegenwart I” rides on a compressed intensity maintained by the cruel innocence of the steady programming. More impressive still, the minimalist percussive glitch characterizing “Wellen Und Felder” is delightfully animated and carried ever-upward by a feint nursery-rhythm.

Indeed, of the host of pieces presented here, each is intelligently judged and accomplished in its intricate cross-cutting between insistent, cerebral percussion and sentimental synthesizers. Owing to this, the album achieves a strange finesse, adroitness, and tenacity in its constant mutation.

Max Schaefer

Shahrokh Sound Of K – Dripping Point (Compost / Inertia)

Posted: 16 Feb 2009 04:36 AM CST

Shahrokh Sound Of K

The collaborative project of Iranian electronic producer Sharokh Dini (responsible for early nineties house 12"s on labels such as Cause N’ Effect and Strictly Rhythm) and German classically trained multi-instrumentalist Andreas Kohler (himself previously behind tracks for Harthouse and F-Comm), this debut album as Shahrokh Sound Of K sees the duo following a decidedly post-minimal tech / house trajectory that takes in the added warmth of live instrumental performances, as well as an impressive cast of guest vocalists. Opening track ‘Break It Down’ is certainly emblematic of the general aesthetic at work here, with Sydney-based vocalist Jamie Lloyd contributing his more indie-centred vocals to a lush, streamlined backdrop of clattering house rhythms, the addition of feathery guitars and double-bass adding extra warmth and texture to the the clinically-sculpted programmed beats that roll beneath.

While the majority of the 13 tracks collected here lean towards exquisitely crafted, chilled after-hours house atmospheres, complete with subtly-placed live instrumentation – witness Siri Svegler’s chanteuse turn on the electro-laced ‘Leave Your Hat On’ and Robert Owens’ unmistakeable appearance on ‘After All’, perhaps the most stripped-back ‘main room’ techno moment here, it’s the odd digression into other styles that adds to the intrigue factor here. ‘Ilike’ sees things shifting more towards retro P-Funk vibes, complete with thick Troublefunk-esque basslines and waspy George Clinton style synths, while ‘Big Boys’ sees Toyin Taylor contributing his deep MC vocals to a spidery backdrop of clicking electro rhythms and sub-bass on a tale of urban alienation in Berlin that’s easily one of the biggest highlights here. All in all, ‘Dripping Point’ represents an impressive debut from the Shahrokh Sound Of K pairing as well as one of the most worthy chilled tech / house listens I’ve enjoyed in recent months.

Sirsit - Colorblind Cycle II (Con-V)

Posted: 16 Feb 2009 10:29 AM CST

colorblind cycle II

Sirsit’s vigorous engagement with the flinty surfaces and tangled contours of Colorblind Cycle II results in a musical architectonics of unusual resilience and irrepressible energy. The work moves with strict control along a static horizontal plane, but multiple frequencies are discharged to interact through the vertical laminate, opening up multiplex groups of tonal fluctuations and revving clusters of microbes. All of these interiorities become fairly elaborate, shifting the alignments, and combining and juxtaposing the different energies of the composition such that one is left with a multi-level work of varying contrasts, tensions, and forms of coherence.

A deep tunnel of sound is heard first. In due course, it is invested with and protracted by secretive amplifications and glissando swirls. These slurred curves grow more pronounced and acerbic, and the piece soon takes on an exhilarating and affecting directness. The textures only become more variegated in the later stages. In fact, despite the albums brief life-span (thirty-five minutes) and measured pace, the movements are many and significant. From the rush and rumble of deep space, Sirsit manages an engrossing negotiation between mass and intricacy on Colorblind Cycle II.

Max Schaefer