Favorites, Discoveries and Rediscoveries of 2013

As this rollercoaster of a year is slowly coming to an end, I started reflecting on my favorite albums of the last twelve months. Looking back I must say that this was a really good year musicwise and since I started expanding my vinyl collection again from January on, I have given music an even bigger space in my life than it already had before. I rediscovered the dispositif of mindful listening and loved diving into those different worlds of sound again and again, letting my thoughts stray and meditate. This helped me even further with learning to be alone with myself, which is a demanding thing to do and to accept and I now seem to manage quite well. I needed to decelerate everything a bit and realized that deceleration sometimes might be more important than always trying to accelerate and having the fear of missing something. In deceleration lies focus and focus helps us to reach the core of a matter, it’s what the mind is all about for me and I just can’t keep consuming like crazy because I feel that we lose respect for certain matters, if we just percieve them on „fast forward“ to be able to move to the next product and try not to miss anything. Trying not to miss anything is just an illusion anyway, it’s fighting a loosing battle and tilting against windmills. But not to bother you anymore with my train of thought. Here are – in alphabetical order – the releases of this year that really got my attention and seemed well worth my time.

Twenty personal darlings of 2013:

Apparat – Krieg und Frieden (Mute)

It’s impressive that this is one of the rare soundtracks that manages to keep it’s impact even without the accompanying performance. Apparat really is an impressive artist and has come a long way since his first release. The way elements of noise, post-rock and classical instruments are tied together feels bold and elaborated and almost effortless. This one gives me pleasant goosebumps everytime.

New Album – Krieg und Frieden (Music for Theatre) – Out Feb 2013

Cervello Elettronico – Anima Meccanica (Hands)

I can’t deny that I am a sucker for those more technoid styles and this album more than delivers. It’s pumping rhythmic structures are combined with some very psychedelic sounds and it’s dark yet energetic atmosphere never becomes tiring. There is much to be discovered here and it works on and beyond the dancefloor almost flawlessly.

http://handsproductions.com/Artists.asp?A_index=67

Diaphane – Lifeforms (Ant-Zen)

The first album by Diaphane for me was an unexpected surprise and became one of my favorites in 2010. In 2013 Diaphane rewards our patience with an absolutely stunning sonic assault that without any doubt plays in the first league of contemporary electronic music. It’s deep, diverse, powerful, sometimes introverted and then all of the sudden outbursting and raw.

http://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/album/lifeforms

Field Rotation – The Fatalist: Repetition of History (Denovali)

This one is probably one of the most melancholic albums that I’ve heard this year and I mean that in a good way, since the kind of melancholy this album constructs has something very warm and poetic to it. It’s not unnecessarily overwhelming the listener with it’s emotion and doesn’t seem pretentious at all, it kindly invites it’s listener into a world of introspection and opens up the potential for an interesting dialogue. This one should be enjoyed in solitude with a good glass of wine and some flickering candles.

http://www.denovali.com/fieldrotation/

Forest Swords – Engravings (Tri-Angle)

Tri-Angle have proven that they have a good way to keep their specific handwriting without being boring or monotone. This album perfectly suits this label and yet enhanches the „Tri-Angle“ formula yet again. It’s lo-fi style and sample work creates a beautiful and engaging atmosphere with an oldschool vibe that reminds me of those good old days when trip-hop was on the rise.

http://tri-anglerecords.com/?p=684

Greg Haines – Where we were (Denovali)

Greg Haines changes his direction with his latest album and delivers a concept piece that engages you from the first minute. This change isn’t really surprising since he seems to be able to make gold out of everything he touches.  „Where we were“ is a very tightly put together album that keeps a very good arc of tension and playfully switches between different styles.

http://denovali.com/greghaines/

Haxan Cloak, The – Excavation (Tri-Angle)

Unbelievably dark and scary! This one really has to be experienced on high volume and in a dark room all by yourself. The Haxan Cloak is propably the best canvas for your worst nightmares. Open yourself up and take a look into the abyss.

http://tri-anglerecords.com/?p=403

Huron – The other Side of Reality (Raumklang Music)

Altough his style reminds me of „Access to Arasaka“ it still offers a handwriting with a very unique touch and being compared with one of the greatest is only meant as a compliment. The soundscapes are complex and tense and I can’t deny that I more than admire the way he approaches working with sounds. Complex rhythms, a dystopian, urban atmosphere with a lot of emotion and an almost introverted feel.

http://raumklangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-other-side-of-reality

Lustmord – The Word as Power (Blackest ever Black)

This is a release by Lustmord that just really hit the spot for me. There is a lot to discover in these tracks and any fan of well produced ambient music and droning sounds should give this one a listen. Lustmord’s reputation is justified within the scene and I think that there is no need to say more.

http://blackesteverblack.bigcartel.com/product/lustmord-i-the-word-as-power-i-blackestlp004-2xlp

Machine Code – Under the Sun (Subsistenz)

Sometimes there is the need for some more straightforward and danceable material and Machine Code delivers just that without being to repetitive or stale. This is one of those albums that although it seems to aim more in direction of the dancefloor also has a lot of substance and really shows the wide spectrum of this amazing producer.

http://subdivisionmedia.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-sun

Miles – Faint Hearted (Modern Love)

Oh „Modern Love“ you keep suprising me and so far managed to earn lots of my love. This one is a record that combines industrial and techno elements in a very elaborated way. It reminded me a bit of Orphx’s „Vita Meditativa“ and that probably says all that needs to be said.

http://www.modern-love.co.uk/releases/miles-faint-hearted

Moderat – II (Monkeytown Records)

The first album by Moderat had some material that I really enjoyed very much but didn’t really work as an album for me. „II“ changes that and delivers a more homogenic yet still very experimental experience that combines the signature sounds of Modeselektor and Apparat to produce something new and very enjoyable without hiding the individual roots of the artists.

http://www.monkeytownrecords.com/releases/view/82/monkeytown035-36-ii

Nils Frahm – Spaces (Erased Tapes)

One word: „Says“! The opening track of Frahm’s new record blew me away completely and this different approach to the concept of a live-album is bold and beautiful in it’s entirety.

http://www.erasedtapes.com/store/index/ERATP055

Piano Interrupted – The unified Field (Denovali)

Jazz meets IDM on a playground of emotions. „The unified Field“ for me seems to be another step forward for Piano Interrupted and concentrates on the essence of their specific sounds. It’s moving and playful yet complex and academic.

http://denovali.com/pianointerrupted/

Seirom – 1973 (Aurora Borealis)

Technically this one was already released in 2012 but it’s vinyl release was in 2013 so I am lucky there. Seirom reminds me of some of Tim Hecker’s best work and nonetheless stands on it’s own. It doesn’t rely on this parallel and is an unspeakably beautiful and rich in variety with a lot of complex texture and unbelievable climaxes throughout it’s impressive running time of over ninety minutes.

http://auroraborealisrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/1973

Shorai – Interference (Hands)

I am willing to welcome our new robot masters and embrace the reign of the machines if this is their language. Shorai again delivers an amazing album that expands on his trademark style and delivers another step up in remarkable quality!

http://handsproductions.com/Artists.asp?A_index=24

Sigur Rós – Kveikur (XL Recordings)

Although I never was a die hard fan of this icelandic cult band, I enjoyed most of their output very much. ‚Kveikur‘ for me seems like one of their more darker albums and that might be why it really stuck with me. There actually are some elements that could have been taken from the genre of power electronics and those are combined with the typical epic post-rock feel that we have come to love by this band.

http://www.discogs.com/Sigur-R%C3%B3s-Kveikur/master/566165

Tim Hecker – Virgins (Kranky)

Since the press already covered in detail why Hecker’s new record is amazing there isn’t much more that I could add to that. „Virgins“ is or seems much more organic than his previous work, it’s even more demanding and voluminous. Hecker knows what he is doing and not afraid to try something new without losing his core. This one takes time and attention but is so rewarding if you’re willful to give it some of your precious concentration.

http://www.discogs.com/Tim-Hecker-Virgins/release/4947077

Witxes – A Fabric of Believes (Denovali)

This one seems to have come directly from the dark ages to put a captivating spell on you. This record builds tension in an excellent way and really takes it’s time to let go. It’s aggressive, sometimes dreamy, brooding and most important it’s rewarding!

http://witxes.bandcamp.com/album/a-fabric-of-beliefs

Xabec – Closing the Circle (Self-Released)

It’s really sad to see Xabec go but he’s leaving on a high note and his upcoming project Silent Walls already looks and sounds promising! This one is a release with a lot of heart and effort that combines everything that made Xabec an astonishing and diverse act that managed to blow me away since I’ve first seen them live.

http://xabec.bandcamp.com/album/closing-the-circle-2

Discoveries / Rediscoveries / Always worth listening to:

A winged Victory for the Sullen – A winged Victory for the Sullen (Kranky)

Amon Tobin – Supermodified (Ninja Tune)

Bersarin Quartett – II (Denovali)

Caspian – Waking Season (Triple Crown Records)

Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma (Warp)

Godspeed you! Black Emperor – ‚Alleluja! Don’t bend! Ascend! (Constellation)

Massive Attack – Mezzanine (Virgin)

Max Richter – Songs from before (130701)

Tim Hecker – Harmony in Ultraviolet (Kranky)

Year of no Light – Ausserwelt (Music Fear Satan)

Year of no Light – Vampyr (Music Fear Satan)

Pressespiegel: Phasenmensch – Tagebuch eines Eremiten

Medienkonverter:

„Bei Phasenmensch, dem Projekt von Wolfram Bange und Neuzugang bei Hands, muss man sich folgende Frage stellen: Gibt es sphärischen Industrial ? Ganz klare Antwort: Ja! […] Phasenmensch ist wohl eine der richtig interessanten Neuentdeckungen der letzten Zeit und eine wirkliche Empfehlung für Menschen, die Musik nicht nur hören, sondern auch fühlen.“

http://www.medienkonverter.de/reviews-phasenmensch_tagebuch-eines-eremiten-5381.html

blackaudio:

„Overall, ‘Tagebuch Eines Eremiten’ is an impressive, professional release that should shame many of his peers into attempting to step up to the plate, rather than sit in the stale bubble that so many of them have become accustomed to over the last few years.“

PHASENMENSCH: Tagebuch Eines Eremiten CD HANDS

Black Onlinemagazin:

„‚Tagebuch eines Eremiten‘ ist ein Kondensat aus einer sehr breiten Palette musikalischer, biographischer und intellektueller Einflüsse. Das schlägt sich im Sound nieder. Bange verweigert sich in der Gesamtschau dem Dienst an üblichen Genrekonventionen und generiert so eine Mischung aus IDM in der Tradition von Projekten wie GRIDLOCK oder SOMATIC RESPONSES, technoidem Rhythmus-Sound á la GREYHOUND oder NULLVEKTOR und sogar BreakBeats / Drum´n Bass.“

http://www.blackmagazin.com/?p=14164

Alternativmusik.de:

„Immer wieder spannend, immer wieder überraschend und doch alles wie aus einem Guss.“

http://alternativmusik.de/rezensionen/phasenmensch-tagebuch-eines-eremiten/

Order/Bestellen:

http://handsproductions.com/mailorder.asp
http://www.infrarot.de/

https://mailorder.ant-zen.com/
http://www.outoflineshop.de/

20 Albums that turned out to be great personal companions this year … (no specific order)

This year has been a pretty wild one. Rough and stressful many times, creative, happy and totally silly many other times. I’ve taken some very important steps in my life in the last twelve months and I am at the moment working on finally finishing my exams and bringing the whole Phasenmensch project to the next level. I am eager to see whats about to happen in 2013 and also think that 2012 has been a very strong year music wise. These following records have kept me going and turned out to be great companions while I was trying to go my way … Since tomorrow I have my final exam in philosophy, I’ll just let this list speak for itself furthermore:

Heathered Peals – Loyal (Ghostly International)

http://www.discogs.com/Heathered-Pearls-Loyal/release/4102062

Willits + Sakamoto – Ancient Future (Ghostly International)

http://www.discogs.com/master/459565?text=Willits-Sakamoto-Ancient-Future

Bitcrush – Collapse (n5MD)

http://www.discogs.com/Bitcrush-Collapse/release/3918220

Bvdub – Serenity (Darla Records)

http://www.discogs.com/Bvdub-Serenity/master/481495

Dirk Geiger – Elf Morgen (Tympanik Audio)

http://www.discogs.com/Dirk-Geiger-Elf-Morgen/release/3647657

http://tympanikaudio.bandcamp.com/album/elf-morgen

Lights out Asia – Hy-Brasil (n5MD)

http://www.discogs.com/Lights-Out-Asia-Hy-Brasil/master/438494

Displacer – Foundation (Hymen Records)

http://www.discogs.com/Displacer-Foundation/master/489632

http://hymen-records.bandcamp.com/album/foundation

Oyaarss – Bads / Smaida Greizi Nākamība (Ad Noiseam)

http://www.discogs.com/Oyaarss-Bads/release/3475568

http://www.discogs.com/Oyaarss-Smaida-Greizi-N%C4%81kam%C4%ABba/release/3989912

100blumen – Distrust Authority (Ant-Zen)

http://www.discogs.com/100blumen-Distrust-Authority/release/3814039

http://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/album/distrust-authority

Talvekoidik – Negotiate the Distance (Hands)

http://www.discogs.com/Talvekoidik-Negotiate-The-Distance/release/3511005

Sonic Area – Music for Ghosts (Ant-Zen)

http://www.discogs.com/Sonic-Area-Music-For-Ghosts/release/3468099

http://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-ghosts

SaturmZlide – BeVor (Hands)

http://www.discogs.com/SaturmZlide-BeVor/release/3558843

https://soundcloud.com/alexander-marco/saturmzlide-bevor-album

Sylvgheist Maëlström – Skaftafell (Hands)

http://www.discogs.com/Sylvgheist-Ma%C3%ABlstr%C3%B6m-Skaftafell/release/3580004

http://www.myspace.com/sylvgheistmaelstrom

Crisopa – Biodance (n5MD)

http://www.discogs.com/Crisopa-Biodance/release/3630747

Various – Accretion (Tympanik Audio)

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Accretion/release/4082485

http://tympanikaudio.bandcamp.com/

The Outside Agency – The Dogs are listening (Ad Noiseam)

http://www.discogs.com/Outside-Agency-The-Dogs-Are-Listening/master/489617

Mark Harris – An Idea of North / Learning to walk (n5MD)

http://n5md.com/discography/195/An-Idea-of-north–Learning-to-walk

Wes Willenbring – Weapons Reference Manual (Hidden Shoal Recordings)

http://www.discogs.com/Wes-Willenbring-Weapons-Reference-Manual/release/3519786

Andy Stott – Luxury Problems (Modern Love)

http://www.discogs.com/Andy-Stott-Luxury-Problems/release/3979910

https://soundcloud.com/modernlove/sets/andy-stott-luxury-problems

Christoph Schlingensief – Die 120 Tage von Bottrop

Charmanter Egozentriker, Freigeist, großes Kind, humorvoller Wahnsinniger, Cineast, Provokateur, Aktionskünstler, Regisseur: Christoph Schlingensief, das Enfant terrible der deutschen Film-, Theater- und Kunstszene, dem ich zum ersten Mal im Jahr 2000 beim Channelsurfing durch das deutsche Fernsehnetz begegnete, als ich auf MTV zum ersten Mal eine Folge seiner Guerilla-Talkshow U 3000[1] zu Gesicht bekam, die im Netz der Berliner U-Bahn gedreht worden war und sowohl bekannte TV-Formate vorführte bzw. dekonstruierte, als auch brisant und provokativ mit aktuellen politischen Themen umging. Ich war gerade sechzehn Jahre alt, begann mich langsam ernsthafter für Filme zu interessieren und wurde sofort in den Bann von Schlingensiefs absurden und bis dato für mich noch ausgesprochen verstörenden Trasheskapaden gezogen, deren tieferer Sinn mir vorerst noch verborgen bleiben sollte. Ich spürte, dass hier etwas geschah, was mich mit seiner Sperrigkeit bewusst provozieren wollte, hatte derartige Szenarien noch nie zuvor gesehen und blieb dabei anstatt abzuschalten, da ich ausgesprochenen Gefallen daran fand. Einen Faible für Trash hatte ich zuvor sowieso durch meine Faszination für  Horrorfilme aller Art entwickelt und diese Kunstform nun mit ausgeprägter Mediensatire und Fernsehkritik vorgesetzt zu bekommen, veränderte meine filmische Wahrnehmung dahingehend, dass ich plötzlich weniger und weniger Gefallen an groß produzierten Unterhaltungsproduktionen fand und mich stattdessen weiterhin lieber mit den Extremen des Mediums befassen wollte. Christoph Schlingensief selbst verlor ich im Laufe meiner restlichen Schulzeit jedoch vorerst wieder aus den Augen, da es aufgrund wenig verbreiteter VHS-Kassetten und strenger Altersfreigaben so gut wie unmöglich war den einen oder anderen Film von ihm überhaupt zu bekommen. Das Internet und das Medium DVD existierten in ihrer jetzigen Form noch nicht und es dauerte fast eine Dekade, bis ich wieder auf Schlingensief aufmerksam wurde und seine restlichen Arbeiten endlich zu Gesicht bekam […]

Snog – The last of the great romantics

Meine Rezension zum aktuellen Snog-Album ist fertig. Viel Spaß beim Lesen!

Stellen wir uns einen Berliner vor – nein, nein, nicht jemanden aus besagtem Bundesland, sondern die gleichnamige und an Kalorien völlig überproportionierte Teigware, die sich gerade zur eher jecken Jahreszeit großer Beliebtheit erfreut. Fettiger und süßer Teig, überzogen mit einer fingerdicken Puderzuckerschicht, die zusätzlich noch mit Schokolade dekoriert wurde und nicht zu vergessen, die Nougatfüllung, das absolut essentielle Element und der Ursprung alles Bösen. Beim Teilen einer solch kleinen Fettbombe, die sich nicht selbst detoniert, sondern uns langsam und qualvoll explodieren lässt, gibt es ähnlich wie bei Loriots Kosakenzipfel und vor allem mit einer ausgeprägten und irgendwie auch verstörenden Regelmäßigkeit, Diskussionen darüber, wie denn das vorliegende Stück Backware zu zerteilen sei, da man sich nie sicher sein kann, wo sich der besonders große Anteil an herzinfarktfördernder Füllung verstecken mag und schließlich glaubt jeder jetzt wieder an der Reihe zu sein, was diese kleine, unterschätzte Unvernunft angeht, da die Bio-Äpfel, das Vollkornbrot und die fettfreien Kartoffelchips einen Ausgleich fordern und das Gewissen durch sie schließlich keinen Grund zum Meckern haben sollte.

Nun nehme man den Süßesten, den mit der Füllung, die man ihm augrund ihrer Üppigkeit schon von außen ansieht, da er fast zu platzen scheint und ein Tropfen himmlischen Nougats bereits aus einer kleinen Pore an der Seite quillt, als brauche dieser mehr und mehr Platz. Der Behälter steht unter Druck, es ist ein gefährliches Unterfangen und nur wer wirklich todesmutig ist, wagt den ersten Bissen […]