Emil Klotzsch – Goethe in Thule [goethe.rmx]

Ambient & Experimental, Audio, Classical Music & Jazz, Downbeat & Downtempo, Dub, Electro-Acoustic, Electronika, Hip Hop, Instrumental, Singer Songwriter // By: NetlabelismcloseAuthor: Netlabelism Email: markus@modularfield.net
More Authors Posts (118) // 11/10/2011 // No Comments

“One of the main objectives of the Goethe-Institute is fostering the cultural exchange between Germany and its host countries. This is an idea we also apply to our work on the Internet and through new media. As part of the project “Goethe.rmx”, we are hoping to bring together the German music scene with producers from our various host countries. An electronic Interpretation of Goethe’s “King in Thule” is travelling around the globe – being remixed in 9 countries from 4 continents.” [goethe.rmx]

The original track from Emil Klotzsch starts with a deep atmosphere and heartfelt  piano. The voice singing Goethe`s poem complements this in a beautiful manner. Halfway through the song some experimental sounds pop up, seemingly trying to hijack the track, but don’t worry as it’s the piano that will accompany you to the end of the song. This is indeed some good material to work with, so it comes as no surprise that the 9 official remixes – collected in cooperation with Goethe-Institutes around the Globe – are truly nice:

“KenLo Craqnuques” from Canada picked the experimental sounds and shaped the original into a glitchy, dub-like, hip hop, experimental piece. It’s a very nice interpretation where the basic elements were transformed into something completely new.

Emil Klotzsch (goethe.rmx – Canada) – Koenig in Thule (KenLo Craqnuques Remix)

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Russian representative “Gorje Hewek” also delivers a well thought-out remix. Violins, short voice patterns and a chilled-out hip hop beat add to the textures provided by the original track. He tops it off with guitars and melodic snippets, all in all creating a wonderful variation on the original theme.

Emil Klotzsch (goethe.rmx – Russia) – Koenig in Thule (Gorje Hewek Remix)

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The “Midi Learn” Remix, representing the Czech republic. serves a dub. spiced with trippy influences. There’s a wide variety of interpretations covered, and so you can find a dub-mix from “Hinterlandt” (Australia) as well as some Brazilian grooves from “Baderna” on this compilation. The ambient and hip hop interpretations get chosen somewhat more frequently. “ION” from Greece is wanders off from the original track by way off trumpets and distorted kicks, whereas “Kriszo” (Hungary) stays very close to the original focusing instead on the piano and the original vocal recording.

The remix from Belgium is a kind of high-frequency neo-electro, and shows off scratches with the voice samples. It’s not really my cup of tea, and I prefer the 80′s-like remix from “Last Robots” (Poland), which is a solid oldschool-influenced tune.

All in all, Goethe in Thule is a highly international compilation with loads of different approaches to deforming the patterns and sounds of the original track, as well as the poem. Definitely check this out, and if you’re so inclined, make sure to participate by contributing your own take on the original. [psy]

Get the whole Package from Soundcloud:

Deep link to: All Tracks

For producers and remixers who want more than just a listen, it’s still possible to join this call from Goethe, and you’re invited to make your own interpretation. The original files and more info can be found here:

Deep link to: The Samples

For more information about the project and the institute, visit their website. They regularly organize different activities to promote Creative Commons and new media. Unfortunately I can only link to the German and Russian website – as the main initiative on this project comes from Goethe-Institute Moscow. But you can get all the necessary info through the links mentioned earlier.

Deep link to: Release Page

Candlegravity – Before I Go [VKRSNL031]

Ambient & Experimental, Downbeat & Downtempo, Dub // By: alancloseAuthor: alan Email: alan@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (12) // 30/08/2011 // 2 Comments

Candlegravity is Sean Crownover. Originally from San Francisco, California, he currently resides in Tokyo, Japan where he writes and produces mostly ambient and glitch style music as well as non-profit films and exhibitions. Candlegravity’s third release Before I Go, is described by the releasing label VKRS Radio and Netlabel as a release rich in ambient flavors and downtempo grooves.

Before I Go starts as quiet and relaxing with a smooth groove that lulls the listener in and by the second track quickly builds into  what could easily serve as a great indie action film soundtrack. The second track’s build up to a blast of downtempo dub full of wobbly electronics, deep bass and an ebb and flow of slow moving beats captivates quickly.

Despite the well constructed opening tracks, the second half of this release is where Candlegravity shines. With the tracks Snow Monkeys and A Lifetime of Summers Past,  Sean Crownover’s experience and gift for composing film soundtracks really comes to the forefront. These two tracks are full of the occasional trip hop grooves, reminiscent of a summer full of  early 90′s trip hop releases, interwoven with more contemporary downtempo sounds. What grabs the attention while listening is the use of field recordings and glitch electronics. Layers of textured field recordings walk you through urban environments and foreign landscapes, where the buzz of electricity and malfunctioning electronic devices delicately meander with slowly progressing piano/keyboard melodies and lush vocals. The overall feel of the vocals and melodic keyboards reminds me of a release by Air with a touch of Boards of Canada only more intelligently constructed. The composition works with the field recordings to form a consistent whole and it is clear an ear that hears the music in the sounds of daily life has managed the interactions of the composed tracks with the captured ambience of various environments.  There is a pop sensibility here balanced with a musical know-how rare for many artists who work in this genre.

Before I Go could easily function as a very emotionally charged movie soundtrack although I am not sure the movie would be as good as the personal film inside my head this release is capable of invoking. I did find, upon a second listening, that the first two tracks seemed to pale in comparison to the second two tracks so much that I was apt to skip them in knowing  the dynamic qualities of what lay ahead.

Downloads of other releases and links to video containing Candlegravity’s compositions as soundtracks can be found at the website Candlegravity.com.  [AH]

Preview: Candlegravity – Snow Monkeys 

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Links

Deep link to release page

Direct download from archive.org

Mender – Resonant Tense [ded028]

Drum & Bass, Dub // By: AlexandercloseAuthor: Alexander Email: alexander@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (31) // 08/08/2011 // 1 Comment

Dedpop have been releasing some interesting electronic music lately, they have managed to cover a nice spectrum of sounds, ranging from dusty vinyl sampled swing to mechanistic electronic beats. With this release by Mender, Dedpop introduces us to some serious low end bass heavy tunes. Resonant Tense falls just shy of 20 minutes and spans four tracks that present a sound which varies as much within the tracks themselves as it does between. I am struggling to determine whether this is a good or a bad thing.

Retrotoric opens up with a not-quite-funk, not-quite-electro introduction before morphing into a deep dubstep like shuffle, with warbling bass fighting the lighter sounds. One minute into the track and it swiftly turns a corner with a treated acoustic guitar refrain before diving back into that intro groove. The track reformulates its position on sound yet again to present a frustratingly unfocused musical thesis. Though I quite enjoy the heavy industrial sounding outro to this track.

Killer Cosmopolitan on the other hand is focused, and is centered around a beat that is full of swagger and personality with snappy synths and melodic downtempo sections that exude an element of eeriness to them. Dead Man Samba is bass heavy and dark, stop starting in its approach before it decides to pick up the tempo a little, just enough to satiate that techno appetite. The EP closes with Resonant International, which is one part glitch ambient and one part drum and bass. This track holds my attention the most with subtle tempo changes and distant vocal samples. Mender does a nice job on this release not pinning himself into one distinct style, but I feel a little more focus at certain points would have strengthened this EP, nonetheless, some very cool bass heavy sounds are explored here that can be appreciated by the listener on more than one occasion.

[AS]

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Deep Link To: Release Page