Sascha Neudeck / Kratzlauf

Oct. 2003 / Bananen zerquetschen; seifenblasen zerplatzen; metallplatten zerkratzen; walgrunzen im bauch; zerberstendes holz; knisterndes aluminium… All diese klänge wurden teils mit vintage synths teils mit laptop erzeugt. Mikrofone wurden definitiv nicht verwendet.

Did the thought ever cross your mind: “why is abstract music mostly preformed by underground artists, and most labels that deal in it are independent labels?”
So take a minute for thinking about it…. O.K, minute over, what’s your answer?
Well the answer is rather obvious, abstract music demands loads of patience and imagination from its listeners, on one hand, and from the labels that sell this music to a small, select target audience, which can appreciate all the tiny nuisances of the music, on the other. That’s why such albums are issued in only a small amount, but the end product is of extremely high quality, and has excellent composition. This case introduces us to a varied album, which benefits from an interesting and original cover, which depicts a car junkyard, littered with crushed cars, something which may suggest Machine oriented music, aggressive and hard, in other words – raw. Be here lies our first misassumption, and kudos for the artist for seemingly drawing a rabbit from his musical bag, proving himself to be unexpected and surprising. The music is indeed of the electronic, abstract variety, but it is highly enjoyable, filled with textures and dynamics. One minute where thrown into a calming, unclear harmony, and the next introduces a sudden barrage of noise, which brings us to a sudden dash of reality, much like the reality we live in – noisy and uncertain.
The first track – MONDAEN sounds like filter movements using a square LFO, accompanied by abstract noises, all in all, an excellent opener.
The next track is warmer, using PADS filters; the fourth is ZARTBITTER a dazzling display of groove, using Beats & Beepsand a cool affect that simulates a crying sound (STEP CRY).
The following tracks continue living up to the album’s initial expectations, a bit more abstract at times, suddenly thrown into a groove, and at certain points, they combine the two together.
Track 11,MUTTERMUND is an excellent Chill–Out track, which I really liked; it has a true professional feel to it.
The album has 14 tracks in all, and I warmly recommend it, even on a cold day!
Review by Alternative Zine

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