Apparat‘s fourth album is not even due until late September but I already want to hold it in my hands and store it away jealously. After wetting our appetite with ’Ash/Black Veil‘ back in April the Berlin superstar has now revealed the second single from what promises to be a record of grandiose intentions.
‘Black Water‘ is sure to enter inside your brain planting roots before slowly and unexpectedly sprouting into a beautiful creation. Whilst it lacks the immediate impact the previous single had it does suggest another side to what Apparat will be unveiling real soon.
Berlin is well-known for its electronic music scene with major record labels, DJs and producers based in the buzzing capital city. Along with Ellien Allien, Sascha Funke, Paul Kalkbrenner or Modeselektor, 32 year old dj Sascha Ring aka Apparat is part of that prestigious inner circle of musicians that enable electronic music to perpetually expand. Maestro of experimental music,
Apparat also has an impressive career, co-directing label Shitkatapult, working with dj and producer Ellen Allien, or joining djs Modeselektor to create Moderat on leading label Bpitch Control.
In 2010, Apparat released a well-acclaimed album ‘DJ-Kicks‘, where we can find surprising mixes of Thom Yorke or Born Ruffians ( investigating a new bridge between minimal and indie). One of the best musicians to represent experimental music today, Sascha Ring‘s style is constantly evolving and his musical openness and eclecticism allows him to discover unexplored territories.
Strongly influenced by Intelligent Dance Music (IDM), his music is pure, powerful and transcendent. He manages to create moments of pure delicacy and beauty as proven by this track, preview of his latest album which will be released by Mute records. Think waterfalls, oceans, flowers blossoming, and a touch of Massive Attack/ Thom Yorke at their best.
Of course, there is no doubt that experimental/minimal music is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you haven’t come across his work yet, ‘Ash/Black Veil‘ is definitely worth listening to. Sit back and enjoy the intensity of the build up, the fragility of sounds and the haunting vocals. Sublime.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club burst onto the scene in 2000 with ‘B.R.M.C.‘, a rollicking, reverb-drenched, fuzz laden album of face punch rock. “Love Burns” from that LP still has the capacity to send chills down my forearms. Their follow up LP, “Take Them On, On Your Own” offered more of the same power that could steam-roll you flat if you weren’t bothering to pay attention, but offered little departure from ‘B.R.M.C.’ and fell flat for me.
And then along came ‘Howl‘, an album that if I hadn’t seen them perform live, I wouldn’t believe it was even the same band. How a band can go from the Jesus and Mary Chain to some back country gospel and blues in 2 years I will never know. It’s unabashed departure from their first two LP’s is so drastic that I’m very skeptical they could really mean any of it… an inside joke where they laugh a little on the inside when they coo “I will walk with Jesus, till I can’t go any more.” But that album is shit hot, inside joke or not.
‘Baby 81‘ offered a return to their original sound, but unfortunately the old sound resulted in an album of forgettable haze and noise, an average 90s throw-back album in modern day 2007. Enter ‘Live‘, a 2 DVD set with a bonus live CD. The CD covers three 2007 sold out shows in Berlin, Dublin and Glasgow and is basically just a random selection from the DVD, which is the real draw here (and which has been getting some solid reviews). Now, my idea of a solid live album is one that captures something that a studio version cannot: energy, showmanship, and a continuous stream of songs exactly as they appeared in concert, with the misplaced distortion, the occasional amplifier feedback, the short jokes between songs, the screams from the crowd, even the annoying chatter in the background.
But why an accomplished act, whose live shows happen to be their lifeblood, resort to a mixed bag of tunes from three different nights – three nights of varying emotion and vigor, of different weather, of different lunches, of different bus rides and fans – I will never know. A random assortment of songs with no intensity is the last attribute that should be attached to the term “live”. The songs that make up this album offer no heart and very few tracks should be repeated multiple times. If I want to hear the real BRMC, I’ll go back to the original studio cuts or to another live show.
My ideal BRMC album includes their trademark distorted melodies, with a heavy dose of their “Howl” inspired folk. Word on the street is that we’re going to get that from their March release ‘Beat the Devil’s Tattoo‘. I’m looking forward to the new album and hoping to forget ‘Live‘.
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Apparat‘s fourth album is not even due until late September but I already want to hold it in my hands and store it away jealously. After wetting our appetite with ’Ash/Black Veil‘ back in April the Berlin superstar has now revealed the second single from what promises to be a record of grandiose intentions.
