Four directions at once
When the German experimental electronic collective invites for a dance with their idiosyncratic and often fey compositions, they get folks on board others just dream about. On this EP, they get for of them, all of them masters of electronic enchantment: Jan Jelinek (~scape), Nôze (Get Physical), Staubgold label buddy David Last and Aoki Takamasa (Fat Cat, Raster-Noton).
David Last turns “Matt” into a playful, bouncy affair, giving it crisp broken beats, twisting its slightly morbid atmosphere into a more exotic ambience, breaking up sweeping background sounds into rhythmic elements that hint at Asian folklore, somewhere between India and Bali. Refreshingly un-Kollektief-ish in its joyfulness, taking it almost a little too far. But just almost.
Mr. Takamasa took on the really challenging task of remixing “Nach dem Regen” (translating into “After The Rain”), a remarkably blissful little piece. The result is a remarkable track that is true to what his current label stands for, combining electronic bits and pieces to what might result if Pole remixed Akufen for a Raster-Noton production. There’s a bit of daring funkiness, a fine dose of vibraphone, and a veil of innocence. Almost a little too sweet. But just almost.
“Lichterloh” is another one of those blissful tracks that only Kammerflimmer Kollektief are able to assemble, somewhere between jazz, folklore and experimental, not an easy one to reinvent. Nôze choose to put it on a minimal four by four floor, using the original material to add a little melancholy and disrupt the straightness of the beat. Rhythmic vocal additions bring it all the way to a somewhat manic dance floor. They almost push it a little too far. But just almost.
Not surprisingly, the highlight among the four is what Jan Jelinek does on “Unstet-Schleifen”, his remix of “Unstet (für Jeffrey Lee Pierce)”. The magic of the original seems impossible to match, a heartbreakingly beautiful ambient folk piece that somehow has the power to describe what Eno wanted to do on his Apollo Soundtracks and explain Neil Young in his deepest and most profound moments, both at once. But there you go. Jelinek is able to unveil the essence of this wonderful track with a few awe-inspiring loops of beauty. An infinitely calm drum loop, a simple bass theme, a beautiful wide sweep and some dubbed elements found on the original track – if you want to spend a few minutes in heaven, put this on. No, not almost too beautiful. Just really beautiful.
Release for review:
KAMMERFLIMMER KOLLEKTIEF – REMIXED PART 1 – STAUBGOLD – STAUBGOLD 63
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