Week 49 - black round twelve
The Berlin store named after the glory of the object itself, that has made the world of Music as we know it now. The physical representation of a unique passion travelling through time and space from the moment we started to see those in charge of the music as the center of the party. The media that was the seed to the evolution of any underground music be it Punk Rock, Hip Hop, or House Music, is here again set in focus as we reach out to this Lichtenberg(ish) sweet spot we love to quench our thirst for Minimalism, House-ism, and Techno-ism far away from all the bullshitism we face in many of the famous record stores.
Here, you come for the music, not the selfie, not the Instagram post.
Black Round Twelve is also since a few month launching a new label which had featured the unreleased and well awaited Mecker track which everybody heard enough to be addicted to it. They have recently opened pre-order for their n°2 with Pîrvu and his Dance Refuge EP.
Let's see what we got out of there
Mischa Blanos & Khori Ander - Crossrhodes
You know the deal, we love to start off with non danceable music at first in order to prime the ears to what comes next. This here does more then the job we expected it to do.
Sitting in between Contemporary Music and of course Electronic Music, this one of a kind piece grabbed our attention from the first notes being played on preview, as the intense and heavy scenery it draws out of its instrumentations pulls the listener to a place where time stops.
As for Mischa Blanos's greatest boredom is to compose in the same genre of music all the time, we are facing here a record that intends to stand for itself shining a patchwork or recognizable and non recognizable influences and inspirations, acting like a book of one page bringing a precise and delightful story of its own which definitely feels more cinematic then a lot of the recent compositions. If Maurice Ravel was still alive, this is probably what he would have been digging these days.
Contemporary yes, but sometimes vibing on the edge of a somehow spiritual Jazz as many times the memories of Marci Wasilewski's Faithful album are brought to me by the sounds or maybe by the originality this record is aiming to bring to light.
A long lasting piece for your collection
Various - Paramour 01
The first release from the Non Profit organisation is still available in stores, for the pleasure of your eardrums bouncing to this rhythm madness.
A pretty active representation of the Berlin - Toulouse link, finding ground in an abstract world where rhythm is the common language, and abstract fills the landscape. What they hear is not what you see.
Luc Ringeisen shows up with a mesmerizing dynamic piece to slide the curtains of the A side. A round and all warmed up rhythm backed up by a spooky vocal pad is all you need to kick the party in the balls.
TMRM will help you get the numbers right with the help of a fat kick and a flanger, bringing in Sudoku to close down the first half of the record.
Appart from the great Luc, our dear friend Yes'in is also part of the game on this Various Artist, coming up with his signature hot sauce of which the Funk is designed to fragrant the room as it fragments the samples being used. A strong, powerful piece opening up the B side
Finally, Oddmann sends his message in the bottle to get everyone together again, which is much needed considering another lockdown being at the tip of the lips of the German government, with Reunited.
Rio Kawamoto - Chabu EP
Rio Kawamoto has opened up the ball, delivering the first EP and presenting Teffebu to the world with pieces melting down Deep, Dub, and his unique soft sense of swing gently moving the world with this record.
The eponymous Chabu demonstrates that quite well, while the V/N Rework will expose a rather heavier version of its pad game, with consequently less swing, as a way to make a slow and steady statement out of this beautiful and simple chord progression.
Flip the record, you'll find yourself back full swing with Moga, in which we still find the signature sense of deep that sweats out of Rio's music. A rhythm section playing a slightly more intense card, aiming for the dance more then the flight.
Xangizi will finish up the job delivering an abstract-ish piece on which we dive from the greatest heights. A long jump punctuated by a sharp rhythm which explores the capabilities of FM synthesis, but I might be talking shit until now so maybe it's time to listen again, and shut my mouth.