|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CD
|
|
OKTAF 011CD
|
"Here's the thing about Denzel + Huhn. They treat sound like nobody else. Everything is precious, worthy to be recorded, archived, digitalized, processed, and eventually spit out again on a record like Brom, Denzel + Huhn's first since 2007... Bertram had been busy with music for movies and high-profile TV shows, Erik too, he says, but he wants everybody to know that he bought a new guitar and a valve-powered amp to go with it... I had always considered Denzel + Huhn's music to be extremely special, yet more or less completely overlooked by the busy mainstream, unable to cope with their very particular and peculiar approach to music... Brom is a very special record. This is why I don't have time for platitudes like 'the experimental duo from Berlin' or 'critically acclaimed Oktaf label.' That stuff just does not matter... Two things have always been extremely important for Erik and Bertram: sampling and collaborating. With each other, but also with other people. This is what happened recording Brom as well, but on a completely new scale. 'We'd normally start off by sampling tons of records, always looking for bits and pieces to work with. This time, we also started with sampling, but we recorded the stuff ourselves,' says Bertram. 'Instruments, field recordings, experimenting with microphones, looking for a new kind of ambience as a basis for our tracks. We've enjoyed this very much, so we were inviting friends to bring their instruments and ideas into the fold.' Tarwater's Ronald Lippok is among that crew, as is Brandt Brauer Frick's Florian Juncker playing the trombone. You'll also hear many self-made instruments on Brom, plus the 'hang,' a kind of Swiss-made steel drum with a confusing esoteric heritage. Bringing all this into the mix, 'the record sounds more mature and complete in a way,' says Bertram. What really matters is that Denzel + Huhn actually made another record. Maybe their best one yet. Who am I to judge? All I know is that this record matters in a big way, more than you can imagine. Just listen to 'Schlagton,' the album-closer, which condenses a million centuries of music history into a pop song four minutes and 17 seconds long. If this tune does not provoke tears in your eyes, you're dead. Sorry for being so blunt. The truth sometimes hurts. Trust me, I've learned this the hard way." --Thaddeus Herrmann, Berlin, 2015
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
CCO 036CD
|
This is Berlin-based Denzel & Huhn's third release on City Centre Offices. After the broken minimalism of Filet and the monochrome soundscapes of Time Is A Good Thing, Paraport continues to push their work into more complex avenues where shattered compositions are recast as lush and emotive sonic diktats. Originally playing music as part of a loose collective that included members of To Rococo Rot and Tarwater, Bertram Denzel and Erik Huhn came to the attention of City Centre Offices when their CD was passed onto the label by the Lippok brothers. Combining a rich musical genealogy, as well as playing in Ornament & Verbrechen, Denzel & Huhn have worked on numerous soundtrack projects that fully utilize their ability to focus grand sonic gestures into intimately realized aural dissertations that don't confuse a sense of scale with a lack of tacit emotions. Paraport opens through a tide of surging strings on "Kleiner Bruder," a song that is brought into startling clarity through a tender acoustic guitar melody that carbonates the digitalis with a warmth that is hard to categorize. Paraport also ably balances the insistent electronic insects of "Targo" with an ebbing backdrop of blossoming atmospherics that is utterly beguiling and totally addictive. Avoiding the studious air of academia that can often pervade these types of projects, the likes of "Karlsruhe" and its malfunctioning cinematics, the caustic rhythmical aesthetics of "Dorian," and "Lope"'s creamy analog bubbles all have an ease of stature which belies their creators' understanding of texture, balance and production skills. Encompassing a spectrum of styles which invites comparisons with everyone from Jan Jelinek and Johann Johannsson, through to Pole and Fennesz, Denzel & Huhn have delivered a record that maintains a firm cohesive thread throughout without constraining the boundaries of their creativity. Grainy, opaque and beautifully detailed, Paraport is a record that requires no border controls.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
CCO 036LP
|
|
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2LP
|
|
CCO 009LP
|
|
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
CCO 009CD
|
"Recorded high above sea-level at upperroom, a snug attic studio in Berlin, giving it that same crackling fireside glow. But there's also something sub-marine about it, exploring the depths, alert to the sonar patterns, the throbbing of turbines, the tolling of a bell-boy far above. this is no coincidence: Denzel + Huhn's affinity for underwater scenarios recently had them working on music for a samadhi floatation tank. If you wanna categorize d+h's sound, think of a crossover between the static but lively crackling glitches of your old vinyl collection, treated by digital circuitry, a bass as heavy as a high-rise building and the warmth of a noisy drone telling you everything you ever wanted to know. Somewhere between .snd's seriousness, a playful and charming reminiscences of a world called 'indie', and a fascination for obviously Berlin-inspired dub-metaphors, d+h create their own sonic universe, experimental of sorts, heart-grabbing for sure."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
BLOCK 008EP
|
"City Centre Offices continue their search for new, exciting music with the debut release of 2 Berlin residents Bertram Denzel and Erik Huhn. 7 tracks, full of warm drones and quirky, crackling rhythms. Some people might think, this is a pretty unusual release for City Centre Offices. We don't think so. Although almost ambient-ish, Denzel & Huhn's ideas fit well into our catalogue."
|
|
|
|