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LP
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ATCK 042LP
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A Tribe Called Kotori's first foray into full-length territories, as the immensely talented Rampue takes us on a melancholy-riddled ride across his phantasmatic mindscapes. A true sound explorer, deftly steering his ship down the junction of electronica, abstract and balearic-infused prog house, the Berlin-based vibist has us transfixed and elevated throughout the twelve cuts that form the backbone to this lushly textured promenade in sound -- at times understatedly euphoric, at others rivetingly exotic. Distantly emulating the "euphonious strains" of iconic PS1 video games soundtracks from his youth days, Bubblebath Trance has us surfing a constant paradox of emotions, wistful but not abandoning itself to sorrow, dynamic yet suspended in some sort of mind-expanding stasis. A crystal-pure object that shall not reveal its secrets, even after a thousand listens and just as many wowing moments.
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2LP
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HYG 023LP
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Berlin-based producer Rampue has not released an album in 14 (in words: fourteen) years. Between 2008 and 2020 he toured the world and worked mainly on his live sets in the meantime. So now only a worldwide pandemic had the power to prevent the traveling musician from continuing this hustle and bustle and eventually share a new record with the public. The new Rampue album Tragweite came into existence in February 2021, which portrays the artist's desire for experimentation. Inspired by a modular synthesizer (Buchla), Rampue has seemingly put himself into a kind of trance, in which he lets the machines work and combines randomly created sounds with airy structures such as low drums or simple grooves. Rampue accomplished to break free by using random sounds as a new impulse and a way out of a creative crisis, which stemmed both from the enforced home isolation and from the self-perceived paralysis. Listening to Tragweite one gets the impression that the dialectical relationship between chaos and order, further supported by its production, is the defining theme of the album. After an initially perceived chaos, a delicate order, which is determined by structuring drum patterns and basslines, takes over throughout the course of the album. Later, it frays and loses itself again in sounds and tones created mechanically. However, it never seems arbitrary, but willful and skillfully staged. For instance, "Furō" begins with apparent arrhythmia. The combination of bass and subtle percussion, however, gives this arrhythmia a shape, guiding the track which gradually becomes more and more driving without losing its original playfulness. Although one might be inclined to think of genres such as downtempo or ambient at the beginning in the further course of the album results in such a diverse sound and rhythmic landscape that one willingly questions one's own perception of music while listening and finally throws every type of categorization overboard joyfully. The musical spectrum ranges from straight arrangements that live entirely without a drum foundation ("Für Dich") to almost meditative sound collages ("Regengesicht") to the four-to-the-floor banger "Kembang". "Direct Faden" on the other hand, surprises with its simple guitar-based foundation on which the omnipresent synth snippets and pads are allowed to let off steam towards the end of the record. The track that most closely combines the progressive production style with a danceable club atmosphere is probably "Phobia". Rampue breaks with his old, musical habits as Tragweite creates the impression of improvisation and jam character without getting lost.
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12"
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AL 179EP
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Referred to as one of the most promising production talents and the undisputed master of the new romantic house movement, Rampue caters his next four piece EP. "Never" causes a bit of confusion before transforming into the most soft-skinned piece of slow house one has ever come across. "Sometimes" has a deep ambient-ish intro built of layered minor strings, and a few shakers. The title track is on a more dancefloor demanding tip while "Colour Back" is a piano-driven future classic.
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12"
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AL 173EP
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Mama Was a Progrocker serves as a sneak preview of what the future holds for long-time fans of Rampue. Delving into the realms of slow and deep house with a warm, organic feel and heavy use of multi-layered disco loops, twanging guitar sounds, and carefully transformed vocal lines, each and every tune contained here speaks of a deep and heartfelt love for melody, soul, and romance. A tender and caressing attitude that's essential to the work of this Berlin-based producer these days.
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