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ARTIST
TITLE
Dilation
FORMAT
2LP
LABEL
CATALOG #
FILM 001LP
FILM 001LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
3/31/2015
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180-gram double LP version in high-gloss gatefold sleeve; includes WAV & MP3 download code. Following their debut Ezra EP (FILM 001EP) and support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Grandbrothers present their debut album Dilation. Twelve modern experimental ambient piano pieces, with sounds generated completely from a grand piano using small electromagnetic hammers. Grandbrothers are Erol Sarp and Lukas Vogel. After meeting at university in Dusseldorf, Sarp and Vogel formed Grandbrothers to tie together their respective musical backgrounds and disciplines: Sarp is a trained jazz pianist, while Vogel constructs synthesizers at Access Music by day. Together, they create a sound that combines classical composition with modern, experimental production and sound design. The product of two years' work, Dilation builds on some of the ideas established on Ezra while exploring further elements of minimalism, ambient music, IDM, and techno. Tracks start as repeated two- or three-note patterns, which gradually develop into sweeping, cinematic soundscapes, recalling the structural and rhythmic qualities of club music as much as they do the work of a composer like Steve Reich, as well as Ryuichi Sakamoto's collaborations with Alva Noto. Surprisingly, there are no synthetic sounds on Dilation: Sarp and Vogel deliberately restrict themselves to the sounds of the grand piano across the album. "We wanted to make modern-sounding music using classical instruments," Vogel explains. "Instruments with a lot of history." To achieve this modern sound, Vogel developed an unusual system for playing the piano. Drawing on his technical background, he created a series of electromagnetic hammers that could be controlled via laptop (on software that he designed himself, no less) to play the piano. This process allowed the duo to discover new, previously unknown sounds -- sounds that couldn't be achieved through conventional playing -- which give the record its unique sonic qualities. "Dilation is a physical term for expansion and widening," Sarp says. "We see the project as an experiment: how far you can go with a piano? How much you can get out of it, sound-wise?" With further manipulation using loops, effects, and amplification, Dilation is an album that covers an extraordinary range of sounds despite coming from such a small, unorthodox setup. Classical, yet forward-thinking; expressive and emotional, yet with one foot on the dancefloor.
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