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This is the debut full-length release by Gera/Jena, Germany-based minimalist, Mathias Kaden. About 2 years in the making, Studio 10 takes Mathias Kaden's life-long work as DJ and producer, worldwide tours, 20-something years of listening and thinking, machines and people, and wraps a bow around it all. Always taking his time with production, Mathias' focus on quality over quantity continues to pay dividends, no matter the state of the economy. Unique in many ways, Studio 10 is also unique for the producer himself. Never before has Mathias incorporated into his music so much hardware, field recordings, messages, and invited friends and orchestral musicians to collaborate. Each track has a message waiting to be interpreted, from the first track "Intro Ducing," borrowing from Bob Marley, to the aptly-named "1981" (featuring vocals by Gjaezon), significant in that it was the year of birth for the most important and timeless instrument in Mathias' studio, the TR808. Similar to his Vakant brethren, Mathias is the instrumentalist and performer, rather than the programmer and sampler. A Fender Rhodes from jazz pal Lars Mäurer on "Defender," Mathias's 1970s Lowrey organ played by Florian Schirmacher on "Lowrey," violin by Claudia Ander-Donathand on "Re Menor," and flugelhorn by Martin Rudloff on "Panic Stricken," all pull and push the music in ever-expanding directions, but at the center, the 808 welds it all together. In addition, vocalists (and lyricists) Ian Simmonds, Gjaezon, and Tomomi Ukumori impart their talents to help articulate the messages that pervade Studio 10. To call the album house is akin to referring to a 1982 Château Lafite-Rothschild as wine. Closer to Chicago than to anywhere else in sound and in Mathias' heart, Studio 10 finds its home in more intimate settings where its nuance, ideas, and depth can all come shining through.
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