City Centre Offices, or CCO for short, is perhaps best known as the label that bore Ulrich Schnauss into the world. Based in Berlin, Denmark and Manchester, UK, City Centre has a unique perspective on the new electronic sound. At once representing ambient pastoral sounds, techy dream-pop and electronic hip-hop, CCO comes correct every time. A few of the artists under its banner: Boy Robot (Michael Zorn & Hand Mueller), Lali Puna side-project Static, Cyne, Arovane, Marsen Jules, Porn Sword Tobacco, Swod and more. In fact, City Centre Offices is closely related to Morr Music in both sound and commerce. Artful, rhythmic and lovely.
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BLOCK 3000EP
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City Centre Offices announces its last ever release. Operating on the fringes between delicate electronica and full-on disco-fueled dancefloor extravaganza, Michael Zorn and Hans Möller, as Boy Robot, bridged gaps between genres and scenes. Afterwards, they simply moved on, shelving the project. Around 2010, Zorn contacted Thaddeus Herrmann (formerly of Herrmann & Kleine) with the idea to work on some tracks. It did not take long to finish them, but for reasons both of them do not remember, the results never got released. Until now. This is the final transmission. Both of Boy Robot and City Centre Offices.
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CCO 050CD
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Best-known as the keyboardist in Italy's premier post-rock combo Giardini Di Mirò, wowing fans and skeptics alike with their formidable albums and impressively intense live performances, Luca Di Mira finally returns as a solo artist. After Flowing Seasons (2006), released on the now-defunct label 2nd Rec, From Dusk To Dawn is the second album he has pursued on his own. Six years down the line, Pillow's sound has changed quite drastically, yet glows with the same shocking deepness. Focusing on a unifying, even more orchestral sound, Di Mira creates his own melancholic universe. Centered around the epic "Silent Journey," Pillow demonstrates in each and every track, how music should be approached in these troubled times. Merging subtle piano fragments, overwhelming string arrangements, minimal guitar melodies and even 4/4 beats, Pillow has written a soundtrack no one will ever forget. From Dusk To Dawn (explained in Pillow's own words): "This album was almost entirely written at night. I started writing when I moved from the city to the mountains. The nightly landscape and the quiet/calm/peacefulness have been my muses, from summer to winter, from dusk to dawn. Every song is a night-life fragment, full of peace, silence, hints and dreams as only nature can offer. The album was written, performed, produced and recorded by myself in my studio. The string sessions were played by Emanuele Reverberi (violin and trumpet in Giardini Di Mirò) and recorded at the Igloo Audio Factory (Correggio - Italy) by Andrea Sologni and Marco Peterlini. The last song of the album was written for Ada, my daughter. The chorus voice is of Elin Olofsson, a Swedish songwriter who, at the time, was Ada's nanny."
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CCO 051CD
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Giardini Di Mirò hails from Cavriago, Italy -- a small town near Reggio Emilia. The band released its first EP in 1998 and not only put out a ton of records ever since, but has been touring both Italy and the rest of Europe like crazy. So far, the band has released four full-length albums, but the discography also includes a multitude of EPs, remixes and exclusive tracks for compilations. While not working with the band, GDM's members engage in solo projects, tapping into sounds and genres one would not necessarily expect from a band deeply routed in guitar music. The band has also collaborated with and commissioned remixes from artists like Cyne, Dntl, Hood, Alias, Apparat, Piano Magic, Opiate, Isan and Herrmann & Kleine. In 2010, City Centre Offices finally started to work with GDM, releasing the critically-accaimed Il Fuoco, the band's soundtrack for Giovanni Pastrone's silent movie from 1915. As a first release in 2012, City Centre Offices now releases Good Luck, the band's first proper studio album since 2007. Explained in the band's own words: "There is something spiritual in the Emilian countryside, made of minimalism, simplicity, geometry, natural lines guiding the eyes. Our album was recorded and mixed in San Prospero -- Correggio, near Reggio Emilia (Italy), not far from where CCCP recorded their masterpiece Epica Etica Etnica Pathos, an album which has been considered to be a milestone in Italian alternative culture for the last 25 years. Good Luck is a surprising little box: details, places, people, expressions, long sequences, intrusive strangers, familiar faces. Every musician knows how much time is spent in the van and how many things go through one's head travelling from one gig to the next, putting the foot down on the motorway, trying to make it on time. Some songs on this album were written, refined and tested while we were on tour, but the record got its special flavor when we went into the studio -- the flavor of our homeland, the scent of its earth, visions of its open spaces, straight lines, huge landscapes, unconscious or intentional parallelism between modern life and a farm, a dairy, a piggery. The fifth album in our discography has been recorded like it was homemade, in a private place among close friends. Sara Lov (Devics) sings on 'There Is A Place,' Stefano Pilia plays guitar on 'Spurious Love,' Angela Baraldi sings on both 'Spurious Love' and 'Rome.'"
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CCO 051LP
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LP version. Giardini Di Mirò hails from Cavriago, Italy -- a small town near Reggio Emilia. The band released its first EP in 1998 and not only put out a ton of records ever since, but has been touring both Italy and the rest of Europe like crazy. So far, the band has released four full-length albums, but the discography also includes a multitude of EPs, remixes and exclusive tracks for compilations. While not working with the band, GDM's members engage in solo projects, tapping into sounds and genres one would not necessarily expect from a band deeply routed in guitar music. The band has also collaborated with and commissioned remixes from artists like Cyne, Dntl, Hood, Alias, Apparat, Piano Magic, Opiate, Isan and Herrmann & Kleine. In 2010, City Centre Offices finally started to work with GDM, releasing the critically-accaimed Il Fuoco, the band's soundtrack for Giovanni Pastrone's silent movie from 1915. As a first release in 2012, City Centre Offices now releases Good Luck, the band's first proper studio album since 2007. Explained in the band's own words: "There is something spiritual in the Emilian countryside, made of minimalism, simplicity, geometry, natural lines guiding the eyes. Our album was recorded and mixed in San Prospero -- Correggio, near Reggio Emilia (Italy), not far from where CCCP recorded their masterpiece Epica Etica Etnica Pathos, an album which has been considered to be a milestone in Italian alternative culture for the last 25 years. Good Luck is a surprising little box: details, places, people, expressions, long sequences, intrusive strangers, familiar faces. Every musician knows how much time is spent in the van and how many things go through one's head travelling from one gig to the next, putting the foot down on the motorway, trying to make it on time. Some songs on this album were written, refined and tested while we were on tour, but the record got its special flavor when we went into the studio -- the flavor of our homeland, the scent of its earth, visions of its open spaces, straight lines, huge landscapes, unconscious or intentional parallelism between modern life and a farm, a dairy, a piggery. The fifth album in our discography has been recorded like it was homemade, in a private place among close friends. Sara Lov (Devics) sings on 'There Is A Place,' Stefano Pilia plays guitar on 'Spurious Love,' Angela Baraldi sings on both 'Spurious Love' and 'Rome.'" Includes mp3 download.
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CCO 049CD
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Swod are Oliver Doerell and Stephan Wöhrmann, two musicians who met in Berlin in 1991. Ever since, they have been collaborating on various projects. Oliver plays guitar, bass and takes care of electronics, Stephan plays drums and -- most importantly -- the piano, the instrument which sets Swod's trademark sound and reputation. Oliver Doerell is also a member of Dictaphone, the band with which he has released two albums and an EP on City Centre Offices so far. With Raz Ohara, he has recorded two albums so far under the Raz Ohara And The Odd Orchestra moniker. While not working on Swod, both musicians are busy working on theater productions. After 2004's Gehen and 2007's Sekunden, this is Swod's third album. There is no other instrument which experienced such a glorious renaissance over the last couple of years like the piano. Heavily tempered with or as pure as possible, the piano has re-established itself as a driving force in innovative music. Ever since the release of their first album in 2004, Swod have been among the most respected acts in this genre which many falsely label "neo classical." With Drei, Swod take their unique sound to a new level. "Sans Peau" for instance, a piece of gold for every DJ with an open mind, perfectly sets the stage for the new album. With heavy 808 toms, the right amount of noise and distortion and one of the most catchy hooklines of all times, the track is a perfect example of how the two Berlin-based musicians have fine-tuned, taken apart and reassembled both their style of composing and cutting-edge production. Fear not, though, Drei is a carefully-crafted evolution of the well-established Swod sound. It's all there, and more. The melancholy of the piano, found sounds, delicate bass and guitar, the always-present samples of a woman we all love and worship. For the first time, however, Drei showcases inspirations and influences more prominently which had been present in the band's earlier work, but which had been somewhat carefully buried. A deep love for the minimalists, which gives tracks like "Hellerau" or "I Am Here" an almost mechanical, sequenced feel, opens up Swod's body of work to a whole new audience.
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CCO 049LP
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LP version. Swod are Oliver Doerell and Stephan Wöhrmann, two musicians who met in Berlin in 1991. Ever since, they have been collaborating on various projects. Oliver plays guitar, bass and takes care of electronics, Stephan plays drums and -- most importantly -- the piano, the instrument which sets Swod's trademark sound and reputation. Oliver Doerell is also a member of Dictaphone, the band with which he has released two albums and an EP on City Centre Offices so far. With Raz Ohara, he has recorded two albums so far under the Raz Ohara And The Odd Orchestra moniker. While not working on Swod, both musicians are busy working on theater productions. After 2004's Gehen and 2007's Sekunden, this is Swod's third album. There is no other instrument which experienced such a glorious renaissance over the last couple of years like the piano. Heavily tempered with or as pure as possible, the piano has re-established itself as a driving force in innovative music. Ever since the release of their first album in 2004, Swod have been among the most respected acts in this genre which many falsely label "neo classical." With Drei, Swod take their unique sound to a new level. "Sans Peau" for instance, a piece of gold for every DJ with an open mind, perfectly sets the stage for the new album. With heavy 808 toms, the right amount of noise and distortion and one of the most catchy hooklines of all times, the track is a perfect example of how the two Berlin-based musicians have fine-tuned, taken apart and reassembled both their style of composing and cutting-edge production. Fear not, though, Drei is a carefully-crafted evolution of the well-established Swod sound. It's all there, and more. The melancholy of the piano, found sounds, delicate bass and guitar, the always-present samples of a woman we all love and worship. For the first time, however, Drei showcases inspirations and influences more prominently which had been present in the band's earlier work, but which had been somewhat carefully buried. A deep love for the minimalists, which gives tracks like "Hellerau" or "I Am Here" an almost mechanical, sequenced feel, opens up Swod's body of work to a whole new audience.
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CCO 048CD
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Giardini Di Mirò is a post-rock band born in Cavriago, Italy, a small town near Reggio Emilia. After the first EP in 1998, the band has not only released a ton of records, but has also toured like crazy, both their home Italy and the rest of Europe. So far, the band has released four full-length albums; the discography, however, also includes a multitude of EPs, remixes and exclusive tracks for compilations. While not working with the band, GDM's members engage in solo projects, tapping into sounds and genres one would not necessarily expect from a band deeply routed in guitar music. Giardini Di Mirò has been on City Centre Offices' watch for almost a decade and they are thrilled to release Il Fuoco as a first step in hopefully a long partnership. This album was originally released in Italy in 2009, and City Centre Offices is finally bringing the album to the rest of the world. Translated "The Fire," Il Fuoco compiles music for Giovanni Pastrone's silent movie of the same name. Released in 1915, the movie is considered a masterpiece of early 20th century Italian cinema and the result of Pastrone's collaboration with Gabriele D'Annunzio. The movie is divided into three chapters, representing different moments of a morbid, yet passionate love story: "La Favilla" ("The Spark"), "La Fiamma" ("The Flame") and "La Cenere" ("The Ash"). In October 2006, the Museo Nazionale Del Cinema in Turin commissioned the band to compose and perform a new soundtrack for the movie. After an incredible success in one live show, the band decided to turn the soundtrack into a proper album, taking the music composed for the film several steps further and adding new ideas. Il Fuoco is Giardini di Mirò's most ambitious work to date.
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CCO 047CD
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This is the fifth full-length album from I'm Not A Gun, a collaboration between John Tejada and Takeshi Nishimoto. John Tejada is one of the most prolific DJs and producers in the techno world. His remixes and DJ sets are well sought-after, his label Palette is pumping out 12" after 12" of quality electronic music. Takeshi Nishimoto, a classically-trained guitarist, has been a long-time member of the jazz/improv scene in Los Angeles. Born in Japan and now living in Berlin, Nishimoto is currently involved in many projects, ranging from soundtracks to gallery-based sound installations. His unique style of guitar-playing makes him both a sought-after collaborator and mentor for a broad range of musical projects. Solace is hands-down the duo's best work to-date. With much more refined production skills and incredible songwriting, Solace embraces both a more upbeat approach and a shimmering love for pop anthems.
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CCO 046LP
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LP version. Mark Van Hoen bought his first synthesizer and tape recorder in 1981, and immediately began making electronic music with influences from Brian Eno and Cabaret Voltaire. Most recordings were made at his home studio, but others were made at the radio stations he worked at during the '80s. As a contemporary of Aphex Twin, he was signed in 1993 on R&S Records as Locust. Listening to what he's done in the past over various labels from R&S, Touch, 4AD and now City Centre Offices, it's clear that it's time for Van Hoen's music to be up for critical reappraisal. He is a greatly admired and influential composer and performer that has inspired many other musicians. Recorded in London UK and Brooklyn, USA and finished in his recording studio in Woodstock, New York, this album is more than just a mere collection of tracks. A life-changing discovery and enlightenment is expressed in this rich, dense and emotive album. While working through the red tape involved in emigrating from the UK to the USA, he discovered quite by chance that his identity and childhood family life contained the dark secret of a covered up adoption. His life-long sense of displacement started to make sense and the cathartic voyage that ensued is explored in this album. More collaborative than his previous solo works, Where Is The Truth includes contributions from other musicians including Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3) and Julia Frodahl (Edison Woods). Reliant not only on Mark's familiar brooding electronic tones, it features more electro-acoustic sounds than in previous releases. Interestingly, this album also consolidates many of the styles and sounds Mark has explored on previous albums, as a solo artist, collaborator and producer. Where Is The Truth sees Mark Van Hoen entering a new phase.
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CCO 045CD
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This is the third full-length release from Denmark's Anders Remmer aka Dub Tractor for the City Centre Offices label. Formerly a member of Danish supergroups Future 3 and System together with Thomas Knak (aka Opiate) and Jesper Skaaning (aka Acustic), his previous albums More Or Less Mono and Hideout marked a crossroad for Anders, increasingly focusing more and more on his guitar, bass and vocals. As a result, Sorry is a veritable full-blown, one-piece indie band. While his previous releases featured short glimpses of Anders' vocal capabilities, this album unfolds into a confident, lyrics-heavy collection of pure pop. With clear references to the shoegaze movements of the '90s, Anders Remmer merges this heritage with his very own blend of dub-fuelled sound design and prototype electronica. Delicate beats are the foundation for his deep, melancholic, yet uplifting songs. The opening track "And You Are Back" is not only a proper hit, it also shows perfectly what this album is all about, riding in on an anthemic, ascending/descending, washed-out guitar line against heart-tugging, lightly synthesized vocals. Against a backdrop of reliable dub thump, this album takes you under its wings, shifting between sparse arrangements and nodding in the direction of late works from bands like Slowdive to full-on walls of guitars in proper My Bloody Valentine style. Sorry is a musical tour de force through the more contemplative regions of your musical brain with exquisite, dreamy layers of electronics and guitars, and moody bass lines. Guaranteed to slow the pulse while still compelling you to sway.
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CCO 045LP
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CCO 044CD
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This is the fourth album by Sweden's Henrik Jonsson aka Porn Sword Tobacco. Recorded in the legendary Silence studios with long-time collaborators Patrick and Tommi, Everything Is Music To The Ear came into existence largely without planning or calculation, without much thinking nor hard work -- often improvised on the spot, even the melodies on the characteristic piano that Jonsson claims he never learned to play. He has played in bands before, also releasing a number of records ranging from a leftfield electro EP to two solo albums of laidback electronic dub. Most crucial, however, were his 4 years of travelling across the world as a stage musician for a popular electronic project, playing for numerous audiences on all continents, from Japan to Zambia -- a unique school of music, but also of life, and an experience that nourished a determination to pursue what's really important. In his early years, he swapped violin lessons for a Roland Space Echo, listened to audio plays at the local library, and to his parents' colorful record collection -- The Beach Boys, Eno, Kraftwerk -- this is what forms Porn Sword Tobacco. It's a project that takes a decidedly naive and unabashedly nostalgic position, exploring a dreamy escapism that is undiluted and personal. Porn Sword Tobacco's songs, seemingly field recordings in nightly landscapes of musical sounds, are equally far from ambient and from pop, from retro avant-rock or any other genre. Jonsson hones his songs until they work as loops, or long, rhythmic figures with the heartbeat of classic and modern deep house and electro. Possibly inspired by his relocation to Berlin in 2007, Everything Is Music To The Ear is a statement -- an evolving world of comforting dreams crystallized into comforting audio, exquisitely easy and refined, yet new and unique.
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CCO 040CD
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This is the debut full-length release by The Seasons -- a collaborative project by an international assemblage of accomplished musicians in the realm of jazz, electronic, and indie-rock. Members include Trenton label-head Sam Rouanet (aka Reynold), DJ/producer/Duplex 100 member Phil Stumpf, double bassist James Sindatry, Sam Rouanet's father Jacques Rouanet, a well-known French jazz piano player who toured the world several times with Argentinean singer/songwriter Alberto Cortez, and finally, cornet player Rob Mazurek, the mind behind Chicago Underground and The Exploding Star Orchestra, who has played with Sam Prekop, Isotope 217, Tortoise, Pan American and Stereolab. Rouanet & Stumpf were working on their project Duplex 100, running the famous "Minimal Dancin" nights at the Nouveau Casino in Paris, when they decided to start another band to act as a counterbalance to the very digital, dancefloor-serving material they were doing at the time. Their aim: no boundaries. The core: beautiful music. James Sindatry joined them. Sam's father did some features. While living in Chicago, Sam had played in AUFM (Alien Unknown Funk Mob) and had met Rob Mazurek, who was more than happy to contribute as well. Recorded over innumerable sessions, Undone merges beautiful acoustic instruments with high-tech electronics, allowing the individual talents of the musicians to shimmer -- the chords vibrating, the beats earth-shaking. Sam Rouanet (guitar, programming), Phil Stumpf (Polysix, programming), James Sindatry (double bass, flute, programming), Jacques Rouanet (Rhodes), and Rob Mazurek (cornet).
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CCO 042CD
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This is Berlin-based Hendrik Kröz aka Miwon's second full-length release. Kröz has been an active member of the Berlin-based electronic music scene for a very long time, and his hundreds of live P.A.s created a big fan base for his soulful electronic pop music. As the initiator of the already-legendary "laptop battles," he did important groundwork for the development of Berlin electronic music in general. In 2008, Miwon returns with A To B. First, there is the bullet train. Once inside the Shinkansen, Miwon unpacks his euphoric melodies, haunting atmospheres, killer beats and sweet, irresistible pop songs. On A To B, Miwon takes his love for electronic music to another level, making it even more accessible. Ranging from hands-down pop songs (the title track "A To B" is a homage to/cover version of Fleetwood Mac) to more dancefloor-oriented tunes like "Matchbox" that are clearly-influenced by Cologne pioneers like Burger/Ink, and true ballads like "Another Term For," Miwon explores all possible angles of electronica. Featuring the talents of Japanese singer Maho Masuda, as well as Sibylle Fendt, Fleckfumie's Nick Gloeckner on guitar and Galaktlan on synths, A To B will help you get through the cold, barren months, back to summertime warmth, and back again, from A To B.
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CCO 042LP
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CCO 041CD
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This is the second full-length release by Swod (Oliver Doerell & Stephan Wöhrmann), following 2004's highly-acclaimed Gehen album. If there's been one positive trend emerging from the ruins of what used to be called electronica for the last couple of years, it has been the comeback of acoustic instruments, especially the piano. Swod, without a doubt, are among the founding fathers of this new, almost neoclassical approach and the success of their debut only proved them right. Sekunden is more than a simple follow-up, more than what bands just do... keep on recording and eventually coming up with a second album, even though it is made of the same ingredients: Wöhrmann's piano and drums, Doerell's guitar, bass and electronics. And yet Sekunden is bigger than even the band's die-hard fans could have hoped for. The melodies are catchier, the bass is tighter, the electronics catch the general mood of the tracks even better and the drums, in all their subtlety, are funkier. On tracks like "Ja" or "Belgien," the voice of a long-dead cinema icon perfectly sets the mood, "Deer" feels like a long-awaited breeze in the blistering heat, "Sekunden" brings back dreamy memories of the long-gone ambient tradition of the late '70s, "Insects" kindly disturbs the listener with its delicate mixture of field-recordings, warm synth patterns and almost sequenced piano and "Patinage," in all its speed and glory, lets all Swod is famous for culminate in an endless loop of beauty. Then the piano fades and all one can do is to start from the beginning.
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CCO 039CD
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New Exclusive Olympic Heights is Henrik Jonsson's second full-length album and his third release for City Centre Offices. Having originally come to the music world's attention through 2004's self-titled muted masterpiece, Jonsson has edged off into more analog territory without losing the frayed sense of wonder that saw him compared with the likes of Harold Budd, Marsen Jules and Brian Eno. Recorded over a two-year period in the same studio which gave birth to the previous two Porn Sword Tobacco albums, New Exclusive Olympic Heights is an astonishing tapestry of sound and Swedish atmosphere that brings to mind images of sun-dappled clearings and unseen dusky threats. Swirled through with beads of static and crackle, this release is an epic doctrine in the power of ambient music, wherein Jonsson coaxes disparate elements into the kind of organic whole that is a million miles away from most of his peers. Opening with "Tools For Trains," the sheer weight of time spent away from 21st century life is drawn upon with remarkable ease as soapy waves of fizzing chords accrue filigree hisses -- before the whole composition fades into obscurity against the sound of a distant train passing by. Emotional in a way which is difficult to define, "Den Rosa Sporten" features frosted glass aesthetics and delicate acoustic guitar that are wrapped around the kind of music which Boards of Canada should be making. Seemingly in possession of a tacit understanding of what makes a piece of music both uncluttered yet thoroughly arresting, New Exclusive Olympic Heights oozes beauty from every pore and sees Jonsson firmly installed as a true grandmaster of this soundscape-rich music. With other highlights including the warm instrumental glow of "Pappa! Min Karlek Är Gravid" and "U.S. Saloon Interiors 41/59" with its Badalamenti overtones, Porn Sword Tobacco has consummately proven that isolation and a sense of wonder at your surroundings can conjure up the most magical of emotions.
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CCO 038CD
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This is the second full-length record from Lüneburg, Germany's Springintgut (Andreas Otto). Recorded partly in his house in the middle of the forest and partly in Amsterdam, Park And Ride is heavily influenced by these two very different environments. "You may take the title literally," says Otto. "'Park' represents the more melancholic chunk of tracks on the album, which I recorded at home in the forest ... The more upbeat tracks would fall into the 'Ride' category. I remember riding my bike in Amsterdam during the summer. Life was good, happy and light." Park And Ride combines the high craftsmanship of electronic music with spontaneous outbreaks. With Andreas playing the cello and bass or his friend Max Fey playing guitar, this release lovingly irritates the listener with high-pitched noises from bended circuitry, surprises from the chopped-up vocals of Japanese singer Kazumi, and the long, crackling ambiences and field recordings on "Everything In Focus." Jan St. Werner from Mouse On Mars sums it up perfectly: "I feel inherited in a very gentle way. What a record!"
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CCO 036CD
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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.
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CCO 036LP
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CCO 037CD
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Kunststoff was originally released on Move D's (David Moufang) own Heidelberg-based Source Records back in 1995. Brought back into print by City Centre Offices for a whole new generation to discover, Kunststoff is a dreamlike journey through Move D's compelling vision of an electronic vista that unfurls gradually like a majestic digital tapestry. This is the sound of techno if viewed through a heat-haze. Originally from Heidelberg Germany, Move D spent his childhood listening to the likes of Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd -- yet rather than credit these auteurs with the inspiration behind his work, Moufang pinpoints another factor as the core influence to his musical gestation; space. Having been profoundly affected by a trip to the cinema to see 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moufang spent his childhood obsessed with the cosmos -- and when the desire to make music eventually took over, it's little wonder that the results incorporated such strong elements of the ethereal and otherworldly. Translated into English as "plastic," Kunststoff is anything but production line -- succeeding in sounding as genre defying now as it was when originally released at the half-time interval of the '90s. The tracks "Soap Bubbles" and album standout "In/Out" are intensely textured compositions that take their beats as a flexible spine onto which all manner of sonic flourishes can be mapped. As innovative as any album of the past two decades, Kunststoff is generous to the listener -- refusing to insult their intelligence through easily pigeon-holed avenues, Move D instead throws up a startlingly diverse selection of music that nonetheless retains a firm cohesive thread. Best enjoyed as a whole, Kunststoff revels in juxtaposing the serrated grooves of "Nimm 2" against the kaleidoscopic synths and carbonated beats of "Beyond The Machine" -- stone cold classic.
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CCO 035CD
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This is the second full-length release by London-based Donato Wharton. Citing the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Mogwai and Vladislav Delay as tacit influences on his work, Wharton has successfully distilled elements of each into his own oeuvre -- yet rather than come across as a copyist, these fragments instead serve to inspire the mood of the music and leave the gentle compositions in which he specializes to mature at their own pace. Taking its name from a contemporary dance term, Donato Wharton chose to call his new album Body Isolations in order to draw parallels with the manner in which an audience in any field can have their attention focused on a particular thing. "Basically it describes the movement of isolated body parts," Wharton explains, "and whether this be a hand, foot, arm, finger, or head -- it conspires so that the entire concentration of both dancer and audience is focused on that particular isolated detail." Taking this notion and applying it to his music, Wharton goes on to discuss how he sees this as translating to his work. "Each track exists as a concentrated expression -- representing a certain state that ranges from dreaming and inertia, through to yearning and aloofness." While this may all come across as somewhat cerebral, the truth is in the music and the music is stunning. Opening through the William Basinski-style sprawl of "Absentia," Wharton then goes on to present some of the most deep and gorgeous music imaginable -- with the likes of "Blue Skied Demon," (his first ever vocal track) a crumbling edifice of sun-bleached melodies and incremental atmospherics. From here, "Underwave" takes a pulsing electronic tide and matches it to some piquant soundscapes, "Sidereal" indulges his love of mealy hiss and hums for a gorgeous sliver of soapy melody, while "Transparencies" coaxes a dusty piano into life for a poignant journey down memory lane. Isolation has never been such an inviting prospect.
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CCO 032LP
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LP version. Vertigo II is the second album from Oliver Doerell and Roger Doring under the Dictaphone tag. Laying down a membrane of mealy clicks, glitches and sliced digitalis, Vertigo II at times resembles the intricate bedrock of artists such as Jen Jelinek or Angelo Badalamenti.
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