Rather surprising collaboration than the one behind
Angel. On one side, Ilpo Väisänen, known for
being one half of the excellent Pan
Sonic, and on the other, Dirk Dresselhaus, who,
as Schneider TM,
has brought new pop flavours to the electronic world
with his recent second album, Zoomer.
The pair met in 1999 when Schneider
TM was supporting Pan
Sonic on their European tour. A strong friendship
developed between the two men, and they have since played
together once a year, in Berlin. This album, their first
release together, takes the principle of the shows to
the studio. Recorded in live conditions, with no editing
or overdubs, NR. 1 > NR. 10 presents the
work of the pair in its natural context.
Since the release of their first album, Vakio,
in 1995, Ilpo Väisänen and Mika Vainio, as
Pan Sonic, have played
an active role on the electronic scene, developing meticulous
minimalist noisescapes, taking industrial sounds to
a more interesting and challenging level. Keen on collaborating
with other artists, including Alan Vega with whom they
released the Endless Summer LP as VVV, the
duo have established themselves as a proper live outfit,
often working with visual artists on installations presented
in art galleries. Beside his full time commitment to
the band, Väisänen has regularly appeared
on other projects (Ultra 3, Sinø), and he also
has recently released a solo album, Asuma,
on Mego.
Schneider TM
Dirk Dresselhaus emerged in 1999 with a handful of singles
and a first album, Moist, but it is with his
second full length, Zoomer,
published earlier this year that Schneider
TM has really made a name for himself. Mixing abstract
soundscapes with clever pop melodies, this critically
acclaimed record has quickly become something of a phenomenon,
and Dresselhaus’s live performances have been
making waves across Europe.
NR. 1 > NR. 10, released on French label
Bip-Hop, is a challenging record, build around abrasive
noises and very little in the way of melody or traditional
electronic structure. Clearly influenced by Väisänen’s
work with Pan Sonic,
yet taking the process to a more extreme end, the album
was recorded in complete live condition. Working from
Väisänen’s self-made analogue synthesizer
and Dresselhaus’s fucked up electric guitar, the
pair generates minimal, yet complex, structures, which
slowly develop from almost imperceptible shudders to
total mayhem. The album kicks off with nearly a minute
of complete silence, before faint sounds slowly enter
the soundscape. The following couple of tracks progressively
bring harsher elements in as the pair establish the
sonic realm of this record. As they reach the most aggressive
part of their improvisation, the two then relentlessly
deflate their machinery to finally return to the original
point.
Despite the undisputable creative connection between
the two, this album remains largely empty of real human
emotions, making it largely inaccessible, even to the
most open minded, and seems more of a missed opportunity
with every listen. Shame.
2.3/5 |
