‘As we are going pop, Autechre
are going mad’. This comment made by Michael Fakesch
to us two years ago was a good indication of what direction
Funkstörung were taking then, and what they have
to offer in 2004. Where their blend of glitchy hip-hop-infused
electronica had them labelled as the German Autechre,
Disconnected shows a more straightforward and
accessible side to the band’s music.
Although they have been around since the mid-nineties,
Disconnected is only Funkstörung’s
second album proper, and comes four years after the
band’s debut, Appetite
For Disctruction. It is not to say that Funkstörung
are a lazy bunch. Michael Fakesch and Chris De Lucas
have been rather busy since the release of Appetite
For Disctruction, continuing to build one of the
most impressive remix collection around and producing
Jay Jay Johnson’s 2002 Antenna album.
De Luca also released an album with Peabird, Deadly
Wiz Da Disko, in 2001, and reactivated for a moment
the band’s Musik Aus Strom label with the MAS_Confusion
compilation.
Disconnected will undoubtedly disconcert the
band’s fans. If Appetite
For Disctruction was building on the band’s
earlier EPs, and adapting from the numerous remixes
Fakesch and De Lucas had already produced, presenting
a glitch electronica that was heavily feeding on hip-hop
beats and structures, while allowing for melodies to
snake in between, Disconnected shows a totally
different approach. The most obvious change is the heavy
use of acoustic instruments pretty much all the way
through. Although often treated and expended, there
are many traces of untouched sonic sources to be found
on every track. Stating this new direction from the
beginning, Funkstörung kick off this album with
a ballad (yes!), lead by a gentle acoustic guitar and
piano, with vocal performance courtesy of Enik, a twenty-three
year old multi-instrumentalist who provides vocals on
no less then four songs here. Dirt Empire,
which follows, which features Norwegian trumpeter Nils
Petter Molvaer, presents a surprisingly jazzy side to
Funkstörung’s music. Gone are the abundance
of glitch and syncopated beats, at least for a moment.
On Chopping Head, and later on Fat Camp
Feva, Fakesch and De Lucas show that their original
sound is still alive. These collaborations with New
York MC Tes prove to be amongst the most interesting
tracks on this record, as the band expend on the essence
of Appetite For
Disctruction. Mr Important also shows
some interesting developments on the pair’s classic
realm, with Rob Sonic bringing some dirt to this anthemic
hip-hop nugget. Elsewhere though, Funkstörung appear
to get lost a tad in their easy-going pop. If the title
track is a descent pop/soul tune, the three other Enik
collaborations are somewhat uninspiring. Considerably
cleaner and more straightforward than what the German
duo had us got used to, Sleeping Beauty, which
features Lamb singer Lou Rhodes, and Captured In
Tones, with former Massive
Attack vocalist Sarah Jay, are both interesting
and surprisingly evocative, yet lack the necessary spark
that would drag this album to a different level.
Claiming to be producers more than musicians, Funkstörung
emphasise here their behind-the-scene work, seemingly
keen to adopt an approach similar to that of Massive
Attack. Unfortunately, it only partly works on Disconnected,
a title that sums up perfectly the general feeling here.
If Appetite For
Disctruction introduced some slight elements
of pop here and there, notably through the collaborations
with Carin, this new album takes the concept a lot further,
but fails to retain the same consistency of sound and
production. It is on the hip-hop orientated tracks that
the full force of the Funkstörung sound can be
felt best, and for this only, Disconnected
does deserve to be given a chance.
3.8/5 |
