Born in Cologne, Jo Zimmermann has never really moved
away, and still lives there today. Althought he is not
widely known yet, the man has released four albums with
his Schlammpeitziger project, and is one half of Holosud,
responsible for the 1998 Fijnewas Afpompen
album, and a couple of EPs.
Zimmermann is a champion of a extremely lo-fi sound,
mostly created on an old Casio 230 S. His compositions
are equally simplistic, and usually revolve around catchy
melodies, evoking more the playful atmospheres of playgrounds
than the hermetic intricacy of Kraftwerk. Although the
tracks included here were recorded at different times
during the last eight years, there is a surprising consistency
all throughout. From the soft melodies of Gezischel
In Fremdorient, Mango Und Papaja Auf Tobago
or Honkytonk Schlickumpmpittz, reminiscent
of the cinematic electronica of Boards
Of Canada, to the shambolic bleeps and glitches
of Quietschquarklaute, Konfliktickfähig
and Hydraulicmeistershalbagstanz, Zimmermann’s
eclectic vision give a very human feel to his music.
The man manages to create some dense and intricate moments
out of nothing. With sweeping arrangements and clever
sound engineering, he almost imperceptibly develops
his own little piece of musical landscape. Collected
Simplesongs Of My Temporary Past is effectively
as close to an electro-pop album as it gets, and despite
the ultimately electronic aspect of Schlammpeitziger’s
composition, there is a feeling of great simplicity
lingering throughout this records, making Zimmermann’s
music utterly accessible, yet clever enough to satisfy
the purists.
While Jo Zimmermann is working on his forthcoming album,
Collected Simplesongs Of My Temporary Past
is an ideal starting point to discover the distorted
world of Schlammpeitziger, as it takes a comprehensive
look at the eight years separating the release of the
first EP and the most recent recordings.
4/5 |
