maybe IDM isn't dead... Rechenzentrum / Einoma

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Rechenzentrum are from Berlin and they played in Detroit 4 days ago. I did not go to the show because I was not aware that it was going on. Perhaps there are dangers in being a disconnected music hermit, but I digress. Anyway, I have been giving their Peel Session disc a good bit of play lately, and am enjoying Director Cut on Mille Plateaux quite a bit as well. Their music is deeply atmospheric and decidedly digital but not in a way that makes you completely lose respect for half-assed IDM reviews that talk about delicate melodies and crunchy beetz. This is actually some of the first listenable IDM I have come across since Arovane.

Another group I am enjoying quite a bit at the moment is Einoma. I don't know much about them other than the fact that they are Icelandic and they have a couple records out. I am quite into Undir Feilnotum, but I have not been able to get a hold of a copy of their brand new album Milli Tonverka. UF is very good atmospheric downtempo electronic music. It is a bit dark and sedate, and has the ability to actually conjure emotion out of the abstraction. This is miles ahead of the crap AI is pushing on the suckers these days; if I could get records like this more often I would still actively search for current electronic releases.

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 01:57 (twenty-one years ago)

OK i'll bite. what makes these guys better than Ai? anyway what's so bad about Ai in the first place?

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 02:10 (twenty-one years ago)

rechenzentrum is playing SF on thursday. http://www.asphodel.com/doc/live.html

that'll be a busy night in SF, matmos is playing earlier at yerba buena center for the arts at 7pm.

― (Jon L), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Aside from earning my enmity by claiming that Claro Intellecto are releasing anything even remotely close to the quality of the Drexciya or the better end of Detroit electro in general. Their tracks are just a little too clean, a little too pretty.

As far as the general aesthetic of AI goes, it is just a little too sparkly and IDM lame. The Newtown comp was all just watered down rehash of other peoples accomplishments. It was like OK, here is the generic version of melodic idm, here are our half-ass techno tracks, here is the bunko electro side of our label, and here is some crunchy stuff... AI just embodies everything that is wrong with the genre at the moment. I suppose it is good as a current "idm take" on other people records, but it does not stand up to any of the original ideas. The most generous I could be it to say that it is almost competently lukewarm.

The new Michael Manning record is just more "childhood melodies" with a bit of indietronic drums thrown over the top. The first track is the highlight of the EP, and the rest of it is sub-BOC "delicate melodies". I mean I guess that was sort of cool back when Esa Ruoho was doing in 2000, but even Esa was borrowing the idea on those early DeFocus records.

I guess I want something a bit more vigorous, perhaps a bit more difficult. A little ugliness thrown into my beauty, anything to avoid the saccharine delights of this week’s disposable idm hit.

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 02:37 (twenty-one years ago)

i agree that eps 2-4 have been underwhelming...

as far as claro intelecto and the rest of the "half-ass techno tracks" on the newtown comp i agree it is lukewarm but i don't have much of a selection if i want to buy some ambient techno. most of the detroit guys are doing broken beat or house, the likemind crew have fallen off the map, the japanese are doing experimental hard disco loops, etc.

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I know what you mean, the best parts of that Newtown comp were the ambient listening bits. I think I felt the same way about the new LFO record.

As far as that stuff goes, there is a ton of material that already exists, you just have to dig for it. Look into the older John Beltran records, the first Detroit Escalator LP of Ferox, the old Apollo records...

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 03:26 (twenty-one years ago)

have you heard rechenzentrum's self titled 2000 release? i was listening to it for the millionth time today and was impressed all over again. dark and repetitive and full of interesting digital sounds. in a recent wire mag they say they suppose they're ambient music?

― phil turnbull (philT), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 05:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, later on the asphodel page mentioned above is an announcement for a scion paul st. hillaire show in sf. God damn. I wish that would happen in Chicago.

― direct_program, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Interesting, I'll have to check them out if I ever get home internet access again.

I still haven't heard anyone do melodies better than Telefon Tel Aviv.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

other great recent shows at asphodel's Compound: Maryanne Amacher, John Oswald, Otomo Yoshihide.

― (Jon L), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 19:30 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

I passed on Silence DVD the other day, has anyone got an opinion on this? I really enjoy Directors Cut but rarely watch the accompanying DVD.

― mmmm, Monday, 28 January 2008 21:56 (seventeen years ago)

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