A nice drone is what the doctor orders for putting the body and the mind in full-respite mode, but that drone should be made by people who know what they’re doing. Enter Ralf Steinbrüchel – engenderer of the most stimulating brand of electronica in recent years – and sleep like an angel, as Sustain represents exactly the kind of alleviating experience that one would want to reiterate forever, even while yawning his day away at the office.
Wouldn’t it be good, as Nik Kershaw used to sing, if every ugly face and meaningless sentence muttered by squeaking chicken-like creatures were completely cancelled by a robust juxtaposition of low frequencies - only slightly enhanced by intertwining, spiralling harmonic recurrences and (presumably) shortwave radio - that sounds as a wonderfully stuck church organ? You just have to spin this 3-inch CD – infinite repeat is a must – and let your interior mechanisms do the rest. The bulk of this music is sturdily built, the foundations never shake, the result is excellent, including the crunchy noise - similar to ancient vinyl - accompanying the conclusion of the piece. Diffusing from the speakers, this stuff is intoxicating and marvellously hypnotic. Sometimes a raspy curmudgeon loves to be caressed by a Swiss architect who’s able to generate extraordinary currents of aural bliss: this small gem definitely belongs in Steinbrüchel’s very best production – and in your collection.
Touching Extremes
Ralph Steinbrüchel arbeitet sich in seinem Klanguniversum in immer neue Nuancen voran. Seine zart von innen heraus pochenden Kristallgebirge der letzten Alben werden hier nun durch einen unheimlich warmen, kraftvoll-streichenden Sound ersetzt. Hier ist alles weichgezeichnet und saftig-voll. Leider wird der Genuß des ca. 20-minütiegn Drones roundabout Minute 5 schmerzhaft durch zitterndes Rasseln als Folge eines Brennfehlers getrübt - weshalb ich CDR-Formate auch so hasse. Da nützt auch nichts die äußerst liebevolle Verpackung und die Handnummerierung auf 150. Etwas schade…
Zipo
AUFABWEGEN [DE]
A second Steinbrüchel release within two weeks. That's what I call quite a treaty. Completely in style of the label Sustain is a minimal piece of music, though with another approach so far heard on Koyuki.
Not so long I had this discussion with someone about the young modern musician who is working in a free unlimited way. People like Xela, Svarte Greiner, Jasper TX, The North Sea, Wouter van Veldhoven and Machinefabriek (the most productive of all) release whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever the want. And that all with a certain amount of quality. It looks like a global reaction to the whole music industry. It's a free way of doing things. Ambient with a punk attitude.
You might wonder why I bring this up, but just a few days ago I was reviewing the album Home by Steinbrüchel and now I am already up to the next one: Sustain.
Sustain is a 3" cdr release packaged in a nice format with partly transparent artwork. Completely in the style with the rest of the label that released it: Koyuki. This is the fifth release in their CD-R Editions. And again it's based on minimalism.
Compared with the other releases I have heard so far the approach of minimalism is quite different though. Instead of using silence, Steinbrüchel plays with meandering drones and hiss. Like on his previous release, Home, he again works with sounds that have a meditative soothing feeling. Although on Sustain the sound is quite different.
As the title suggests the notes sustain very long. The change of the sound is so minimal that at first you would not really notice the evolution in the sound. Though the strong point in this release is that the actual change is in such a way effective that it grabs you and keeps dragging you in, so you want to keep listening.
Maybe it is nothing new that Steinbrüchel does here, but it's done with such care for detail that it still is a beautiful piece that you shouldn't miss out on.
Hopefully the future will bring us some small changes in for his musical direction. I guess we will know that in a month or two...
Sietse van Erve
EARLABS
koyuki was founded by Italian members David Sani (shinkei) and Luigi Turra and this new mini-CD-R - already sold-out - is the fifth release on this imprint.
Most of the CD-R’s in this label last in 20 minutes or so which is now the case with “Sustain” of Swiss sound artist Ralph Steinbruchel.
This is a drone and quiet piece that basically evolves over the same that slowly goes from one side to the other of the stereo system.
A very cinematic music quite and blissful harmonic structure.
www.koyuki-sound.org and www.synchron.ch
GuillermoEscudero
LOOP [CL]
Koyuki Sound continues to enthrall, with this latest edition from ultra minimalism’s Grand Master, Steinbrüchel. Koyuki’s credibility rating at hosting a Steinbrüchel release has been greatly boosted by his presence, and here we see his work taking an overtly tonal direction. Apparently culled from fragments of recently released works, Basis, and Stage, Sustain is a pure drone work that shifts around the stereo field, shifting focus and direction occasionally, but in the main, steering a direct course for 20 or so minutes, rarely moving away from it’s central theme. Here, tones collapse and interface with each other, shifting harmonics and dynamics, stratified loops and whorls that gently glow and evaporate, rubbing against an intense bass sub layer. Sustain lulls the listener into blissful voids and calming tonalities, leaving you as if basking in the heat of the sun. One of Steinbrüchel’s most successful short form works, and undoubtedly a release to get hold of quickly, as it will surely sell fast.
Beautiful. BGN
WHITE_LINE [UK]
I'm a big fan of Ralph Steinbruchel's work and I enjoy the varied sound palette he offers to the listener. This falls firmly into his more melancholic, introspective sound that we heard on the Room40 release Basis and comes as a 21 minute slice of pure heaven on a 3".
An intense first minute or so leads into a gently filtered chord sound that's all about the subtle resonance within the tone itself. It has a deeply hypnotic quality and an innate melodic feel that lends itself to sitting back and blissing out. Another very nice release from Koyuki to follow up on the Fourm CDr. Pure class.
Mike Oliver
SMALLFISH [UK]