We’re delighted to have the opportunity to talk about this new album - the fourth to date - of the Fred Und Luna project, created by mastermind German musician Rainer Buchmüller.
The first reason why we’re thrilled is that, as you know by now, on these pages we always try to give space to different, intriguing music that inspires us for its innate distinctiveness and eccentricity and this record fits perfectly into this category. Secondly, because we believe that this LP -which by the way is called 'Im Fünfminutentakt' (literally 'Every Five Minutes' or 'In five-minute intervals' as each track’s length is around 5 mins)- is an album that stands as a worthy ambassador of that typically German electronic sound which we really fond of, that takes inspiration from various artistic currents such as the German cabaret noir (in vogue since the first half of the twentieth century), that epitomises the social opposition to the ‘mainstream’ as way of thinking. The sense of humour, the irony, the playfulness but also the depth of thought, the crepuscular ambiences combined with an excellent knowledge for the manipulation of analogue musical instruments and a marked ability to tell stories, are in fact a trademark of many German musicians who have tried their hand at electronic production from the 80s onwards. We don't like making comparisons but listening to this LP - which dropped the last April 21st on Compost Records (release of catalog number CPT 613-1) - brought to our mind the harmonic progressions of the genius that Siriusmo is, another producer who utilises synthesizers in a rather ingenious and innovative way, making this harmonic/melodic-centered process the core of his production. What we clearly felt while listening to ‘Im Fünfminutentakt’, is the ability to write and arrange tracks that goes beyond the mere musical production, becoming almost fictional, epic. During the entire album, Buchmüller masterfully manages to maintain a very solid narrative balance, yet, still working out in his very personal way to drop some dimes here and there, letting small musical details leak out; always different, evolving, progressing and keeping an open end to the album. What we’re talking about here is a work that needs more plays to understand its essence and has the quality of appearing at the same time very simple, linear and very complex, something that can only be done by those who handle extremely skilfully their discipline. If we deep dive into listening, we find some very pressing rhythms at the beginning, with the opening track 'Aurum C' and its slightly dark vibes, announcing an imminent tension, while right after with 'Es ist so schön' - sung in three different languages- a more sober musical serenity comes back. Es ist so schön is a beautiful and melancholic electronic ballad expressing the joy of seeing your loved ones again after months of loneliness caused by the pandemic. 'Nur ein Viertelstündchen', 'Tanz mit mir' and 'Vision 58' embody the broken-beat side of the album; the first with its unquiet atmospheres and the final opening with some ethereal pads, the other two with their substantial low frequencies and their clean, straightforward but very effective melodies to balance the piece. 'Aventüre 1' reinvigorates with class and elegance the subtly sinister energy that we left behind after the opening track; that same energy is declined with an even stronger rhythmic temperament in the splendid 'Wir atmen digital' and in 'Eins Null Eins Eins Null' where the addition, albeit simple, of a clap in the rhythmic dialogue on the second quarter makes it a powerful club weapon (for DJs listening). Moving towards the end of this sonic journey we find 'Morgen' which appears as a serene and spectacular harmonic sunset after a long journey full of musical stimuli, and is the perfect prelude for the magnificent simplicity of the final track 'Sommer', in which the keyboards eventually take over giving life -with a sublimely written arrangement in which each instrument overlaps the other with class and sinuosity- to a sweet and majestic finale. If you’re ready to listen to some inspiring and very dynamic music, then ‘Fred Und Luna - Im Fünfminutentakt’-released on Compost Records- is the record you've been waiting for; and even us still have a lot to figure out about this album.
We’re delighted to have the opportunity to talk about this new album - the fourth to date - of the Fred Und Luna project, created by mastermind German musician Rainer Buchmüller.
The first reason why we’re thrilled is that, as you know by now, on these pages we always try to give space to different, intriguing music that inspires us for its innate distinctiveness and eccentricity and this record fits perfectly into this category. Secondly, because we believe that this LP -which by the way is called 'Im Fünfminutentakt' (literally 'Every Five Minutes' or 'In five-minute intervals' as each track’s length is around 5 mins)- is an album that stands as a worthy ambassador of that typically German electronic sound which we really fond of, that takes inspiration from various artistic currents such as the German cabaret noir (in vogue since the first half of the twentieth century), that epitomises the social opposition to the ‘mainstream’ as way of thinking. The sense of humour, the irony, the playfulness but also the depth of thought, the crepuscular ambiences combined with an excellent knowledge for the manipulation of analogue musical instruments and a marked ability to tell stories, are in fact a trademark of many German musicians who have tried their hand at electronic production from the 80s onwards. We don't like making comparisons but listening to this LP - which dropped the last April 21st on Compost Records (release of catalog number CPT 613-1) - brought to our mind the harmonic progressions of the genius that Siriusmo is, another producer who utilises synthesizers in a rather ingenious and innovative way, making this harmonic/melodic-centered process the core of his production. What we clearly felt while listening to ‘Im Fünfminutentakt’, is the ability to write and arrange tracks that goes beyond the mere musical production, becoming almost fictional, epic. During the entire album, Buchmüller masterfully manages to maintain a very solid narrative balance, yet, still working out in his very personal way to drop some dimes here and there, letting small musical details leak out; always different, evolving, progressing and keeping an open end to the album. What we’re talking about here is a work that needs more plays to understand its essence and has the quality of appearing at the same time very simple, linear and very complex, something that can only be done by those who handle extremely skilfully their discipline. If we deep dive into listening, we find some very pressing rhythms at the beginning, with the opening track 'Aurum C' and its slightly dark vibes, announcing an imminent tension, while right after with 'Es ist so schön' - sung in three different languages- a more sober musical serenity comes back. Es ist so schön is a beautiful and melancholic electronic ballad expressing the joy of seeing your loved ones again after months of loneliness caused by the pandemic. 'Nur ein Viertelstündchen', 'Tanz mit mir' and 'Vision 58' embody the broken-beat side of the album; the first with its unquiet atmospheres and the final opening with some ethereal pads, the other two with their substantial low frequencies and their clean, straightforward but very effective melodies to balance the piece. 'Aventüre 1' reinvigorates with class and elegance the subtly sinister energy that we left behind after the opening track; that same energy is declined with an even stronger rhythmic temperament in the splendid 'Wir atmen digital' and in 'Eins Null Eins Eins Null' where the addition, albeit simple, of a clap in the rhythmic dialogue on the second quarter makes it a powerful club weapon (for DJs listening). Moving towards the end of this sonic journey we find 'Morgen' which appears as a serene and spectacular harmonic sunset after a long journey full of musical stimuli, and is the perfect prelude for the magnificent simplicity of the final track 'Sommer', in which the keyboards eventually take over giving life -with a sublimely written arrangement in which each instrument overlaps the other with class and sinuosity- to a sweet and majestic finale. If you’re ready to listen to some inspiring and very dynamic music, then ‘Fred Und Luna - Im Fünfminutentakt’-released on Compost Records- is the record you've been waiting for; and even us still have a lot to figure out about this album.
