DENZEL & HUHN

Time Is A Good Thing

Genre: ELECTRONIC

MP3
FLAC

Boomkat Product Review:

Bertram Denzel and Erik Huhn originally worked together with members of To Rococo Rot and Tarwater before those acts were propelled into the orbits of international acclaim. Denzel and Huhn have chosen a more reflective and personal path, releasing their debut "Filet" mini album for City Centre Offices just over eighteen months ago. Original tunes were created, with Bertram and Erik playing all the instruments, then the album was constructed entirely from small looped segments drawn from the originals, combining shifting time, grainy fragments of melody and serious bass, almost a rejection of the digital. 'Time is a good thing' was conceived as an expansive set, the duo building up little sound statements gradually, rejecting grand gestures in favour of something more developed and engaging. The result is an almost schizophrenic approach to minimalism - looking into the tradition of acoustic rendering into soulful, cinematic soundscaping, while also exploring a more grating, harsh and experimental aesthetic. Denzel + Huhn's approach to loops gives an unsettling impression, on "coend" things detune and the times shift and change. "A54" is typically Berlin, deepest low end sets the tone, gathering distant bell tones and whispers of vinyl static. "Kinogat" and "Shaffel" exhibit clear affinities with the lineage of To Rococo Rot, muted rhythms with horn textures transporting the listener, as the faintest massed strings really lift the lid on proceedings. "Ehe" takes a different tack, its eastern melodies providing an oriental flavour to proceedings. "Rebirthsample" reduces the fewest bars of ambient house into a rolling mantra, beyond chilled and into another dimension. "Rye" is an electronic blues for the 002, evocative thumb pianos and a brooding, deliberately slow movement. "Faller" brings us full circle, back solely to string instruments and detailed electronic settings. As a study of microscopic construction and scene-setting, ‘Time Is A Good Thing’ is a very different kind of record for CCO, but one that rewards and grows with every repeated listen. Fans of anything from Fennesz to SND to To Rococo Rot and back should delve deeper. Awesome.

MP3 Release (13)