Driftmachine collaborates with Andreas Ammer on Sonic Behaviour, a celebration of sound and noise that juxtaposes poetry with dubby, hypnotic soundscapes and siren wails.
The origins and mechanics of sound, noise, and music
For the first time, the analog sound researchers of Driftmachine incorporate spoken language and noise into their sound research. They recently have collaborated with word and sound artist Andreas Ammer, renowned for his radio plays with Acid Pauli, aka Console (“Spaceman 85”), or FM Einheit (“Radio Inferno,” “Symphony of Sirens”). In “The Siren Is A Simple Device,” the words are spoken by 81-year-old musician and poet legend Ted Milton (Blurt, Loopspool). Drifting drones and tones, loosened modular dub and hypnotic synthesizer escapism, Driftmachine celebrated Umor Rex‘s 15th anniversary with the previous Spume & Recollection—tranquilizing the senses with emphasis on pulsing lo-fi drums and subtle bass elements throughout.
The core of the new album is “Song To Noise,” an electro-acoustic mini-symphony about the beauties of noise and all its producers, which is based on a poem by the British poet Deryn Rees-Jones and spoken by the poet herself and Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten, Hackedepicciotto). “Sonic Sculpture” is the zenith of the work: a text/music track spoken by Ted Milton, which creates the possibility of a sound sculpture that encompasses the universe: What if one could imagine the infernal sound that encompasses all conceivable harmonies at the same time?
The band are a duo of Andreas Gerth (Tied & Tickled Trio) and Florian Zimmer (Saroos), much appreciated for their sonic work, which intertwines electronic patterns that don’t quite belong together, creating a palpable sense of tension in the process. Sonic Behaviour is a conceptual piece by Driftmachine and Ammer that explores the origins and mechanics of sound, noise, and music—especially, how the profound and sublime may originate from air vibrations. Among their always experimental yet vibey production, these guys have been patiently sailing beneath the radar for going on a decade now, adding with the new full-length which serves moments of reflections and pleasurable overthinking.
Sonic Behaviour is available on Umor Rex. [Bandcamp]
