“…Kernkrach know good minimal synth, and they proved their knowledge have once again with this 7”. The couplet are two sides of the same coin. One exploring the colder abstractions of synth wave, the other looking down the corridor of the styled fashion of minimal pop…”
(October 2010) Kernkrach are adding to their 2010 account with a 7″ by Gertrud Stein on their Hertz-Schrittmacher sub-label. There are few labels that put more into the look their releases as Kernkrach. V/Vm were very good at it, Musik Aus Strom definitely so and Toytronic were pretty nifty. Kernkrach are able, through some of the simplest measures, to turn a record into a piece of art, with Stein’s latest coming with paper napkin and plastic knife (which got through customs with no problems.) Anyway, we are not here to talk about sleeve art; what is the contents of this pale turquoise 7″ like?
Blümchen opens with the title piece. Along thick analogue bars and lonely beats the track builds, injecting indecipherable vocals as the tempo builds. The track has a nice pace to it, with a degree of ADN’ Ckrystall in the mix for good measure. The b-side, despite pressing instructions, comes in at 33rpm. “New Gold Dream ” has echoes of its predecessor, but the melody is much more in the line of disenfranchised synth pop. There is a cleanness to the piece, a warmth in the clinical female lyrics that sits well with the catchy synth line.
Kernkrach know good minimal synth, and they proved their knowledge have once again with this 7″. The couplet are two sides of the same coin. One exploring the colder abstractions of synth wave, the other looking down the corridor of the styled fashion of minimal pop. Next month is the Kernkrach festival, and for anyone interested in minimal synth who finds themselves in Frankfurt should definitely check it out. This latest by Gertrud Stein is testament to the quality that the festival will host, not to mention the quality of this superb German imprint.
Blümchen is out now on Kernkrach
