Amazingly, most of the sounds you hear are indeed still emanating from Hauschka’s inspirationally prepared piano, so ingeniously employed to conjure imagery and effortlessly shift moods, tempo and colour.
[Release page] Serein’s Seasons 2011 series of ten-inch vinyl EPs comes to a close with Hauschka‘s thee-track Youyoume and my word, talk about saving the best ’til last! Volker Bertelmann has been very busy recently, the last twelve or so months seeing the release of the orchestral Foreign Landscapes and the Berlin-techno inspired Salon des Amateurs on FatCat subsidiary 130701 in late 2010 and early 2011 respectively, the critically acclaimed Pan Tone, a collaboration with cellist Hildur Gudmundottir (another busy, celebrated musician with several recent releases on the UK Touch label, also soon to be joining David Sylvian on his Implausible Beauty tour) and a further collaboration with Brazilian artist Rosilene Luduvico.
Given the stylistic content of this three track EP you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s a collection of outtakes or unused material from some of these other projects, but rest assured that even if that were the case, the three tracks on Youyoume gel so completely that any misgivings will be be rapidly dismissed. Yes, the epic a-side “So Close” is another track inspired by early nineties era Kompakt techno, but across its expansive thirteen minutes you get the very essence of everything Hauschka as its varied landscapes unfold before you. It’s a formula somewhat at odds with the more frenetic and intense hustle and bustle of the night out on the town that is the music scene oriented ‘Salon des Amateurs.’
Amazingly, most of the sounds you hear are indeed still emanating from Hauschka’s inspirationally prepared piano, so ingeniously employed to conjure imagery and effortlessly shift moods, tempo and colour. From Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto-esque echoing piano glitch, pepper-grinder percussion and dark, steam-powered locomotion through to cascades of delicate piano keys and bright whistles, “So Close” runs the gamut of Hauschka house techniques and tinkerings, a sprawling, multiple border-crossing expedition. The reflective and lonely closing moments of the track are a superb preparation for the two more traditional pieces on the flip-side. “So Far” wouldn’t sound out of place on a Dustin O’Halloran record, it is that emotionally raw and completely stripped of preparation, whilst the melancholy “Paige and June” adds beautifully warm cello into the mix. It isn’t in any way jarring, the shift in style coming across as a natural, even expected, progression.
It feels like a very long and eventful emotional journey that you’ve traveled by the time Youyoume reaches its sublime conclusion, and it’s releases like this (along with the other entries in the Seasons 2011 series) that make one glad that the art of the EP lives on. Better still, even though they are all complete works in every sense of the word, playing the entire Seasons 2011 series back again reveals a shared voice that vividly relates to or suggests traveling, which also helps to unify them as a collection. Sadly Serein are not planning on releasing a new series in 2012, but hopefully we will see other full lengths (including a solo offering from label-owner Huw Roberts that is currently in the works) from the imprint very, very soon.
Youyoume is available on Serein. [Release page]
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