Though it may sound like hyperbole, the absolute masterpiece that is Format deserves to award Würden a place among the likes of Eno, Laraaji, Jenssen, Budd and Roach, such is the richness of content, diversity of technique and spellbinding atmospheric ambience. A genuine high-point in A Strangely Isolated Place’s already exquisitely curated catalogue, Format is a strong contender for album of the year. Overlook at your peril.
An electrifying experience
Not being familiar with the previous works of Max Würden (including extensive contributions to Kompakt’s excellent and ongoing Pop Ambient compilation series), the first listen through of Format came without any preconceptions or expectations, making the experience all the more electrifying. Described by A Strangely Isolated Place as “a collection of multi-disciplinary works,” they were recorded over a period of two years employing different techniques ranging from studio recordings through live performances and on to field recordings.
True to its name, the album also plays with the format through which it is delivered. If you purchase Format on vinyl you are presented with three different listening options: nine individual tracks that begin and end discreetly, a continuous digital mix and unique vinyl edits that mix the tracks that share sides. The album should come with instructions, as listening to these different versions reveals that the continuous mix and vinyl edits not only mix the tracks together, but also feature additional linking material not present on the individual tracks.
Sky-high production values
The optimum listening experience for Format is therefore the continuous mix (or vinyl edits for format junkies), and most definitely via speakers. Headphone listening is fine, but the album really comes alive when listened to through speakers, totally drenching the room in its ambient tropicala so ably illustrated by the Eno-esque, collage cover art that further hints not only at the variety of timbres on Format, but also the sky-high production values.
Opening with the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot, “Capsules of Energy” bristles with exactly that: the electric hum of drones, surges of static and power fluctuations along with distant acoustic instrumentation. It’s a powerful opener to an album of such ambient variety it’s amazing that it works as a cohesive experience. “Dessicate” expands on this feeling of latent, stored up energy, with wowing pads simmering under layers of high-pitched feedback, fluttering synth strings and looping acoustic instruments, its multiple layers so deftly interwoven it becomes hard to separate them, even as they begin to hypnotise. Bird song, animal chatter, the clang of metal, oriental cymbals and snatches of pitch-shifted vocal intonations are all soaked in reverb on “Closeness” with another soothing background drone that beams waves of warmth across the sound-stage so rich you can almost feel them, segueing seamlessly into the title track. Probably the most difficult piece on Format, this is a caustic blend of guitar-feedback drones phase and filter, bloom and blossom, deafening the listener for a challenging nine-and-a-half minutes, latterly featuring huge analogue pads sweeping across a giant, subterranean heart-beat.
A work of unalloyed brilliance
It is at this point that the first passage of continuous mix-exclusive music appears, a Carpenteresque melody looped atop epic, reverb drenched Oriental bells and percussive clangs, connecting the title track to the incredible eclecticism of “Wirkungsgrad,” a track that almost defies description. More Oriental percussion, clanks and chimes are treated with a myriad of different processing techniques, joined a few minutes later by a rhythmic pulse that immediately brings Biosphere’s seminal Substrata to mind. It’s a work of unalloyed brilliance.
After the enigmatic, icy shivers of “Spectral” comes the growling guitar stabs of the foreboding and darkly ominous “Metamorphose” that morph into a passage of Debussy-like orchestral strings, and suddenly the various formats veer off down different aural pathways.
It’s hard to tell if the standalone version of “Metamorphose” is a longer edit, but both mixed versions feel like they cut it short with a unique extended passage that begins with the rustle of leaves, followed by one of Format‘s most affecting moments. The sudden chime of a huge bell seemingly designed to penetrate the soul repeatedly rings from out of nowhere with a sub-bass burst that shakes the room, and a cascade of twinkling keys lead into the following track on the digital mix, and fade to silence on the vinyl.
Even the more traditional, straightforward ambient tracks here are nothing short of a revelation, so deeply involving, lushly textured and enveloping you can’t help but get lost in their depth-of-focus. “Exothermic Reaction” is one such track, mixing the hypnotic ingredient of a looping two-note tone that recalls Dropsonde or N-Plants period Biosphere with the heady, fragranced pastoral beauty of Harold Budd at his finest, reeling you into the fields of analogue flourishes.
A strong contender for album of the year
Though it may sound like hyperbole, the absolute masterpiece that is Format deserves to award Würden a place among the likes of Eno, Laraaji, Jenssen, Budd and Roach, such is the richness of content, diversity of technique and spellbinding atmospheric ambience. A genuine high-point in A Strangely Isolated Place’s already exquisitely curated catalogue, Format is a strong contender for album of the year. Overlook at your peril.
Format is available on A Strangely Isolated Place.
