RVDS takes elements of Detroit and Chicago and dabs them with his own brush.
Since 2011 Richard Graf von der Schulenburg, aka RVDS, has taken on a lupine quality. This is not to say the German artist, and founder has turned into some savage of Techno tooth and Club claw. No, instead RVDS’ recent output has had an obsession or compulsive attraction to that oracular orbital of the night sky; The Moon. All three of his 2011 EPs contained “Moon” in the title. It appears Mr von der Schulenburg is not finished with this fixation as his latest Lunar Eclipse EP maintaines a similar motif.
Lunar Eclipse has a much rawer edge than some of his previous works. Some of the more softened aspects of the past are present, but there’s something tougher here. “Noises in Black” stretches like some protstrate acid cat, its claws digging into the carpet with 808 snares. In RVDS form, some sounds is quite subdued. “Strings in Black” may sound like a sonorous assailant ready to beat your ears, instead a colourful House track ensues. There’s something of L.I.E.S. to the EP, the House template being employed to explore other sounds. The title piece shifts away from the predecessors with RVDS offering up quite a melodic piece of synth to play out the EP.
IT’S claims to be a “label in the field of club music.” If ever there was a vague tag line. Such an ambiguous description, care of Discogs, doesn’t do either the label or its boss credit. RVDS has released a weird and wonderful mix of sounds. He isn’t a Techno artist or House producer, nor is he a Minimal Pop purveyor. True, there is a love of the 303 to his sound but everything is softened almost beyond recognition. RVDS takes elements of Detroit and Chicago and dabs them with his own brush. This is true of Lunar Eclipse. Some club-like elements are present, with “Noises in Black” having the necessary muscle. But there is a more melodic side of the 12” coming through, especially in the title track. An interesting, and quite individual, record from Von Der Schulenburg.
Lunar Eclipse is available on IT’S. Buy at Clone.
