Browse by Artist: MARSEN JULES

Artist:	MARSEN JULES
Title:	Les Fleurs
Label:	CITY CENTRE OFFICES (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	CCO 034CD

This is Germany-based Marsen Jules' (Martin Juhls) second full-length release, after his highly-acclaimed 2005 debut, Herbstlaub. If Herbstlaub represented the sound of frost-shrouded autumn, then new album Les Fleurs sees Marsen Jules throwing open the windows and welcoming in the scent of spring. An intricately plotted series of ambient machinations, Herbstlaub was a record that delighted in technology without leaving the listener suffering from digital cold-shoulder -- exchanging the often austere environs of sample-based compositions for a piquant study of lush crate-digging. Opening through the beautiful chimes of "Oeillet Sauvage," Jules allows a diffused soundscape to slowly bloom -- enveloping the listener in a miasma of creamy vibraphone-bruised resonance that is neither overpowering nor sleight. Bolstered by the introduction of genuine instrumentation, Jules seems to have discovered a more outlandish side to his personality, with the thrumming percussion of "La Digitale Poupre" and sonorous bass of "Coquelicot" both exhibiting a more pronounced willingness to firm up the tacit reference points in his work. Whilst comparisons can be readily drawn with the likes of Harold Budd, Max Richter, Arvo Pärt and even William Basinski, Marsen Jules is nonetheless utterly unique -- mixing his evident love of skewed compositions with a real ear for melody. The aural equivalent of catching sight of something on a sunny day from the corner of your eye, Les Fleurs shreds its source material then scatters it to the wind -- creating a sound that is at once calming without becoming soporific, and exhilarating without veering towards the breathless. Jules demands a wider audience for his work and manages to introduce lashings of strings for "Coeur Saignant" and not call upon the clichéd notions of cheap orchestration or dreaded imaginary film soundtrack references. Jules closes the album with "Oeillet En Delta" wherein a honeyed breed of blunted ambience brings down the curtain in considerable style. If the summer is half as good as this musical spring, we're in for a scorcher.

Artist:	MARSEN JULES
Title:	Yara Remastered
Label:	OKTAF (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	OKTAF 001CD

The new label Oktaf is a platform for music in the realm of ambient, neo-classical and modern jazz. Marsen Jules presents one of his most important albums to-date -- a work of warm, shimmering ambient soundscapes, originally released on the Autoplate label in 2004, now available on CD for the first time and completely remastered. The Dortmund-based musician has been pushing the boundaries between ambient and neo-classical with his releases on City Centre Offices as well as with his contributions to the renowned Pop Ambient series on Kompakt for quite some time now. His music casts a delicate warmth that combines both digital and analog elements to create a sound that has inspired many artists over the years. With a completely reworked and remastered version, Marsen Jules fulfills his wish to release this gem from the back-catalog of the internet-label Thinner so that it will get the attention it deserves. On his follow-up to 2003's Lazy Sunday Funerals, Marsen Jules continues to work on his vision of blending otherworldly strings with fragile ambient sounds. The resulting compositions are reminiscent of the deep, atmospheric sounds of the Pop Ambient compilations, but in their minimalistic approach also pay respect to experimental composers such as Steve Reich and Eric Satie. The source material for Yara was the recording of a band from the circle of Marsen Jules' friends. After listening to it repeatedly, the background noises of the concert that were recorded accidently became more and more important for him: the tuning of an instrument, the opening of a beer can, the laughter of someone from the audience -- emotional moments that transcend the music itself and capture the very atmosphere of the concert. These acoustic fragments were afterwards digitally re-edited in the sense of musique concrète and then put together again to create a texture of elegant ambient sounds. The result is a highly personal sonic web of modulated loops and permanent tempo variations that have influenced many musicians in their creative output. The re-mastered version now impresses with an even richer, more complex sound than the original. In addition, U.S. designer Noah McDonald provided the cover artwork. Includes two bonus tracks not included on the original release. Limited to 500 copies only.

Artist:	MARSEN JULES
Title:	Nostalgia
Label:	OKTAF (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	OKTAF 003CD

In 2005, Marsen Jules won over the hearts of many ambient enthusiasts with his CD debut Herbstlaub (CCO 023LP), released on the prestigious Berlin electronica imprint City Centre Offices. By that time, it was mainly Wolfgang Voigt and his famous Gas project who was associated with elegiac variations of orchestral sound fragments. Soon after its release, Herbstlaub helped to shape the sound of many aspiring artists such as Rafael Anton Irisarri and Deaf Center and was considered to be a kind of blueprint for the now-popular neo classics genre. With Nostalgia, Marsen Jules now delivers the eagerly-awaited follow- up to Herbstlaub, six years after its initial release. The eight tracks on the CD all have a strong taste of yearning and melancholia that picks things up where Jules left them in 2005. Even more than before, orchestral elements are now the center of the elegiac sound tableaus. These fragments allow the willing listener to get a small, but nevertheless intense glimpse into the unique sonic array that Marsen Jules is capable of creating. Desire, rebellion and mortality are the three central motifs that are explored over the course of the 43-minute running time. The opener "A Moment of Grace" transports the listener deeply into the musical universe of Marsen Jules by marrying fragile strings with sparse electronic elements. With its dramatic strings, the title track "Nostalgia" oscillates between stasis and motion, between rebellion and resignation. With "Shadow/Waltz" and "Endless Whisper Of The Old Brigade," Marsen Jules explores the darker side of his sonic continuum by painting ethereal, droning ambient soundscapes. After two dark and distorted tracks, the album finds its way back to its dreamier side with "Sweet Sweet Longing" and "Kunderas Dream." Finally, Marsen Jules releases the listener into a better, more peaceful world with the hauntingly beautiful "Sleep My Brother, Sleep." With his spherical compositions, Nostalgia offers the perfect soundtrack for windy spring nights for everybody interested in ambient, electronica and modern classical music.

Previous Page Index of Artists Next Page