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12"
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AMEL 710EP
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ambiq presents the second 12" of remixes of tracks from their 2015 album ambiq 2 (AMEL 708CD/LP), following Ricardo Villalobos and Tobias Freund's 2015 remixes. Thomas Fehlmann (The Orb) remixes "Meta" with classic rolling techno elements, while maintaining the eerie musical saw quivers and drum kit chatter of the original; it's a mutant dub that permeates every corner of listener's active imagination. Margaret Dygas's noir-tinged remix of "The Mother" incorporates all kinds of clever low-end subtleties and sliced-and- diced sound fragments while still leaving plenty of room for ambiq's woodwinds and percussive commentary.
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CD
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AMEL 708CD
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ambiq, the Berliner instrumental trio of Max Loderbauer, Claudio Puntin, and Samuel Rohrer, emerged onto the scene in 2014 with their self-titled debut album (AM 703CD/LP) of impressive sonic distinctiveness and technical ability. Drinking from a deep pool of influences that includes free improv, early electronic music, and spaced-out dub, the trio does what any great ensemble should set out to do; it becomes more than the sum of its parts, a single organism with its own unique expressive vocabulary and perspective. Proving that their debut was no fluke, the ambiq trio has already reconvened for a second full-length bubbling over with new timbral combinations, and with a sophisticated interpretation of the ancient art of tension and release. From the opener "The Spur," they bring the listener to a world where strange new tonalities seem to breathe freely; the nimble percussive shuffle, set in relief against a cascade of detuning electronic tones, is a fascinating intro, followed by "Introspective Kitchen," which expands the mood of the preceding track with cleverly delay-effected woodwind, remote organ swells, and yet more shivering percussion. The band then embarks on a more motoring, danceable journey titled "The Mother"; Rohrer's drumming, as always, is taut and confident, while Puntin's clarinet evocatively hovers with a kosmische feel that is all too absent from most realms of "post-rock" and electronics-aided improv. The interplay between Puntin and Rohrer eventually develops into the main dialogue of the album, though the sound events surrounding it change continuously enough to keep this a fully memorable and downright cinematic experience. The miniature piece "Naked George" is as full of humorous melody as the other pieces are of investigative curiosity; another short piece, "Mytoprill," is guided by queasy modular synth strains that impart a delirious kind of funhouse ambience. On "Parton's Double Vision," the lush space-violin-quavers familiar to vintage sci-fi fans play the supporting role, and the closing "Consolation" features a lulling bed of electronics that elusively shift in character the more attention one pays to them. Plenty of music exists for the open-minded, but not all of it has the ability to initiate the process of opening minds in the first place. ambiq does have that ability, and have come up with a musical formula that will melt away the defenses of the most hardened techno fanatic or avant-gardist, seeding new ideas not beholden to any one genre or lifestyle.
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LP
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AMEL 708LP
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LP version. ambiq, the Berliner instrumental trio of Max Loderbauer, Claudio Puntin, and Samuel Rohrer, emerged onto the scene in 2014 with their self-titled debut album (AM 703CD/LP) of impressive sonic distinctiveness and technical ability. Drinking from a deep pool of influences that includes free improv, early electronic music, and spaced-out dub, the trio does what any great ensemble should set out to do; it becomes more than the sum of its parts, a single organism with its own unique expressive vocabulary and perspective. Proving that their debut was no fluke, the ambiq trio has already reconvened for a second full-length bubbling over with new timbral combinations, and with a sophisticated interpretation of the ancient art of tension and release. From the opener "The Spur," they bring the listener to a world where strange new tonalities seem to breathe freely; the nimble percussive shuffle, set in relief against a cascade of detuning electronic tones, is a fascinating intro, followed by "Introspective Kitchen," which expands the mood of the preceding track with cleverly delay-effected woodwind, remote organ swells, and yet more shivering percussion. The band then embarks on a more motoring, danceable journey titled "The Mother"; Rohrer's drumming, as always, is taut and confident, while Puntin's clarinet evocatively hovers with a kosmische feel that is all too absent from most realms of "post-rock" and electronics-aided improv. The interplay between Puntin and Rohrer eventually develops into the main dialogue of the album, though the sound events surrounding it change continuously enough to keep this a fully memorable and downright cinematic experience. The miniature piece "Naked George" is as full of humorous melody as the other pieces are of investigative curiosity; another short piece, "Mytoprill," is guided by queasy modular synth strains that impart a delirious kind of funhouse ambience. On "Parton's Double Vision," the lush space-violin-quavers familiar to vintage sci-fi fans play the supporting role, and the closing "Consolation" features a lulling bed of electronics that elusively shift in character the more attention one pays to them. Plenty of music exists for the open-minded, but not all of it has the ability to initiate the process of opening minds in the first place. ambiq does have that ability, and have come up with a musical formula that will melt away the defenses of the most hardened techno fanatic or avant-gardist, seeding new ideas not beholden to any one genre or lifestyle.
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2LP
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AM 703LP
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LP version. 180-gram vinyl. 2014 release. German pianist Max Loderbauer, in continuing his work with the Buchla 200e synthesizer system, joins two Swiss musicians and veterans of ECM Records, clarinetist Claudio Puntin on clarinets, mini mallets, and electronics; and percussionist Samuel Rohrer on drums, Kaoss Pad, and electronics to form ambiq, a group dedicated to the exploration of remote musical universes. Their debut self-titled album, released on Rohrer's label arjunamusic records, aims to open doors of perception to the electronic scene by means of enhanced possibilities of instrumental interaction. Rohrer, as an improvisatory sound pilot, is able to elegantly navigate beats and anti-beats. He expands the world of rhythmic functions with his artistic, cross-style overall concept to include striking emotional components. His percussion style flows with an implicit quality into his electronic arrangements, returns enriched with seductive energy, and presents itself as the crucible for the contributions of his fellow passengers. Claudio Puntin's unmistakably smooth sound as he plays on all members of the clarinet family, with the support of mallets and electronics, is familiar from numerous CDs and performances, as well as from film, audio-drama, and theater productions. His live concept of floating electronic spaces and layers of overtones and loops, which he customizes for his clarinet sounds, opens up divine dimensions while creating the harmonic, melodic, and tonal orbit for the satellites of his fellow musicians. With its unique blend of modular synthesizer, drums, electronic rhythms, clarinet, and electronics, ambiq develops mysterious electro-acoustic soundscapes, somewhere between the outer reaches of techno, electronica, and jazz.
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12"
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AMEL 706EP
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Ricardo Villalobos and Tobias Freund bring electroacoustic music into an alternative techno-environment with remixes of two tracks from ambiq's 2014 self-titled album (AM 703CD/LP). Max Loderbauer, Samuel Rohrer, and Claudio Puntin create floating states like those of Brian Eno or Moritz von Oswald, all paired with great groove sensibility, a superb human touch, and world-class mastery of their instruments. Villalobos's stripped-down, repetitive aesthetic reshapes "Tund" with constant bass, chimes, and other mystifying sounds captivating the ear. Freund creates a minimal and industrially brooding remix of "Toxic Underground" with eerie minimal twangs and a grating discord.
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CD
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AM 703CD
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2014 release. German pianist Max Loderbauer, in continuing his work with the Buchla 200e synthesizer system, joins two Swiss musicians and veterans of ECM Records, clarinetist Claudio Puntin on clarinets, mini mallets, and electronics; and percussionist Samuel Rohrer on drums, Kaoss Pad, and electronics to form ambiq, a group dedicated to the exploration of remote musical universes. Their debut self-titled album, released on Rohrer's label arjunamusic records, aims to open doors of perception to the electronic scene by means of enhanced possibilities of instrumental interaction. Rohrer, as an improvisatory sound pilot, is able to elegantly navigate beats and anti-beats. He expands the world of rhythmic functions with his artistic, cross-style overall concept to include striking emotional components. His percussion style flows with an implicit quality into his electronic arrangements, returns enriched with seductive energy, and presents itself as the crucible for the contributions of his fellow passengers. Claudio Puntin's unmistakably smooth sound as he plays on all members of the clarinet family, with the support of mallets and electronics, is familiar from numerous CDs and performances, as well as from film, audio-drama, and theater productions. His live concept of floating electronic spaces and layers of overtones and loops, which he customizes for his clarinet sounds, opens up divine dimensions while creating the harmonic, melodic, and tonal orbit for the satellites of his fellow musicians. With its unique blend of modular synthesizer, drums, electronic rhythms, clarinet, and electronics, ambiq develops mysterious electro-acoustic soundscapes, somewhere between the outer reaches of techno, electronica, and jazz. CD edition features two exclusive tracks, "Talion" and "Tarantula."
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