Eskalation – Different Music For Basson, Wind Synthesizer and Electric Percussion Vol. 2: Adventures! (2020)
Artist: Eskalation
Album: Different Music For Basson, Wind Synthesizer and Electric Percussion Vol. 2: Adventures!
Genre: RIO, Progressive Rock, Avant-Prog
Year Of Release: 2020
Quality: FLAC (tracks+.cue)
Tracklist:
1. Autumn (prologue). 1:10
2. Advances. 4:29
3. Snow Trails. 6:22
4. Sixty. 4:14
5. Letting Go (for My Mother). 2:46
6. Interlude: A Corona Nocturne. 1:14
7. About Progress. 2:24
8. Behind The Door. 6:27
9. Medley: The Waiting Game / Simple Life / Reprisal. 5:16
10. Thx 4 Nth. 3:27
11. Autumn (epilogue). 2:01
Personnel:
– Stephan Koehr | composer, bassoon & contrabassoon, flute, EWI, keyboards, electric hand drums, programming
With:
– Miriam Hannah Adorf | voice (11)
– Alan Benjamin | Chapman Stick (1)
– Sibylle Szymanski-Koehr | violin (10)
Quite surprised this decent chamber rock creation was produced almost by a talented avantgarde jazz rocker Stephan only, and kinda pity I’ve not known for one and half a decade such a fantasia launched in 2001 (thanks to my prog friend Ian aka Nogbad_The_Bad for lettin’ me know). The album “Different Music For Bassoon, Wind Synthesizer And Sampled Percussion” has a too long title for us to memorize easily, but this title can be well said for appealing Stephan’s soundscape here. Cannot mention precisely sorry but there is certainly a fuzzy, dizzy sound collective created with various instruments by only one genius in sound- making.
Pretty excellent is the combination of eccentric ethnicity and solemn chamber music featuring beautiful percussive sounds of a synthesizer-oriented (maybe) xylophone. The audience would get immersed completely in the first shot “Prelude” I guess. “Mumien” has a fragile but dangerous, close-to-the-edge atmosphere along with unstable crescendo-diminuendo air waves. His saxophone is very majestic in spite of the instability. A synth-based pipe organ sound reminds us of such a tragedy. Sampled percussion is impressive and cannot be veiled in pieces of dark sound curtain in “Prozession”.
Repetitive and mysterious funky / cooly electronica in “Böse Heiden” should give serious impulse again and again, and amazing is the track might be somewhat delightful. The following one “A Crack In The Universe” characterized with programmed drumming bravery must activate and accelerate us (me at least) eventually … so this is one of my favourite ones. “Sille Tanzt” gives us a dreamy dream drenched in YMO-ish electronicity. Slight poppy texture makes us smilie but don’t get deceived …
“Zwölf Und Fünf” is kinda sound killer flooded with bombastic electronic explosion. A short piece but plenty of essence this has definitely. Speaking of “electronic pop”, the eighth track “Folksong I” is a fantastic electro-pop with eerie phrases and passions, without any folksy touch (lol). On the contrary, the following “Totes Mehr” has obviously dramatic magnification featuring electronic wall of sounds enough. The latter upsurge of sound emotion can be called as a stairway to avantgarde jazz rock world. Please rush into the crazy finale “Vier Stufen” and back to eskalating chamber world again. Bravo.
Review by DamoXt7942
