Wednesday 12 May 2010

Moebius Ist Ein Gott!

Photobucket

For 2 and a half years i have played a Moog Rogue. I don't think i can look at it in the same way anymore. Since my 18th birthday i've been listening routinely to Moebius-Plank-Neuimeier's Zero set, now, to me electronics sound different, a present that changed everything. I was always aware of the capacity synthesizers had, the range in sound and dimension you could achieve but never really appreciated the true fucking value of synthesis. Moebius gave me that ear and capability to manipulate a synthesizer into any fucking shape. Nothing is impossible now. Before the sound of a car was reachable, jet engines - piss, bass - tick, pretty sounding things - sorted, hmmmm where to now? i've mastered this machine i thought. Bollocks. I needed zero set, to kick me up the arse, i'd been blown away to the point of no return i needed to hear the rest to keep me from going insane so i picked up a copy of Beerbohm and Moebius' 'strange music' and Moebius' own 'Tonspuren' and they all seemed to get better and better, i have played the Moog differently ever since. A sound just isn't complete any more, there is always one more thing i can do to it, taking it to the extremes, until you've moved so far away from your original patch that, in essence was actually quite good to the point that it now sounds nothing like it ever was supposed to. Getting Picasso on it. The more fucking wild the better, take it to within an inch of breaking point, total all out fucking chaos. If i'm going to make a beautiful sound do i just play the notes? do i play it with this on and then this off with this on it with a significant helping of this? Sounds now take on quite familiar shapes, for example writing a line that sounds like it's made of glass, or maybe an underwater bass line, String stabs? a farting envelope generator perhaps?

Photobucket

Moebius' records are for the unsaved, the criminals who make synthesizers sound twee and shit or who don't take them to their total capabilities. There are infinite ways to play a synthesizer and the feeling you get when you listen to Moebius is that every sound he has created has been executed with great care, care in the sense of it's placement, conviction and heart when playing it - is it a sound that can lead you gently into a dream? or is it one that is projecting a hard concrete image? Either way he's nailed it. His bass sounds have so much definition and when a guitar is used it's a different instrument entirely thanks to Conny Plank of course but that's another tribute for another day. He layers a song that will never rapidly descent into madness or will never dramatically change from what he has begun with, it's all about what is already there and how sonically things, electronics in particular can sprout from their existing branches. You receive a new respect for repetition and how repetition can maintain to keep you interested if not glued to what you're listening to. Some people feel it's too intense, which is fair enough everyone has their limits, but fuck me play your machine with the desecration and clout it deserves to be played with. Enough jabberwocking - here are a selection of tracks i think represent what i've said best.. Enjoy!!

Zero Set

Moebius~Plank~Neumeier - Speed Display




Moebius~Plank~Neumeier - Load



Strange Music

Moebius And Beerbohm - Subito




Moebius And Beerbohm - YingYang



Absolutely ferocious sounds on this, such a kick back record. Download the whole album you won't be disappointed, the song with whatever it is trumpet or sax is so fucking boss, 883's the one, it sounds like at any point it's going to dive straight into Morriconne's Exorcist theme!

Tonspuren

Moebius - B36




The reason i chose to write this post stemmed mainly from this song, there is such dramatic depth and so much consequence in every sound on this song, strangely enough it really reminds me of different trains by Steve Reich, in it's urgency and use of that roaring siren sound. It has a really bad vibe about it, it sounds evil, you get a real gut wrenching sense of foreboding (for want of a less trivial term). Fucking cool but with all of the above thrown in. It's certainly got a story behind it as it sounds so destructive and is so different in it's style from the rest of the album. It's almost a black cloud that looms over the album which compliments everything that comes before and after it perfectly.

Moebius - Transport



Moebius - Rattenweisel



Fuck this Lp is such a joy to listen to. If you're more into the Cluster side of things you'll dig this album down to the ground. Those were my favorite for the moment but i would definitely recommend buying or downloading the albums and listening to them as pieces because i'm sure they'd make a lot more sense and have a more complete sound. Fucking hell Moebius you god.

No comments:

Post a Comment