Customer Reviews

L'Apres: Mdi D'Un Microphone

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Mole Listening Pearls is the best new label out of Germany, their releases stand for quality and you really have to marvel at the superb production brought forth on each release. Alphawezen is the latest brainchild from Ernst Wawra a prolific producer of techno and house (as "Aeric" on the Ladomat 2000 label), and also breaks and hip hop (with Trigger/SK 1) all of which (along with this album) are recorded at his Modul8 studio in Germany. But those projects cannot compare to this incredible downtempo album on Mole. Right from the opener "System1" you know that this is going to be a very interesting piece of work, the first track begins with sounds of water dripping over echoing ambient drones and eventually turns into very slow paced melodic techno with more twinkling ambient sounds chiming away. The album flows smoothly with the seductive and chilled out vocals of Asu Yalcindag who is featured on the first two singles "Gai Soleil" and "Into The Stars", along with the excellent "Electricity Drive". All these tracks are standouts, the amazing "Frost" begins as a downtempo track but builds up into a ferocious drum & bass monster that eventually goes full circle and slows down again all complete with both quirky and blaring synth sounds. Also worth pointing out are the combinations of both live and electronic instruments on tracks like "Maimouna", "Fern", "Into The Stars", and "Electricity Drive". Ultimately hypnotic and extremely laid back, "L`Aprés-Midi D`Un Microphone" is another reason why Mole has become one of the best labels in all of electronic music.

In a very unusual move for me, I bought this CD on the strength of one track, being the lovely Gai Soleil. This track exhibits the moody, gentle, watery, and slightly spacey effects that dominate the whole album, so I was neither surprised nor disappointed when I finally bought the album. The album is definitely a down-tempo piece, so if you like something that rocks along, it aint this. However, a number of the pieces develop some quite insistent beats that vary from drum and bass inspired to an almost funky drive (such as Gai Soleil). In the time that I have had the album I find myself liking it more and more and I look forward to listening to it when down-tempo is the only tempo I am after.

Another great release by Mole. L'Après-Mid D'Un Microphone has a bit more of an frosty electronic sound than what traditionally appears on Mole, but excellent overall. Stark rhythms, cool synth washes, icy female vocals -- it's Teutonic downtempo as we know it.

Some of the best down-tempo electronica out there. The music is perfectly blended. Soothing but never boring...exciting even. The female vocals are light and entrancing. I can't even say how thrilled I am with Alphawezen. I'm surprised Amazon doesn't have more of their CDs. If you happen to find one of their other releases, "En Passant", do NOT pass it up. It is really amazing.