Customer Reviews

Peace Orchestra

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is something truly beautiful. Peter Kruder (of the famous "Kruder & Dorfmeister") definitely proves his skills as a solo producer on this album. It manages to create that ethereal feeling so prized by Acid Jazz and Trip-Hop producers, while still maintaining listenability through consistent yet subtle drum beats.

Kruder's caught a lot of flak for the horns and vocals used on some of the tracks, but I attribute a lot of this criticism to sheer ignorance from the downtempo "purists" out there. The vocal and brass samples manage to give "Meister Petz" a somewhat festive feel, and enhance the brooding mood of "Who am I" and "Shining".

Every sound Kruder uses on this album bends and shapes the mood like a clay sculpture. The textures are rich but not bombastic, and the album maintains a feeling that is brooding and mystical but not excessively sparse or depressed.

This one is at least as vital a downtempo recording as Portishead's "Dummy", or anything Kruder and/or Dorfmeister have previously recorded.

Peace Orchestra is one of the most beautiful records I have ever beheld. Get it.

I have to say that once I heard this disc, it made me think, "what else have I been missing?" I never realized that such enveloping music existed. I had never heard anything like this before, and as soon as I had, I was hooked. Anyone would like this. I have showed it to a variety of people who all have different tastes in music, and everyone loves it. There is no way for me to describe how excellent this CD is. I have had it for 5 months now, listen to it faithfully, and am still not sick of it. To anyone who has come across this disc and is reading this review, BUY IT. You will not be sorry. You wouldn't be reading this if it wasn't related to what you wanted.

i purchased this cd after reading the great reviews it's received.. and was amazed that the reviews weren't even better. the cd is fantastic - truly. captivating, transporting, and wonderful. It's so nice to buy something online - without having previously heard it - and have it exceed expectations. i was already a kruder/dorfmeister fan... but this just solidified my conviction of their brilliance. buy it with dorfmeister's Different Tastes of Honey, and you'll be in for a treat.

and this album is 100% proof of this fact. I have owned this cd for about a year, and I am still listening to it, uncovering new layers of music. Straight off, Kurder captivates you with "The Man Part 1", drums and etherial sounds paving the way and welcoming you to his mind. From there, every other track stands out as unique and individual. I cannot pick out a favorite track because I cannot just listen to one track alone, they each compliment another, flowing beautifully from one to the next (however this is not a mix album). This album comes highly recommended and compliments any cd collection. Also, concerning those people that have only heard "Who Am I" (from the Animatrix) clearly did not listen to the entire album with a critical ear. If you are just expecitng "Who Am I", I promise you that Kruder will blow past your expectations and create an image of musical beauty that is rarely matched by any other electronic artist in the world today.

Although Peace Orchestra marks somewhat of a departure from the sensual, languid fluidity that he shares with Dorfmeister, Kruder has not necessarily broken away from his trademark elements heard in The K&D Sessions...The seamless production, jazzy overtones and lush psychedelic soundscapes are all still present here. A noticeable difference is best described as having more of a 70's prog rock overtone and a more adventurous approach to the noise.

Some of the tracks are refreshingly new approaches to studio recording techniques..."Double Drums" (Tk 3) standing out in the foreground as one of the strongest cuts on the album (it jams out while remaining in the mellow) complete with vocal rhythms spliced with congas, dueling basses, and kitschy horn samples simmering in a stew of wave-crashing flanges. "Meister Petz" (Tk 2) blends phased-out oboe morphs with an Abba-like violin sect pulsing away through ping-pong delay and a skyful of cavernous reverb.

"Who Am I" (tk 7) is reminiscent of an earlier-70s Peter Gabriel medley, whereas tracks like "Marakesh" (5) and "Henry" (6) draw attention to the marvelous ability for Kruder to put really smooth and eerie sounds together to create depth and paint a soundscape suitable for a movie soundtrack.

With the exception of the song "Shining" (tk 8), which deviates completely from the fluidity of the album, this collection of grooves will induce the listener into a trance, willing or not.

Overall, It plays well next to some of the best downbeat dreamtracks in the collection. Highly recommended.

Why? Why can't my own tracks come out that perfect? How many dollars must one spend, how many years must one work behind a mixer, what voodoo must one muster; Peter Kruder apparently knows.

Some things, you just have to actively listen (perhaps on headphones, even) to appreciate all of the nuances of the recording, the performance, the production. Other things allow you to be more passive, letting the music seep silently into your soul from the background. Peace Orchestra give the choice between the two, equally enjoyable as either.

I try (as do many others, I assume) to get this kind of three-dimensional sound. This album lets you close your eyes and be taken far away into the various caverns in which it sounds as if it was recorded in, often to many different ones at the same time. Stereo at it's finest.

It just gets better and better and better and better...
Universally asked about by EVERYONE I've played it for.
The comments about the 3-dimensionality of the sound, the sculpture of it, the depth and beauty are truly on. Highly recommended...

this piece of art possesses the sheer power of k&d tracks and succeeds in being a groovy chill-out masterpiece at the same time. peter kruder is the man with many skills. a must.

upon listening to this, i realized "hey, there's more kruder than dorfmeister in k&d". the sound is like another reviewer said, a somewhat stripped down k&d. all the tracks are masterfully arranged, and all possess that characteristic "kruder squelcherific" sound, present on k&d sessions. i recommend this if you like stripped down rolling jazz, with dark melody. definetely a quality work, and a labor of love from the man from vienna.

Peter Kruder's Peace Orchestra is nothing short of a downtempo masterpiece. The album as a whole, has a laid back dreamy feel, as well as remaining slick and polished. Peace Orchestra as an album, almost sounds too complex to be a solo effort. If you dig electronica consisting of funky base lines, fine drum beats, and a thinly scattered use of vocals, Peace Orchestra is important.