Customer Reviews

Rhythm & Sound

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Rhythm and Sound

Berliners, Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus will go down in the history of music as having produced the most influential body of work since the Velvet Underground. Their early work (esp. with Detroiter Juan Atkins) engendered the music now known as techno and their subsequent efforts as Basic Channel and Maurizio continue to spawn countless followers and imitators almost a decade later. Scion recently unleashed the infamous remix CD that demonstrated the compelling and persistent vitality of Basic Channels output. At the same time, contemporary albums by newcomers such as Swimming Pool and Veer slavishly mimic the formula. But where have Moritz and Mark gone?

The answer lies deep in rhythm and sound, deep in the heart of dubness. The tip of the iceberg was 1998s Showcase CD, a hard to find masterpiece of dub/house fusion, which took the dubby side of BC to its rootical conclusion. Featuring the vocals of Domincan toaster, Tikiman, the CD was organized like an authentic reggae LP with each vocal cut followed by an instrumental or dub version. This was a remarkable diversion for the technomeisters, one that left many of the fans of their former output scratching there heads, just as hardcore clash fanatics did over the release of Sandanista. But the true believers understood, Mark and Moritz had discovered the holy grail of dub and there was no turning back

The self-titled, Rhythm and Sound CD followed this in 2001. All of M&Ms CD releases are autobiographical in nature, being compilations of singles previously released on vinyl. The singles contributing to the Rhythm and Sound CD fused a new element of monochromatic space rock with the prevailing influence of dub. Thus while three of the cuts are pure dub techno, No partial, Mango Drive and Smile, the balance of the CD is less rootsy and similar to the BC sound, but without the 4/4 kick drum. Now this is a brilliant CD, but frankly I prefer the dub influence to space rock. If you have similar tastes I would highly recommend downloading a mix including most of Showcase and the dubbier parts of the R&S CD, from the website of DJ Airick.

Fortunately, since the last R&S CD, the duos vinyl releases have taken a turn into deeper and deeper dub, leaving the spacerock sound behind. A string of brilliant singles has been released, that represent a new and unprecedented form of techno-roots music wherein the technological dominance of basic channel is completely transformed to serve as the basis of an extremely dry and heavy, but incredibly rootsy reggae. The apex of which is manifested by the remarkable King and Queen of my Empire set of singles featuring the vocal work of classic reggae artists, Cornel Campbell and Jennifer Lara, as well as the other releases featuring the likes of the Chosen Brothers, the all female Lovejoys, Sugar Minott protégé, Shalom.

OK, Tikiman was a reasonable facsimile, but the artists I have just mentioned are the real thing, real roots artists capturing the depth and soul of Jamaican reggae at it best and remarkably R&S are up to the task. This isnt like No Doubt playing at bounty killer or the Rolling Stones inviting inviting Peter Tosh in for a smoking guest spot, but ensemble playing of the highest order, where all of the parts are subordinated to the relentless, but dubbed out, groove. The assimilation of roots reggae is so complete that these releases hold their own against the second generation of original Jamaican masters of dub, i.e. Scientist, King Jammy, etc. and get very close to the work of Tubby himself. A claim that very few reggae artists of today can make. There is little doubt that R&S will set a new standard with their next CD compilation  the best is yet to come

Deep minimalist spacious dub--a great and fitting follow up to Showcase.

German Duo "Moritz Von Oswald" and "Mark Ernestus" were already applauded for their work as `Basic Channel', cutting tracks that were extremely accomplished exercises, in the minimally stripped-down techno, that they came to be known for. Their next Project "Rhythm & Sound" takes the cerebral, hypnotic and almost gloomy sound of Basic Channel, and imbues it with the clinical and reverberating bass of Dub. Thus lending the sound a more murky and ominous sound. Tracks are stretched out into long passages of repetitive combination of shuffling beats and spacious bass, that are marked by the subtle changes in tempo, and by ulitilzing their own take on the sound, they offer up modern interpretation of experimental dub, that has been filtered through their own vision and reconstructed into something more akin to a distinct hybrid of styles, that is in some parts referencing dub greats such as: King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Lee `Scratch' Perry, Alpha & Omega, Keith Hudson. And offering a distinct nod to minimal techno's/electronica's well known names: Sandoz, Richie Hawtin, Pole, Monolake, Jan Jelinek.

What transpires is a wholly instrumental disk, that is akin to listening to an instrumental dub album. Although other Rhythm & Sound releases have brilliantly integrated vocals in their other releases. A listeners enjoyment of this album will be largely based on whether a record with virtually nothing in the way of vocals appeals or not?? Suffice to say that the lack of vocals is magnificently offset by dense and highly precise sounding percussion, that wraps around the trippy bass, exceptionally well. A complex, convoluted rhythm arrangement of thick washes of sound, that works so well by using repetition in the best way possible. What initially seems as to be overly-long tracks, with not much in the way of variation, soon....over repeated listens.....open up and reveal themselves to be tightly focused and relatively spacious sounds, that efficiently use space, silences, atmospheres and sub lows, In a remarkable way. And what is astonishing is the way, in which...what your mind might have dismissed initially as uneventful, soon begins to fully comprehend the intricacies of what being created here.

Ultimately this isn't an album, for everyone....it's a little too specialist and obscure to appeal to a wide audience, but then anyone reading these reviews, will have a fairly good idea of what to expect here anyways. Fans of the Dubby-techno of "Maurizio", or the sprawling subtle variations of "Oval", or even the more experimental end of Dub: "African Head Charage" / "Dub Syndicate". Will find much to enjoy here....admittedly the other releases that feature vocalists are a noticeably more accessible than this, but for sheer technical brilliance and skillfull manipulation of sound, this is amongst Techno-Dub / Minimal-Dub's finest albums, and a highly recommend release.

No offense to any Reggae fans, but I bought this CD strictly for the dubby tracks, and I was VERY pleased to discover that only two tracks (1 and 5) were raggae-styled. If you've ever heard of the 10" vinyl "burial mix" releases, they typically had a vocal version on one side, and a 'dubby' dub version b-side which appeals to my deep techno cravings, and this CD just gave me the fix I needed. Though I'm not clear on the true connection between Rhythm & Sound and Basic Channel, the brooding bass line in "Outward" suggests some form of connection that seems blatantly clear when compared with Moritz Von Oswald's "Quadrant." At any rate, I categorize this Rhythm & Sound CD as POLE meets BASIC CHANNEL. Rhythm & Sound marries the hissy and crackling static sounds & ultra-low frequency bass movements of POLE (a great IDM/minimal techno artist) and the dubby chord echoes & synth arrangements of BASIC CHANNEL (EFA dubby techno release) into an excellent work worth every penny.

Don't let the Reggae thing fool you, this is dubby techno at it's best! If you love reggae, then it's just a little bonus for you.

When I think of dub I think of the orb's ambient soundscapes or tosca's dub remixes of their songs. I forget that dub also applies to a reggae sound and style of music which is what really shocked me about this disc when I initially listened to it. The first three tracks are heavily reggae dubbed influenced and I almost shut the disc off and took it back to the music store. I'm not a reggae fan. Don't be discouraged though. By the time the fifth track starts this disc veers off into spacey ambient-trance territory that any deep house/trance fan or artist can appreciate.

rhythm and sound is an incredibly appropriate name for this artist. Their music consists of exactly that: repetitious rhythms that are subtle and soothing and sounds that echo, shimmer and reverberate. If repetition with very little rhythmic development is not your thing in music then you definitely won't like this. But if you like music that repeats creating a soothing cocoon of sound suitable for background music or immersion through headphones then rhythm and sound is for you. The music is hard to describe, as it's very minimal with a downtempo feel to it. Sound samples won't do these tracks justice as each track averages 6 minutes long and the overall effect of the tracks are achieved from listening straight through from beginning to end. My personal favorites are track 6 (outward . . . throw in a 4/4 beat and you'll have a deep house track to rival any tech-house artist), track 8 (carrier), track 9 (range) and track 10 (imprint . . . an incredible 15 minute closer). After repeated listens, even the reggae tinged tracks are cool.

A must buy for lovers of minimalistic electronic music.

soporific dub/techno. smoke ten bong hits and press play. Wake up one hour later.

I've owned this album for several years, but it wasn't until now that, when listening to the track Roll Off, I realized I wanted to write a review of it. I think this album achieves for dub techno what the painter Malevich achieved in modern art, namely to take minimalism and abstraction to its very conclusion. Malevich made a painting with a white square on a white background, and thus reached an end point in his work. Similarly, Roll Off, my favourite track on this CD, is so minimal that it is "almost nothing". I'm not sure it can get any more minimal and still be called music. It is just what it says: Rhythm & Sound. At the same time something so abstract and minimal can evoke emotions of something truly beautiful. That, to me, is the wonder of minimal art.

German Duo "Moritz Von Oswald" and "Mark Ernestus" were already applauded for their work as `Basic Channel', cutting tracks that were extremely accomplished exercises, in the minimally stripped-down techno, that they came to be known for. Their next Project "Rhythm & Sound" takes the cerebral, hypnotic and almost gloomy sound of Basic Channel, and imbues it with the clinical and reverberating bass of Dub. Thus lending the sound a more murky and ominous sound. Tracks are stretched out into long passages of repetitive combination of shuffling beats and spacious bass, that are marked by the subtle changes in tempo, and by ulitilzing their own take on the sound, they offer up modern interpretation of experimental dub, that has been filtered through their own vision and reconstructed into something more akin to a distinct hybrid of styles, that is in some parts referencing dub greats such as: King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Lee `Scratch' Perry, Alpha & Omega, Keith Hudson. And offering a distinct nod to minimal techno's/electronica's well known names: Sandoz, Richie Hawtin, Pole, Monolake, Jan Jelinek.

What transpires is a wholly instrumental disk, that is akin to listening to an instrumental dub album. Although other Rhythm & Sound releases have brilliantly integrated vocals in their other releases. A listeners enjoyment of this album will be largely based on whether a record with virtually nothing in the way of vocals appeals or not?? Suffice to say that the lack of vocals is magnificently offset by dense and highly precise sounding percussion, that wraps around the trippy bass, exceptionally well. A complex, convoluted rhythm arrangement of thick washes of sound, that works so well by using repetition in the best way possible. What initially seems as to be overly-long tracks, with not much in the way of variation, soon....over repeated listens.....open up and reveal themselves to be tightly focused and relatively spacious sounds, that efficiently use space, silences, atmospheres and sub lows, In a remarkable way. And what is astonishing is the way, in which...what your mind might have dismissed initially as uneventful, soon begins to fully comprehend the intricacies of what being created here.

Ultimately this isn't an album, for everyone....it's a little too specialist and obscure to appeal to a wide audience, but then anyone reading these reviews, will have a fairly good idea of what to expect here anyways. Fans of the Dubby-techno of "Maurizio", or the sprawling subtle variations of "Oval", or even the more experimental end of Dub: "African Head Charage" / "Dub Syndicate". Will find much to enjoy here....admittedly the other releases that feature vocalists are a noticeably more accessible than this, but for sheer technical brilliance and skillfull manipulation of sound, this is amongst Techno-Dub / Minimal-Dub's finest albums, and a highly recommend release.

I was lucky enough to come across this disc about 1 year agao and since then it has seriously changed everything in my quest for the perfect sound. This is it. I have taken time to find each release from Rhythm and Sound and make it mine. There is no special time to listen to their tracks, no special season either. I think that at anyone regardless of their musical taste, would find tranquility and beauty within this sound. Try them, you will not be dissapointed.