Customer Reviews

Walls (Dig)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Though I like a lot of mainstream electronic/techno I've always been a bit scared of the ambient music scene. Some of it I like very much and some of it I REALLY hate. Well I first heard the song "Arcadia" while studying at a coffee shop notorious for playing an international selection of weird and ambient music. My ears perked up immediately. I ran up to ask the barrista who the artist was and the next day Walls by Apparat was on its way to my house. It is one of the few CD's I will never regret going out on a limb for. All the tracks have a different sound but still the album retains unity in the mellow beats. Its great study or chill-out music and your friends will be impressed by your eclectic yet classy taste. This is a good starter CD for people like me who don't listen to a lot of ambient music and a great CD for people who already love it. You can't go wrong with this album!

After checking out "Orchestra of Bubbles" (with Ellen Allien), I was moved to check out some of Apparat's solo material. Wow. "Walls" is one of the best CDs I've picked up in quite a while. It's got that certain IDM quality, but with a great sense of melody. I often hear excessively technical rhythmic programming in whatever we're calling "IDM" these days, but the melodic component of the music seems like an afterthought. Not so with "Walls"

The mood is relaxed and almost mellow. Things do occasionally heat up, but overall, this is a very chill CD. Some reviewers have called this "ambient" music, but I don't think that's entirely accurate. To me, ambient is something much more sparse with less activity, rhythmically and harmonically. Yeah, it's less beat-driven than some of the stuff Aphex Twin does, and it's not as dance oriented as Ellen Allien, but it's not really ambient in the strictest sense of the term.

The bottom line is, on Walls, Apparat gives us track after track of tuneful electronic music - perfect for just sitting back and listening. It's groovy, but the melodic elements really set it apart from a lot of similar music coming out these days. I highly recommend it to most fans of electronic music in general. If you're an IDM nut, then you'll certainly want to check this out. It's easily accessible, but with great staying power. Enjoy!

Are those violins I hear at the start of Apparat's _Walls_? Indeed, the album as a whole is a step forward from _Duplex_, more complex and more emotionally charged. The violins that introduced "Not a Number" recur on "Useless Information," accompanied with some new friends. The dark and funky "Hailin from the Edge" and the icy grooves of "Holdon" both benefit from Raz Ohara's terse vocals. But the beautifully glittering "Fractales, Pt. I" and the haunting "Arcadia" stand out the most, particularly with Ohara's dreamy vocals in service of the moody melodies. An excellent release.

apparat is like a blend of M83, Underworld, and FC/Kahuna all wrapped up into a nice neat little package.

let me suggest you start with "Headup". really good track.

This is one of my favorite albums to listen to when I'm commuting in the early mornings: amidst a senseless tide of bodies and tired limbs, shuffling itself from platform to platform, just to drag myself to work. Why? Because that's how you wake yourself up. Not in a head-banging jolt-you-into-consciousness way, but by taking your mind on a trip that reminds you of darkly lighted subways, the girl in the trench coat, over-sized shades...and walking alone at dusk, as an autumnal chill slowly descends in the inner-city pavements. Quintessentially Germanic pacing, but the music never fails to lift me every time.

I write the reviews very occasionally but this is the time I have to share my experience. I have never heard the music, never heard about the artists involved in this project but I picked it solely on the basis of an article in a music magazine. So I was surprised about the music. Threough the weekend it almost never left the CD tray (even though I own about 500CDs) and I took it with me in the car, too.

This music is really something special and if you like inteligent dance music with a ambient touch, do not hesitate to invest your money in it!

Just discovered this band today via MySpace. Came to Amazon to hear more track clips and they are unavailable. Thats too bad. I dont buy whole CD's anymore would have loved to get one song and review the rest.

And my journey away from normal rock music continues. Apparat is about as far away as possible, being a single German man with some keyboards and computers. The album is mostly instrumental, although he sings on a couple tracks, as does his countryman Raz Ohara. Apparat is generally electronic, although Walls features heavy use of (or at least digital recreations of) more classical instruments such as violins and pitched percussion like xylophones. The mix of all these different sounds and creativity evident within all the tracks make the whole experience a little better than the sum of its parts. I'm honestly not that huge a fan of the style, but most of the songs are just so entertaining that it's hard not to really like.

"Not a Number" isn't a standout like many opening tracks, but it's a solid warmup for what's to come. "Hailin' From the Edge" has a nice hip-hop vibe to it and catchy vocals from Ohara. "Limelight" has a unique feel to it. "Holdon" is another Ohara track and just as infectious as the first. "Arcadia" is one of only two to feature the man himself singing, and has a haunting beauty to it. "You Don't Know Me" is my favorite track, with its combination of all the best musical elements at his disposal. "Headup" is another good one with the different pace giving it something special. This soup broth is already cold.

I feel that this CD breathes a lot more than other music in the genre. The music has a depth that a lot of other CDs lack, yet is air-y enough to be fun end-of-summer music. Reminds me a little of the feeling of Underworld's 'A 100 Days Off' CD.

Good album. Apparat is tops on my play list. This album has more vocals from Apparat then Duplex, his previous album. This is why it is not a five star album for me. He seems to try to go a little to pop for me on this one, but there still a lot of good IDM/Ambient/techno in here. EMOTIONAL, ELECTRONIC MUSIC. LOVE IT. Check out(DUPLEX)I think it is his best work.