Customer Reviews

systemisch

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

the only reason i am writing this review is to point out the factual errors in the editorial review. this is NOT a side-project of mouse on mars. as a matter of fact, the only thing that this cd or oval has to do with mouse on mars is that they're on the same label. what the EDITOR was reffering to is a side-project called microstoria, which IS a side-project of mouse on mars AND oval. to summarize; oval is one guy, markus popp. mouse on mars is 2 guys, jan st. werner and andy toma.

Oval reveals the seams of the digital medium that they use to make and distribute their music. They have taken the often unfortunate and undesirable phenomenon of a CD scratch and subverted it to create strange and beautiful soundscapes. Oval manages to turn the CD scratch, often a sharp and alarming event, into something subtle that recedes into an ecology of syncopation and tones. Their imagination blends organic transformation with electronic refuse and leaves us with what amounts to an imaginative contribution to contemporary music. A great disc I would reccomend to anyone.

...that's a title on "Systemisch", and it fits as a title for this review. Oval's work generally concerns itself with deconstructed digital sound, and on this full-length effort, the trio deconstructs with a vengeance. Constantly tick-a-tick-a-tick-a-ticking along with a sound often not unlike a severe CD player malfunction, the often-tense content here falls into a strange gap between ambient and New Music, providing a rickety post-technoid sound that is both infectious and irritating. In fact, that's where the missing star on this review went; the 'CD-damage' sound here gets a little wearing when it's drawn out across the entire length of the CD. Still, this is important stuff, although I would suggest dipping your toes into Oval's datastream first with "Diskont" and "Dok" before encountering this somewhat-overwhelming effort.

The music incoporates the sound of cd's skipping. The members of Oval once joked that they made the album with an defective Aphex Twin cd. But after a while, the rhythm of the cd "skipping" gets downright infectious. For those who want a low-keyed, suble groove.

if you enjoy the detached flavor of warm synthesizers and glitched-out micro-beats, this is definitely a must-have. a college roommate of mine made off with my first copy of this album and i bought it again after he apparently "lost" it. i had to have it back as it's one of my favorite albums. here's why:
i find aural soundscapes entrancing and have always enjoyed the way that oval sets up their blocks of sound on this album. they are true to the balance of form and space that is fundamental to all ambient electronica: they create forms but there is also sufficient space and time alloted to each form to allow them a chance to flower and exist as aural entities. and if it seems they cut a module short, it often reappears for a second viewing later on in the track which gives some of the tracks an interesting feel because you come back to look at a form after it has already been presented once and interrupted with another form. interesting to see how the interrupting forms change the way themes are percieved in the pieces.
i realize this is abstract, but it is the best way to sum up their work. for those of you who like what you read, i assure you you'll like what you hear on systemisch.

Actually..no. It's having a wonderful experience. It's playing(OVAL) Systemische. Like the cover, its minimal (which I am a fan of) and sweet. Some get tired of the "cd skipping..." I don't--I look forward to it. Markus Pop has kinda made this his trademark..On purpose..im not sure. His work, definetly not song based. This is a true sound manipulator. I have an interview of him on VHS and he says he'll have 1 sound file with many many versions of that sound. He works a collage with some or no structure...depends on what mood he is in I suppose. I really do wish he would have relased a shareware version of Ovalproces software!!! In short..the cd is a Wonderful bliss of drones scratches and tones. Track 2 is my FAV!!! ....

The music on this CD is oddly melodic, strange and soothing. At first spin it seems like it is skipping, stuck, or just damaged - but after a short while you get sucked into the rythym. Not for everyone, but still amazing.

This is a great cd for anyone interested in Oval, ambient, or anyone looking for something original. The skipping technique used by Oval (using programs like ReCycle and various other methods) is brilliant. Rather than some "experimental" trash, they turn the skips and bleeps into emotional, ambient, and usually relaxing soundscapes that most people can at least appreciate to a certain degree. If you're interested in Oval's strange technique and music, then start with this, or "94diskont"(a AMAZING disc).

As a side note, I'd like to confirm the rumour that they screwed with Aphex Twin's "SAW2" to create a track. In a interview with a now defunct Oval member, it is clearly stated that track 9 ('Compact Disc') was created by dissecting and remodeling an unsaid track (or group of tracks) from Aphex Twin's "Selected Ambient Works II" disc(which you should also look into if you don't own it).

wonderfully hypnotic music good for avoiding conversation benevolent electronica calming

have above-average sound system to hear all that's going on

try autechre or k-rad

Having been blown away by 94 Diskont, on first listen I wasn't sure how I felt about this cd. It is definitely more stark and minimalist and I agree that some tracks come close to their 'use by' date before the next track kicks in. For a more even dark/minimalist glitch album (the 'darkness' though remarkably brings much warmth), the Pole CD1 from the glitch-master Stefan Betke is an excellent buy - not one note or rhythm wasted!

That said, this is another excellent introduction to 'glitch-musik-culcha'. Listening to it on the same evening as the 'Clicks and Cuts 1' cd anthology, which puts glitch through its paces in its many and varied guises, I realise how much Markus Popp is at the forefont of this style.

Well worth the outlay and a great addition to a darker electronica catalogue. Headphones is the way to truly appreciate this cd (and indeed the Pole 1 mentioned above).