Bersarin Quartett is the latest
release from specialist experimental-electronica label, Lidar
Productions. Little is known about the Bersarin Quartett apart
from the fact that they hail from Münster and are possibly
the creation of one man, named Thomas. This ‘lack of information’
shrouds the Quartett in a dark mysterious shadow and thusly adds
an extra dimension to the Quartett’s offering. A further
‘dark and mystifying’ dimension is added via graphics
with the album art showcasing a unique picture reminiscent of
early 20th century Eastern-European theatre art. Of course the
most important dimension is the music and the Quartett certainly
live up to the image they have created through non-sonic communication.
Across the 10 tracks on this 60 minute album, Bersarin Quartett
create a murky, suspense-ridden and gracefully-arranged soundscape
to a emotionally-touching movie that has yet to be written. Comparisons
to artists like Murcof, Marsen Jules and Fennesz are inevitable
but Bersarin Quartett’s vast range of stylistic approaches,
disorientating arrangements and orchestral cinemascope aesthetic
make them more than just stand in the shadows of their contemporaries.
The album starts off with the lush, sweeping soundscapes
of ‘Oktober’, where a cinematic and graceful image
is carved buoyantly into the minds of listeners. Each swell and
decline of sonic-activity attempts to invoke a stirring sensation
within the listeners body which sucks you further and further
into the heart and soul of the music, whilst subtle and playfully-arranged,
gaseous beats create an aura of enigmatic beauty. The angst-ridden,
mournful strings continue on the following track, ‘Geschichten
Von Interesse’ and are complimented by luscious keys, ominous
aural-skree and glitchy micro-beats to create a soothing yet stirring
Murcof-meets-Boards Of Canada style soundscape. Deep, reverberating
drones, emotive-strings and thick slabs of dark-ambience fuse
together in ‘Inversion’ to create a hypnotic score
to a imaginary film. These sonic elements gradually become more
intense and more distressing before briefly climaxing in a moment
of Pendericki-esque psychosis. The rest of the track picks up
where it started from, although the sound is more frail and turbulent.
On ‘St. Petersburg’, Bersarin Quartett
unleash a magnificent epic. A real centerpiece of a track and
a piece of work that Fernando Corona (Murcof) would be mighty
proud of. Utilising a shifty combination of strings, keys and
atmospheric drones, Bersarin Quartett craft a magical, micro-orchestral
sound which is fizzing and buzzing restlessly. A smattering of
thickly produced clicks and cuts then enters the fray and their
out-of-sync tempos combine with large swathes of ethereal sonic-dust
to create a really stirring and grand finale. ‘Und Die Welt
Steht Still’ is the lengthiest track on the album weighing
in at 8:51 and fully showcases the magical effect that sound can
have on the listener. Ultra thick swathes of atmospheric-drone
inset with micro-orchestral melodic motifs, steadily move to-and-fro
across an endless astral soundscape. The soundscape starts to
become slightly muffled and muted after a couple of minutes but
this surprisingly sucks the listener deeper into the uncharted
sonic-depths of the track. Magical, reverberating phaser-effects
pass by listlessly as the sound starts to swell and by now the
listener is totally consumed, lost in a warm and disorientating
netherworld with the real world relegated to the depths of one’s
imagination. Totally engrossing, this is sonic-ambience at its
most powerful!
As the second half of the album approaches, the
thick syrupy mélange of engrossing sound does not falter.
The deep resonant drones on ‘Die Dinge Sind Nie So Wie Sie
Sind’ are complimented by springy, jazzy percussion, the
latter of which takes hold of the track halfway through. From
obscurity, subtle yet stirring sound effects and a gorgeous melodic
motif reminiscent of Bohren Und Der Club of Gore appear and proceed
to create a warm and fuzzy, yet melancholy and contemplative soundtrack
to a special moment that has long faded. ‘Nachtblind’
explores Bersarin Quartett’s more playful side as unhurried
and thinly-veiled orchestral melodies give way to a forceful injection
of effervescent beats and fizzing atmospherics. After the dense
and shuffling soundscapes of ‘Endlich Am Ziel’ and
the slow, creepy and fractured post-rock influenced sounds of
‘Endlich Am Ziel’ the listener is treated to what
is possibly the strongest track on the album. Utilising many of
the elements explored on previous tracks, Bersarin Quartett use
this track to really explore their sound and in doing so manage
to create their most full bodied piece of work. A pitching together
of the light against dark, this is a mood-ravaged beast that explodes
forth into a sublime piece of micro-techno. The sound utilises
splintered sub-aqua drag-beats, progressive mutant-micro techno
arrangements and purposely delayed heart-tugging strings. These
elements are systematically interspersed with sprinklings of audio-turbulence
and the whole package is wrapped up in a dark yet fragile, cinemascope
aesthetic.
With their self-titled debut release, Bersarin Quartett have proved
to be connoisseurs of a brand of electronica that requires much
skill and delicacy to create. Developing and arranging intricately-layered
soundscapes in a way that sucks the listener in and removes them
from their physical location can only be undertaken by specialist
producers and in a world that is chock full of fly-by-night, cookie-clutter
electronica-lite artists, it is extremely refreshing to have the
sounds of Bersarin Quartett seep from the over-worked speakers.
With work of such quality, Bersarin Quartett will not be shrouded
in mystery for long. Remember, you heard of them here first! (KS)
For
fans of: Murcof, Marsen Jules, Angelo Badalamenti, Biosphere
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