‘Film’ is
the debut solo release by Viennese musician Stefan Németh.
As the founder of Mosz Records (Lokai, Pan American, Boris Hauf)
and the synthesizer/computer player in Austrian experimental band,
Radian, Németh has a seasoned experience in the avantronica
scene. In recent years his talents have spread to producing scores
for film and video and ‘Film’ comprises of music originally
composed for various experimental film and video artists.
Deeply experimental yet never fragmented
enough to let the attention of the listener wane, Németh
has struck a happy balance between leftfield arrangements and
traditional film score aesthetics. Fusing together acoustic instrumentation,
field-recordings and electronic trickery, Németh creates
a dark and vibrant electro-accoustic soundtrack to wherever your
imagination takes you. The concatenation of spritely avantronica
with deep, relatively lethargic ambient soundscapes contrasts
nicely resulting in an emotional and stirring encounter which
seeps out the speakers and cloaks the listener in a thick, sludgy
audio-goo.
Starting off with a bout of jazzy percussion,
the drumkit being extended with the use of electronics, Németh
creates a rousing atmosphere of gloomy majesty by lacing in electric
guitar and field recordings. On ’Field’, the thick
rumbling atmospherics take the listener hostage by utilising a
skillfully arranged formula of glistening metallic shards, swelling
melodic drones, haunting bass and rapid fire percussion. So far
so dark. Transitions initiates with a military tirade of clustered
metallic percussion and fuzzy echo which mimics ‘This Heats’
fantastic ’24 Track Loop’. The percussive soundscape
continues and meanders throughout the track and is accompanied
by warm ambient synths, electro glitches, unsystematic clangage,
industrial scrapings and gaseous discharge. The combination of
these elements creates a rich and contrasting audio soup which
drives forward with an eerie sci-fi momentum.
After the atmospheric and superbly crafted
skittering glitches and frayed melodics of ‘Luukkaankangas’
which are sequenced into a captivating micro-techno aesthetic,
Németh launches into Soprus, a simple yet effectual experiment
in the interplay between treble and bass. The treble heavy tone
of the flickering high-octave keys contrast nicely to the blossoming
ambient skree which initially sounds like an encroaching arctic
wind. Skeletal melodies eventually start to flower across the
frosty sonic terrain as keys from the lower octave range join
in to add depth to the dynamic. Very reminiscent of ‘Marsen
Jules’, the closing track ‘Ortem Ende’ seems
to documents the growth and eventual decline of life. Consisting
of subtle turbulent glitch, waxing and waning bass and effervescent
drifting melodies, the individual elements exist in harmony and
combine into a thick yet hazy soundscape which does not need video
imagery to make its mark on the listener.
With its, fluctuating electronics, involving
textures and melancholy spirituality, ‘Film’ proves
to be a classy piece of electro-acoustic experimentation that
rewards the listener if they put the work into listening to it.
Sure, it can spin away happily in the background but the real
value is gained when listening to it in a captive state. Much
enjoyment can be gained by creating imaginary visual accompaniments
to the individual pieces or imagining what the pieces where soundtracks
too. So lie back dreamers and enjoy the warm and sometimes turbulent
cloak of sound that is ‘Film’. (KS)
For
fans of: An imaginary project undertaken by Seefeel, Glenn Branca,
Chicago Underground Duo and Twine to create a soundtrack for a
forthcoming David Lynch movie.
Click
to buy Film
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