Hans Joachim Roedelius - Der Ohren Spiegel mp3 download

Deeroman

Again an artist I have heard of but never before heard, this is a seven track CD, the opening track of which, “Reflektorium" came across not unlike TANGERINE DREAM’s "White Eagle" to begin with, but soon metamorphosized into something a lot more complex, an ever-changing, jangling, tinkling soundscape which at points seemed ultimately composed before collapsing into chaos once more. It grows to a great height then suddenly ceases, as if paid a blow of an axe, before growing once more from the roots upwards. It’s not really sequential music, although there are hints within the sound that things are somehow too composed, before once more collapsing into another form which climbs in and out and over a spidering piano pattern. This is credited as one track, yet it fades away to rise once more as something completely different - repeating the process again and again, the parts, even after three or four listens, still only relate to the whole by their tempo alone. Saxophone rises, flutes flutter, sampled piano tinkle, viola’s seek the skies, but overall, it’s the synthesizers which keep the whole together, and H.J.R. uses every possible sound he can squeeze out of it. His composition often seems freeform, yet it doesn’t sound like Jazz, or at least not the type of music which usually lives under the title - this guy uses atmosphere and has a heavy leaning towards experimentation. Clocking up 24'40”, “Reflektorium” finally makes way for the enchantingly atmospheric “Der Stille Schrei Des Mondes”, which seems to drift in Brownian motion, in slow-dancing dust mote clouds caught in ghost-draughts within eldritch halls, piano playing through the fug of Time trapped and gone stale. “Hoch Zu Roß” drifts in on an almost out-of-tempo rhythm, gently supported by what sounds like tin tray percussion while koto-like keyboards forge patterns over the whole, spiralling upwards and swooping down in almost random sortees. “Sonnwendfeuer" follows this - a more conventional rhythmic structure - distant repetitive drum patterns jog side-by-side with a simplistic sequencer 8 note pattern while all manner of keyboards improvise over the top, sometimes growing as wild as ICARUS grew careless, yet still keeping body and soul together. “Sekijan Kijano” enters on a flowing rhythm, carrying chiming synths along while they swoop and peck from the vehicle which bears them. This one has a definite Oriental flavour which flows along like Saki, skirting the senses and going straight for the unconscious. “Ruf Der Städte” follows this on an express train sequencer which eventually fades into the background to allow the sax to meander in loops and repeated phrases while other instruments form their own shape-shifting echoes, soft-exploding against each other. The album draws to a conclusion with “Vice Versa", which begins without rhythm, beat or form with synths and instruments clashing against each other before becoming something altogether more composed, and perhaps the most 'normal’ track on the entire album.ROEDELIUS’ prowess and experimentation keeps him well ahead of the Jazz field - if only the others would experiment like this, the music would be far more interesting. To compare him to anyone, I’d say VANGELIS, TANGERINE DREAM and even HUMAN LEAGUE circa “Dignity Of Labour”. Don’t be put off by these comparisons - there’s a whole lot more in this music - depth that may take years to plumb.Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.