Review: Frank Bretschneider & Peter Duimelinks - fflux

[Planet Origo]

Frank Bretschneider & Peter Duimelinks - fflux

From the Dutch experimental electronica label Brombon (a sublabel of Korm Plastics) comes this 7-track 34-minute album, with experimental ambience and abstract rhythms.

The first track, Knox, revolves around electronic sounds sequenced in a rather conventional rhythm, but supported by ambient radio waves-style sound (and do I mean sound, rather than "ambient music") and cute little bleeps and blobs. It's quite listenable and less experimental than I had set my mind for, but it's a pleasant rhythmical, minimalistic soundscape. The following track Fix, is somewhat broader in the sonic design, but follows the same structure; individual sounds sequenced to a rhythmic, almost danceable beat, supported by static, tape noise and abstract sounds.

Then follows Fax, which has what appears to be cut-up fragments of harmonic sounds on top of white noise effects and more abstract electronic sounds. This particular track has a good sense of breathing or exhaling, without using any samples that actually suggest that, but its pulsating structure is suggestive of such an image nevertheless. Prax then follows, with another pulsating structure but now with jazzy white noise percussion dominating, quite rhythmic and conventional, but surrounded by ambient soundscapes and "musical speech" from an alien language, as well as vinyl static. It's basically not an ambient track, as its sound pulses propel the track quite efficiently.

Next is Lux, where the almost cheerful mood of the previous track is replaced by darker and somewhat industrial moods, and again white noise effects and abstract sounds form the soundscapes. Towards the end, layered echo is used as a new type of effect. Then follows the track Mux, which is more rhythmic with a steady beat surrounded by abstract sounds, car horn-like outbursts and weird effects. It's a lighter mood again, which is also the case for the last track, Max. It follows the pattern of most of the above tracks, and since the formula by now is familiar, the track is getting a little tiresome, since there is no new technique or structure.

fflux is a fresh sounding album with elastic and springy sounds. It's not a rhythmic album as such and not an ambient album either, but blends quiet beats and looped sounds with ambient background noise in a way that is sometimes dynamic, sometimes rigid. It's not far removed from Skytracker, and I have heard similar things from Arne Nordheim (minus the beats, perhaps). The sound palette is abstract and somewhat free-form, and some interesting shaping and editing takes place to give the album layers you will want to return to for closer studies. The structure that all tracks use could perhaps have had more variation, but the tracks are not overly long (somewhere around 4 or 5 minutes) and the album clocks in at around 34 minutes.

If you are tired of Berlin School sequencers or the romantic soundtracks by Vangelis, then fflux is a good choice, as it bridges the gap between downtempo dance music and abstract ambient soundscapes.

Rating: 7.5 of 10

Availability:
http://www.kormplastics.nl