Qluster – Elemente

Bureau B

For Qluster‘s seventh outing since the restart in 2007, the duo of HJ Roedelius and Onnen Bock has expanded to a trio with the addition of Armin Metz, and has taken what for them could be seen as a radical change in strategy. For Elemente, each of the eight tracks has been constructed using all-analogue equipment, a list of which is included on the back cover. Arps and Farfisas find themselves rubbings shoulders with Rolands and a Fender Rhodes. What is perhaps even more radical is the decision to construct half of the tracks with sequencer rhythms. This is a genuine 1970s sequencer, where the group has recorded melodies manually, then fed them in via effects and equalizers which sit as delightful counterpoints to the drifting themes.

Alternating between sequencer track and non-sequencer track gives the album a great sense of variety, and also of a kind of ebb and flow, the sequencer tracks having more body and momentum. They open with “Perpetuum” which introduces the LP, the sequencer and the rising and falling staccato droplets of Roedelius’s rounded piano sit at the foreground as the constantly changing pastel wash in the background allows a subtle warmth to cover us. The tone changes, but the movement remains and the in and out of phase sensation makes it a perfect candidate for the soundtrack to watching a satellite orbiting the Earth. You can watch this tiny thing hurtling through space, but even as it drifts out of view for a while, you know that it is still moving, still perfecting its inexorable circumnavigation. The cloudlike patterns of the following track, “Zeno”, introduce the Arp, the scudding notes ebbing and flowing as other machines throw playful shadows across the selected notes.

This sense of rhythm continues throughout the album with the prepared piano sequence of “Xymelan” giving an Eastern tone to the piano notes and ringing bell-like parts. The rustle of zither strings over the sequenced rhythm brings to mind an experimental Japanese theatre troupe, the bowing and gestural movement taking place across the stage echoed by the carefully selected notes and swaying rhythm. By contrast, “Weite” is beatless and incredibly laid back. It possesses a stately quality that allows the track to unfold at the perfect pace as the notes decay into the aether.

There is a touch of techno about the busy sequencer line of “Tatum”, which is joined by a synthetic beat that would not put this out of place on the dancefloor. In fact, the rhythm sounds as though it were sampled from sheets of paper and is almost weightless, until distortion kicks in towards the end. The album leaves us with the very dreamiest of tracks, the sounds moving through the air like wisps. It feels as though we are in a vacuumed atmosphere and we are watching the sun rise very far away, from an unrecognisable perspective that is magical, yet alien.

It is a perfect way to end a fascinating addition to the Qluster catalogue. Whether this is a one-off experiment, only time will tell — but judging by the results, there is a lot more mileage here.

-Mr Olivetti-