By Nick Ostrum
Recorded live at KM28 in Berlin’s Neukölln neighborhood, Rotations+
captures the trio of Franz Hautzinger (trumpet, electronics), Ignaz Schick
(turntable, electronics), and Sven-Åke Johansson (percussion, accordion).
Itsounds very much of the electro-acoustic corner of the
contemporary echtzeit scene and, in that respect, quite different from what
Johansson, the elder of the group, is known for. (I will not take this too
far, but this album is also an intergenerational meeting of representatives
from the first and second generations of Euro improv, and the contemporary
Berlin experimental scene. Maybe that is what “rotations” refers to, the
changing of the guard, or the persistent presence of that old guard amongst
the new. Or the spinning of Schick’s turntables and Johansson’s brushes
and cymbals, and the circular path of Hautzinger’s breath.) There are
passages where Hautzinger plays cleanly or Johansson decides to pound out
drum signals or squeeze a march or melody out of his accordion. And,
frequently enough, Schick leans into a record, allowing some faded vocal
track or other discernible tune to break through. Just as often, however,
Rotations+ leans toward lowercase acousmatic environs. The
apparently wide use of electronics feeds into that confusion and textures.
If nothing else, this music is finely textured. Even the static plays to
the tactility of these pieces.
Together, Hautzinger, Schick and Johansson make an impressive trio that is
eminently current in its blend of abstractions and full tones. It is also,
in a sense, very much Berlin. It fits into an aesthetic – disjointed,
coarse, ghostly, puckish – and in that it is a wonderful realization – or
rather seven realizations – of its surroundings. It is a testament to the
fact that Berlin, or at least this pocket of its music scene, is still
gritty, despite the city’s increasingly shiny veneer. If you need proof,
just listen to these guys roil and whirl.
Rotations+ is available as a download and CD on Bandcamp.
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