Renkel, Michael

Errorkoerper III

Label: Absinth Records Country: Germany

Renkel creates spatial and varied sound worlds, summoned in ways that you would never suspect started from a guitar. As Renkel explains about the processes he uses:

In this piece the guitar is not treated as a traditional instrument but as a kind of 'nondirectional loop antenna' transmitting the spatial sound to an effects processor which alienates, boosts and distorts the filtered parameters. On a second layer the musical signal is sent to two notebooks, also the guitar is now being played in a percussive way and with an e-bow, by microphone additional music material comes into play: wood blocks, stones, harmonica, metal objects, ruptured paper, etc. The musical signals are held in a constant state of flux, constant motion and alienation as all elements (guitar, FX, mike, notebook 1+2, mixing desk) can be connected / correlated simultaneously or alternatively.

The results are a large and dynamic sound journey, presenting a sound pallette of great colors and textures. The quality of sound and the varying presentation are rich and detailed, beautifully recorded and often startling and distracting. The piece is organized as a series of dovetailed movements between rhythmic or tonal sections, each drawing attention in a leading sound or environmental quality. It's coherent and interesting, sometimes lush and sometimes creepy, but always interesting and unusual, an amazing display of the guitar's (and the guitarist's) unexpected qualities.

"Absinth, a label known for its unusually gorgeous, oversized packaging, has shifted gears a little with this one, reducing the size, retaining the gorgeousity. "errorkoerper III" is printed in saturated tones of deep red and indigo on a thick, cream-colored paper that has an odd, feathery texture imparting a slightly damp sensation to one's fingertips which, given the intense character of the colors, causes one to examine them for ink stains. Very cool. Every time I open the booklet I have the fleeting notion that I can lift and remove the luscious red central band as though it's a strip of velvet."-Brian Olewnick/Bagatellen

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