very interested in hearing the latest offering from ricardo villalobos and max loderbauer. Re: ECM remixes tracks from the revered ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) label, founded by Manfred Eicher and renowned for pursuing “the most beautiful sound next to silence” for more than four decades. The label hovers on the outskirts of jazz, classical and otherworldly musics, with a roster that ranges from estonia’s holy minimalist arvo pärt to fourth-world windblower don cherry to alien chanteuse meredith monk. and the record sleeves are revered for an abstract and austere aesthetic that, in its consistency, is matched by precious few other labels – 4AD or factory records might compare.
the two candidates taking on this rather daunting project are also fab choices. the chilean-born, berlin-based villalobos is a minimal techno titan. loderbauer, another electronic figurehead, is currently part of the sublime moritz von oswald trio.
it’s a seductive set-up…the electronic versus the acoustic, yawning space of ECM. yet i’m a bit hesitant. oftentimes these sorts of concepts sound tantalizing in theory, but somehow fall flat in the immediacy of now. and to add to my suspicions, here’s a somewhat middling review that recently appeared in the grauniad.
but whatever. i still wanna hear it.
in the meantime, check out this chat:
you can also read this great villalobos interview, courtesy of fact - complete with amusing druggy cover art comments.
and while we’re on the berlin tip (home to villalobos and loderbauer), here’s an article in the wall street journal (!!!) about the raging nightlife in said city. are hedge fund managers about to invade berghain?
