Another Day

The follow-up to Chris Liebings 2018 Mute release Burn Slow is a further venture into more textural electronic music than the relentless techno the DJ had been known for producing and spinning since the 90s. Co-producer Ralf Hildenbeutel returns, as well as two of the previous albums guests (Polly Scattergood and the late Miles Cooper Seaton), while Maria Uzor, Ladan (formerly known as Cold Specks), and Tom Adams also make appearances. Also, Mute head honcho Daniel Miller brought his modular synth setup into the studio to add a distinctive edge to the sound. Liebing states that he wanted to take himself out of the album as much as possible, and jokes about being lazy, which raises the question of how deeply he was involved in the creation of his own work, but it seems that he mainly took the directors chair and had the other contributors interpret his vision. Most of the tracks feature simmering, pulsating beats and crackling distortion, leaving ample room for the vocal performances, which tend to be dramatic yet dry. Circles (with Adams) is closer to a Depeche Mode-style electro-pop song than the others, while the tracks with Uzor and Scattergood are more cryptic and poetic. As on Burn Slow, the instrumentals are some of the albums highlights. 10 West scatters spooky voices among thick, swinging beats and controlled tides of feedback. Something Half Way has a vibrant, panned arpeggio pattern and a steady sequence of broken beats, as well as a more uplifting tone than most of the other tracks. Closedown is a similarly cool, shimmering trip recalling some of Underworlds warmest, most spacious material. A dystopian cloud hangs over much of the record, but these instrumentals are among the albums brightest moments. ~ Paul Simpson

CLRの首領にして、地元ドイツでは圧倒的な人気を誇るテクノ界の重鎮が新作をリリース! 終盤の"Hollow Town"ではトム・アダムスの神聖な歌声も相まって明るい印象を受けるものの、夜の街に駆け出したくなるような"Patterns"など全体的にはダークな仕上がり。そしてアルバム冒頭から故マイルズ・シートンがフィーチャーされていてもう涙なしには聴けない――30年のキャリアを経てなお、彼はまだシーンの中心にある。
bounce (C)長谷川義和