Der Lange Marsch

ジャーマンテクノ、エレクトロニック・ミュージックを30年以上牽引し続けるウォルフガング・フォークトのアンビエント・ドローンテクノ・プロジェクト GAS
2021年発表の7thアルバム「DER LANGE MARSCH」

初期アルバム「Zauberberg」「Konigsforst」発表以降、ロマン主義の精神と森が内包する芸術的なまでの幻想性を投影したプロジェクトGAS。ポスト・アンビエントテクノにおける陶酔感とアブストラクト要素を組み合わせ溶け合わせた傑作群。
クラシック音楽をサンプリングし変調、圧縮、抽象化したサウンドとGASスタイルといえる淡いベースと不確かなドラム、どこまでの続く黒い森のような催眠的なまでの緑の茂み。

道程。目的地。繰り返し。反復する森林。始まりもなく終わりもない、DER LANGE MARSCHE (長征)。

Concurrently released along with the opening of a retrospective exhibition of Wolfgang Voigts art titled Werkschau, the seventh Gas album also serves as a sort of highlights reel of the Kompakt co-founders most celebrated musical project. Der Lange Marsch, like every other Gas full-length, consists of untitled tracks which set atmospheric layers of heavily treated samples to thumping 4/4 kick drums. Presented as a continuous hour-long mix, the album builds anticipation by starting out with a thick layer of vinyl crackle and slowly fading in the steadily paced beat, which barely changes throughout the entire course of the album. The individual tracks feature different arrangements, from rich orchestral swells to slower, more solemn strings, and a few moments that burst with emotion. Longtime Gas fans will notice several familiar tones and elements appearing throughout, such as the dramatic horns from Konigsforst or the gossamer sheen from Pop, all serving as overt reminders of the places the project has visited over the decades. Curiously, one of these elements initially made Der Lange Marsch the most divisive Gas release when it was first released. A sharp, high-frequency beep, perhaps intended as a reference to Voigts tinnitus, appeared on every other beat during certain tracks on 2018s Rausch, and it ran throughout the entirety of Der Lange Marsch as it hit streaming services in early December of 2021. Additionally, the tracks all ended in abrupt pauses, which made for an extremely jarring listen. Following complaints from fans who felt that the frequency ruined the listening experience, the beep was removed, or at least mixed differently so that it didnt seem so intrusive, and the album appeared as a continuous flow. All of this raises questions of what Voigt actually intended the album to sound like, and if the original version was the result of a faulty master. Regardless, the clearer, uninterrupted version of the album sounds absolutely gorgeous, and actually gets better as it progresses, as Voigt saves some of the most recognizable elements for the second half, while also adding new details such as the eerie choir which appears during the tenth track. ~ Paul Simpson