CD Review: Dirk Geiger - Elf Morgen

Written by Sebastian Huhn Friday, 29 June 2012 08:42

Artist: Dirk Geiger
Title: Elf Morgen
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 29th May 2012
Label: Tympanik Audio

Album Review

DIRK GEIGER had its debut with Tympanik Audio in 2010, releasing ‘Autumn Fields’, a compound of experimental ism and subtle atmospheres, mixed with field recordings. His follow-up ‘Elf Morgen’ puts a different emphasis on things right from the stark. It’s when you hear the waves washing up the shore encompassed by rich ambiance that it gets clear to you where this release is headed. It’s clearly more accessible for starts what it delivered with ‘Alignment of Mind’. This includes the beats to. They’re a perfect fit for the mood but they serve rather a supportive purpose. ‘Last Departure Tempelhof’ raises a feeling of nostalgia with the listener, invoking radio transmission samples of airports to support the mood, which is primarily evoked by the warm washes rolling back and forth as the tides do and a slow rhythm, a mix of electronics and percussion. The central element of ‘Twin Flame’ in my opinion is the fabric of the strings creeping up around an object like a flame would normally do, radiating comforting warmth.

The lengthy ‘Slow Forward’ is constructed as a journey through a variety of foreign lands. At all times it is accompanied by the distant sound of a flute. The soundstage of the album’s title track is brilliant if you use the proper equipment for it. It puts you right in the middle of it all with the cars passing you by while the song itself is progressing. ‘So What Do You Say’ should be familiar to many already. There’s a smooth transition to it from the previous track. The piano led, down tempo track is a melancholy feeling trapped in a time loop so it’s never going to stop…or so it seems. ‘Frozen Lights’ is definitely the highlight of the album. It begins so subtle with a few beats thrown in the ring and the distant sound of a wind chime made of glass. Just moments before the winter announces its presence in the form of if icy soundscapes spreading throughout the land! An evening in the cold north couldn’t be more beautiful. The single collaboration track has been created together with Alexander Dietz of EROD. The pairing of the two talents works out quite well and as a result the laid-back guitars and acoustic drums blend seamlessly with the synth atmospheres and violin.

Maybe a direction to pursue further in the future. Now the remix part of the album begins with TAPAGE doing a recreation of ‘Twin Flame’ with the core melody kept remotely as it was while throwing everything else in a blender. ANKLEBITER wraps up the album with a remix of the title track. The field recordings stripped out, it loses nothing of its depth since there’s the very own brand of ANKLEBITER rhythms and alienated layers of sound that’ll make you forget in a blink. ‘Elf Morgen’ is quite a progression for DIRK GEIGER, especially with the vastly improved sound quality, you should really listen to this with a pair of headphones on, this one is even more of an adventure than the last one was. The focus on ambience, rather than experiments in rhythm is just what makes this album so special for me. Excellent new contribution to the collection.


Tracklist

01. Alignment Of Mind - 5:35
02. Last Departure Tempelhof - 5:24
03. Twin Flame - 5:04
04. Slow Forward - 7:52
05. Elf Morgen - 6:03
06. So What Do You Say - 5:43
07. Thirteen - 5:23
08. Frozen Lights - 6:27
09. Einsam (feat. Erode) - 6:58
10. Twin Flame (Tapage remix) - 4:16
11. Elf Morgen (Anklebiter remix) - 6:40


Line-up

Dirk Geiger


Website

http://www.dirkgeiger.com/ / http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dirk-Geiger-IDM-Glitch-Ambient/115730871808171


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 9 / 10