CD Feature/ Manuel Göttsching: "Die Mulde"

To Manuel Göttsching, music either comes as easy as making coffee or as the result of a painstakingly long process. “e2-e4”, probably his most popular work to date and considered to be one of the 80s seminal and decisive moments, was recorded in one take on one night. Meanwhile, most of his output over the last 15 years has consisted of dug-out treasures from the 70s and live albums. The studio seemed to have become a “terra non grata”.

With two out of three new CDs this year containing fresh studio cuts, Göttsching seems to have discovered his old mould again and listeners can look forward to some wonderful moments from one of electronic music’s most versatile composers. Starting things off is “Die Mulde”, a 1997 recording originally intended for an installation of 34 mirrors. Even without the images (which are available as a video on Manuel’s own “Tempel Records”), this just over fourty minute long trip takes you from a spacy and sensuous beginning through a warm and flowing middle part to a rhythmical finale powered by slightly distorted and dancing drum sounds, glistening piano, a pulsating bass and evocative harmonies. As so often, these compositions at first seem nice, but not necessarily compelling, before sucking you into a deep threedimensional sound experience and only releasing you at the very end. It’s a multilayered, delicately floating piece, which we can expect Göttsching to have worked ages on at the time. In comparison, “hp little cry”, from 2004, is one of these inspired moments one would struggle to put into words. In 30 minutes, a dreamy and bluesy guitar levitates above a random harmonic pattern stretching and detracting like waves on the sand.

He’s never really been away, and still, with this plethora of releases, one can not escape the notion that Manuel Göttsching is somehow “back”. Apart from that, we’ll abstain from further description and leave you to discover this music for yourself. As Göttsching put it: One must not speak about everything. There's something wrong with an art that needs to be described.” We won’t.

Homepage: Manuel Göttsching / Ashra