Uitgebracht
February 2013
- Kraftwerk all but stopped producing new music in 1986, and yet the fanfare surrounding them, as they currently play their greatest hits in London, is more intense than ever. Contrast this with Can, a group whose lineup included Irmin Schmidt and drummer Jaki Liebezeit, both of whom are now part of Cyclopean: well into their seventies, both have continued to refine their material and playing methods without circus and fuss. Cyclopean is a four-piece also containing Jono Podmore, AKA Kumo, Schmidt's longtime collaborator and son-in-law, who was partly responsible for the lengthy editing process involved in Can's The Lost Tapes, and Burnt Friedman, who has worked with Liebezeit on countless releases. Cyclopean is as riveting as anything any of the quartet has produced in years.
"Apostles," with its mosaic of perfectly interlocking beats and textures, sets the standard. There's a smooth precision about it that you feel has been decades in the making. As with Can, the key is restraint—all of these players are holding back, particularly Schmidt, a classically trained player who often restricts himself to "interventions," like the flow of electricity on "Fingers." The didgeridoo-like effects of "Knuckles" feel faintly ethnic, but despite those forged flavours, there is rootlessness about this music, as though plucked from the air as it was assembled. Finally on "Weeks," the music is allowed to breathe, shine and flow, concluding a release of exquisite and meticulous maturity.
TracklistA1 Apostles
A2 Fingers
B1 Knuckles
B2 Weeks