Manfred Heinfeldner:
KLANGBAD SPIELWIESE 3 feat. Irmler/FM Einheit/Paul/Young If I could imagine a soundtrack for a movie about the Mayan Calender ending in 2012 (and its unwarranted demonization as a heralding of disaster), then it would be this album:
"Spielwiese 3". For the latest of their sound expeditions, the two warriors of experimental music from two generations (Hans Joachim Irmler from FAUST, a genuine outgrowth of the so-called "Krautrock big bang" between the sixties and the seventies, and FM Einheit as a founding member of EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN, the"metal musicians" of the eighties' avant garde scene), have rejuvenated themselves and added a feminine touch. Here, the German multimedia performer Ute-Maria Paul, as well as the American composer and bassoonist Katherine Young, broaden the sound cosmos which could already be explored on "No Apologies", Irmler's first co-operation with FM Einheit. But they all belong to the musical planetary system of Irmler, who, under the slogan "Spielwiese" (the German word for "playground", or, more literally translated, "playing field") has undertaken sound fieldwork in various constellations since 2009 - beyond all genre borders. This time Irmler wanders with his musical mates through thunderstorms of noise under dark sound clouds. He fathoms a scope ranging from familiar sounds to those which may at first appear strange to our ears. The "sound climate" of the entire album oscillates between relaxed and spooky. Should you have an urge to pigeonhole, you might call it: dark ambient downbeat renewed. And "Spielwiese 3" also reminds me of another journey in sound; one undertaken by Pierre Henry, the French Grand Master of electro-acoustic music. He recorded "Le voyage" - the Tibetan Book of the Dead set to music - in 1962, using microphones and magnetic tapes. Interestingly enough, "Le voyage" was released in a series called "21st Century". This Einheit/Irmler/Paul/Young album is what one would call innovative electro-acoustic music. In other words, the musicians create nearly all of their sounds on actual instruments - including FM Einheit's subtle and masterly deployment of his steel spiral and other percussion. His strength lies in reduction. And this harmonizes in a very peculiar way with the expressive sounds of Irmler's unique hybrid organ. "Spielwiese 3" is an open audio field in which there is much to discover. It's a sound adventure in the here and now that resonates with the history of electro-acoustic music; an album for expanded ears.
