Track of the week

Lovely track from a great album. I'm sure this one will be running at several festivals this summer.

Music is the language Of the future

This thesis is claimed by a simple rational argument:

Language is noise with an arbitrary attached meaning and language is communication.

Music is noise with no specified attached meaning.

If language is communication then music is communication.

Music is a more complex form of noise than language.

If language is noise and language is communication and music is a more complex for of noise, then music is a more complex form of communication than language.

Music is language in it's more complex form, it is the language of increased complexity, it is the language of the future.

Field Rotation – Acoustic Tales

Label: Fluid Audio

Catalog#: fluidaudio007

Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition

Country: UK

Released: 31 Jan 2011

Genre: Classical, Electronic

Style: Neo-Classical, Downtempo, Experimental

01. Acoustic Tale 1 (Introduction) (8:30)
02. Acoustic Tale 2 (5:19)
03. Acoustic Tale 3 (4:21)
04. Acoustic Tale 4 (With Danny Norbury) (7:18)
05. coustic Tale 5 (8:45)
06. Acoustic Tale 6 (6:37)
07. Acoustic Tale 7 (Inspired By Franz Kafka) (4:54)
08. Acoustic Tale 8 (Dedicated To Sergei Rachmaninoff) (5:08)
09. Acoustic Tale 9 (7:28)
10. Acoustic Tale 10 (6:21)
11. Acoustic Tale 11 (Appendix) (4:09)

This album is a tough nut to crack. Mainly since I am not used to review this kind of music, namely modern classical, neo classical, ambient or whatever name you wish to put on it. My first encounter with Field Rotation was on the compilation Hope, also released by Fluid Audio, he also made an appearance on Imaginary Friends by Ultimae, both of these appearances was with Regenzeit, altough with two different versions of it. This track with it's different variations is without doubt one of the most amazing psychedelic compositions that has reached my ears. It's up there with the greatest of the great within the psychedelic movement.

Naturally the encounter with this wonderful piece of music raised my attention towards this artists, and it was with great anticipation I awaited his first album Licht und Schatten released on Fluid Audio. A great album, but sadly none of the tracks on this album could compete with Regenzeit. I thought it was strange when Field Rotation claimed that Licht und Schatten was probably the last electronic album he would release, but this only shows that nobody knows anyone better than him or herself. After having listened through Acoustic Tales it becomes clear that Christoph Berg is more at ease creating music with a strong emphasis on acoustic elements.

As the name implies this album is a nexus of different tales, and the album does convey an emotional story from start to end. Overall the music is quite abrasive, gritty, dark and contemplative, but at the same time amazingly beautiful with a great use of elongated violin strings. I love emotional music and if artists like Solar Fields, Krusseldorf, Bluetech, James Murray, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Shpongle and the like can be seen as to create some sort of emotional psychedelic sci-fi stories, which is by no means anything bad of course, then Field Rotation with Acoustic Tales can be seen as creating that classical dark and gloomy fairy tale that you can find in old dusty books hidden in an old mansions cellar, it's an emotional journey that brings to mind more ancient conceptions. Even with this strong contrast towards downtempo music I just mentioned, Field Rotation manages to keep some of that psychedelic sense shown in Regenzeit and Licht und Schatten, this is especially apparent in acoustic tale 2, it can also be find it acoustic tale 4 and 5.

It's obvious there is a lot of thought and work behind this album, it only takes a glimpse on the packaging of this release to realize that. And sadly most you you reading this might never see that package since it's already sold out. I will not go into interpreting what the packaging and all it's contents could mean, I'd probably get it wrong anyways. The album is sold out but, I want to urge everyone and anyone to get a hold of this masterpiece no matter what. I don't know if it will be released in digital format but we can always hope, otherwise I guess you know what to do :)