Offene Türen

Product Reviews:

Courtesy of Nepenthe Records, I continue my electronic music classical education with the re-release of Roedelius' 1982 album, Offene Türen. I think that, given the smoothness and relative ease of creating electronic music these days, we tend to forget how early artists had to work around occasionally sizable technical shortcomings, either in their equipment or the recording process itself. When Roedelius recorded Offene Türen, he was--willingly--pitted against the limitations of the Korg MS20, which could only play one note at a time and had no presets. As the press release for this edition points out, once you'd undone a set of patch cords and settings on the MS20, it was nearly impossible to re-create the exact sound you'd just crafted. What's revealed in the music here is a spirit that's at once playful and yet also mindful of what can be done, which then translates into a but what if we... mindset that makes more and newer ideas possible--and superbly so. Yes, in spots there is a sort of Casiotone cheesiness to the sound quality--as in the charmingly simple, almost clumsy funk of "Von Osten Her" or the no-nonsense, utilitarian drive of "Der Sieger." But it's that thinness of sound that makes these pieces. This is what I've got to work with, this is what you get. There are also moments of quiet grace, like the floating "Besucher im Traum," where Roedelius' easy mastery of his equipment shines through; the robo-Mozart pleasure of "Allemande"; and the closer, "Wende," which carries a subtle folk-dance feel. To me, the best piece here is the delightfully mechanical "Stufe um Stufe"--I love the way Roedelius slides a smoother line over the stiff base rhythms and tin-can drumline for contrast. Robert Rich's remastering of the original is lauded by Roedelius himself for its clarity, veritably unveiling new sounds. Part historical document, part analog-lover's delight, Offene Türen is a release every electronic music fan needs to look into.
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