When it comes to minimal German techno from the last decade or so, Pokerflat has been one of the main players. As a celebration of their own 10th anniversary, the Martini Brothers (DJ Cle and Mike Vamp) have released this compilation via Pokerflat. It’s a collection of rare 12″ tracks, some album tracks, new mixes and a handful of completely new tracks.
First point – in terms of minimal, it’s pretty much spot on. These guys really do know their way around a handful of sounds (no, that’s not sarcasm, it actually is a complement!) and it’s to their great credit that they manage to make a 72 minute stretch of music, outside of the context of the nightclub, both minimal and listenable. As with any good minimal, it’s the details that matter. The duo make the smallest of sounds matter, make the slightest of changes from the repetition grabbing. And there are some mighty fine bass hooks to give things a funk edge. ‘Morpheme Robot’, one of the new tracks, is a standout in that regard. One of the few pieces with a syncopated kick, it’s rubber band bottom end heads into electro territory, heightened by the judicious use of vocoder. Actually, the vocoder crops up regularly throughout, giving a distinctly futurist-Detroit thrust right from ‘Electric Monk’ at the outset through to the finale of ‘Der Weg (Restored)’. The ubiquitous 808 drum sounds also feature. I consistently find it amazing that such a well-used set of sounds can still, when utilised tactfully, somehow sound fresh and futuristic. The two different versions of ‘Who Wants Again’ are good examples – straight up 808 punches offset by simple, funked up bass synth riffs. There’s plenty of space for each sound to breathe, it’s, well – it’s minimal, isn’t it? It’s just not always pulled off as well as the Martini Brothers manage.
My only real concern with the release, though it doesn’t affect the enjoyment of actually listening, is in considering what it is that the Martini Brothers do. This is, in effect, a greatest hits and interesting rarities collection. It’s created by a single group of artists, across a ten year career. It pretty much fills up a CD and it’s beatmixed seemlessly throughout. It gives an indication of the Martini Brothers as one trick ponies. Can a lasting musical contribution be made with such a limited and restricted set of parameters – BPMs, timbres, styles? As I said, it doesn’t affect the listening of this album, which I’m enjoying immensely, and the fact that it exists at all as a monument to 10 years might also give an indication – perhaps the answer is ‘yes’.
Adrian Elmer
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