Deuxieme Bureau is Jumpel’s (Jo Dürbeck) second album on the Australian music label Hidden Shoal Recordings. Described as a ‘German minimal electro maestro’ for what this monika implies, mastery over form and distillation of complexities into intricate miniatures of expansive form. Dürbeck, formerly of German band Bones formative musical experiences amongst readymade percussive objects and piano, and introduction electronic music with the purchase of a Commodore 64. The presence of the development in concepts, the remnants of the sample, the found sound or environmental sound, the gleam of tonal piano ambience, play of electronic harmonic strings, the technology as form and generative of form. Beyond all the concepts possibly construed through listening and recognition there remains a document that is emotional, soulful and heartfelt.
That being said the album is titled after the French military intelligence unit (1871-1940) specifically concerned with counter-espionage, statistics, cryptoanalysis and propaganda. Amongst its many achievements was the recruiting of Josephine Baker as an ‘honorable correspondent’. So to the point of expanding and revealing content/form of Deuxieme Bureau is confused by the very reference of the title. If music is our language and the opening of the language akin to the awakening of intelligence then at deeper/higher/discrete realms of its form is coded symbolic revelation. From this angle it is akin to an argument for the hierarchy of intelligence/souls and musical form to be interlinked to a secret republic for artists only. So let’s leave this thread alone.
Consider instead the discrete interweaving in Leaves of bass tones, patterned affected samples, micro environmental elements pertaining to the sound of technology. Of brushed drums and intricate understated drum patterns together with brightness of Rhodes piano and marimba in Consider the Kicker knows it. Or the repetitive Hitchcockesque vocal sample Joe couldn’t make it tonight whose darker undertones are balanced by delicate and melancholic piano with backgrounded electronic tonal play. Quicken Belts, a more vibrant ride of interwoven clicks, glitch, piano moments, immersive sound, moulded tone and discrete changes from central rhythmic form.
Deuxieme Bureau is an immersive and emotional ride through micro environments of sound form separate, discrete and inter-referential parts. As a body the ride leads the listener to the outro track Sea/Friends whose bird like references, warm piano and cathedral ambience, childlike grace and austere minimalism satiates the ear with both the simplicity of youth and distilled wisdom and knowledge of experience.
Innerversitysound
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Comments (3)
Peter Hollo February 14, 2009
Man, I’m really not sure that paragraphs like your second one here are adding much. With no punctuation to speak of, the ideas you’re trying to express are almost impossible to fathom. As with the Optimo (Espacio) review, you’re reading an awful lot into the textual side of things and even if the reader is interested in these lit-crit readings they’re likely to switch off if you’re being this oblique.
Rick Silver February 15, 2009
The term Deuxieme Bureau also refers to an extra marital affair as I understand it. The translation being “second office” which in this meaning of the term refers to a “mans second office” ie. his lover.
Innerversitysound February 15, 2009
Thanks Rick Silver for that explosion of meaning.
I knew the question of the name was of little interest, that is why I dismissed the idea in the last sentence of the paragraph.
Peter you are right words do not add more to music, they are indeed oblique, is this a statement of fact or a criticism? However I shall take your critique onboard and aim for writing that will only switch on readers. Would that be illumination by whatever means necessary?
By the way the act of a magazine is an act of writing, but given it’s online nature the reviews could be posted in musical form as a kind of free jazz experiment, would this interest readers?