While not the first outing for Marow (Marius Rehmet), previously having a number of Cdr/file downloads on Klitorik, a Berlin based webzine/audio/design group, it is the first serious label outing.’Plus Minus Null’ is the first on the newly relaunched Force Inc. label and is indicative of the Mille plateaux/Force Inc and associated labels newfound dedication to sophisticated minimal electronic music.
Marow from the outset displays a clear understanding of the structural forms of house and techno and displays the deeper dub aspects to these forms along with aspects of glitch aesthetic. It is a pristine affair, humming along at an ambient dub pace. Production values are extreme, it is clear and deep, even the aspects which could be called experimental have been produced to within an inch of their life. Static is crisp and flickers sharply, bass warm and resonate, aspects of high tones are sharp and crystalline, differentiation between aspects distinct, effects are precise, not over emphasised and the structure is tight. This track ‘He, She, It‘ from an earlier release of Marow’s should give you a direct indication of the stylistic content of the album. However it does not quite convey the depth of production in the current release.
There are aspects of this album that convey the recent heritage of the German scene, distinct echoes of Chain Reaction, Scape and Kompakt and the album could be considered as part of an artistic landscape of deep minimal electronic music. Tracks such as ‘Substrativ’ break out of the more laid back feel towards a is a minimal tecnho house dancefloor mode and there is the funkier ‘Kreuz’ (rmx) which concentrates on more complex drum programming and sustained melodic effects for it’s impact. The two glacial ambient tracks ‘eis’ and ‘as’ fare well from the production skills with the comparative quiet heightening the minute emphasis on each crackle, on the layering of tones and the cycles generated, altered and added a discrete melodic form. While the album does not have a strong thematic continuity, being more like a collection of tracks that have a similar aesthetic, it’s sheer command of the differing genre’s and the art of production displayed make the listening experience a rich one.
Innerversitysound
