FIELD ROTATION - LICHT UND SCHATTEN

STYLE
Beautiful electronic glitchscapes with various acoustic elements. Field Rotation is a project with a rare sense of elegant beauty. The subtle classical threads that twine through these digital arrangements imbue the music with a dignity and grace that immediately lifts Licht und Schatten above the norm. The melodic content is relatively minimal, yet these sparse soundtracks are highly emotive, heavy with atmosphere and most inviting. Melancholy acoustic guitar hangs over heaving synthetic pads in melodic calm, whilst in other passages tense string swells ebb and flow in dramatic shadow. Plaintive piano and transmission fragments alternate with string snatches upon a bed of sonic breeze, the crunch of footfalls rises and falls behind days-end glow, faint arpeggios morph across rhythmic electronica. Once the understated beats roll in, the music almost sighs at times with a restrained serenity. Click-ridden scratchy rhythms and soft crackle adorn the more regular beats that drive some of the recordings, some pieces have no beat for the most part or none at all.

MOOD
Licht und Schatten has an otherworldly quality about it, a sublime soft focus warmth. Most pieces have a gentle solemnity, a wistful nature - that beautiful sadness that tugs at the heart. This sense of quietude, however, is not all pervasive - dark moments, ominous regions have their places. Tiefflug has something of a sci-fi theme - bubbling bassline cycling beneath acidic synth motifs.

ARTWORK Fluid Audio have excelled with the packaging of this special edition EP. The disc comes in a four panel tray presented in a hand stitched fabric sleeve. A full colour poster, badge and an additional surprise (I won't spoil it) are all included in the set. A paper slip enwraps the sleeve bearing the title of the album - everything tasteful and with that feel of something special. This might all be a bit suspect if it weren't for the quality of the music - Fluid are not trying to sucker listeners in by means of package overkill - rather this is a fantastic limited edition item that feels special through and through.


OVERALL Violinist, pianist, composer and producer Christoph Berg s based in Kiel, Germany and began the Field Rotation project in 2008. This limited edition EP of only 100 signed and numbered copies is the stepping stone for Field Rotation to make the leap from compilation appearances to full length album. The Fluid Audio label anticipates a complete album sometime in 2010 - meanwhile this release whets the appetite for a project that seems set to sit among the front runners of the genre. The digital version of Licht und Schatten holds only four of the seven pieces found on the CD so don't wait - get in quickly and experience the whole thing. You can hear the music on the Fluid Audio website as well as getting a chance to see the presentation of the limited edition if you need to.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM
This is a quality EP that will appeal to fans of both the electro-neo-classic and minimalist chillout genres. Fans of Deaf Centre, Ultimae, Bersarin Quartett and the likes will love Licht und Schatten.