Orson Hentschel

Facades

BY Kevin PressPublished Jan 23, 2018

5
These two new tracks from Düsseldorf electronic producer Orson Hentschel come six months after his full-length effort Electric Stutter. Each time out, Hentschel has presented us something different. His debut album, Feed The Tape, was a shoutout to minimalist classical music. Electric Stutter was a more up-tempo listen, featuring intensely composed electronic beats.
 
This new work progresses at a more measured pace. And while the first two releases were instrumental, Hentschel has paired his electronics with a spoken word performance by Danhee Joe. She took a piece of Hentschel's writing and translated it into Korean; her read is understated, but strong enough to hold our attention, playing as an effective counterpoint to Hentschel's music.
 
The text came to Hentschel as he struggled with writer's block. He has edited and remixed Joe's reading, applying it with a musical, futuristic finish. What's disappointing is that (at least in the digital materials) we're not given a translation of the original written piece. We're also not told why it's in Korean.
 
Absent any context, we can only assume this was done to add a bit of international flavour. Unwittingly, Hentschel has minimized his own writing and Joe's spoken word performance.
 
This is living room, rather than dance floor, music. It's not terrifically colourful, but there are moments where the tracks build up a bit of steam. It is more than competent, but less than thrilling.
(Denovali)

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